JP2005276378A - Disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a disk cartridge capable of preventing the rattling of a disk medium without damaging its printing surface during transportation or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This disk cartridge 10 is provided with: a disk medium 12 having a recording surface 12B formed on one surface and a nonrecording surface 12A formed on the other surface; a case 14 having a disk opening 35 enabling the disk medium 12 to be taken out and exposing the nonrecording surface 12A, and an opening 20 enabling the recording surface 12B to be accessed and being opened/closed by shutter members 60 and 18; and a disk presser 24 rotatably disposed behind the case 14, pressing and holding the nonrecording surface 12A during nonuse of the disk medium 12 and moving apart from the nonrecording surface 12A during use of the disk medium 12, wherein the disk presser 24 presses an outer peripheral part 12E on the back side of the disk medium 12 forward. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a disk cartridge in which a disk-shaped disk medium used as a recording / reproducing medium for various information such as images is accommodated in a case.

  For example, disk-shaped disk media such as optical disks and magneto-optical disks are used as recording / reproducing media for computers and video recording / reproducing media. When such a disk medium is recorded or reproduced, the disk medium is recorded by a recording head that is rotated by a rotating spindle shaft while being loaded in the disk drive device and accesses the recording surface side of the disk medium. The layer is irradiated with laser light or both laser light and a magnetic field. As a result, in the disk media, information is recorded by pit formation, phase change, magnetization reversal, etc. due to decomposition and / or temperature rise of the recording layer, or the reproduction head reads the difference in the reflectance and polarization angle of the laser beam. The recorded information is played back.

  In addition, along with the increase in recording capacity of such disc media, the disc media is housed in a case in order to prevent dust from adhering to the surface of the disc media (the cover layer covering the recording surface). Such a disc cartridge is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a disk cartridge, an opening for accessing the center hole and recording surface of the disk medium is provided in the case, and the opening is opened and closed by a shutter member.

  However, since the disk cartridge as described above is not provided with a mechanism for holding the disk medium with respect to the case, there is a problem that the disk medium is rattled in the case during transportation. If the disk media is scratched by this rattling, the case or shutter member is damaged, and dust such as wear powder is generated, it causes recording / reproduction failure (dropout).

  In addition, a disk opening that allows the disk media to be removed is provided on the upper surface (top plate) opposite to the lower surface (bottom plate) provided with an opening for accessing the disk media in the case, so that the case is thinner. A disk cartridge configured as described above is known (for example, see Patent Document 2). Thus, if the case of the disk cartridge is configured to be thinner, the disk drive device can be designed to be thinner, which has the advantage of saving space.

In addition, the disc cartridge provided with the disc opening mainly accommodates single-sided recording type disc media, but the case is provided with a disc presser for preventing the disc media from dropping from the disc opening. It has been. That is, a disc press formed in a predetermined size is provided, for example, in a state where it can be rotated to the rear side of the case and biased toward the disc media, and the disc press is accommodated in the case. By pressing a part of the upper surface (non-recording surface) of the disc media, the disc media is prevented from falling out of the case.
JP 2003-115184 A JP 2003-242740 A

  However, even with a disc cartridge provided with such a disc presser, the disc presser is for preventing the disc media from falling out of the case, so it was not possible to completely prevent the disc media from rattling during transportation. . That is, due to this rattling, the disc media may be damaged, or the case (the peripheral wall constituting the disc opening) may be damaged, and dust such as shaving powder may be generated. However, if the urging force of the disc presser is increased (when the disc media is excessively pressed), the non-recording surface of the disc media is used as the printing surface, and the printing surface is damaged by the pressing force of the disc presser. Is concerned.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge that can prevent rattling without damaging the printing surface of a disk medium during transportation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a disc cartridge according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a disc-shaped disc medium having a recording surface formed on one surface and a non-recording surface formed on the other surface. A case having a disk opening that allows the disk medium to be removed and exposes the non-recording surface; an opening that allows access to the recording surface and is opened and closed by a shutter member; and a rear side of the case A disc cartridge provided with a disc pressing member that presses and holds the non-recording surface when the disc medium is not used, and is separated from the non-recording surface when the disc medium is used. The disk press is configured to press the outer peripheral edge portion on the rear side of the disk medium forward.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the disk press presses the outer peripheral edge on the rear side of the disk medium toward the front, so that the disk medium is urged toward the front and the peripheral wall constituting the disk opening is formed. Contact the front end face. Therefore, the disk medium is held by the front end face and the disk presser, thereby preventing rattling of the disk medium during transportation or the like. Further, since the disk presser presses the outer peripheral edge of the disk medium, the printed surface is not damaged.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the disk cartridge according to the first aspect, wherein the disk pressing member includes a position restricting portion that contacts an outer peripheral edge of the disk medium from an outer side in a radial direction of the disk medium. It is characterized by having.

  In the invention of claim 2, since the disk presser has a position restricting portion that contacts the outer peripheral edge of the disk medium from the radially outer side of the disk medium, the disk medium is preferably moved forward by the position restricting portion. It is done.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the disk cartridge according to the second aspect is characterized in that the position restricting portion is formed of a material having a high friction coefficient with respect to the disk medium. The disc cartridge according to claim 4 is the disc cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the material having a high friction coefficient is an elastic material.

  In the invention of claim 3 and claim 4, since the position restricting portion is formed of an elastic material having a high coefficient of friction with respect to the disk medium, the disk medium can be efficiently pressed forward, and The radial movement and the circumferential movement (backlash) of the disk medium can be suitably suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a disc cartridge that can be suitably prevented from rattling without damaging the printing surface of the disc medium during transportation or the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 indicates the loading direction of the disk cartridge 10 into the disk drive device (hereinafter simply referred to as “drive device”), and the side indicated by the arrow A is the front side for convenience of explanation. . The direction indicated by the arrow B orthogonal to the arrow A is the upper side, and the direction indicated by the arrow C orthogonal to the arrows A and B is the right side. In the following description, “when not in use” according to the present invention is sometimes referred to as “when stored”, and “when using” is described as “when in operation”.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the disk cartridge 10 includes a disk medium 12 as an information recording / reproducing medium formed in a disk shape, a case 14 for housing the disk medium 12, and access to the disk medium 12. Inner rotor 16 and second shutter member 18 having first shutter member 60 capable of opening and closing opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B) provided on the lower surface of case 14, and rotation of inner rotor 16 The disk receiver 22 that moves up and down in conjunction with the disk and a disk presser 24 that holds the disk medium 12 so as not to drop out of the disk opening 35 provided on the upper surface of the case 14 when the disk medium 12 is stored. Has been.

  The above members except for the disk medium 12 are mainly formed of synthetic resin. Further, when the disk cartridge 10 is not used (when the disk medium 12 is stored), the lock that prevents the inner rotor 16 from rotating and maintains the closed state of the opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window 20B). Although members are also provided, illustration and explanation thereof are omitted.

  First, the disk medium 12 will be described. The disk medium 12 has one surface (upper surface) as a non-recording surface 12A and the other surface (lower surface) as a recording surface 12B. A circular center hole 12C is formed in the axial center of the disk medium 12. ing.

  The non-recording surface 12A is a printing surface on which printing or the like is performed, and is always exposed to the outside through a disk opening 35 described later. Therefore, for example, if the contents of the disk medium 12 are printed on the non-recording surface 12A, the user can easily grasp the contents of the disk medium 12. Further, if the designability of the non-recording surface 12A (printing surface) is enhanced, the designability of the entire disk cartridge 10 can be improved.

  The recording surface 12B has an annular recording layer formed in a portion excluding a predetermined range (a chucking area 12D to be described later) around the outer peripheral edge 12E and the center hole 12C on the lower surface of the disk medium 12. The coating is protected. On the lower surface of the disk medium 12, the area between the center hole 12C and the recording surface 12B is a chucking area 12D for holding the disk medium 12 by a rotating spindle shaft (not shown) of the drive device. The chucking area 12D is also at the same position on the non-recording surface 12A side.

  That is, the recording medium (lower surface) 12B side of the disk medium 12 is held by a rotating spindle shaft that enters from a hub hole 20A described later, and the non-recording surface (upper surface) 12A side enters from a disk opening 35. It is configured to rotate while being held by a king member (not shown). In this embodiment, the diameter (outer diameter) of the disk medium 12 is approximately 120 mm.

  Next, the case 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the case 14 is configured in a substantially rectangular flat container shape formed by joining a synthetic resin upper shell 26 and a lower shell 28. Specifically, the case 14 is formed in a shape in which the front edge portion is formed in a substantially symmetrical arc shape in plan view, and the rear end corner portions are obliquely cut out. Incorrect loading into the drive device is prevented.

  The upper shell 26 includes a top plate 30 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the case 14 in plan view, and an outer peripheral wall 32 erected downward substantially along the outer peripheral edge of the top plate 30. The top plate 30 is provided with a disc opening 35 that is a circular hole having a slightly larger diameter than the outer diameter of the disc media 12 (a size that does not contact even when the disc media 12 rotates). An inner peripheral wall 34 having a predetermined height is erected on the inner peripheral edge of the disk opening 35 downward.

  The disk medium 12 is rotatably accommodated inside the inner peripheral wall 34, and the disk medium 12 is inserted into the case 14 and the disk medium 12 is removed from the case 14 through the disk opening 35. Is possible. Since the top opening 30 of the upper shell 26 is provided with the disk opening 35, no upward bulging portion is formed. Therefore, the case 14 is a sealed disk in which the disk opening 35 is not formed. There is an advantage that it can be made thinner than the cartridge case.

  Further, in the outer peripheral wall 32, a substantially rectangular cutout 32A is formed on the right wall. The notch 32A constitutes a shutter operation window 52 for projecting an operation protrusion 72 of the inner rotor 16 described later by facing a notch 42A of the lower shell 28 described later. Further, on the rear side of the top plate 30 (including the inner peripheral wall 34), notches 30A and 30B are formed that allow arms 82 and 84 of the disk retainer 24 described later.

  A substantially annular hook 90A formed at one end of a coil spring 90 as an urging means to be described later is provided on the inner surface of the top plate 30 on the rear side and on the outer side of the one (right side) cutout portion 30B. A locking pin 38 for locking is projected. The notch portion 30B is notched wider than the notch portion 30A on the side of the locking pin 38, and the movement of the coil spring 90 is allowed when a disc retainer 24 described later rotates to the take-out position of the disc media 12. It is supposed to be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower shell 28 is provided on the inner surface of the rear portion of the top plate 30 so that the shaft portion 86 provided on the arm portions 82 and 84 does not come off between the notches 30A and 30B. A bearing 36 that is rotatably supported in a pair with the projecting shaft presser 56 is projected at a predetermined interval. As shown in FIG. 5, each bearing 36 has a groove portion 36A formed in a substantially “U” shape in a side view, and the heights of the front wall portion 36B and the rear wall portion 36C constituting the groove portion 36A are different. Thus, for example, the front wall portion 36B is formed to be higher than the rear wall portion 36C.

  Further, in the top plate 30 (including the inner peripheral wall 34), a position restricting portion 81 of the disc retainer 24 described later is allowed at a predetermined position in front of the notches 30A and 30B and in the peripheral portion of the disc opening 35. The notches 30C and 30D having a substantially wedge shape in plan view are formed.

  On the other hand, the lower shell 28 includes a bottom plate 40 having a shape substantially corresponding to the top plate 30 and an outer peripheral wall 42 having a shape substantially corresponding to the outer peripheral wall 32. An opening 20 is provided in the bottom plate 40. The opening 20 has a substantially circular hub hole 20A having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the center hole 12C of the disk medium 12 and slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the chucking area 12D (the inner diameter of the recording surface 12B). And a substantially rectangular recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B continuously provided in front of the diameter of the hub hole 20A in the left-right direction. It is formed in a letter shape. Note that the shapes of the hub hole 20A and the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B are not limited to this, and may be provided independently of each other.

  The hub hole 20A is arranged so as to be substantially coaxial with the accommodated disk medium 12 in a state where the upper shell 26 and the lower shell 28 are joined. The hub hole 20A is configured to have the above dimensions, so that when not in use, only the center hole 12C and the chucking area 12D are exposed to the outside, and the area where the recording layer is provided is not exposed to the outside. ing. Further, the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B for exposing the recording surface 12B is widened so that the left end edge thereof is located to the left of the tangent along the front-rear direction of the hub hole 20A. The front part cuts out the outer peripheral wall 42 and opens forward.

  Further, the rotary spindle shaft of the drive device enters the hub hole 20A, and the disk medium 12 is rotated while the center hole 12C and the chucking area 12D of the disk medium 12 are engaged and held. Then, the recording and / or reproducing head of the drive device enters the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B, and information is recorded or reproduced on the recording layer of the disk medium 12. At this time, since the recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B is also opened forward, the recording and / or reproducing head substantially reaches the outermost periphery of the recording layer (the inner periphery of the outer peripheral edge portion 12E). Location).

  In the bottom plate 40, a pair of bosses 44, 46 are provided on the rear side inner surface so as to protrude at a predetermined interval. The left boss 44 is formed in a circular shape in plan view, and the right boss 46 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape in plan view with a long left-right direction. Positioning holes 44A and 46A are formed in the bosses 44 and 46, and positioning pins (not shown) of the drive device are inserted into the positioning holes 44A and 46A, so that the inside of the drive device of the disk cartridge 10 is inserted. Positioning at is performed.

  Further, the bottom plate 40 is provided with a rib-like inner wall 50 that accommodates an inner rotor 16 to be described later and holds the inner rotor 16 rotatably. The inner wall 50 is formed in a discontinuous arc shape having a slightly larger diameter than the inner rotor 16 in plan view. Dust-proof ribs 48 are provided upright at the front ends of the left and right edges of the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B, with the front ends connected to the outer peripheral wall 42 and the rear ends connected to the inner wall 50, respectively. Yes. The heights of the dust-proof rib 48 and the inner wall 50 are equal to the height of the annular wall portion 62 of the inner rotor 16.

  In the outer peripheral wall 42, a substantially rectangular cutout 42 </ b> A corresponding to the cutout 32 </ b> A formed in the outer peripheral wall 32 of the upper shell 26 is formed on the right wall. Therefore, when the case 14 is assembled by joining the upper shell 26 and the lower shell 28 with screws or ultrasonic welding in a state where the end surfaces of the outer peripheral walls 32 and 42 are abutted against each other, the operation of the inner rotor 16 is performed. The shutter operation window 52 for projecting the protrusion 72 is formed. The shutter operation window 52 is not limited to the one provided on the right wall side of the case 14, but is related to the drive device and the shapes of the inner rotor 16 (first shutter member 60) and the second shutter member 18. The arrangement position is appropriately changed by the above.

  Further, on the inner surface of the rear side of the bottom plate 40, a shaft retainer 56, which is paired with a bearing 36 protruding from the upper shell 26 and rotatably supports a shaft portion 86 of a disk retainer 24 described later, has a predetermined interval. Projected apart. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shaft retainer 56 is a protrusion having a predetermined height that is inserted between the front wall portion 36B and the rear wall portion 36C (in the groove portion 36A) of the bearing 36 and parallel to the shaft portion 86. It has a strip 56A and step portions 56B and 56C having different heights formed before and after the projection 56A.

  The step portions 56B and 56C correspond to the front wall portion 36B and the rear wall portion 36C, for example, the front step portion 56B is low and the rear step portion 56C is high, and the upper shell 26 is connected to the lower shell 28. When the case 14 is assembled on the cover, that is, the end surface of the front wall portion 36B of the bearing 36 is brought into contact with the step portion 56B of the shaft retainer 56, and the end surface of the rear wall portion 36C of the bearing 36 is contacted with the step portion of the shaft retainer 56. A space capable of rotatably holding the shaft portion 86 of the disk retainer 24 is formed between the groove portion 36A and the protrusion portion 56A when the contact portion 56C is brought into contact with the groove portion 56C.

  In addition, on the inner surface of the bottom plate 40, as shown in FIG. 3, substantially elliptical concave portions 54 and 55 are formed at predetermined intervals to engage with engaging protrusions 68 protruding from the lower surface of the inner rotor 16. ing. The recesses 54 and 55 are formed so that the sides facing each other are gently inclined surfaces. Further, on the inner surface of the bottom plate 40 and on the front side of the recesses 54 and 55, a pair of guide pins 58 that support a disk receiver 22 described later so as to be movable up and down with respect to the bottom plate 40 protrude with a predetermined interval. It is installed.

  Next, the first shutter member 60 and the second shutter member 18 provided integrally with the inner rotor 16 will be described. The inner rotor 16 and the second shutter member 18 are disposed on the bottom plate 40 of the lower shell 28. When the first shutter member 60 and the second shutter member 18 are rotated in opposite directions, the opening 20, that is, the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B is opened and closed. In addition, when the reproducing head window 20B is opened, a part of the recording surface 12B is exposed to the outside, so that the recording and / or reproducing head of the drive device can be accessed.

  The inner rotor 16 includes a first shutter member 60 that faces the recording surface 12B of the disk medium 12 with a predetermined gap, an annular wall portion 62 that can accommodate the disk medium 12 inside, and a first shutter member 60. And an annular wall portion 62, and an outer peripheral receiving portion 64 that protrudes upward so as to support the outer peripheral edge portion 12E on the recording surface 12B side of the disk medium 12 from below. When the case 14 is assembled, the annular wall 62 is rotatably disposed inside the inner wall 50 of the lower shell 28 and outside the inner peripheral wall 34 of the upper shell 26. 62 is covered with the upper shell 26 (the top plate 30 and the inner peripheral wall 34).

  A cutout portion 60A having a circular arc shape corresponding to the hub hole 20A is formed at the center of the inner rotor 16, and a cutout portion 60B that allows the second shutter member 18 is provided on the substantially left half side of the inner rotor 16. Is formed. The cutout portion 60A communicates with the cutout portion 60B. When the right end edge of the cutout portion 60B continuous from the cutout portion 60A opens the opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B), the recording and / or Alternatively, the shape is a circular arc shape in a plan view that expands outward from the right edge of the reproducing head window portion 20 </ b> B, and serves as an abutting portion 65 with the second shutter member 18.

  Further, an inner periphery receiving portion 66 having an arc shape in plan view that supports the chucking area 12D of the disk medium 12 from below is projected around the notch portion 60A, and an outer periphery receiving portion 64 (inner side on the notch portion 60B side) is provided. At a predetermined position on the lower surface of the rotor 16), an engaging protrusion 68 for projecting the second shutter member 18 in conjunction with the inner rotor 16 (first shutter member 60) is provided. Further, an engaging convex portion 70 is provided at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the annular wall portion 62 so as to raise the disc retainer 24 by a predetermined height, and a shutter is provided at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the annular wall portion 62. An operation protrusion 72 protruding from the operation window 52 is provided so as to protrude in the radial direction.

  Further, the outer peripheral receiving portion 64 is cut into a substantially rectangular shape at a predetermined position of the annular wall portion 62, that is, on the substantially lower half side of the portion corresponding to the recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B when the opening 20 is opened. A notched portion 62A is formed, and a recess 62B that allows the plate thickness of the second shutter member 18 to some extent is formed in a portion of the lower surface of the inner rotor 16 that overlaps the second shutter member 18. Yes. A cam step portion 62C that engages with a disk receiver 22 described later is formed on the upper surface of the annular wall portion 62 at a predetermined position on the left side of the notch portion 62A (see FIG. 6). Further, at predetermined positions on the upper surface of the annular wall portion 62, notches 62 </ b> D and 62 </ b> E that allow the position restricting portion 81 of the disk presser 24 when the inner rotor 16 is rotated are formed.

  The second shutter member 18 has a boss 74 having a hole portion 74 </ b> A inserted into the outer periphery of the left boss 44, and is configured to be rotatable around the boss 44. That is, the boss 44 is a pivot point of the second shutter member 18. The end surface on the opposite side farthest from the boss 74 of the second shutter member 18 is an abutting portion 75 having an arcuate shape in plan view that contacts the abutting portion 65 of the first shutter member 60.

  The second shutter member 18 is formed with a cut-out portion 18A having a circular arc shape corresponding to the hub hole 20A. Around the cut-out portion 18A, an opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window portion) is formed. 20B), the inner peripheral receiving portion 76 having an arcuate shape in plan view that constitutes an annular convex portion having a predetermined height is protruded by coming into contact with the side surface of the inner peripheral receiving portion 66 of the first shutter member 60. Yes. The upper surface of the inner periphery receiving portions 66 and 76 is in contact with the chucking area 12D, and the disc medium 12 is supported together with the outer periphery receiving portion 64 from below, thereby preventing entry of dust or the like into the recording surface 12B. It is.

  In addition, an elongated guide hole 78 having a generally “<” shape in plan view is formed at a predetermined position of the second shutter member 18. By engaging the engaging projection 68 projecting from the inner rotor 16 into the guide hole 78 and engaging, the second shutter member 18 is interlocked with the inner rotor 16 (first shutter member 60) to mutually It is the structure which can be rotated to an opposite direction.

  The engaging protrusion 68 is inserted into the recesses 54 and 55 through the guide hole 78. That is, the protrusion height of the engagement protrusion 68 is higher than the plate thickness of the second shutter member 18 by about the depth of the recesses 54 and 55 (not necessarily the same). Further, the first shutter member 60 and the second shutter member 18 and the inner peripheral wall 34 form a storage portion that is a storage space for the disk media 12.

  Next, the disk receiver 22 will be described. The disk receiver 22 is used to compensate for the omission of a part of the outer periphery receiving portion 64 by forming the cutout portion 62A, and when the opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B) is closed. The cross-section is bridged so as to close the notch 62A. Specifically, it is formed in a substantially “U” shape in sectional view capable of accommodating the annular wall portion 62 on the inner side, and is formed so as to have an arc shape having the same curvature as that of the annular wall portion 62 in plan view. A pair of engaging grooves (not shown) with which the guide pin 58 engages are formed at both ends so that the guide pin 58 can move up and down along the guide pin 58.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the disc receiver 22 is cam-engaged with the cam step portion 62C at the lower left end of the upper wall 22A so as to move up and down as the inner rotor 16 rotates. 22C is formed. Therefore, when the opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B) is closed, the cam protrusion 22C is supported on the upper surface of the annular wall portion 62, so that the disc receiver 22 is in the raised position and the notch portion 62A is formed. Block. Thus, a part of the missing outer periphery receiving portion 64 is compensated, and the outer peripheral edge portion 12E of the disk medium 12 is supported together with the outer periphery receiving portion 64.

  On the other hand, when the opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B) is opened, the cam protrusion 22C engages with the cam step portion 62C, so that the disc receiver 22 is in the lowered position and the inner rotor 16 moves ( Rotation). An upward taper surface is formed at the left end of the lower wall 22B of the disk receiver 22, and a downward taper surface is formed at the end facing the left edge of the notch 62A of the outer periphery receiver 64. Therefore, as the inner rotor 16 rotates, the outer periphery receiving portion 64 is configured to easily ride on the lower wall 22B. A downward tapered surface is also formed at the right end portion of the lower wall 22 </ b> B so as to be in contact with the upward tapered surface formed in the outer periphery receiving portion 64.

  Next, the disk presser 24 that is a main part of the present invention will be described. The disc retainer 24 is provided on the rear side of the case 14, and a pair of arm portions 82 and 84 that are rotatably supported with respect to the case 14, and the left and right ends of the arm portions 82 and 84. A pressing unit having a substantially crescent shape in plan view, substantially in line with the shape of the disk medium 12 so as to be symmetrically bridged and covering a part (rear side) of the non-recording surface 12A of the disk medium 12 80 and a position restricting portion 81 that is integrally attached to both left and right ends of the pressing portion 80.

  The pressing portion 80 has a substantially crescent shape when viewed from the left and right in a plan view so as to avoid the chucking area 12D on the non-recording surface 12A side of the disc medium 12 and enters from the disc opening 35. Thus, it does not interfere with the chucking member that holds the chucking area 12D. The rear end of the pressing portion 80 between the arm portions 82 and 84 is notched in a straight line so as not to interfere with the top plate 30 when rotating to an extraction position (maximum rotation position) described later. Yes.

  The position restricting portion 81 is formed of an elastic material such as rubber having a high friction coefficient with respect to the disk medium 12 and is formed in a substantially wedge shape in plan view as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8A. As shown in FIG. 8B, the position restricting portion 81 is bent at a predetermined angle toward the non-recording surface 12A side of the disc medium 12, and the outer peripheral edge portion 12E on the rear side of the disc media 12. The edge on the upper surface (non-recording surface 12A) side is pressed from the outside in the radial direction of the disk medium 12. Accordingly, the disc medium 12 moves slightly forward and comes into contact with the front end inner surface 34A at the center of the left and right of the inner peripheral wall 34 constituting the disc opening 35 in plan view (FIGS. 2 and 8). (See (A)).

  Columnar shaft portions 86 project from the rear ends of the pair of arm portions 82 and 84 toward the left and right inner sides, and the shaft portions 86 are provided with the shaft pressing 56 of the lower shell 28 and the upper shell 26. The bearing 36 is rotatably held in a space formed between the bearing 36 and the bearing 36. As shown in FIG. 4, a locking pin 88 that locks a substantially annular hook 90 </ b> B formed at the other end of the coil spring 90 projects on the inner surface (lower surface) of one (right) arm portion 84. The disk retainer 24 is constantly urged toward the disk medium 12 by a coil spring 90 stretched between the locking pins 38 and 88 (installed with a predetermined tension). It is like that.

  Further, the inner surface of the other arm portion 82 (left side) is an action surface that is pushed up by engaging (contacting) the engaging convex portion 70 protruding from the upper surface of the annular wall portion 62 of the inner rotor 16. When the disk medium 12 is operating (rotating), the disk presser 24 is slightly raised against the urging force of the coil spring 90 by the engaging projection 70 as shown in FIG. 7B. The disc medium 12 is held and allowed to rotate.

  Further, when the disc medium 12 is taken out from the disc opening 35, the disc retainer 24 is rotated backward by hand. At this time, the disc retainer 24 is temporarily moved to its take-out position (maximum rotational position). Therefore, the urging force and the mounting position of the coil spring 90 are defined.

  That is, the disk holder 24 is rotated, and the maximum rotation position (extraction) in which the outer surface (upper surface) of the other (left side) arm portion 82 abuts the rear side edge of the notch 30A formed in the top plate 30. 7C, the coil spring 90 enters the notch 30B that is formed wide, and its urging force exceeds the shaft 86 in a side view and is in the direction of arrow F. The projecting positions of the locking pins 38 and 88 are defined so as to go to.

  Therefore, the disk retainer 24 can be temporarily held at the take-out position (maximum rotation position), whereby the disk retainer 24 is a storage position for retaining the disk medium 12 and an operation position where the disk medium 12 is rotatable. The disc medium 12 can be held in three states (attitudes), ie, an extraction position (maximum rotation position) at which the disk medium 12 can be extracted.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the disc retainer 24 has a case 14 (top plate 30) in a side view at a position (particularly an operating position) other than the take-out position where the disc medium 12 is taken out. ) So as not to protrude from the upper surface. Therefore, there is an effect that the drive device can be further reduced in thickness as compared with the case where the disk presser 24 protrudes from the upper surface of the case 14 (top plate 30), particularly in the operating position.

  Further, since the shaft portion 86 is rotatably held by the bearing 36 and the shaft retainer 56 when the case 14 is assembled with the upper shell 26 placed on the lower shell 28, the disk retainer 24 is provided after the assembly of the case 14. Cannot be separated from the case 14. That is, if the disc holder 24 can be easily separated from the case 14 even after the case 14 is assembled, the user may accidentally lose it. Since separation from the case 14 is impossible, troubles such as loss do not occur.

  Next, the operation of the disk cartridge 10 configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 9 with the upper shell 26 and the disk medium 12 removed, when the disk cartridge 10 is not used (when the disk medium 12 is stored), an opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window 20B) is formed. The first shutter member 60 and the second shutter member 18 are closed.

  That is, the first shutter member 60 and the second shutter member 18 close the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B by abutting the abutting portions 65 and 75 with each other. The abutting portions 65 and 75 are preferably formed to have a tapered surface or a stepped portion so that they can be superposed on each other, and this ensures the entry of dust into the case 14. Can be blocked.

  At this time, the inner periphery receiving portions 66 and 76 are formed in an annular shape by their side surfaces abutting each other. Then, the engaging projection 68 protruding from the lower surface of the inner rotor 16 passes through the rear end side of the guide hole 78 of the second shutter member 18 and is inserted into the recess 54 of the lower shell 28. Further, the disk receiver 22 is held at the raised position and closes the notch 62A.

  Therefore, the disc medium 12 is accommodated in the accommodating portion with the chucking area 12D on the recording surface 12B side supported by the inner peripheral receiving portions 66 and 76, and the outer peripheral edge portion 12E on the recording surface 12B side supported by the outer peripheral receiving portion 64. The recording surface 12B is completely blocked from the outside. In other words, the disc cartridge 10 is provided with the disc opening 35, so that dust or the like may adhere to the non-recording surface 12A side of the disc media 12, but the opening 20 (recording and / or recording) when not in use. Alternatively, since the reproducing head window portion 20B) is closed by the first shutter member 60 and the second shutter member 18, no dust or the like adheres to the recording surface 12B side.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 7A, and 8A to which the upper shell 26 and the disk medium 12 are attached, the disk cartridge 10 is not used (when the disk medium 12 is stored). The presser 24 presses the non-recording surface 12 </ b> A side of the disk medium 12 by the biasing force of the coil spring 90. Specifically, the position restricting portion 81 that is formed of an elastic material such as rubber having a high friction coefficient with respect to the disc medium 12 and is integrally attached to the left and right ends of the pressing portion 80 is not recorded on the disc medium 12. The edge of the outer peripheral edge 12E on the surface 12A side is brought into contact with the outer side in the radial direction of the disk medium 12, and the disk medium 12 is pressed and held forward.

  Therefore, the disk medium 12 is held in the accommodating portion mainly at three points, that is, the position restricting portion 81 at both the left and right ends and the front end inner surface 34A of the inner peripheral wall 34 constituting the disc opening 35. This prevents the disk opening 35 from falling off and prevents rattling during transportation. Therefore, the case 14 and the disk media 12 are not damaged, and dust such as shaving powder is not generated.

  Further, since the position restricting portion 81 contacts only the outer peripheral edge portion 12E of the disk medium 12, there is a problem that the printing surface (the non-recording surface 12A between the chucking area 12D and the outer peripheral edge portion 12E) is damaged. I don't get up. Further, since the position restricting portion 81 is formed of an elastic material having a high friction coefficient with respect to the disk medium 12, the disk medium 12 can be efficiently pressed forward, and the radial direction of the disk medium 12 In addition, movement in the circumferential direction (backlash) can be suitably suppressed.

  In addition, since the non-recording surface 12A (printing surface) of the disk medium 12 is always exposed to the outside through the disk opening 35, the contents of the disk medium 12 printed on the non-recording surface 12A can be easily grasped by the user. Is done. Further, the design property of the disk medium 12 is enhanced by the content printed on the non-recording surface 12A, and as a result, the design property of the disk cartridge 10 is enhanced.

  Now, such a disk cartridge 10 is loaded into the drive device for recording or reproduction. When the disk cartridge 10 is loaded into the loading port of the drive device, the first shutter member 60 (inner rotor 16) and the second When the shutter member 18 rotates in the opposite direction, the opening 20 (recording and / or reproducing head window 20B) is opened, and positioning pins (not shown) are inserted into the positioning holes 44A and 46A. Then, positioning in the drive device is performed.

  That is, the opening / closing member (not shown) of the drive device engages with the operation protrusion 72 protruding from the front end side of the shutter operation window 52, and moves the operation protrusion 72 toward the rear of the case 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the inner rotor 16 starts to rotate clockwise along the inner wall 50 around the hub hole 20 </ b> A, and the side surfaces of the abutment portions 65, 75 and the inner peripheral receiving portions 66, 76 are moved. Start to be separated from each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the cam protrusion 22 </ b> C of the disc receiver 22 starts to engage with the cam step portion 62 </ b> C of the annular wall portion 62, and the disc receiver 22 descends along the guide pin 58. When the disc receiver 22 is lowered, the inner rotor 16 is completely allowed to rotate.

  At this time, the engaging protrusion 68 slides in the guide hole 78, and the second shutter member 18 starts to rotate counterclockwise around the boss 44. Further, at this time, since the concave portion 54 has a gently inclined surface on the sliding direction side where at least the engaging protrusion 68 comes out, the engaging protrusion 68 smoothly moves from the inside of the concave portion 54 as the inner rotor 16 rotates. And begin to slide on the bottom plate 40 of the lower shell 28.

  Here, since the engagement protrusion 68 is formed higher than the plate thickness of the second shutter member 18, at least the vicinity of the engagement protrusion 68 of the inner rotor 16 is formed on the second shutter member 18 by the engagement protrusion 68. Further, the height rises from the bottom plate 40 of the lower shell 28 by a predetermined height. That is, the disc medium 12 has the chucking area 12D on the recording surface 12B side from the inner periphery receiving portion 76 of the second shutter member 18 in a state where the outer peripheral edge portion 12E on the recording surface 12B side is supported by the outer periphery receiving portion 64. Separate. As a result, the second shutter member 18 can be rotated counterclockwise without the inner periphery receiving portion 76 contacting the recording surface 12B.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, the inner rotor 16 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the second shutter member 18 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, thereby the recording and / or reproducing head window portion. 20B begins to open. The second shutter member 18 stops rotating in the counterclockwise direction when the engaging protrusion 68 reaches the bent middle portion of the guide hole 78. At this time, the right front end portion of the cutout portion 18A (inner periphery receiving portion 76) on the rightmost side of the second shutter member 18 is located on the left side of the left end edge of the recording and / or reproducing head window portion 20B.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the inner rotor 16 further rotates clockwise after the rotation of the second shutter member 18 stops, and the engagement protrusion 68 slides in the guide hole 78 accordingly. To do. When the engaging projection 68 reaches the front end side of the guide hole 78, the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B is completely opened as shown in FIG. At this time, the operation protrusion 72 is positioned on the rear end side of the shutter operation window 52, and the engagement protrusion 68 is inserted into the recess 55 of the lower shell 28. Since the concave portion 55 has a gently inclined surface on the sliding direction side where at least the engaging projection 68 enters, the engaging projection 68 is smoothly inserted into the concave portion 54.

  As a result, the inner rotor 16 is lowered onto the second shutter member 18 and the bottom plate 40 of the lower shell 28. At this time, the center hole 12C and the chucking area 12D of the disk medium 12 have already been removed from the hub hole 20A. It is held (chucked) by the rotating spindle shaft of the drive device that has entered and the chucking member that has entered from the disc opening 35, and the disc media 12 itself has risen to the rotation allowable position (recording surface 12B side) The outer peripheral edge portion 12E is separated from the outer periphery receiving portion 64). Therefore, the recording surface 12B does not come into contact with the inner periphery receiving portion 76 of the second shutter member 18.

  When the rotating spindle shaft and the chucking member hold (chuck) the center hole 12C and the chucking area 12D of the disk medium 12, the disk medium 12 is moved forward by the disk presser 24 (position restricting portion 81). Although moved, the moving distance is very small, and there is no problem in holding (chucking) the rotating spindle shaft and the chucking member.

  At this time, the engaging convex portion 70 protruding from the annular wall portion 62 of the inner rotor 16 engages (contacts) the action surface of the arm portion 82 of the disc retainer 24, and FIG. As shown, the arm portion 82 is raised by a predetermined height against the urging force of the coil spring 90. In other words, the pressing portion 80 of the disk pressing member 24 is raised by a predetermined height, and the leading ends (left and right ends) of the pressing member 80 are separated from the non-recording surface 12 A of the disk medium 12. Therefore, the disk presser 24 does not interfere with the disk medium 12.

  Further, the disc holder 24 is formed in a substantially crescent-shaped shape in a plan view that is symmetric in the left-right direction (the center of the tip is cut out in an arc shape), so that the chuck that enters from the disc opening 35 (above). It does not interfere with the king member. That is, there is no problem that the disc retainer 24 prevents the disc media 12 from being chucked (held). Furthermore, since the engaging convex portion 70 engages (contacts) with the arm portion 82 not provided with the coil spring 90, there is a problem that the engaging convex portion 70 interferes with the coil spring 90. I don't get up.

  In any case, the disk medium 12 in which the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B (opening 20) is opened and the pressing (pressing holding) by the disk pressing 24 is released is rotated by the rotating spindle shaft. The recording and / or reproducing head of the drive device that has entered from the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B records information on the recording surface 12B or reproduces information recorded on the recording surface 12B. Is called.

  On the other hand, when the disk cartridge 10 is taken out from the drive device, first, the positioning pins are extracted from the positioning holes 44A and 46A, and the positioning of the disk cartridge 10 in the drive device is released. Then, the disc cartridge 10 starts to move in the direction of being ejected from the loading port of the drive device by a drive device ejection mechanism or the like (not shown).

  Then, the opening / closing member of the drive device moves the operation protrusion 72 protruding from the rear end side of the shutter operation window 52 toward the front of the case 14, and the inner rotor 16 follows the inner wall 50 around the hub hole 20A. Then, it starts to rotate counterclockwise in FIGS. Then, the engaging protrusion 68 located on the front end side of the guide hole 78 moves to the rear side of the case 14 along the guide hole 78 and is detached from the recess 55. At this time, the sliding direction side from which the engaging projection 68 of the recess 55 exits is a gently inclined surface, so that the engaging projection 68 is smoothly detached from the recess 55.

  Further, as the inner rotor 16 rotates, the engagement convex portion 70 is detached from the arm portion 82. As a result, the position restricting portion 81 of the disc retainer 24 presses the outer peripheral edge portion 12E of the disc media 12 forward again by the biasing force of the coil spring 90, and holds the disc media 12 together with the front end inner surface 34A of the inner peripheral wall 34. To do.

  Then, when the inner rotor 16 rotates counterclockwise and the engagement protrusion 68 passes the bent middle portion of the guide hole 78, the second shutter member 18 starts to rotate clockwise. At this time, the holding (chucking) of the disk medium 12 by the rotating spindle shaft and the chucking member has already been released, but the engaging protrusion 68 is disengaged from the recess 55 and slides on the bottom plate 40. At least the vicinity of the engagement protrusion 68 of the inner rotor 16 is raised by a predetermined height. Therefore, the inner periphery receiving portion 76 of the second shutter member 18 does not contact the recording surface 12B.

  Further, when the inner rotor 16 rotates counterclockwise and the second shutter member 18 rotates clockwise, the recording and / or reproducing head window 20B is closed. Then, the cam protrusion 22C starts to engage with the cam step portion 62C, and the disk receiver 22 starts to rise along the guide pin 58. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the abutting portion 75 abuts against the abutting portion 65, and the side surface of the inner peripheral receiving portion 76 abuts on the side surface of the inner peripheral receiving portion 66, so that the recording and / or reproducing head is used. The window portion 20B is closed, and the cutout portion 62A is closed by the disc receiver 22.

  At this time, the engaging protrusion 68 is smoothly inserted into the recess 54 by the inclined surface, and the inner rotor 16 is lowered by a predetermined height, whereby the chucking area 12D is formed on the inner peripheral receiving portions 66 and 76. Placed. That is, in the disk medium 12, the outer peripheral edge 12E on the recording surface 12B side is supported by the outer peripheral receiving portion 64, and the chucking area 12D on the recording surface 12B side is supported by the inner peripheral receiving portions 66 and 76. As a result, the recording surface 12B is again cut off from the outside, and the disc cartridge 10 in which dust and the like are prevented from adhering to the recording surface 12B is ejected from the loading port of the drive device.

  The above is the operation when the disk medium 12 is loaded in the drive device together with the disk cartridge 10, but depending on the drive device, only the disk medium 12 may be loaded. In this case, the disk medium 12 is removed from the disk cartridge 10. That is, the user rotates the disk presser 24 toward the rear of the case 14 to completely open the disk opening 35.

  When the outer surface (upper surface) of the arm portion 82 is rotated to the maximum rotation position where the outer surface (upper surface) of the arm portion 82 is in contact with the rear side edge portion of the cutout portion 30A, the disk retainer 24 is temporarily held at the maximum rotation position. That is, when the disk retainer 24 is rotated to the maximum rotation position, the coil spring 90 in which the hook 90 </ b> A is inserted into the locking pin 38 and the hook 90 </ b> B is inserted into the locking pin 88 is rotated. Along with this, it enters into the notch 30B formed to be wide and crosses the shaft 86 from the bottom to the top in a side view, so that the urging force acts in the direction of arrow F (see FIG. 7C). .

  Accordingly, the disc retainer 24 can be temporarily held at its maximum rotation position (the take-out position of the disc medium 12), whereby the take-out of the disc medium 12 from the disc opening 35 can be facilitated. At this time, the hooks 90A and 90B try to slide toward the bases of the locking pins 38 and 88 as the disk presser 24 rotates. It will not come off.

  When the disc medium 12 is accommodated in the case 14 again, the disc media 12 is inserted from the disc opening 35 and the disc press 24 is rotated toward the front of the case 14. Can be easily rotated by pushing lightly toward the front of the case 14.

  That is, the coil spring 90 can easily cross the shaft portion 86 from the top to the bottom simply by pressing the disk retainer 24 lightly, so that the urging force immediately acts to urge the disk retainer 24 toward the disk media 12. . Therefore, the disk retainer 24 can easily press and hold the disk medium 12 again, whereby the disk medium 12 is prevented from falling off from the disk opening 35 and rattling in the housing portion again. Become.

  In any case, the position restricting portion 81 formed of an elastic material having a high coefficient of friction with respect to the disc medium 12 is integrally attached to the left and right ends of the holding portion 80 of the disc retainer 24. 81 presses the outer peripheral edge 12E on the rear side forward when the disk medium 12 is not used, so that the disk medium 12 is positioned with the front end inner surface 34A of the inner peripheral wall 34 constituting the disk opening 35. It is efficiently held at three points of the portion 81. Therefore, the disk medium 12 does not rattle in the accommodating portion during transportation or the like.

  Further, in order to hold the disk medium 12 by the position restricting portion 81 of the disk presser 24 and the front end inner surface 34A of the inner peripheral wall 34 of the case 14 (upper shell 26), a rattling prevention member for the disk medium 12 is separately provided. In comparison, the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, since the position restricting portion 81 of the disc retainer 24 presses and holds only the outer peripheral edge portion 12E of the disc medium 12, the printing surface (non-recording surface 12A) between the chucking area 12D and the outer peripheral edge portion 12E is damaged. There is no. In the above embodiment, the position restricting portion 81 is integrally attached to the pressing portion 80. However, the pressing portion 80 and the position restricting portion 81 may be integrally formed of the same material.

  In the above-described embodiment, the disk medium 12 has the recording surface 12B formed on one side. However, even in the case of a disk medium having recording surfaces on both sides, the portion pressed by the disk press 24 (position restricting portion 81) is the disk medium. Since there are only 12 outer peripheral edge portions 12E, application is possible. Further, the disk medium 12 may be a reproduction-only disk medium whose information cannot be recorded by the user, for example. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the diameter of the disk medium 12 is approximately 120 mm. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to the disk cartridge 10 having a disk medium of any size.

Schematic perspective view of a disc cartridge without disc media Schematic plan view showing the appearance of the disc cartridge Schematic exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the disk cartridge Schematic exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the main part of the disk cartridge Schematic sectional view showing the shape of the bearing and shaft retainer that supports the shaft part of the disk retainer Explanation of operation of disc holder FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the disk presser shown in the cross section taken along the line XX (A) Schematic plan view showing a disk medium held by a disk presser, (B) Schematic cross-sectional view showing a disk medium held by a disk presser Operation explanatory diagram of the first shutter member and the second shutter member Operation explanatory diagram of the first shutter member and the second shutter member Operation explanatory diagram of the first shutter member and the second shutter member Operation explanatory diagram of the first shutter member and the second shutter member Operation explanatory diagram of the first shutter member and the second shutter member

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Disc cartridge 12 Disc media 12A Non-recording surface 12B Recording surface 14 Case 16 Inner rotor 18 2nd shutter member 20 Opening 22 Disc holder 24 Disc presser 26 Upper shell 28 Lower shell 35 Disc opening 60 First shutter member 80 Pressing portion 81 Position restriction part 82 Arm part 84 Arm part

Claims (4)

A disc-shaped disk medium having a recording surface formed on one surface and a non-recording surface formed on the other surface;
A case having a disk opening that allows the disk medium to be removed, exposes the non-recording surface, and an opening that allows access to the recording surface and is opened and closed by a shutter member;
A disc holding member that is rotatably provided on the rear side of the case, and that holds the non-recording surface when the disc medium is not used; and a disc presser that is separated from the non-recording surface when the disc medium is used;
In a disc cartridge with
The disk press according to claim 1, wherein the disk press presses the outer peripheral edge of the rear side of the disk medium toward the front.   2. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disk press has a position restricting portion that is in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the disk medium from the outside in the radial direction of the disk medium.   The disk cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the position restricting portion is formed of a material having a high coefficient of friction with respect to the disk medium.   4. The disk cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the material having a high friction coefficient is an elastic material.

Images