JP2006031835A - Device for loading two kinds of large and small disk cartridges - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To precisely load two kinds of large and small disks disk cartridges of large and small dual kinds to a common spindle motor, with a simple mechanism, in individually loading the disk cartridges of large and small dual kinds onto a base unit, using a common cartridge holder. <P>SOLUTION: The small disk cartridge 2 is inserted and held into a small cartridge holder 37 in a large cartridge holder 36 so that the loading is performed. The large disk cartridge is inserted and held into the large cartridge holder 36 so that the loading is performed. The amounts of the insertion of the small and large disk cartridges with respect to the large cartridge holder 36 are adjusted so that the amounts for drawing in the small disk cartridge 2 and the large disk cartridge by the large cartridge holder 36 are made constant when the loading is performed. Thus, the disk loader precisely loads the small and large disk cartridges to the center O3 of a spindle motor 33. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  In the present invention, optical discs such as MO, DVD, DVD-RAM, magneto-optical discs, and other large and small discs for recording and / or reproduction (for example, two discs having a diameter of 8 cm and 12 cm) are individually provided. The present invention relates to a loading device for loading two types of stored large and small disk cartridges.

[Consideration on format of loading device for two types of large and small disk cartridges]
The present invention relates to a disk cartridge loading device (hereinafter referred to as a disk loader) of a recording / reproducing drive corresponding to a PD (Professional Disc) format applied to an optical disk system for broadcasting business or the like. It includes technology that can be deployed in disk loaders as well. In the PD format, standardization is first performed from a large-diameter recording medium having a disk diameter of 12 cm, and a small-diameter disk having a disk diameter of 8 cm is standardized in consideration of the possibility of realizing a compatible drive with a large-diameter disk. In either case, in order to meet the demand for high reliability that can withstand broadcasting and business use, the media is built in the disk cartridge. The compatible drive mentioned here is a drive that can load and record / reproduce both a disk cartridge having a diameter of 12 cm and a diameter of 8 cm without using a special adapter. Conventional VTR cassettes are also standardized in two or three sizes, and VTRs capable of recording and reproducing all of these are commercialized. In consideration of providing the user with the same usability in the PD format, it is indispensable to realize a disk cartridge loader using the technology of the present invention.

[Consideration of prior art]
Among the recording media using a disk, there are a DVD-RAM and an MO, which are disk cartridges of a cartridge built-in type, and two types of disks are standardized. Both are formats that require high reliability in recording / reproduction. Although this type of disc cartridge is disadvantageous in terms of media cost over bare media, it greatly protects the disc from scratches and dirt, greatly contributes to its ease of handling and high reliability in recording / reproduction.

  On the other hand, in DVD-RAM and MO drives currently on the market, there are few examples of commercialization of drives that can use both of these two types of media (cartridge type). The reason may be that there is little need for DVD-RAM or MO users who want to use both large and small media. In addition to this marketing factor, technical issues for commercializing compatible drives include: In particular, the disk loader) becomes complicated, and as a result, the drive becomes expensive. The reason why the disk loader (particularly the front loading type loader, not the tray type) is complicated is as follows.

  (1) Mount the disc cartridge on the base unit so that the center of the spindle motor is the disc center. For this reason, the positioning reference hole positions of the large and small cartridges cannot be made common. Therefore, when positioning the small cartridge to the base unit, either positioning is performed by another method without relying on the positioning reference pin on the base unit, or the reference pin is retracted when the large cartridge is ejected. It is necessary to select a method. In the case of a VTR cassette, since the reference hole position is the same for both large and small, the reference pin on the base unit side is common and does not need to be retracted.

  (2) Since the positioning reference of the large and small disk cartridges is the center position of the disk, the loader must switch the amount of transfer of the base unit to the spindle center position according to the cartridge size (centering in the depth direction). This is the case of a front loading type loader, and in the case of a tray type disk loader, a human may be mounted on the tray with the center aligned. However, tray type disk loaders are not suitable for portable devices because of their large size and large tray discharge. In the case of a VTR cassette, since the reference position is the same for both large and small, it is only necessary to abut the common position in the loader when inserting the cassette, and the loader does not need to operate according to the cassette size (however, the reel motor position Need to be moved).

  (3) In the front loading system, it is necessary to correctly center the central portion of the wide insertion opening in the ejection process of the small cartridge. A structure that smoothly guides the cartridge toward the center even when the cartridge is inserted slightly shifted from side to side is indispensable (lateral centering). This is the same problem in the cassette compartment in the conventional VTR.

(4) Although it is necessary to open the shutter of the cartridge during loading, it is impossible to make the shutter of the large and small cartridges common in both structure and position, so an independent opening / closing mechanism or a complex movable mechanism is required. become. In the case of the VTR cassette, since the reference position is common, the lid corresponding to the shutter has almost the same structure as the large and small cassettes, and the lid opening / closing operation can be handled by a common mechanism.
JP 2001-283556 A JP 2001-332054 A JP 2004-5881 A W097 / 27586 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-203450 Japanese Patent Publication No. 02-37626 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 04-32464 Japanese Patent Publication No. 05-65946 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 06-40413 JP-A-62-9953 JP 2000-357357 A

  In the present invention, two types of large and small disk cartridges each storing two types of large and small disks for recording and / or reproduction are stored in a spindle motor turntable on a base unit using a large cartridge holder common to these. A device for loading two types of large and small disk cartridges that are selectively loaded into a reproducing means, wherein the large and small disk cartridges are selectively inserted into a large cartridge holder common to these and loaded onto the base unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple mechanism capable of accurately loading two kinds of large and small disks in the large and small disk cartridges to the center of a spindle motor on a base unit when selectively loading. .

  The loading apparatus for two types of large and small disk cartridges of the present invention is based on two large and small disk cartridges, each of which stores two types of large and small disks for recording and / or reproduction, using a large cartridge holder common to these. A loading apparatus for two types of large and small disk cartridges selectively loaded onto a turntable of a spindle motor on a unit and recording and / or reproducing means, wherein the small cartridge holder into which the small disk cartridge is inserted is the large cartridge The small cartridge holder is arranged at a substantially central position in the holder, and the small cartridge holder is configured to be movable in the cartridge insertion and ejection directions in the large cartridge holder, and the small cartridge is inserted and held in the small cartridge holder. The insertion amount of the small disc cartridge into the large cartridge holder is set small, and when the large cartridge is inserted and held in the large disc cartridge, the large disc cartridge is inserted into the large cartridge holder. After the quantity is set large and the two types of large and small disk cartridges are selectively inserted and held in the large cartridge holder and the small cartridge holder, the large and small disk cartridges are selected by the large cartridge holder. When the magnetic cartridge is pulled in and selectively loaded onto the base unit, the pull-in amounts by the large cartridge holder of these two types of large and small disk cartridges are set to be substantially constant. Than it is.

  The loading apparatus for two types of large and small disk cartridges according to the present invention includes a small disk at a substantially central position of a large disk cartridge insertion space which is a space in a conventionally known cartridge holder into which a large disk cartridge is inserted and loaded onto a base unit. A small cartridge holder into which the cartridge is inserted is provided, and a small disk cartridge is inserted into the small cartridge holder, and a small disk cartridge is inserted into the small cartridge holder, and loaded onto the base unit. Like the large disk inside, it can be accurately loaded into the center of the spindle motor on the base unit.

  In the loading apparatus for two types of large and small disk cartridges of the present invention, the small cartridge holder is held in the large cartridge holder by the slide guide means so as to be slidable in the direction of inserting and ejecting the cartridge. The slide urging means is slid and returned to the initial position in the cartridge ejection direction. When the small disc cartridge is inserted and held in the small cartridge holder, the small cartridge holder serves as the slide urging means. In contrast, when the large disc cartridge is inserted and held in the large cartridge holder with a short stroke, the small cartridge holder is pushed by the large disc cartridge. Therefore, the insertion amount of the two types of large and small disk cartridges with respect to the large cartridge holder can be easily set since it is configured to be pushed out in the cartridge insertion direction with a long stroke against the slide biasing means. . Further, when the large disk cartridge is inserted into the large cartridge holder, the small cartridge holder does not become an obstacle, and the large disk cartridge can be smoothly inserted.

  In the loading device for two types of large and small disk cartridges of the present invention, the large disk cartridge loaded on the base unit is positioned by positioning means dedicated to the large disk cartridge on the base unit, and the small disk cartridge is placed in the small cartridge. By positioning by one positioning means and when the small disk cartridge is loaded onto the base unit, the small disk cartridge is positioned by the second positioning means on the base unit, The small disk cartridge in the small cartridge holder is not restricted by the positioning means dedicated to the large disk cartridge on the base unit. It can be accurately positioned on and.

  In the loading apparatus for two types of large and small disk cartridges of the present invention, the first positioning means has two directions: an insertion direction of the small disk cartridge into the small cartridge holder and a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. Since the positioning means is provided, the small disk cartridge can be accurately positioned in the small cartridge holder, and the small disk can be accurately loaded into the center of the spindle motor.

Embodiments of a loading apparatus for two types of large and small disk cartridges to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[Description of two types of large and small disk cartridges]

A large disk cartridge 1 and a small disk cartridge 2 which are two types of large and small disk cartridges will be described with reference to FIGS.
These two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 are assembled thinly by upper and lower shells made of a synthetic resin molded product or the like, and the planar shape is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The front and rear ends 1a and 2a of these two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 are formed in a substantially arc shape, and the rear ends 1b and 2b and the left and right sides 1c, 1d and 2c, 2d are formed in a substantially linear shape. . Further, the bottom portions 1e and 2e are formed flat, and raised portions 1g and 2g having a substantially U-shaped planar shape are formed from the rear ends of the upper portions 1f and 2f to the substantially central portion.

  In these two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2, thin and circular tray-shaped inner rotors 3 and 4 that are shutter opening / closing operation members (shutter opening / closing rotating bodies) are stored horizontally in a freely rotatable manner. In the inner rotors 3 and 4, two types of large and small disks 5 and 6 for recording and / or reproducing such as DVD-RAM and MO are horizontally accommodated so as to be rotatable and vertically movable. The disk in the large disk cartridge 1 is configured as a large (large diameter) disk 5 having a diameter of 12 cm, and the disk in the small disk cartridge 2 is configured as a small (small diameter) disk 6 having a diameter of 8 cm. These inner rotors 3 and 4 are also formed of synthetic resin or the like.

  Further, bottom openings 7 and 8 are formed in the bottoms 1e and 2e of these two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2, and the bottom opening 7 of the large-sized disk cartridge 1 is formed between the front end 1a and the rear end 1b from the center. The bottom opening 8 of the small disk cartridge 2 is formed in a substantially U shape from the center to the tip 2a. A central portion 7a of the bottom opening 7 of the large disc cartridge 1 is configured in a turntable insertion space described later, and front and rear side portions 7b and 7c are configured in an optical pickup insertion space described later. Further, in the bottom opening 8 of the small disk cartridge 2, a portion 8a located at the center of the bottom 2e is configured as a turntable insertion space described later, and a front opening 8b is configured as an optical pickup insertion space described later. Has been.

  In these two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2, the inner rotors 3 and 4 have an arrow a between the shutter closed position P1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and the shutter open position P2 shown in FIGS. , B is configured to be rotatable in the b direction. When the inner rotors 3 and 4 are returned to the shutter closed position P1 in the direction of the arrow a, the plurality of shutters 9 and 10 and the inner rotors 3 and 4 rotated by the inner rotors 3 and 4 are operated. When the inner rotors 3 and 4 are rotated in the direction of the arrow b from the shutter closed position P1 to the shutter open position P2, the plurality of shutters 9 and 10 are moved to the bottom openings 7 and 8, respectively. 8, the bottom openings 3 a, 4 a of the inner rotors 3, 4 are overlapped with the bottom openings 7, 8 of the two types of large and small disk cartridges 1, and these bottom openings 7, 8 are opened. It is configured to be.

  Note that a part of the outer periphery 3b of the inner rotor 3 of the large disk cartridge 1 includes an engaging recess 3c, an arcuate gear 3d, and a locking part that are rotationally operated by a shutter opening / closing slider of a disk loader described later. The concave portion 3e is integrally formed, and the guide groove 13 is formed in a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 13 formed in one side surface 1c of the large disc cartridge 1 so as to be penetrated in the longitudinal direction along the central portion in the thickness direction. A long hole 14 is formed in the part. The engaging recess 3c and the arcuate gear 3d are configured to be exposed in the elongated hole 14 and rotated. In addition, a lock lever 11 serving as a locking means for the inner rotor 3 is rotatably incorporated around the rotation fulcrum 12 at a corner portion on the rear end side of the guide groove 13 in the large disk cartridge 1.

The one end 11a of the lock lever 11 is configured to be engaged with the lock recess 3e on the outer periphery of the inner rotor 3 by the spring force of the spring action portion 11b which is a rotation urging means. The other end 11c of the large disk cartridge 1 is configured to be able to enter and exit from a small hole 15 formed on the front end side of the guide groove 13 of the large disk cartridge 1.
Further, a concave engaged portion 14 that is rotated by a shutter opening / closing member of a disk loader described later is integrally formed on a part of the outer periphery 4a of the inner rotor 4 of the small disk cartridge 2. The engaged portion 14 is configured to rotate in the directions of arrows a and b between the shutter closed position P1 shown in FIG. 4 and the shutter open position P2 shown in FIG. 5 within the front end opening portion 8a of the bottom opening 8. Has been.

  The left and right sides of the bottom 2e of the small disk cartridge 2 on the left and right sides are the left and right sides which are one of the first positioning means of the small disk cartridge 2 in the small cartridge holder 37 of the disk loader 31 described later. A pair of left and right positioning recesses 16 for calling the pair of positioning pins 60 are integrally formed. In addition, a pair of right and left wedge-shaped positioning projections 61, which are another first positioning means described later, are also inserted into the left and right sides 2c and 2d of the small disc cartridge 2 in the vicinity of the front end 2a. A pair of positioning recesses 17 are integrally formed.

A lock lever 18 which is a locking means for the inner rotor 4 is rotatably incorporated around the rotation fulcrum 17 at one side of the front end of the small disk cartridge 2, and the lock lever 18 is not shown in the figure. When rotated to the lock position shown in FIG. 4 by a rotation biasing means such as a coil spring, the inner rotor 4 is engaged with the locked portion 20 on the outer periphery 4a of the inner rotor 4, and the inner rotor 4 is locked at the shutter closed position P1. It is comprised so that. The operated portion 18 a of the lock lever 18 is inserted into the one recess 16.
As shown in FIG. 12, the disk clamper 21 is located within a certain range by the ring-shaped clamper holder 22 at the center upper position of the two large and small disks 5 and 6 in the two large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2. It can be moved up and down and is incorporated so as to be freely rotatable.
[Overview of disk loader]

An outline of a disk loader which is a loading device for selectively loading the above-described two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 onto the base unit will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the disk loader 31, a spindle motor 33 is vertically installed on a base unit 32 at a central position in the left-right direction and a position slightly deviated to the front, and a turntable 34 above the spindle motor 33 is disposed horizontally. ing.
A main frame 35 formed in a substantially U-shape is installed on the upper left and right sides of the base unit 32 by vertical left and right side plates 35 a, and the top plate 35 b of the base unit 32 is positioned above the spindle motor 33. It is installed horizontally.

The large cartridge holder 36 into which the large disk cartridge 1 described above is inserted into the cartridge insertion space 36a is horizontally disposed below the top plate 35b of the main frame 35, and the small disk cartridge 2 is inserted into the cartridge insertion space 37a. The small cartridge holder 37 to be used is disposed at a substantially central position in the left-right width direction in the cartridge insertion space 36 a of the large cartridge holder 36.
A sub frame 38 is horizontally installed between the left and right side plates 35a of the main frame 35 at a position lower than the vertical movement space of the large cartridge holder 36, and the motor 39 and the Maltese cross ( (Maltese cross) Built-in gear train 40 is installed.

  A pair of left and right cam plates 41 and 42 are vertically attached to the outside of the left and right side plates 35a of the main frame 35. The pair of left and right cam plates 41 and 42 are front and rear along the left and right side plates 35a. It is slidably attached by a guide mechanism (not shown) in the directions of arrows c and d. Also, a pair of left and right racks 41a and 42a formed at the upper edge of the pair of left and right cam plates 41 and 42 are meshed with a pair of synchronous left and right dual gears 44 mounted on the top plate 35b of the main frame 35. ing.

Then, one of the cam plates 41 is slid in the directions of arrows c and d through the gear train 40 with a built-in Maltese cross by forward and reverse rotation of the motor 39, whereby the rack 41a, the double gear 44 and the rack 42a are moved. The other cam plate 42 is configured to be slidably driven in the directions of arrows c and d, which are front and rear directions, in synchronization with the one cam plate 41.
A pair of left and right cam follower pins 45 horizontally fixed to two front and rear sides of the left and right sides of the large cartridge holder 36 and two front and rear sides of the left and right side plates 35a of the main frame 35 are formed. The pair of left and right cam follower pins 45 are formed at two front and rear positions of a pair of left and right guide grooves 46 and a pair of left and right cam plates 41, 42 that are horizontally penetrated in the middle of the cam follower pins 45. A pair of substantially Z-shaped left and right cam groove mechanisms 48 with their tips inserted horizontally are incorporated on the left and right sides of the large cartridge holder 36 and the main frame 35.

  Accordingly, the pair of left and right cam plates 41 and 42 are synchronously slid and driven in the directions of arrows c and d by the forward and reverse rotation driving of the motor 39, whereby the large cartridge holder 36 is moved by the pair of left and right cam mechanisms 48 in FIG. At the ascending position P11 shown by a solid line in FIG. 12, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIGS. 14 and 15, the eject position P13 pushed forward (in the direction of arrow e) to the retracted position P14 shown by a dotted line (arrow f) 10 and 12 is a descending position P12 indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, and is translated downward (arrow g direction) as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. It is configured to be driven back and forth in the directions of arrows f and g and the opposite directions of arrows h and e along the substantially L-shaped movement path between (lowered) loading position P15. .

The disk loader 31 selectively inserts and holds the large disk cartridge 1 into the cartridge insertion space 36a in the large cartridge holder 36 (hereinafter, the expression “inserted and held” is referred to as “insert and hold”). ). Further, the small disk cartridge 2 is selectively inserted and held in a cartridge insertion space 37 a in the small cartridge holder 37 located at the center in the large cartridge holder 36.
When the small cartridge holder 37 is integrally pulled from the eject position P13 to the retracted position P14 by the large cartridge holder 36 in the direction of the arrow f, the center (center) O1 of the inner rotor 3 and the large disk 5 in the large disk cartridge 1 is obtained. The center (center) O2 of the inner rotor 4 and the small disk 6 in the small disk cartridge 2 is positioned (centered) at the center (center) O3 of the spindle motor 33.

Thereafter, the large cartridge holder 36 and the small cartridge holder 37 are pulled together from the pulling position P14 to the loading position P15 in parallel in the direction of the arrow g, so that the large disk cartridge 1 and the small disk cartridge 2 are respectively brought into the base unit. The center O1 of the large disk 5 in the large disk cartridge 1 and the center O2 of the small disk 6 in the small disk cartridge 2 are selectively loaded to the loading position P15 on the spindle 32 on the spindle motor 33 (see FIG. The center hole 5a, 6a can be selectively and accurately chucked on the turntable 34 on the center (O3).
[Detailed description of disk loader]

Details of the disk loader will be described with reference to FIGS.
[Positioning mechanism for small disc cartridge in large cartridge holder]
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 15, when loading the small disk cartridge 2 onto the base unit 32 and positioning the small disk cartridge 2, the disk loader 31 places the small disk cartridge 2 in the small cartridge holder 37 with the first positioning means. The indirect positioning method is employed in which the small cartridge holder 37 is positioned on the base unit 32 by the second positioning means.
The cartridge insertion space 36a in the large cartridge holder 36 is configured as a horizontal, flat space surrounded by a top plate 36b, a pair of left and right bottom plates 36c, and a pair of left and right side plates 36d. The cartridge insertion space 37a of the cartridge 37 is configured as a horizontal, flat space formed between the top plate 37b and the pair of left and right bottom plates 37c. The left-right width of the pair of left and right bottom plates 36c of the large cartridge holder 36 is configured to be small, and the width of the pair of left and right bottom plates 37c of the small cartridge holder 37 is configured to be large. In addition, a pair of left and right small protrusions 37d formed on the left and right ends of the pair of left and right bottom plates 37c of the small cartridge holder 37 are slidably mounted on the inner edges of the pair of left and right bottom plates 36c of the large cartridge holder 36. The left and right side portions 73e of the small cartridge holder 37 are open.

  A total of four left and right pairs fixed on the top plate 37a of the small cartridge holder 37 in a pair of left and right guide grooves 51 formed on the top plate 36b of the large cartridge holder 36 along the directions of arrows e and f. The guide pin 52 is slidably engaged with a guide mechanism. Then, the small cartridge holder 37 is guided by this guide mechanism, and this small cartridge holder 37 is shown in the large cartridge holder 36 by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 14 and FIG. 14 and 15 is indicated by a dotted line, and is slidable in the direction of the arrow e (eject direction) and the direction of the arrow f (loading direction) between the second slide position P18 shown in FIG. ing.

Then, the pair of left and right tension coil springs 52, which are slide urging means attached between the small cartridge holder 37 and the large cartridge holder 36, causes the small cartridge holder 37 to reach the initial position P16 with respect to the large cartridge holder 36 by an arrow e. The slide is biased in the direction.
The small cartridge holder 37 is slid back to the initial position P16 shown in FIGS. 21 and 30 by the pair of left and right tension coil springs 52 in FIG. 15 in the large cartridge holder 36 and returned to the initial position P16. 12, 13, and 15, the small disc cartridge 2 is inserted into the cartridge insertion space 37 a in the small cartridge holder 37 from the direction of the arrow f and placed on the pair of left and right bottom plates 37 c. Is done.

Then, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 15 and as shown in FIGS. 22 and 31, the small cartridge holder 37 is pushed by the small disk cartridge 2 via a pair of left and right positioning pins 60, which will be described later. In the large cartridge holder 36, an amount equivalent to the pushing amount L1 is pushed in the direction of the arrow f against the pair of left and right tension coil springs 52 from the initial position P16 to the first slide position P17.
As shown in FIGS. 8, 22, and 31, the first pair of left and right small cartridge holder positioning leaf springs 54 in which the pair of left and right positioning pins 53 of the small cartridge holder 37 are fixed to the large cartridge holder 36. The small cartridge holder 37 is positioned at the first slide position P <b> 17 in the large cartridge holder 36 by being fitted into the pair of left and right first positioning notches 55 of the tapered positioning protrusion 54 a.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, the small disc cartridge 2 is placed on the pair of left and right bottom plates 37c by a pair of left and right leaf springs 57 for the small disc cartridge fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 37b of the small cartridge holder 37. Pressed and fixed.
However, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 15, the insertion amount of the small disk cartridge 2 into the large cartridge holder 36 at this time is set to an insertion amount L11 which is a small value.

On the other hand, at this time, one of the first positioning means that is vertically fixed to the upper part of the pair of left and right bottom plates 37c of the small cartridge holder 37 as shown in FIG. The pair of left and right positioning pins 60 are relatively inserted into the pair of left and right positioning recesses 16 on the tip 2a side of the bottom 2e of the small disc cartridge 2 from the direction of the arrow e. Then, as will be described later, a pair of right and left wedge-shaped positioning projections 61, which are another first positioning means, are indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 5, and a small size as shown in FIG. The disc cartridge 2 is simultaneously inserted (fitted) into the pair of left and right positioning recesses 17 from both the left and right directions from the arrow k direction. Thereby, the small disc cartridge 2 is positioned and held in the small cartridge holder 37 with high accuracy.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the small disk cartridge 2 is moved by one of the pair of left and right positioning pins 60 relatively inserted in the pair of left and right positioning recesses 16 of the small disk cartridge 2 from the direction of the arrow e. The operated portion 18a of the lock lever 18 is pushed in the direction of arrow e, and the lock lever 18 is rotated from the lock position shown in FIG. 4 to the lock release position shown in FIG. Then, the inner rotor 4 can rotate in the arrow b direction from the shutter closed position P1 shown in FIG. 4 to the shutter open position P2 shown in FIG.

  In this way, with the small disc cartridge 2 held in the small cartridge holder 37, it is indicated by a dotted line and a two-dot chain line in FIG. 15, and as shown in FIGS. The cartridge holder 36 and the cartridge holder 36 are retracted horizontally in the direction of the arrow f from the eject position P13 to the retract position P14 and then lowered vertically to the loading position P15 (= lowering position P12) in the direction of the arrow g. 12, as indicated by a one-dot chain line and as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 15, on a total of three positioning tables 62 and 63 fixed on the base unit 32 and made of a sheet metal bending member or the like. In addition, three portions of the pair of left and right bottom plates 37c of the small cartridge holder 37 are placed horizontally.

A pair of downward-facing small cartridge holder positioning pins 64 as second positioning means fixed vertically to the lower portion of the bottom plate 37c are formed on the pair of positioning bases 62 which are also second positioning means. The small cartridge holder 37 is horizontally positioned on the base unit 32 by being fitted into the pair of small cartridge holder positioning holes 65 from above.
As a result, the small disc cartridge 2 is positioned by the first positioning means comprising the pair of positioning pins 60 and the positioning projections 61 in the small cartridge holder 37, and the small cartridge holder 37 is positioned on the base unit 32. Positioning is performed on the base unit 32 with high accuracy by an indirect positioning method in which positioning is performed by the second positioning means including the bases 62 and 63 and the small cartridge holder positioning pins 64.

The small disk 6 in the small disk cartridge 2 is chucked concentrically by the center hole 6 on the turntable 34 of the spindle motor 33.
This disc chucking operation is performed by the chucking pulley 21 in the small disc cartridge 2 shown in FIG.
[Large disk cartridge positioning mechanism in the large cartridge holder]

  The small cartridge holder 37 in the large cartridge holder 36 is shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 15, and is slid back in the direction of arrow e by a pair of left and right tension coil springs 52 to the initial position P16 shown in FIG. 11, 14, 24, and 33, when the large disc cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge insertion space 36 a of the large cartridge holder 36 from the arrow f, the tip 1 a portion of the large disc cartridge 1 a Is inserted into the cartridge insertion space 37a in the small cartridge holder 37 from the direction of the arrow f, and the tip 1a collides with a pair of left and right positioning pins 60 in the small cartridge holder 37.

  At this time, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 24, a lock arm 78 which is a locking means attached to one side portion of the large cartridge holder 36 via a rotation fulcrum 77 is provided on one side portion 1d of the large disc cartridge 1. The large-sized disk cartridge 1 is locked (held) in the large-sized cartridge holder 36 by being engaged with the recessed portion 25 to be locked formed on the front end side by the rotational biasing force of the lock arm 78 itself.

  Then, the small cartridge holder 37 is pushed by the large disk cartridge 1 via the pair of left and right positioning pins 60, and the small cartridge holder 37 opposes the pair of left and right tension coil springs 52 within the large cartridge holder 36. Is pushed in the direction, and the amount corresponding to the pushing amount L2 is pushed in the direction of the arrow f from the initial position P16 through the first slide position P17 to the second slide position P18.

However, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 14, the insertion amount of the large disk cartridge 1 into the large cartridge holder 36 at this time is set to an insertion amount L12 which is a large value.
Further, as shown in FIG. 24, a pair of left and right pair of left and right positioning pins 53 of the small cartridge holder 37 are fixed to the large cartridge holder 36, and a pair of left and right small cartridge holder positioning leaf springs 54 are paired with left and right first tapered positions. The pair of left and right first positioning notches 55 of the projecting piece 54a are fitted into the left and right pair of second positioning notches 56 of the pair of left and right tapered projecting pieces 54b. The cartridge holder 37 is positioned at the second slide position P18 in the large cartridge holder 36.

  Therefore, when the large disc cartridge 1 is inserted, the small cartridge holder 37 passes through the first slide position P17 which is a stop position when the small disc cartridge 2 is inserted in the large cartridge holder 36, as shown in FIG. It is pushed in the direction of arrow f up to the second slide position P18 and positioned (stopped). At this time, the large disk cartridge 1 is pressed and fixed onto the pair of left and right bottom plates 37c by a pair of left and right large disk cartridge springs 58 fixed to the top plate 37b of the small cartridge holder 37.

  Then, with the large disk cartridge 1 held in the small cartridge holder 37 in this way, the small cartridge holder 37 is ejected integrally with the large cartridge holder 36 as shown by the dotted line and the two-dot chain line in FIG. After the amount corresponding to the same pulling amount L13 as that of the small disk cartridge 2 is pulled horizontally in the arrow f direction from the position P13 to the pulling position P14, it is lowered vertically in the arrow g direction to the loading position P15 (= lowering position P12). 10 and a pair of left and right positioning holes 66 formed on the rear end 1b side of the bottom 1e of the large disc cartridge 1, as indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. Above a pair of left and right conical positioning pins 67 that are vertically fixed to the top Is Luo fitted.

The rear end 1c side of the bottom portion 1e of the large disc cartridge 1 is horizontally placed on the stepped portion 67a at the lower end of the pair of left and right positioning pins 67, and at the front end 1a side of the bottom portion 1e of the large disc cartridge 1. The left and right sides are horizontally placed on a pair of left and right large cartridge holder positioning bases 68 fixed on the base unit 32.
Accordingly, the large disk cartridge 1 is positioned directly on the base unit 32.
Then, the large disk 5 in the large disk cartridge 1 is chucked concentrically on the turntable 34 of the spindle motor 33 through the center hole 5a, like the small disk 6.

  As described above, according to the positioning mechanism of the two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 in the disk loader 31, the small disk cartridge 2 is loaded on the base unit 32 at the center position in the mounting space of the large disk cartridge 1. In this case, since the small disk cartridge 1 is indirectly positioned via the small cartridge holder 37, the large disk cartridge 1 loaded on the base unit 32 is loaded with the small disk cartridge positioning means (small disk cartridge). In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the positioning means (small disk cartridge positioning bases 62, 63, etc.) is used as a recording and / or reproducing means as shown in FIG. It can be arranged to avoid the installation space for S1 in for the drive system components.

Therefore, the degree of freedom of design is remarkably improved, and a high quality disk loader 31 can be provided.
For example, when a sufficient space can be secured below the small cartridge holder positioning table 62, the downward positioning pin 64 is formed in a conical pin shape like the conical positioning pin 67 for the large disk cartridge 1. It is also possible to configure.

  By the way, when the two large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 are selectively loaded, the center (center) O1 and O2 of the two large and small disks 5 and 6 are positioned at the center (center) O3 of the same spindle motor 33. The two large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 are inserted into the large cartridge holder 36 at the same position, and the large and small two types of disk cartridges 1 and 2 are pulled in the horizontal direction. A method of electrically changing (adjusting) according to 1 and 2 is also conceivable. However, this method increases the pull-in distance of the large disk cartridge 1 in the horizontal direction, leading to an increase in the size of the disk loader.

  Therefore, in the disk loader 31, as described in FIGS. 14 and 15, the small disk cartridge 2 is moved to the small cartridge holder 37 in the large cartridge holder 36 that has been slid back to the eject position P13 in the direction of the arrow e. The insertion amount L11 of the small disk cartridge 2 with respect to the large cartridge holder 36 when the large disk cartridge 1 is inserted and held in the large cartridge holder 36 from the direction of the arrow f, and the large cartridge holder 36 The insertion amount L12 of the large disk cartridge 1 is set to a value corresponding to the size (length) of the small disk cartridge 2 and the large disk cartridge 1.

Then, the small disk cartridge 2 and the large disk cartridge 1 are retracted when the small disk cartridge 2 and the large disk cartridge 1 are selectively pulled in the direction of the arrow f from the ejection position P13 to the pulling position P14 by the large cartridge holder 36. The distance (drawing amount) L13 is set to the same value.
Accordingly, the disk loader 31 can set the pull-in amount L13 of the small disk cartridge 2 and the large disk cartridge 1 by the motor 39 to a short distance of the same value, and the disk loader 31 can be reduced in size.

  The first slide position P17 of the small cartridge holder 37 in the large cartridge holder 36 when the small disk cartridge 2 is inserted, and the first slide position P17 of the small cartridge holder 37 in the large cartridge holder 36 when the large disk cartridge 1 is inserted. The positioning of the two slide positions P18 can also be performed electrically by, for example, position detection using a detection switch and control of the motor 39. In this disk loader 31, the first slide position P17 of the small cartridge holder 37 and the first slide position P17 are used. As described above, the pair of left and right positioning pins 54 of the small cartridge holder 37 are used for the first and second positioning leaf springs 54 in the large cartridge holder 36 as described above. Notch 5 , It has been made by a mechanism selectively engaged within 56.

Further, the driving in the loading direction (arrow f, g direction) and the ejection direction (arrow h, e direction) between the ejection position P13, the retracting position P14, and the loading position P15 of the large cartridge holder 36 is performed by a motor. 39 It is performed by a mechanism by the gear train 40 and the cam mechanism 43 by forward / reverse rotation driving and, for example, electrical control.
As shown in FIG. 26, a pair of left and right attached to the upper portion of the large cartridge holder 36 and moved together with the large cartridge holder 36 in the loading direction (arrow f direction) and the eject direction (arrow e direction). A total of four lift pins 69 are arranged horizontally on the horizontal movement path of each pair of positioning leaf springs 54, a total of four first and second tapered positioning pieces 54a, 54b, and these lift pins 69 69 is cantilevered by the main frame 35.

  14 and 15, when ejecting the two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2, when the small cartridge holder 37 is ejected horizontally in the direction of arrow e from the retracted position P14 to the ejected position P13. On the way, when the small cartridge holder 37 passes through the second slide position P18 and the first slide position P17, a total of four first and second tapered positioning protrusions, each pair of left and right positioning leaf springs 54. The pieces 54a and 54b are configured to pass over each of a pair of four lift pins 69 while sequentially climbing up against the elasticity.

  As a result, the pair of left and right positioning pins 53 on the small cartridge holder 36 are released relatively downward from the pair of left and right first positioning cutouts 55 and second positioning cutouts 56, respectively. The positioning (locking) of the small cartridge holder 37 with respect to the cartridge holder 36 at the second slide position 18 and the first slide position 17 is released, respectively, and the small cartridge holder 37 is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIGS. 21 is configured to be slid back in the direction of arrow e by a pair of left and right tension coil springs 52 up to an initial position P13 with respect to the large cartridge holder 36 shown in FIG.

As a result, when the large disk cartridge 1 is ejected, the small cartridge holder 37 is moved from the retracted position P14 to the second slide position P18 in the direction of arrow e as shown by the solid line in FIG. 14 and as shown in FIGS. The pair of left and right positioning pins 53 is detached from the pair of left and right second positioning notches 56 at the moment when the small cartridge holder 37 is moved from the second slide position P18 to the initial position P16 with respect to the large cartridge holder 36. The pair of left and right tension coil springs 52 are quickly pulled back in the direction of arrow e.
When the user pulls out the large disk cartridge 1 from the large cartridge holder 36 that has been pulled back to the initial position P16 in the direction of arrow e, the lock arm 78 has its own rotation, as indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. The large disk cartridge 1 can be easily pulled out of the large cartridge holder 36 because the large disk cartridge 1 escapes to the outside of the locked recessed portion 25 against the urging force and is unlocked.

When the small disk cartridge 2 is ejected, the small cartridge holder 37 is moved from the retracted position P14 to the first slide position P17 in the direction of arrow e as shown by a solid line in FIG. 15 and as shown in FIGS. At the moment of movement, the pair of left and right positioning pins 53 are detached from the pair of left and right first positioning cutouts 55, and the small cartridge holder 37 moves from the first slide position P17 to the initial position P16 with respect to the large cartridge holder 36. The pair of tension coil springs 52 are quickly pulled back in the direction of arrow e.
[Small disc cartridge insertion guide mechanism]

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13 and 16 to 18, the disk loader 31 includes a pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides which are small cartridge insertion guide means at the left and right side positions of the front end portion of the small cartridge holder 37. 71 is arranged. The pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71 are made of a synthetic resin molded product or the like, and are arranged at the front end of the pair of left and right small cartridge holder positioning leaf springs 54 that are fixed to the large cartridge holder 36. It is fixed to the lower surface.
The left and right sides of the front end of the pair of left and right inner facing surfaces 72 that are perpendicular to the pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71 are approximately 45 ° toward the small disk cartridge insertion direction (arrow f direction). A pair of left and right small disk cartridge calling guide surfaces (inclined surfaces) 73 whose intervals are gradually narrowed by, for example, are formed.

  A small disk cartridge stopper surface 74 having a right angle in the small disk cartridge insertion direction (arrow f direction) is formed on the left and right sides of the pair of left and right small disk cartridge loading guide surfaces 73. On both the left and right sides of the pair of left and right small disk cartridge stopper surfaces 74 are formed relief surfaces 75 for the large disk cartridges in the shape of depressions that are gradually lowered in the small disk cartridge insertion direction (arrow f direction). A clearance surface 76 similar to the pair of left and right clearance surfaces 75 is also formed at the upper part of the front end portion of the pair of left and right small cartridge holder positioning leaf springs 54.

  According to the insertion guide mechanism for the small disk cartridge 2 configured in this way, as described above, when the small disk cartridge 2 is inserted into the small cartridge holder 37 slid back to the eject position P13 from the direction of the arrow f. Then, the small disk cartridge 2 is smoothly drawn onto the left and right center of the small cartridge holder 37 by the pair of left and right small disk cartridge loading guide surfaces 73 of the pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71. Can be automatically centered in the small cartridge holder 37, so that the small disk cartridge 2 can be inserted into the small cartridge holder 37 smoothly and accurately.

  The distance D1 between the pair of left and right inner facing surfaces 72 of the pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71 is set to be slightly larger than the left-right width dimension D2 of the small disk cartridge 2 and slightly shorter than the front-rear length dimension D3. Thus, when the small disk cartridge 2 is to be inserted sideways into the small cartridge holder 37, the pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71 function as stoppers, thereby preventing erroneous insertion of the small disk cartridge 2. Also works.

On the other hand, when the large disk cartridge 1 is inserted into the small cartridge holder 37, the pair of left and right relief surfaces 75 of the pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71 and the pair of left and right relief of the small cartridge holder positioning leaf spring 54 are used. The pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71 automatically escape upward from the large disk cartridge 1 against the pair of left and right small cartridge holder positioning leaf springs 54 by the surface 76. Therefore, the pair of left and right small disk cartridge insertion guides 71 do not become an obstacle when the large disk cartridge 1 is inserted, and the large disk cartridge 1 can be smoothly inserted into the small cartridge holder 37.
[Shutter opening / closing mechanism that also serves as a positioning mechanism for small disk cartridges]

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 19 to 25, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 81 that also serves as a positioning mechanism for the small disk cartridge 2 is incorporated above and below the top plate 37 b of the small cartridge holder 37. A limiter 83 rotated in the directions of arrows a and b (the same direction as FIGS. 4 and 5) between the shutter closed position P1 and the shutter open position P2 around the rotation fulcrum 82 and the shutter opening and closing for the small disk cartridge 2 The shutter opener 84, which is a means, is arranged above the top plate 37b and below the pair of left and right shutter openers 84. The left and right pair is rotated in the directions of arrows i and J around the pair of left and right rotation fulcrums 85. Attached to the lower part of the top plate 37b of the symmetric release levers 87 and 88 and the small cartridge holder 37, the horizontal direction The arrow k, the pair of lock arms 90 to be slid in the m direction, and a toggle spring 91 consisting of a torsion coil spring which is installed between the top plate 37b of the shutter opener 84 and small cartridge holder 37.

Then, the shutter opener 84 via the limiter 83 is driven to rotate relatively in the directions of the arrows a and b that are the shutter opening / closing direction via the limiter 83, and the shutter opener 84 side of the limiter 83 of the shutter opener 84. The second driven pin 97b for opening and closing the shutter is a left and right lower part of the top plate 35b of the main frame 35. In the vicinity of both sides, they are fixed in a vertically displaced manner in the directions of arrows e and f.
Note that the front end 84a of the shutter opener 84 is bent in a substantially U shape downward and forward and is inserted horizontally into the small cartridge holder 37 from the rear, and the leading end of the front end 84a is shown in FIGS. Is formed in an engaging portion 99 for an engaged portion 98 which is a concave portion of the inner rotor 4 in the small disk cartridge 2 shown in FIG. The engaged portion 98 and the engaging portion 99 of the shutter opener 84 are configured to contact with a circular surface in order to reduce the generation of synthetic resin friction powder.

  The pair of left and right lock arms 90 are guided by a guide mechanism including a pair of left and right guide pins 92 and a pair of left and right guide grooves 93 formed between the lock arms 90 and the top plate 37 b of the small cartridge holder 37. In the lower part of the top plate 37b, it is held movably in the directions of arrows k and m which are the left and right directions. The pair of left and right ends 90a of the pair of left and right lock arms 90 are bent in a substantially U shape downward and inward, and the leading ends of these ends 90a are the left and right shown in FIGS. A pair of wedge-shaped positioning projections 61 are formed.

  In addition, one end of the pair of left and right release levers 87 and 88 is interlocked with the gears 87a and 88a, and the other end 87b and 88b is interlocked with the pair of left and right lock arms 90 by the pair of left and right guide pins 92a and the arc-shaped long holes 94. ing. In addition, one release lever 87 is configured to be rotationally driven by a protrusion 84a cut and raised downward from a part of the shutter opener 84. In addition, a pair of left and right torsion coil springs 95 as urging means for slidably urging the pair of left and right lock arms 90 in the locking direction are attached to the outer periphery of the pair of left and right mounting pins 96 on the small cartridge holder 37. A pair of torsion coil springs 95 are in contact with the outside of the pair of left and right spring contact pins 92b fixed to the pair of left and right lock arms 90.

The shutter opening / closing mechanism 81 also serving as a positioning mechanism is configured as described above, and is shown by a one-dot chain line in FIGS. 14 and 15, respectively, and as shown in FIGS. 21 and 31, the small cartridge holder 37 is a large cartridge. In the state where the slide has been returned to the initial position P16 with respect to the holder 36 in the direction of arrow e, a toggle spring is shown in FIGS. 4, 19, and 20 as well as in FIGS. 21, 27, and 30. The shutter opener 84 is rotated and biased in the direction of the arrow a from the shutter open position P2 to the shutter close position P1 by 91, and is stopped.
When the small disk cartridge 2 is inserted in the arrow f direction to the position indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 15 in the small cartridge holder 37, the pair of left and right positioning pins 60 are shown in FIG. And inserted into the pair of left and right positioning recesses 15 of the bottom 2e of the small disc cartridge 2 from the direction of the arrow e, and the engagement of the front end 84a of the shutter opener 84 as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. The portion 99 is relatively engaged in the engaged portion 98 on the outer periphery of the inner rotor 4 of the small disc cartridge 2 from the direction of the arrow e. At this time, the rotation fulcrum 82 of the shutter opener 84 is positioned concentrically with the center O2 of the inner rotor 4 and the small disk 6 as indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG.

  Then, as described above, the small cartridge holder 37 is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 15 by the small disk cartridge 2, and is indicated by a solid line in FIG. 15 from the initial position P16 in FIG. When pushed to the first slide position P17 in the direction of the arrow f, a part of the limiter 83 comes into contact with the shutter opening / closing first drive pin 97a of the main frame 35 from the direction of the arrow f, and the shutter opener is passed through the limiter 83. 84 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 with the rotation fulcrum 82 as the center, and the arrow b against the toggle spring 91 from the shutter closed position P1 shown in FIGS. 21 and 30 to the intermediate position P3 shown in FIGS. It is rotated a little (constant angle) in the direction.

At this time, one release lever 87 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow i by the projection 84a of the shutter opener 84. Then, the other release lever 88 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow j via gears 87a and 88a. At this time, the pair of left and right release levers 87 and 88 are rapidly driven to rotate in the directions of arrows i and j by the repulsive force of the pair of left and right torsion coil springs 94.
Then, the pair of left and right release levers 87 and 88 cause the pair of left and right lock arms 90 to be quickly slid in the direction of the arrow k from the unlocked position indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 20 to the lock position indicated by the solid line in FIG.

  As a result, the pair of left and right positioning projections 61 at the tips 90a of the pair of left and right lock arms 90 are moved from the unlock position shown in FIG. 4 to the lock position shown in FIG. The pair of left and right positioning protrusions 61 are press-fitted into the pair of left and right positioning recesses 17 of the small disk cartridge 2 from the direction of the arrow k, and as described above, the small disk cartridge 2 is inserted into the small cartridge holder 37 respectively. Are positioned (locked) by the positioning pins 60 and the positioning projections 61.

  Subsequently, as described above, the small cartridge holder 37 is integrated with the large cartridge holder 36 by the motor 39 of the disk loader 31 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 16, and is retracted from the first slide position P17 shown in FIGS. In the initial stage when horizontally pulled to the position P14 in the direction of the arrow f, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 20 and as shown in FIGS. 23 and 32, the shutter opening / closing drive pin 96 passes through the limiter 83. The shutter opener 84 is rotationally driven in the arrow b direction to the shutter closed position P2.

  Then, the engaging portion 98 of the tip 84a of the shutter opener 84 is moved from the intermediate position P3 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 via the engaged portion 97 of the inner rotor 4 of the small disc cartridge 2. 5 is instantaneously rotated in the direction of arrow b up to the shutter open position P2 shown in FIG. At this time, at the moment when the shutter opener 84 gets over the dead point DP intermediate between the shutter closed position P1 and the shutter open position P2 indicated by the solid line and the one-dot chain line in FIG. The opener 84 is instantaneously rotated in the arrow b direction to the shutter open position P2.

At this time, since the rotation of the inner rotor 4 in the direction of arrow b is facilitated by a rotation biasing spring (not shown) built in the small disk cartridge 2, the inner rotor 4 is in the shutter open position. It can rotate smoothly in the direction of the arrow b up to P2 in an instant.
As described above, the shutter 10 in the small disc cartridge 2 is driven to open, the bottom opening 8 of the small disc cartridge 2 is opened, and the shutter opener 84 is stopped and held at the shutter open position P2 by the toggle spring 91. Come.

  When the small disk cartridge 2 is ejected, as described above, the small cartridge holder 37 is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 15, and from a retracted position P14 shown in FIGS. While being slid and driven in the direction of arrow e to the eject position P13 shown in FIGS. 22 and 30, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 81 operates in the reverse of the above-described manner, that is, the shutter opener 84 is moved by the first driving pin 83 for opening / closing the shutter. As shown in FIG. 4, the inner rotor 4 in the small disk cartridge 2 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow a from the shutter open position P2 to the shutter close position P1 via the limiter 83, so that the shutter close position P1 is moved from the shutter open position P2. The rotation is automatically restored in the direction of arrow a.

Further, the pair of left and right lock arms 90 are slid back in the direction of the arrow m from the lock position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 20 to the lock release position indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 20 against the pair of left and right torsion coil springs 95.
Therefore, when the small disk cartridge 2 is pushed in the direction of the arrow e to the insertion position indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 15, the pair of left and right locking projections 61 are formed as shown in FIG. That is, it is separated from the positioning recess 17 in the direction of the arrow m.
Thus, the user can safely pull out the small disk cartridge 2 from the small cartridge holder 37 in the direction of arrow e in a state where the bottom opening 8 of the small disk cartridge 2 is already closed by the shutter 10.

Here, the opening / closing operation of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 81 when the large disc cartridge 1 is inserted will be described with reference to FIGS. 24, 25, and 33 to 35.
As described above, the large disk cartridge 1 is inserted from the direction of the arrow f into the large cartridge holder 36 returned to the initial position P16 as shown in FIG. When the cartridge holder 37 is pushed out to the second slide position P18 via the pair of left and right positioning pins 60 in the direction of the arrow f, the shutter opener 84 of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 81 is moved in the same manner as when the small disk cartridge 2 is inserted. The first driving pin 97a for opening and closing the shutter is rotationally driven in the arrow b direction from the shutter closing position P1 to the shutter opening position P2 via the limiter 83.

However, at this time, the small cartridge holder 37 is pushed forward (in the direction of the arrow f) of the front end 1a of the large disc cartridge 1 via the pair of left and right positioning pins 60, so that the shutter opener 84 is used as the front end of the large disc cartridge 1. It is possible to rotate (so-called idling motion) without touching 1a.
Moreover, after that, the small cartridge holder 37 is automatically integrated with the large cartridge holder 36 by the motor 39 in the direction of the arrow f from the second slide position P18 shown in FIGS. 24 and 34 to the retracted position P14 shown in FIGS. 25, another driven portion 84b of the shutter opener 84 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow b by the shutter opening / closing second drive pin 97b shown in FIG. 35, and the shutter opener 84 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 35, the rotation is automatically returned from the shutter open position P2 to the shutter closed position.

  In addition, when the large disk cartridge 1 is ejected in the direction of the arrow e from the pull-in position P14 indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 14 to the eject position P13 indicated by the one-dot chain line, the shutter opener with respect to the first opening / closing drive driving pin 97a. The limiter 83 can freely escape in the direction of the arrow a which is the reverse direction of the driving direction of the shutter opener 84 with respect to the shutter opener 84 so that the driven part 97b of 84 can escape in the direction of arrow e. It is configured.

According to such a safety mechanism, when the large disk cartridge 1 is ejected, it is not necessary to drive the shutter opener 84 at all, and a simple mechanism can be provided.
As a reason for this, if the shutter opener 84 is returned to the shutter closed position P1 by the first drive pin 97a during the ejection process of the large disk cartridge 1, it must be performed during the process of returning the small cartridge holder 37 to the ejection position. .
Moreover, since the ejection of the small cartridge holder 37 is performed by the spring force (force) of the pair of left and right tension coil springs 52, if the spring force of these tension coil springs 52 is increased, this time, the large and small disk cartridges 1 2 is subjected to a large resistance at the time of insertion, resulting in inconvenience in the insertion operation.

Therefore, as described above, the shutter opener 84 is driven to rotate in the opening direction by using a manual insertion force only when the small disc cartridge 2 having a small insertion amount into the small cartridge holder 37 is inserted. When the large disc cartridge 1 having a large amount of insertion into the cartridge holder 36 is inserted, the drive force of the motor 39 is used for opening and closing.


[Shutter opening / closing mechanism of large disk cartridge]

The basic structure of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 10 of the large disk cartridge 1 is disclosed in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-5881 or the like, which has been previously filed by the applicant of the present invention. I will explain it.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shutter opening / closing rack 102, which is a shutter opening / closing means for the large disk cartridge 1 made of a synthetic resin molded article or the like, is shown in FIGS. A rack holding groove 103 formed on one side of the large cartridge holder 36 is slidably accommodated in the directions of arrows e and f which are parallel to the cartridge insertion and removal directions and in the directions of arrows n and o which are parallel to the f direction. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the wide gear 104 vertically attached to one side surface of the main frame 35 is moved forward and backward in the directions of arrows n and o by the motor 39 through the gear train 40. By being driven to rotate, the wide gear 104 moves the shutter opening / closing rack 102 through the outer rack 105 between the shutter closed position P31 shown in FIG. 2 and the shutter open position P32 shown in FIG. It is comprised so that it may slide to.

  According to the shutter opening / closing mechanism 101 of the large disk cartridge 1, the large disk cartridge 1 is moved to the second slide position P8 in the large cartridge holder 36 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 15 and as shown in FIGS. When inserted in the direction of the arrow f by the insertion amount L12 and locked in the large cartridge holder 36 by the lock arm 24, it is integrally formed inside the shutter opening / closing rack 102 as shown in FIGS. The first engagement arm 105 and the inner rack 106 are relatively inserted into the guide groove 13 on one side of the large disk cartridge 1 from the direction of the arrow p, and the tip of the first engagement arm 105 is the large disk cartridge 1. Engaged with the recess 3c on the outer periphery of the inner rotor 3 against the elasticity of the first engagement arm itself. That.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the other end 11c of the lock lever 11 in the large disk cartridge 1 is pressed by the inner rack 106 of the shutter opening / closing rack 102, whereby one end 11a of the lock lever 11 is pressed. Is released outward from the locking recess 3e of the inner rotor 3 against the spring force of the spring acting portion 11b, and the lock of the inner rotor 3 is released.

When the insertion of the large disc cartridge 1 is electrically detected, the large disc cartridge 1 is integrated with the large cartridge holder 36 by the motor 39, and the retracted position indicated by the dotted line from the second slide position P18 indicated by the solid line in FIG. It is drawn horizontally in the direction of arrow f up to P14.
At that time, the wide gear 104 is rotated by the motor 39 in the direction of the arrow n in FIG. 2, and the wide gear 104 moves the shutter opening / closing rack 102 from the shutter closed position P31 shown in FIG. 3 is driven to slide in the direction of the arrow p to the shutter open position P32 shown in FIG.

Then, the inner rotor 3 in the large disc cartridge 1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow b from the shutter closed position P1 shown in FIG. 2 to the shutter open / close position P2 shown in FIG. 3 by the first engagement arm 106 and the inner rotor driving rack 107. When driven, as described above, the shutter 9 of the large disk cartridge 1 is driven to open and the bottom opening 7 of the large disk cartridge 1 is opened.
At this time, the second engagement arm 108 inside the shutter opening / closing rack 102 is engaged with the locking recess 3e of the inner rotor 3, and the inner rotor 3 is locked.

On the other hand, when the large disk cartridge 1 is ejected, when the large disk cartridge 1 is pushed horizontally in the direction of the arrow e from the retracted position P14 shown by the dotted line in FIG. 104 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow o in FIG.
Then, the wide gear 104 causes the shutter opening / closing rack 102 to slide in the direction of the arrow q from the shutter open position P32 shown in FIG. 3 to the shutter close position P31 shown in FIG. 1 is rotated back in the direction of the arrow a from the shutter open position P2 shown in FIG. 3 to the shutter close position P1 shown in FIG. 2, and the bottom opening 7 of the large disc cartridge 1 is moved by the shutter 9 as described above. It is automatically blocked.

  After that, when the large disk cartridge 1 is pulled out from the large disk cartridge 36 in the direction of arrow e in FIG. 13 by the user, the one end 11a is moved to the inner rotor by the spring force of the spring acting portion 11b of the lock lever 11. The inner rotor 3 is again locked at the shutter closed position P1. Therefore, the user can safely extract the large disc cartridge 1 whose bottom opening 7 is closed from the small cartridge holder 37 in the direction of arrow e. In addition, by driving the shutter opening / closing rack 102 via the vertical wide gear 104, the large cartridge holder 36 is moved as shown in FIG. 15 while the wide gear 104 is engaged with the outer rack 105 of the shutter opening / closing rack 102. Can be smoothly moved up and down (in the directions of arrows g and h) between an ascending position P11 indicated by a dotted line and a descending position P12 indicated by a two-dot chain line.

According to the disk loader 31 of the two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 of the present invention configured as described above and operated as described above, the following characteristics can be obtained.
(1) A disk loader 31 having compatibility between two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2 that has been considered difficult to realize can be realized with a simple configuration.
(2) The disk loader 31 dedicated to the large disk cartridge 1 can be upgraded to a disk loader 31 having compatibility between two types of large and small disk cartridges 1 and 2. At that time, the change for the upgrade can be handled by the addition of firmware and sensors, and the change of the base unit 32 is minimal.
(3) Since the configuration of the disk loader 31 is a simple configuration, the cost does not increase significantly compared to a large-sized (large-diameter) media dedicated loader.
(4) The expansion of the outer diameter of the disk loader 31 is about several millimeters with respect to a large-sized (large-diameter) dedicated loader, and does not impair the downsizing when incorporated in various information devices.
(5) The user can selectively use two types of media having different recording capacities according to the usage, and the usability of the user is improved.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

It is the perspective view which showed two types of disk cartridges applied to the disk loader of this invention. It is a bottom view of the shutter closed state for explaining the shutter opening / closing structure of the large disk cartridge same as above. It is a bottom view of a shutter open state explaining the shutter opening / closing structure of the large disk cartridge same as the above. It is a bottom view of the shutter closed state explaining the shutter opening / closing structure of the small disk cartridge same as the above. It is a bottom view of the shutter open state explaining the shutter opening / closing structure of the small disk cartridge same as the above. It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the disk loader (disk loading apparatus) of this invention. It is a perspective view of the base unit of a disk loader same as the above. It is the perspective view which showed the large-sized cartridge holder of the disk loader same as the above, the positioning leaf | plate spring of a small cartridge holder, and the positioning pin of a small cartridge holder. It is a perspective view explaining the loading state of two types of large and small disk cartridges on the base unit same as the above. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6 for explaining insertion and loading of two types of large and small cartridge holders and a large disk cartridge of the disk loader of the above. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed the principal part of FIG. 10 of two types of cartridge holders of a disk loader same as the above, and a disk cartridge. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6 for explaining insertion and loading of two types of large and small cartridge holders and a small disk cartridge of the disk loader of the above. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed the principal part of FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 6 for explaining the loading and ejection of the large disk cartridge of the disk loader of the above. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 6 for explaining the loading and ejection of the small disk cartridge of the disk loader of the above. It is the perspective view which showed the large cartridge holder of the disk loader same as the above, and the lower part of a small cartridge holder. It is a perspective view explaining the insertion guide of the small disc cartridge in the large disc cartridge of the disc loader same as the above. It is a bottom view of the insertion guide of a small disc cartridge same as the above. It is a perspective view of the shutter opening / closing mechanism for small disk cartridges attached to the small cartridge holder of the disk loader same as the above. It is a top view of the shutter opening / closing mechanism for small disk cartridges same as the above. It is a top view of the see-through state which showed the initial position of the small cartridge holder in the large sized cartridge holder of a disk loader same as the above. It is a top view of the see-through state which showed the insertion position of the small disc cartridge of the disc loader same as the above. It is a top view of the see-through state which showed the retraction position by the motor of the small disc cartridge of the disc loader same as the above. It is a top view of the see-through state which showed the insertion position of the large sized disk cartridge of a disk loader same as the above. It is a top view of the see-through state which showed the drawing position by the motor of the large sized disk cartridge of a disk loader same as the above. It is the perspective view which showed the relationship between the lift pin of a disk loader same as the above, and the small cartridge holder positioning leaf | plate spring. It is the perspective view which showed the state at the time of shutter closing of the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the small disk cartridge of a disk loader same as the above. It is the perspective view which showed the state at the time of shutter opening of the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the small disk cartridge of a disk loader same as the above. It is the top view of the see-through state which showed the positioning mechanism in the small cartridge holder of the small disk cartridge by the shutter opening / closing mechanism of a disk loader same as the above. It is the perspective view of the see-through state which showed the insertion start of the small disc cartridge of the disc loader same as the above. It is the perspective view of the see-through state which showed the insertion completion position of the small disc cartridge of the disc loader same as the above. It is a perspective view of the see-through state which showed the drawing completion position by the motor of the small disk cartridge of the disk loader same as the above. It is the perspective view of the see-through state which showed the insertion start of the large sized disk cartridge of the disk loader same as the above. It is a perspective view of the see-through state which showed the insertion completion position of the large sized disk cartridge of a disk loader same as the above. It is the perspective view of the see-through state which showed the drawing completion position by the motor of the large sized disk cartridge of a disk loader same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Large disk cartridge 2 Small disk cartridge 3 Inner rotor of large disk cartridge 4 Inner rotor of small disk cartridge 5 Large disk 6 Small disk 7 Bottom opening of large disk cartridge 8 Bottom opening of small disk cartridge 9 Shutter of large disk cartridge 10 Small Disc cartridge shutter 16, 17 Small disc cartridge positioning recess 31 Disc loader 32 Base unit 33 Spindle motor 34 Turntable 36 Large cartridge holder 37 Small cartridge holder 52 Tension coil spring 53 Small and large cartridge holder positioning pin 54 Small and large cartridge Leaf spring for holder positioning 55 For first positioning Notch 56 Second positioning notch 60 Small disk cartridge positioning pin 61 Small disk cartridge positioning protrusion 62 Small cartridge holder positioning base 63 Small cartridge holder positioning pin 67 Large disk cartridge positioning pin 68 Large disk cartridge positioning base 71 Small disk cartridge Insertion guide 73 Guide surface for calling a small disk cartridge 75 Flank surface of a large disk cartridge 81 Shutter opening / closing mechanism of a small disk cartridge 84 Shutter opener 90 Lock arm 91 Toggle spring 97 Shutter opening / closing drive pin 98 Small disk cartridge engaged portion 99 Shutter opener Engagement portion 101 shutter opening / closing mechanism of large disk cartridge 10 Shutter opening and closing rack 104 shutter opening and closing the wide gear

Claims (4)

Two types of large and small disk cartridges, each of which stores two types of large and small disks for recording and / or reproduction, are recorded and / or reproduced with a turntable of a spindle motor on the base unit using a large cartridge holder common to these. A loading device for two types of large and small disk cartridges that are selectively loaded into the means,
A small cartridge holder into which the small disc cartridge is inserted is disposed at a substantially central position in the large cartridge holder;
The small cartridge holder is configured to be movable in the cartridge insertion and ejection directions within the large cartridge holder,
When the small cartridge is inserted and held in the small cartridge holder, the insertion amount of the small disk cartridge with respect to the large cartridge holder is set small,
When the large cartridge is inserted and held in the large disk cartridge, an insertion amount of the large disk cartridge with respect to the large cartridge holder is set large,
After the two types of large and small disk cartridges are selectively inserted and held in the large cartridge holder and the small cartridge holder, the two large and small disk cartridges are selectively pulled in by the large cartridge holder. When selectively loading onto the base unit, the two types of large and small discs are set such that the amount of the two large and small disc cartridges drawn by the large cartridge holder is substantially constant. Cartridge loading device. The small cartridge holder is slidably held in the cartridge insertion and ejection directions by slide guide means in the large cartridge holder,
The small cartridge holder is configured to be slid back to the initial position in the cartridge discharge direction with respect to the large cartridge holder by the slide urging means,
When the small disc cartridge is inserted and held in the small cartridge holder, the small cartridge holder is pushed out in the cartridge insertion direction with a short stroke against the slide biasing means,
When the large disc cartridge is inserted and held in the large cartridge holder, the small cartridge holder is pushed by the large disc cartridge and pushed out in the cartridge insertion direction with a long stroke against the slide biasing means. 2. The disk cartridge loading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disk cartridge loading apparatus is configured as described above. The large disc cartridge loaded on the base unit is positioned by positioning means dedicated to the large disc cartridge on the base unit,
The small disc cartridge is positioned by the first positioning means in the small cartridge holder, and when the small disc cartridge is loaded on the base unit, the small disc cartridge is inserted through the small cartridge holder. 2. The loading device for two types of large and small disk cartridges according to claim 1, wherein the disk cartridge is positioned on the base unit by a second positioning means. The first positioning means includes means for positioning two directions, an insertion direction of the small disk cartridge into the small cartridge holder and a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. 3. A loading apparatus for two types of large and small disk cartridges according to item 3.

Images