JP2006244644A - Recording disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording disk cartridge which has high rigidity and can prevent the recording medium from being stained as much as possible and can firmly fix the upper plate and the lower plate to the base frame easily with a sufficient bonding force. <P>SOLUTION: This disk cartridge has a base frame 10 which encloses a magnetic disk medium DM radially and has an access opening C2 on the side to expose it to the outside, a lower plate 20 which has a center hole C3 for the chuck to engage the spindle SP of the disk drive D with the magnetic disk medium DM, a rotary shutter 40 to open or close the access opening C2, and a swing shutter 50 which rocks following the turning of the rotary shutter 40 to open or close the center chuck hole C3. Pawls 33, 23 for bonding of respective plates 30, 20 are press fitted into the through hole 16 of the base frame 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording disk cartridge in which a recording disk medium is accommodated in a cartridge case.

  Conventionally, a recording disk cartridge in which a recording disk medium such as a flexible magnetic disk medium in which a magnetic layer is formed on both sides of a disk-shaped support made of a polyester sheet, a magneto-optical disk medium, a phase change disk medium, etc. is stored in a cartridge case It has been known. These recording disk media have been recorded with high density year by year, and the recording track width has become narrower and the recording length has become shorter. For this reason, the magnetic disk cartridge is prone to read errors when only a small amount of dust is interposed between the magnetic disk medium and the magnetic head. In addition, although optical disk media is said to be relatively resistant to dust, when the recording density is high, the aperture ratio of the lens of the optical pickup increases, which necessitates close proximity between the media and the lens. Is likely to occur.

As the part where dust enters the recording disk cartridge, an access opening provided in the cartridge case for allowing the magnetic head and the optical pickup to access the recording disk medium, and the spindle of the disk drive are coupled to the recording disk medium. There is a center hole for chuck provided in the center of the cartridge case. The conventional recording disk cartridge is configured to close the access opening and the chuck center hole when not in use in order to prevent dust from entering the cartridge case (for example, Patent Document 1, 2 and 3).
JP 2004-013921 A JP 2002-063778 A JP 2004-348885 A

  However, in the conventional recording disk cartridge, since the shutter for closing the access opening and the chuck center hole is operated outside the cartridge case, there is a possibility that the recording disk cartridge may be opened by being caught by another object when being carried or stored. It was. Further, since the conventional recording disk cartridge can be easily contacted from the outside, there is a possibility that the shutter may be opened carelessly. In the conventional recording disk cartridge, since the access opening is provided on the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the cartridge case parallel to the recording disk medium, when the shutter is opened, the recording disk medium Is exposed to a large amount and easily contaminated. Further, the conventional recording disk cartridge has a problem that since the access opening is formed on the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the cartridge case, the rigidity of the cartridge case is lowered and it is difficult to make the cartridge case thinner.

In addition, after the recording disk medium is assembled in the base frame of the cartridge case and the upper plate constituting the upper wall of the cartridge case and the lower plate constituting the lower wall are bonded to the base frame, recording is performed in the inspection process of the recording disk cartridge. If the disc medium is determined to be defective, the entire recording disc cartridge is discarded even though the cartridge case is good.
Therefore, it is preferable that the upper plate or the lower plate is temporarily fixed to the base frame and flowed to the inspection process, and it is preferable that the recording disk medium can be replaced by removing each plate. However, when each plate is temporarily fixed to the base frame If the engagement area between the base frame and each plate is widened in order to sufficiently secure the joining force, the through-holes and notches for engagement formed in the base frame become larger, so the cartridge case There has been a problem that the rigidity of the steel is reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and the present invention prevents dust from entering the cartridge case and the recording disk medium from being damaged as much as possible, and has high rigidity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording disk cartridge that can hold an upper plate and a lower plate easily and with a sufficient bonding force.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a recording disk cartridge comprising a recording disk medium and a cartridge case for storing the recording disk medium, the cartridge substantially surrounding the outside in the radial direction of the recording disk medium. A base frame that forms a side wall of the case and has a side opening that exposes the recording disk medium to the outside; a lower wall of the cartridge case that is disposed below the recording disk medium; and a spindle of the disk drive A lower plate having a chuck center hole for coupling to the recording disk medium; an upper plate disposed above the recording disk medium and constituting the upper wall of the cartridge case; and rotating in the cartridge case. By moving A rotary shutter that opens and closes a side opening; and a chuck that is disposed between the recording disk medium and the lower plate and is engaged with the rotary shutter so as to swing according to a rotating operation of the rotary shutter. A swing shutter that opens and closes the center hole, and the base frame is formed with a through hole vertically extending therethrough. The through hole for bonding is formed in the upper plate and the lower plate. The joined claw portion is press-fitted.

According to such a recording disk cartridge, the side opening that exposes the recording disk medium to the outside, that is, the access opening for the magnetic head and the optical pickup to access the recording disk medium forms the side wall of the cartridge case. Provided in the base frame, the upper plate and the lower plate constitute the upper wall and the lower wall of the cartridge case, respectively, and block the upper side and the lower side of the base frame. Therefore, the rigidity of the cartridge case is prevented from being lowered due to the access opening being formed on the upper surface or the lower surface of the cartridge case. Further, since the access opening is formed only on the side wall, even when the user opens the rotary shutter that opens and closes the access opening, the edge of the outer periphery of the recording disk medium can be seen from the access opening. It is difficult to directly touch the recording surface of the recording disk medium. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the recording surface of the recording disk medium from being soiled. Since the size of the access opening is minimized, it is difficult for dust to enter the cartridge case.
In addition, since the swing shutter that opens and closes the chuck center hole is positioned between the lower plate and the flexible disk, that is, inside the lower plate, other objects are not caught on the swing shutter during carrying or storage.
It should be noted that the upper plate and the lower plate in the present invention usually have a disk drive that accesses the chuck portion of the recording disk medium from below. It goes without saying that the lower plate of the recording disk cartridge of the invention can be used horizontally or upward.

In addition, by press-fitting the claw portions for joining the upper plate and the lower plate into the joining through holes of the base frame, the plates can be held on the base frame with sufficient joining force. Thus, there is no need to separately form an engagement portion for joining the upper plate to the base frame and an engagement portion for joining the lower plate to the base frame, and each plate is joined to the base frame. Since the engagement portion can be made small and simple, it is possible to prevent the rigidity of the cartridge case from being lowered.
Furthermore, each plate can be easily attached to and detached from the base frame by press-fitting the joint claw portion of each plate into the joint through hole of the base frame or pulling it out from the joint through hole. As a result, the recording disk medium is assembled in the base frame to which the lower plate is bonded, and the joining pawl portion of the upper plate is press-fitted into the through hole for joining the base frame to temporarily fix it, and then flowed to the recording disk cartridge inspection process. If the recording disk medium is determined to be defective in the inspection process, the upper plate can be easily removed to discard only the recording disk medium, and the cartridge case can be reused, thus reducing the manufacturing cost. be able to.

In the recording disk cartridge described above, it is preferable that the joining claws are arranged at positions shifted from each other in plan view of the cartridge case.
In this way, by arranging the joining claws at positions shifted from each other in the plan view of the cartridge case, compared to the case where the joining claws are arranged one above the other, Since the insertion amount of each joining claw part can be increased and the frictional resistance between the joining through hole and the joining claw part can be increased, it is possible to sufficiently secure the joining force of the upper plate and the lower plate. it can.

In the recording disk cartridge described above, the joining through-hole has a partially enlarged transverse section, and the joining claws can be press-fitted into the widened portion. .
Thus, when the upper plate and the lower plate are attached to the base frame by widening a part of the cross-section of the through-hole for bonding and press-fitting each bonding claw into the widened portion. Since the joining claws are pressed into the widened portion, that is, pressed into the regular position, each plate can be attached accurately.

In the recording disk cartridge described above, the joining through-holes are formed at two positions across at least the side opening of the base frame, and the upper plate and the lower plate are provided with the joining through holes. It can comprise so that the said nail | claw part for joining may be formed corresponding to a hole.
In this way, the engagement portion between the base frame and each plate is formed at two positions at least across the side opening of the base frame, and each plate is supported on both sides of the side opening. The portion where the rigidity is reduced by forming the part opening can be reinforced by each plate.

  According to the present invention, the rigidity of the cartridge case can be improved, and dust can be prevented from entering the cartridge case and the recording disk medium can be prevented from being damaged. Further, the swing shutter that opens and closes the chuck center hole can be prevented from being caught by an external object. Furthermore, since the engagement portion for engaging the upper plate and the lower plate with the base frame can be made small and simple, it is possible to prevent the rigidity of the cartridge case from being lowered. Further, the upper plate and the lower plate can be held on the base frame with a sufficient bonding force, and the upper plate and the lower plate can be easily attached to and detached from the base frame.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the present embodiment, a case of a magnetic disk cartridge that employs a magnetic disk medium as an example of a recording disk medium will be described.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a magnetic disk cartridge and a disk drive according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the magnetic disk cartridge with an access opening opened as seen from below. In the following description, the upper and lower directions are based on the typical use state of the magnetic disk cartridge, and for convenience, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic disk medium is the upper and lower sides, and there is a chuck center hole that exposes the center core to the outside. Is down. Further, description will be made using the front, rear, left and right directions shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is configured by storing a magnetic disk medium DM in a cartridge case C. The cartridge case C includes a base frame 10, a lower plate 20 joined to the lower side of the base frame 10, and an upper plate 30 joined to the upper side of the base frame 10.
The cartridge case C has a card shape whose outer shape is substantially rectangular in plan view. One corner of the rectangle is cut out in a chamfered shape to form a chamfered portion C1 and is used as a mark in the direction of insertion into the disk drive D. The insertion direction is set so that the chamfered portion C1 is located on the right front in a plan view, but is not limited thereto.

In the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, in FIG. 1, an access opening C2 is formed on the right side as a side opening that allows the magnetic disk medium DM to face the outside. The swing arm SA having the magnetic head H at the tip of the disk drive D enters the inside of the cartridge case C through the access opening C2 and accesses the magnetic disk medium DM.
The access opening C2 is closed by the rotary shutter 40 when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is not used, for example, during storage, and is opened by rotating the rotary shutter 40 during use.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a chuck center hole C3 for coupling the spindle SP (see FIG. 1) of the disk drive D to the magnetic disk medium DM is formed in the center of the lower side of the cartridge case C. Yes. The chuck center hole C3 is closed by the swing shutter 50 when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is not used, and is opened by swinging the swing shutter 50 during use, and has a chuck portion that the magnetic disk media DM has. The center core 61 (chuck part 61a) is exposed to the outside.

  Next, the details of the magnetic disk cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the magnetic disk cartridge 1, FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the base frame, (a) is a perspective view seen from above, and (b) is a perspective view seen from below. It is. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the magnetic disk cartridge with the upper plate removed, and FIG. 7 shows the upper plate and the lower plate on the base frame. It is the perspective view which looked at the mode to join from the upper part. FIGS. 8A and 8B show the through-holes for joining, in which FIG. 8A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rotary shutter as viewed from below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the base frame 10 constitutes a side wall of the cartridge case C, and is a C-shape formed in a shape in which one side of a rectangular frame that substantially surrounds the magnetic disk medium DM is cut out. It is a member. Specifically, the access opening C2 described above is formed on the right side 10R. The access opening C2 is sufficient if it is open to the side of the base frame 10. Therefore, the access opening C2 is not necessarily formed by cutting out one side of the base frame 10. For example, the access opening C2 is formed by thinning a part of one side. Or may be formed by providing a slit on one side. Further, a slit-like opening C4 for shutter operation is formed in the left side 10L of the base frame 10 along the front and rear. The shutter operation opening C4 is an opening through which the rotary shutter 40 is exposed to the outside.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the inner circumference of the base frame 10 has a cylindrical inner wall 11 that matches the outer circumference of the rotary shutter 40 (see FIG. 3). It is pivotally supported. Of the inner periphery of the base frame 10, a portion on the left front side is recessed outward from the cylindrical inner wall 11. This recessed portion is a spring accommodating portion 17 that accommodates a lock spring 64 (see FIG. 3) described later.

The base frame 10 is divided into a main frame 10X and a subframe 10Y. The sub-frame 10Y is a strip-shaped member that forms the upper side of the shutter operation opening C4. The left side 10L of the main frame 10X is thinly formed to form a shutter operation opening C4 corresponding to the subframe 10Y (referred to as “thin piece portion 12a”). At both ends of the left side 10L of the main frame 10X, joint bases 12b that are one step higher than the thin piece portion 12a are formed. By joining the subframe 10Y to the joining base 12b, a slit-like shutter operation opening C4 is formed between the thin piece portion 12a and the subframe 10Y (see FIG. 3). Further, both ends of the shutter operation opening C4 in the front-rear direction are grooves 18 having a predetermined width that are continuous with the shutter operation opening C4 when viewed from the outside (see FIG. 10A).
The height of the joining base 12b is set so that the upper surface 13a of the subframe 10Y is flush with the upper surface 13a of the main frame 10X after joining the subframe 10Y to the joining base 12b. In the present embodiment, the base frame 10 is configured by joining two members of the main frame 10X and the subframe 10Y. However, the base frame 10 may be integrally formed or divided into three or more members. It may be configured.

Further, ribs 14 are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the base frame 10 so as to extend up and down over substantially the entire circumference. The height of the rib 14 from the upper surface 13a and the lower surface 13b of the base frame 10 is the same as or higher than the thicknesses of the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30. Therefore, when the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30 are joined to the base frame 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the edge 29 of the lower plate 20 and the edge 39 of the upper plate 30 are hidden by the ribs 14, and the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is handled. At this time, the edges 29 and 39 are not caught. For this reason, the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30 are difficult to peel from the base frame 10.
In this sense, the height of the rib 14 from the upper surface 13a and the lower surface 13b (see FIG. 4B) is preferably higher than the thicknesses of the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 20, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the chamfered portion C1 of the base frame 10 is formed with a dovetail recess 15 that increases in width toward the back. The recess 15 stores functional parts. For example, a transparent plastic piece (referred to as “identification member 66”) corresponding to the recess 15 can be disposed in the recess 15 as an optical component (see FIG. 3). Such an identification member 66 may be changed depending on the type of the magnetic disk cartridge 1 and used to identify the magnetic disk cartridge 1. For example, if the color and reflectance of the identification member 66 are changed, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 can be identified by detecting the reflectance and color of the identification member 66. Thus, the chamfered portion C1 can be used as an identification site. The identification member 66 is not limited to using such an optical component, and an RFID tag may be used. When the RFID tag is arranged in the chamfered portion C1, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 can be identified by accessing the RFID tag from the two directions of the front side and the right side of the magnetic disk cartridge 1.

  A through-hole 16 for joining that penetrates vertically is formed behind the concave portion 15 of the base frame 10, and as shown in FIG. 6, the cross-section of the through-hole 16 for joining is not a constant width, but a central portion thereof. Is an elliptical shape with a widening. The joining through hole 16 is used when joining the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30.

  As the material of the base frame 10, it is desirable to select a resin because it is easy to mold a complicated shape, but a metal, ceramics, or the like may be selected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower plate 20 is a substantially rectangular plate member that constitutes the lower wall of the cartridge case C, and has a chuck center hole C3 that exposes the center core 61 to the outside. The size of the lower plate 20 in plan view is slightly larger than that of the rotary shutter 40, and the outer peripheral portion of the rotary shutter 40 is located inside the edge portion of the lower plate 20. A chamfered portion C1 ′ is formed at the right front corner of the lower plate 20 following the chamfered portion C1. Further, on the upper surface 20a of the lower plate 20, in order to avoid interference between the convex portion 21 for swinging and supporting the swing shutter 50 and the engaging convex portion 42c of the rotary shutter 40 in the vicinity of the left front corner. A relief groove 22 is formed.
The convex portion 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape by burring. A bearing 51 of the swing shutter 50 is fitted on the outside of the convex portion 21, and a retaining pin 63 is fitted on the inner cylinder portion 21a.
The escape groove 22 is located on an arc concentric with the chuck center hole C3. This is because the engaging projection 42c rotates concentrically with the center of the cartridge case C (center of the magnetic disk medium DM) in accordance with the rotation operation of the rotary shutter 40. The depth of the escape groove 22 only needs to be deep enough to avoid interference with the engaging convex portion 42c. If the upper surface 20a of the lower plate 20 (corresponding to the inner surface of the cartridge case C) is sufficiently smooth, the friction caused by the sliding between the engaging convex portion 42c and the lower plate 20 is small, and no abrasion powder is generated, escape The groove 22 may not be provided.

Near the right front corner portion of the lower plate 20, a joining claw portion 23 raised upward corresponding to the joining through hole 16 is formed. As shown in FIG. 7, the joining claws 23 are press-fitted into the joining through holes 16 of the base frame 10 to generate a joining force between the base frame 10 and the lower plate 20.
The joining claw portion 23 of the lower plate 20 is formed by cutting out the vicinity of the right front corner of the lower plate 20 so as to form a protruding portion and bending the protruding portion upward. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when the lower plate 20 is joined to the base frame 10 at a regular position, the center in the thickness direction of the rising portion 23 a of the joining claw 23 is the joining penetration. The holes 16 are arranged so as to be shifted to the left side by a distance corresponding to half of the plate thickness t from the center axis of the hole 16, and both end portions of the rising portion 23 a are pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the bonding through-hole 16 at this position. As a result, when the lower plate 20 is attached to the base frame 10, the joining claw 23 is pressed into the center of the joining through hole 16, that is, it is pressed into a proper position. The plate 20 can be accurately attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the upper plate 30 is a substantially rectangular plate member that constitutes the upper wall of the cartridge case C, and a chamfered portion C1 ′ is formed at the right front corner following the chamfered portion C1. Yes. The size of the upper plate 30 in plan view is slightly larger than the rotary shutter 40, and the outer peripheral portion of the rotary shutter 40 is located inside the edge of the upper plate 30. A protrusion 31 that fixes the center core 61 when not in use is formed at the center of the lower surface 30 a of the upper plate 30.

Further, in the vicinity of the right front corner portion of the upper plate 30, a joining claw portion 33 that protrudes downward corresponding to the joining through hole 16 is formed. As shown in FIG. 7, the joining claws 33 are press-fitted into the joining through holes 16 of the base frame 10 to generate a joining force between the base frame 10 and the upper plate 30.
The joining claw portion 33 of the upper plate 30 is formed by cutting out the vicinity of the right front corner of the upper plate 30 so as to form a protruding portion and bending the protruding portion downward. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when the upper plate 30 is joined to the base frame 10 at a regular position, the center in the thickness direction of the falling portion 33 a of the joining claw 33 is used for joining. It is arranged to be shifted to the right side by a distance corresponding to half of the plate thickness t from the central axis of the through hole 16, and both end portions of the falling portion 33 a are pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the bonding through hole 16 at this position. . As a result, when the upper plate 30 is attached to the base frame 10, the joining claw 33 is pressed into the center of the joining through-hole 16, that is, it is pressed into a normal position. The plate 30 can be accurately attached.

  When the falling portion 33 a of the joining claw portion 33 of the upper plate 30 and the rising portion 23 a of the joining claw portion 23 of the lower plate 20 are press-fitted into the joining through-hole 16, They are arranged at positions shifted in the left-right direction in plan view. In the present embodiment, since the center in the thickness direction of the rising portion 23a and the falling portion 33a is formed so as to have an interval equal to or greater than the plate thickness t in the left-right direction, each joining claw portion 23, 33 is formed. Is press-fitted without interfering in the bonding through-hole 16.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a liner 65 for cleaning the flexible disk FD is affixed to the lower surface 30a of the upper plate 30, that is, the portion that contacts the inner surface of the cartridge case C. As the material of the liner 65, a nonwoven fabric, a sheet obtained by foaming ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, or the like can be suitably used. The liner 65 is a circular sheet-like member, and has a circular through hole 65 a that matches the size of the center core 61 at the center. Further, a notch 65b that prevents interference with the swing arm SA is formed in accordance with the operating range of the swing arm SA.

  The material of the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30 is not particularly limited, but at least one, preferably both are made of metal, for example, stainless steel, so that necessary rigidity can be ensured even if it is thin.

The rotary shutter 40 includes a C-shaped shutter member 41 and a reinforcing plate 42 bonded to the lower side of the shutter member 41.
The shutter member 41 is a member formed by injection molding of resin, for example, and as shown in FIG. 6, a driven gear 41a is formed over about one third of the outer periphery. The driven gear 41a is exposed to the outside from the shutter operation opening C4, and meshes with a drive gear 110 (see FIG. 1) of the disk drive D when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is inserted into the disk drive D. Therefore, the rotary shutter 40 is rotated by the drive gear 110 by the insertion operation of the magnetic disk cartridge 1, and the rotary shutter 40 can be opened.

As shown in FIG. 9, the shutter member 41 has sliding contact ribs 41b formed along the lower edge of the outer periphery. The lower end surface of the sliding contact rib 41b is in sliding contact with the lower plate 20 on a certain circumference (see FIG. 5, the sliding contact rib 41b is shown in a displacement diagram), and the rotary shutter 40 with respect to the lower plate 20 is moved. Smooth rotation is possible. However, the slidable contact rib 41b is not formed on the entire circumference of the shutter member 41, but forms a window 41b 'instead of being formed in a certain range facing the portion cut into the C shape. The window portion 41 b ′ is formed so that the shutter member 41 does not interfere with the operation of the swing shutter 50. More specifically, the swing shutter 50 is pivotally supported on the radially outer side of the shutter member 41 and swings between the rotary shutter 40 (shutter member 41) and the lower plate 20, as shown in FIG. The sliding contact rib 41b, which is the sliding contact portion between the lower plate 20 and the shutter member 41, is partially cut away to prevent interference between the swing shutter 50 and the shutter member 41 (sliding contact rib 41b). Thereby, the smooth operation of the swing shutter 50 is enabled.
The sliding contact rib 41b is not limited to being formed as a continuous rib, but can be formed as an intermittent protrusion, but in order to prevent dust from entering from the outside of the cartridge case C, The rib shape is desirable.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing plate 42 is a substantially circular member made of a metal plate such as stainless steel, for example, and has a center hole 42a through which the center core 61 formed in the center is inserted, and an operating range of the swing arm SA. It has the notch 42b and the engaging convex part 42c which protruded below (swing shutter 50 side). The same liner 65 as the liner 65 attached to the upper plate 30 is attached to the upper surface of the reinforcing plate 42.
The reinforcing plate 42 is a member that reinforces the rigidity of the shutter member 41 and forms an engaging portion (in this embodiment, an engaging convex portion 42c) for transmitting the operation of the rotary shutter 40 to the swing shutter 50. is there. If the shutter member 41 has sufficient rigidity and has an engaging portion that engages with the swing shutter 50, the reinforcing plate 42 is not necessarily required.
Further, the center hole 42a only needs to allow the center core 61 to pass therethrough, so that the center hole 42a may be formed larger than the present embodiment, and may be, for example, an opening continuous with the notch 42b.
Furthermore, since the notch 42b is for facilitating the swing arm SA to enter the cartridge case C, it is not always necessary if there is a space for the swing arm SA to enter the cartridge case C.

As shown in FIG. 3, the swing shutter 50 is a member for opening and closing the chuck center hole C <b> 3 of the lower plate 20, and is interposed between the lower plate 20 and the rotary shutter 40. The swing shutter 50 is a substantially fan-shaped plate having a narrow base end side and a wide tip end side, and a wide end portion has a size sufficient to close the chuck center hole C3.
A bearing 51 formed in a cylindrical shape by burring is formed on the base end side of the swing shutter 50. The bearing 51 is fitted on the convex portion 21 of the lower plate 20, and the swing shutter 50 is pivotally supported by the lower plate 20 so as to be swingable. The swing shutter 50 that is externally fitted to the convex portion 21 of the lower plate 20 is prevented from falling off the lower plate 20 by the retaining pin 63 being fitted to the inner cylindrical portion 21a of the convex portion 21. The retaining pin 63 has a pin part 63 a and a head part 63 b, and the outer periphery of the head part 63 b has substantially the same diameter as the outer periphery of the bearing 51.
The swing shutter 50 has a substantially elongated engagement hole 52 formed along the outer periphery in the middle between the proximal end and the distal end. The engagement hole portion 52 engages with the engagement convex portion 42 c and performs a function of transmitting the rotation operation of the engagement convex portion 42 c to the swing shutter 50. There is a possibility that the front end (lower end) of the engaging convex part 42 c engaged with the engaging hole part 52 slightly protrudes below the engaging hole part 52, but this protruding part is accommodated in the escape groove 22. Therefore, the smooth operation of the rotary shutter 40 is not hindered.

  In the present embodiment, the engagement hole portion 52 is formed as a through hole, but may be an engagement portion that is not limited to the through hole. For example, it may be formed as a groove (engagement groove portion) instead of the through hole, or the through hole or groove may be opened at the edge of the swing shutter 50. Further, the rotary shutter 40 and the swing shutter 50 are engaged by the engagement convex portion 42c of the rotary shutter 40 and the engagement hole portion 52 of the swing shutter 50, but the relationship between the projections and depressions may be reversed. That is, the swing shutter 50 may be provided with an engaging convex portion that protrudes toward the rotary shutter 40, and the rotary shutter 40 may be formed with an engaging hole or an engaging groove portion that engages with the engaging convex portion. .

  The head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63 and the outer periphery of the bearing 51 are formed to have the same diameter so as to form one continuous shaft, and this continuous shaft is not used for the magnetic disk cartridge 1. Sometimes a lock spring 64 is supported to stop unnecessary rotation of the rotary shutter 40.

  The lock spring 64 includes a lock leg portion 64 a, a spring leg portion 64 b, an unlocking leg portion 64 c, and a bearing portion 64 d for pivotally supporting them on the retaining pin 63. As shown in FIG. 6, in the lock spring 64, the tip of the lock leg portion 64a is engaged with the driven gear 41a of the shutter member 41, and the spring leg portion 64b is the inner circumference of the base frame 10, specifically, the spring housing. It abuts against the inner wall of the portion 17. The lock release leg 64c faces the outside of the cartridge case C from the shutter operation opening C4, and the bearing 64d of the lock spring 64 is externally fitted to the retaining pin 63 and the bearing 51 (see FIG. 3). ing. In the state of FIG. 6, the spring leg portion 64b generates a biasing force between the spring leg portion 64b and the inner wall of the spring accommodating portion 17, and generates a clockwise torque that presses the lock leg portion 64a toward the driven gear 41a. A lock spring 64 locks the rotation of the rotary shutter 40. On the other hand, when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is inserted into the disk drive D, the drive gear 110 comes into contact with the unlocking leg 64c, and the lock leg 64a is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Is configured to release the lock of the rotary shutter 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic disk medium DM is composed of a flexible disk FD and a center core 61.
The flexible disk FD has a disk shape having a circular opening FD1 at the center, and is generally configured by providing a magnetic layer on both sides or one side of a support made of a resin film such as polyester. The material and the layer structure of the support and the magnetic layer can be appropriately selected from those conventionally known, and are not particularly limited.
The center core 61 is a member having a certain degree of rigidity that is joined to the opening FD1 by the sticking member 62. The center core 61 is generally made of a magnetic material such as a plated steel plate or magnetic stainless steel so that the spindle SP of the disk drive D can be magnetically attracted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the center core 61 is composed of a frustoconical chuck portion 61a and a flange portion 61b extending radially outward from the large diameter portion of the chuck portion 61a. A center hole 61c penetrating vertically is formed at the center of the chuck portion 61a. The center hole 61c is formed to have a size capable of engaging with the center protrusion SP1 (see FIG. 1) of the spindle SP in order to align the center with the spindle SP. Further, the size of the center hole 61c also corresponds to the size of the protrusion 31 of the upper plate 30 described above. The conical surface 61d on the outer periphery of the chuck portion 61a serves as an engaging slope for abutting the swing shutter 50 and pushing the center core 61 itself into the cartridge case C when the swing shutter 50 is closed.
The center core 61 is disposed with the small diameter side of the chuck portion 61a facing downward, and the flexible disk FD is attached to the flange portion 61b from the lower side, that is, the side from which the chuck portion 61a protrudes.

The magnetic disk cartridge 1 configured as described above is used as follows.
10A and 10B show the operation of the rotary shutter, where FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the closed state as viewed from the left front, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the open state as viewed from the left front. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetic disk cartridge. FIG. 11A shows a state where the rotary shutter is closed, and FIG. 11B shows a state where the rotary shutter is opened.

  When the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is not in use, the rotary shutter 40 closes the access opening C2 as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotary shutter 40 is locked because the tip of the lock leg 64a of the lock spring 64 is engaged with the driven gear 41a of the shutter member 41. Never open. Therefore, dust does not easily enter the cartridge case C, and errors in recording / reproducing data on the flexible disk FD are suppressed. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11A, the center hole 61c of the center core 61 is engaged with the protrusion 31 formed on the lower surface 30a of the upper plate 30, so that the movement in the diametrical direction is suppressed and flexible. The disk FD is not damaged.

When the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is inserted into the disk drive D, it is inserted with the insertion direction shown in FIG. As a result of this insertion operation, as shown in FIG. 10A, the drive gear 110 of the disk drive D enters the groove 18 and comes into contact with the unlocking leg 64c of the lock spring 64, and the locking leg 64a and The engagement of the driven gear 41a is released. When the drive gear 110 enters further into the groove 18, as shown in FIG. 10B, the drive gear 110 meshes with the driven gear 41a, and the driven gear 41a is rotated, that is, the rotary shutter 40 is rotated.
When the rotary shutter 40 rotates, the engaging convex portion 42c (see FIG. 3) of the rotary shutter 40 engages with the engaging hole portion 52 (see FIG. 3) of the swing shutter 50 to push and move the swing shutter 50. It is rotated clockwise in FIG. As the swing shutter 50 swings, the chuck center hole C3 is opened, and the center core 61 is exposed to the outside from the chuck center hole C3 as shown in FIG.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotary shutter 40 is slidably contacted with the lower plate 20 by the slidable contact ribs 41b formed along the circumference, and thus rotates smoothly. The swing shutter 50 swings between the rotary shutter 40 and the lower plate 20, but does not interfere with the sliding contact rib 41b because the swing shutter 50 swings in the range of the window 41b 'where the sliding contact rib 41b is cut. The rotary shutter 40 can be swung while the smooth rotation is maintained. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the center core 61 is detached from the protrusion 31 of the upper plate 30 and can move freely. At the same time, the rotation of the rotary shutter 40 itself causes the opening portion of the shutter member 41 to be aligned with the access opening portion C2 so that the flexible disk FD is exposed to the outside from the access opening portion C2.

  Then, the spindle SP of the disk drive D is coupled to the center core 61 by magnetic attraction to hold the magnetic disk medium DM. At this time, the center projection SP1 of the spindle SP is engaged with the center hole 61c of the center core 61 to perform centering. In addition, the flexible disk FD is positioned approximately at the center in the vertical direction (thickness direction) of the cartridge case C. For this reason, when the magnetic disk medium DM is rotated, the flow of air above and below the flexible disk FD is stabilized, and surface deflection of the flexible disk FD is suppressed.

  Next, the magnetic disk medium DM starts rotating by the rotation of the spindle SP. The swing arm SA of the disk drive D enters the cartridge case C from the access opening C2 opened on the right side of the magnetic disk cartridge 1, and the magnetic head H provided on the swing arm SA is loaded on the flexible disk FD. The

After data is recorded / reproduced by the magnetic head H, the swing arm SA is withdrawn from the cartridge case C and the magnetic head H is unloaded. Further, the spindle SP is detached from the center core 61.
When the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is taken out from the disk drive D, an operation opposite to that at the time of insertion is performed. That is, when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is pulled out from the disk drive D, the drive gear 110 is rotated in the direction to close the rotary shutter 40, and the engaging convex portion 42 c of the rotary shutter 40 is moved by the rotation operation. The swing shutter 50 is pushed and moved by engaging with the engagement hole 52, and is swung counterclockwise in FIG. By this swinging operation, the chuck center hole C3 is closed by the swing shutter 50. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 11B to 11A, the swing shutter 50 abuts against the conical surface 61d of the center core 61 to push the magnetic disk medium DM into the cartridge case C. Then, the center hole 61c of the center core 61 and the protrusion 31 are engaged, and the magnetic disk medium DM is fixed in the cartridge case C.

  Further, when the drive gear 110 is retracted from the groove 18 from the state of FIG. 10B to the state of FIG. 10A, the lock release leg 64c of the lock spring 64 and the drive gear 110 are disengaged, The lock leg 64a of the lock spring 64 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6 and engages with the driven gear 41a to lock the rotation of the rotary shutter 40.

According to the magnetic disk cartridge 1 of the present embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained.
First, since the opening C2 for access is not provided in the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30, but is formed in the side part, specifically, the side part of the base frame 10, the opening of the cartridge case C is minimized. It is limited, and dust is hard to enter. Further, since only the side surface of the magnetic disk medium DM can be seen from the access opening C2, the recording surface of the flexible disk FD cannot be directly touched by a hand or the like, so that the flexible disk FD is unexpectedly soiled. There is nothing. Therefore, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is less prone to errors due to these dusts and contamination.

  The rotary shutter 40 is arranged inside the base frame 10, and the outer peripheral portion of the rotary shutter 40 is arranged inside the edges of the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30, so that the rotary shutter 40 is not used when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is not used. The shutter 40 is not moved by being caught from the outside.

  Further, since the swing shutter 50 operates inside the lower plate 20 and closes the chuck center hole C3, the swing shutter 50 is not unexpectedly opened by being caught by an external object. In particular, since the swing shutter 50 is configured to close the chuck center hole C3 with a single member, it is difficult to be caught by an external object.

  Around the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30, ribs 14 formed around the base frame 10 are disposed. Since the height of the rib 14 is larger than the thickness of the lower plate 20 and the upper plate 30, The edges 29 and 39 of the plate 20 and the upper plate 30 are not caught by external objects.

  Since the rotary shutter 40 is in sliding contact with the lower plate 20 by sliding contact ribs 41b formed along the circumference, a smooth rotation operation is possible. In addition, a part of the sliding contact rib 41b is cut out so as not to hinder the swinging operation of the swing shutter 50 to form the window 41b ', so the operation of the swing shutter 50 is also good.

Moreover, since the rotary shutter 40 has the reinforcing plate 42 on the lower plate 20 side, a stable rotation operation is possible.
Further, the rotation of the rotary shutter 40 is transmitted to the swinging operation of the swing shutter 50 by the engagement of the engagement convex portion 42 c formed on the reinforcing plate 42 and the engagement hole portion 52 of the swing shutter 50, and the rotary shutter. The rotary shutter 40 and the swing shutter 50 can be moved simultaneously only by the operation of moving the 40 from the outside. Although this engagement convex part 42c may protrude a little from the engagement hole part 52, since the interference with this protrusion part and the lower plate 20 is avoided by the escape groove 22 formed in the lower plate 20, Smooth rotation operation of the rotary shutter 40 is ensured, and generation of dust due to sliding contact between the engaging projection 42c and the lower plate 20 can be prevented.

  Since the center core 61 is engaged with the protrusion 31 when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is not used, the magnetic disk medium DM is fixed and the magnetic disk medium DM is not damaged. Therefore, the clearance between the magnetic disk medium DM and the base frame 10 can be minimized, and the storage capacity can be increased by increasing the size of the magnetic disk medium DM.

  Since the access opening C2 is provided in the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the magnetic disk cartridge 1, in the embodiment, on the right side, the swing arm SA and the like are arranged on the right side to reduce the depth of the disk drive D. can do. For this reason, the card-type disk drive D which is thin and has a small depth can be realized.

  Further, the plates 30 and 20 are held by the base frame 10 with sufficient bonding force by press-fitting the claw portions 33 and 23 for bonding the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 20 into the bonding through holes 16 of the base frame 10. be able to. In this way, it is not necessary to separately form an engagement site for joining the upper plate 30 to the base frame 10 and an engagement site for joining the lower plate 20 to the base frame 10. Since the engaging part for joining the base frame 10 to the base frame 10 can be made small and simple, the rigidity of the cartridge case C can be prevented from being lowered.

  Furthermore, the claw portions 33 and 23 for joining the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 20 are press-fitted into the joining through holes 16 of the base frame 10 or pulled out from the joining through holes 16, so that the plates 30 and 20 are attached to the base frame 10. 10 can be easily attached and detached. As a result, the magnetic disk medium DM is assembled in the base frame 10 to which the lower plate 20 is bonded, and the joining claws 33 of the upper plate 30 are press-fitted into the joining through-holes 16 of the base frame 10 and temporarily fixed. If the magnetic disk medium DM is determined to be defective in the inspection process, the upper plate 30 is easily removed and only the magnetic disk medium DM is discarded. Since it can be reused, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, the joining claws 23 and 33 press-fitted into the joining through holes 16 are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the plan view of the cartridge case 10, so that the joining claws 23 and 33 are moved up and down. Compared with the case where they are arranged side by side, it is possible to increase the amount of insertion of the joining claws 23 and 33 into the joining through hole 16, and the frictional resistance between the joining through hole 16 and the joining claws 23 and 33. Therefore, the bonding force between the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 20 can be sufficiently secured.

  In addition, the cross-section of the joining through hole 16 is formed into an elliptical shape with the center portion widened, and each of the plates 30 is configured such that the joint claws 33 and 23 are press-fitted into the center portion. , 20 are attached to the base frame 10, the joining claws 33, 23 are pressed into the center of the joining through-hole 16, that is, pressed into a regular position. , 20 can be attached accurately.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications and is naturally not limited to the above-described embodiment.
For example, the recording disk medium is not limited to a magnetic disk medium, but may be an optical disk medium such as a magneto-optical disk medium or a phase change disk medium, and is not limited to a flexible disk medium, but a rigid disk such as a DVD-RAM. It may be media.
In the embodiment, the swing shutter 50 is swingably supported by the lower plate 20. However, the swing shutter 50 may be swingably supported by the upper plate 30 or the base frame 10.
Further, the drive gear 110 is not limited to one fixed in the disk drive D, and may be one that is rotationally driven.

  Further, the joining through hole 16 is not limited to one place, and as shown in FIG. 12, it is formed at two places on the front and rear sides with the access opening C2 of the base frame 10 interposed therebetween, and the upper plate 30 and the lower plate. In FIG. 20, two joining claws 23, 23 (only the joining claws 23 of the lower plate 20 are shown) may be formed so as to correspond to the respective joining through holes 16, 16. In this configuration, since the plates 30 and 20 are supported on both sides of the access opening C2, the portions whose rigidity is reduced by forming the access opening C2 are reinforced by the plates 30 and 20. It is possible to prevent the base frame 10 from being deformed in the manufacturing process. The number of bonding through holes 16 is not limited as long as the rigidity of the base frame 10 can be sufficiently secured.

  Further, the joining through-hole 16 is not limited to the elliptical cross section, and may be a circular cross section shown in FIG. 13A or a rhombus cross section. Further, a rectangular cross section may be used, and in this configuration, since a region parallel to the inner peripheral surface of the joining through hole is formed, even when the joining claws 23 and 33 are slightly press-fitted, In addition, the inner peripheral surface of the joining through hole and the side end portions of the joining claws 23 and 33 can be securely pressed together, and the joining claws 23 and 33 are displaced in the joining through hole. Even if it is a case, it can prevent that the nail | claw parts 23 and 33 for joining remove | deviate from the through-hole for joining. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13 (b), the flowability of the resin is improved when the through hole for joining is molded by molding when formed in a cross section of a long hole shape having parallel regions. The molding accuracy can be increased.

1 is an external perspective view showing a magnetic disk cartridge and a disk drive according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a magnetic disk cartridge with an access opening opened as viewed from below. It is a disassembled perspective view of a magnetic disk cartridge. An enlarged exploded perspective view of a base frame is shown, (a) is a perspective view seen from above, and (b) is a perspective view seen from below. It is VV sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the magnetic disk cartridge with an upper plate removed. It is the perspective view which looked at the aspect which joins an upper plate and a lower plate to a base frame from upper direction. The through-hole for joining is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a). It is the perspective view which looked at the rotary shutter from the lower part. The operation of the rotary shutter is shown, (a) is a perspective view of the closed state seen from the left front, and (b) is a perspective view of the opened state seen from the left front. Sectional views of the magnetic disk cartridge are shown, in which (a) shows a state where the rotary shutter is closed, and (b) shows a state where the rotary shutter is opened. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a configuration in which another configuration of the magnetic disk cartridge is shown and bonding through holes are formed at two locations. 2A and 2B show another configuration of a magnetic disk cartridge, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a through-hole for bonding having a circular cross section, and FIG. 2B is a plan view showing a through-hole for bonding having a cross-sectional shape of a long hole. It is.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magnetic disk cartridge 10 Base frame 14 Rib 16 Joining through-hole 20 Lower plate 23 Joining claw part 30 Upper plate 33 Joining claw part 40 Rotary shutter 50 Swing shutter 61 Center core 110 Drive gear C Cartridge case C2 Access opening C3 Center hole for chuck C4 Opening for shutter operation D Disk drive H Magnetic head DM Magnetic disk media SA Swing arm SP Spindle

Claims (4)

A recording disk cartridge comprising a recording disk medium and a cartridge case for storing the recording disk medium,
A base frame having a side opening that substantially surrounds a radially outer side of the recording disk medium and constitutes a side wall of the cartridge case and faces the recording disk medium to the outside;
A lower plate which is disposed below the recording disk medium to form a lower wall of the cartridge case and which has a chuck center hole for coupling a spindle of a disk drive to the recording disk medium;
An upper plate disposed above the recording disk medium and constituting an upper wall of the cartridge case;
A rotary shutter that opens and closes the side opening by rotating in the cartridge case;
A swing shutter that is disposed between the recording disk medium and the lower plate and engages with the rotary shutter to swing and open the chuck center hole by swinging the rotary shutter. Prepared,
The base frame is formed with a through-hole for joining up and down,
A recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a joining claw portion formed in the upper plate and the lower plate is press-fitted into the joining through hole.   2. A recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein each of the joining claws is disposed at a position shifted from each other in a plan view of the cartridge case.   The said through-hole for joining has a cross section which one part expanded, and each said nail | claw part for joining is press-fitted in the said widened site | part, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Recording disc cartridge.   The joining through-holes are formed at least at two locations across the side opening of the base frame, and the upper plate and the lower plate are arranged to correspond to the joining through-holes, The recording disk cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a joining claw portion is formed.

Images