JP2006268915A - Recording disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording disk cartridge which prevents a recording disk medium from being taint-damaged as much as possible, is excellent in rigidity, assemblability and productivity, and is simple in structure. <P>SOLUTION: The recording disk cartridge is provided with; a base frame 10 having, at its side part, an aperture part C2 for accessing; a lower plate 20 which constitutes the lower wall of a cartridge case C and in which a center pore C3 for a chuck is formed; an upper plate 30; a rotary shutter 40 which opens and closes the aperture at the side part; and a swing shutter 50 which is arranged between a magnetic disk medium DM and the lower plate 20, engages with the rotary shutter 40, and swings in response to the rotational operation of the rotary shutter 40 to open and close the center pore C3 for the chuck. In addition, a lock spring 64, which engages with and is detached from the rotary shutter 40 and locks or unlocks the rotation of the rotary shutter 40, is arranged concentrically at the swinging center of the swing shutter 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

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.
The recording disk cartridge is a product to be produced in large quantities, and since it is necessary to arrange a plurality of parts in a narrow space in the cartridge case, it is desirable that the recording disk cartridge is excellent in assemblability and productivity and has a simple structure. However, it is difficult to have many functions in one part.

  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 media from being damaged as much as possible, has high rigidity, and is easy to assemble and productivity. An object is to provide a recording disk cartridge having an excellent and simplified structure.

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 in which a center hole for chuck for coupling to the recording disk medium is formed; 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, and is disposed between the recording disk medium and the lower plate, and engages with the rotary shutter to engage the rotary shutter. And a swing shutter that opens and closes the chuck center hole by swinging according to the pivoting motion of the chuck, and can be swung by a support shaft provided on at least one of the lower plate, the base frame, and the upper plate And a lock spring that locks or unlocks the rotation of the rotary shutter, and the lock spring is pivoted about the swing shutter. It was set as the structure arrange | positioned concentrically.

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.

Further, since the lock spring for locking or unlocking the rotation of the rotary shutter is arranged concentrically with the swing center of the swing shutter, the swing shutter and the lock spring can be supported coaxially, and a lock is separately provided. There is no need to provide a support shaft in the cartridge case for swinging the spring. Therefore, a recording disk cartridge having a simplified structure and excellent assembly and productivity can be obtained.
In particular, when the recording disk cartridge is small or ultra-small, it is difficult to provide a plurality of support shafts in the cartridge case. Therefore, the support structure in which the swing shutter and the lock spring are supported coaxially is effective. Is.

  Further, in the recording disk cartridge described above, the support shaft is composed of a lower support shaft projecting from the lower plate toward the upper plate, and the swing shutter is externally fitted to the lower support shaft. It is preferable that the lock spring is further fitted on the bearing so as to be swingable.

  In this way, the bearing of the swing shutter is supported on the lower support shaft projecting from the lower plate toward the upper plate, and the lock spring is externally fitted to this bearing. The assembly work of the lock spring can be sequentially performed in one direction. Therefore, assembly by a simple process is possible, and assemblability and productivity can be improved.

  Further, in the recording disk cartridge described above, the support shaft protrudes from the upper plate toward the lower plate so as to be arranged on the same axis line of the lower support shaft and the lower support shaft. The lock spring can be configured to be supported by at least one of the lower support shaft and the upper support shaft.

  With this configuration, the lock spring includes at least a lower support shaft and an upper support shaft that protrudes from the upper plate toward the lower plate so as to be disposed on the same axis of the lower support shaft. Since it is supported by one side, the rotation operation is stable, and the rotary shutter can be reliably engaged and disengaged.

  Further, in the recording disk cartridge described above, the support shaft can be formed by drawing or burring, and the support shaft is formed by a member different from the lower plate and the upper plate. It can be set as the structure formed.

  Thus, since the support shaft is formed by drawing or burring, the shaft can be formed easily and inexpensively. In addition, since the support shaft is formed of a member different from the lower plate and the upper plate, for example, the support shaft can be formed without being restricted by the drawing depth as in the case of forming the support shaft by drawing. Therefore, it is possible to form a support shaft having a relatively high degree of freedom. Therefore, a recording disk cartridge excellent in productivity can be obtained.

In the recording disk cartridge described above, the support shaft can be configured to have a cylindrical or conical outer peripheral surface.
As described above, when the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft is cylindrical or conical, stable operation of the swing shutter and the lock spring is possible.

  As described above, the lower support shaft and the upper support shaft are configured to be in contact with each other in a paired relationship or arranged close to each other. It can be used like a shaft, which enables a stable rotation of the swing shutter and lock spring.

Furthermore, it is desirable that the outer diameter of the upper support shaft is formed to be equal to the outer diameter of the inner cylinder portion of the bearing of the swing shutter.
As described above, the outer diameter of the upper support shaft is formed to be equal to the outer diameter of the inner cylinder portion of the bearing of the swing shutter, so that the step due to the difference in diameter from the inner cylinder portion is eliminated, and the lock spring Stable operation is possible.

  Further, the rotary shutter has a driven gear that engages with a drive gear of the disk drive to perform the rotation operation on an outer periphery, and the lock spring is provided so as to be engageable with and disengaged from the driven gear. It can be set as the structure which has.

  Thus, since the lock spring is detachably attached to the driven gear, the rotary shutter can be locked or unlocked by engaging and disengaging the lock spring with respect to the driven gear. In other words, the driven gear has both a function for rotating the rotary shutter and a function for locking, which makes the structure simple and suitable for space saving. A recording disk cartridge is obtained.

    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. Further, a recording disk cartridge having a simplified structure and excellent assemblability and productivity can be obtained.

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 the center core 61 (chuck) of the magnetic disk media DM is held. The 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 is a magnetic disk with the upper plate removed. FIG. 5 is a partially broken plan view showing meshing with a drive gear in the cartridge. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of the support structure of the swing shutter and the lock spring, where FIG. 8A is an exploded cross-sectional view and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing an assembled state. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rotary shutter as viewed from below.
As shown in FIG. 3, the base frame 10 is a C-shaped member formed in a shape in which one side of a rectangular frame that substantially surrounds the magnetic disk media DM is cut out. 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.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the inner periphery of the base frame 10 has a cylindrical inner wall 11 that matches the outer periphery of the rotary shutter 40 (see FIG. 3), and this cylindrical inner wall 11 attaches the rotary shutter 40 to the outer periphery. 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. The recessed portion is a spring accommodating portion 17 that accommodates a lock spring 64 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 left side 10L of the main frame 10X. The left side 10L of the main frame 10X corresponding to the sub-frame 10Y is formed as a thin piece portion 12a in which the portion along the left edge and the portion from the edge to the inner periphery in the central portion are thin. 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 gap is formed between the thin piece portion 12a and the subframe 10Y, and this gap becomes the shutter operation opening C4 (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 13 a and the lower surface 13 b 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. In this recess 15, functional parts are stored. 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). If such an identification member 66 is changed depending on the type of the magnetic disk cartridge 1, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 can be identified by detecting light reflected from the identification member 66 by applying light from the outside. That is, the chamfered portion C1 can be used as an identification part. 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.

  In the base frame 10, a through-hole 16 for bonding that penetrates vertically is formed behind the recess 15. 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 20 a of the lower plate 20, in the vicinity of the left front corner, a lower support shaft 21 constituting a support shaft for swingably supporting the swing shutter 50, and an engaging convex portion that the rotary shutter 40 has. An escape groove 22 for avoiding interference with 42c is formed.
The lower support shaft 21 protrudes from the lower plate 20 toward the upper plate 30. In the present embodiment, the lower support shaft 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape by burring. A bearing 51 of the swing shutter 50 is fitted on the outside of the lower support shaft 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. The joining claws 23 are pressed 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 base frame 10 and the lower plate 20 are joined without using the joining claws 23, using an adhesive, press-fitting the lower plate 20 and the ribs 14, and forming caulking projections on the base frame 10. There are methods such as heat caulking after fitting into 20 appropriate openings, but the method is not particularly limited.

  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. 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. 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 base frame 10 and the upper plate 30 can be joined by other methods in the same manner as the base frame 10 and the lower plate 20 are joined.

  A liner 65 for cleaning the flexible disk FD is affixed to the lower surface 30 a of the upper plate 30, that is, the portion corresponding to 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.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 8 </ b> A and 8 </ b> B, the upper plate 30 is provided with an upper support shaft 34 disposed on the same axis line of the lower support shaft 21 of the lower plate 20. . The upper support shaft 34 protrudes from the upper plate 30 toward the lower plate 20, and in the present embodiment, the upper support shaft 34 is formed to have a cylindrical outer peripheral surface by drawing. The upper support shaft 34 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63, and the cartridge case C is assembled as shown in FIG. 8B. Thus, the bottom surface 34 a is formed in such a size as to abut against the head portion 63 b of the retaining pin 63. Thereby, the upper support shaft 34 constitutes a shaft continuous with the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63.

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.
Further, the base frame 10, the lower plate 20, and the upper plate 30 are not configured as separate members, but the base frame 10 and the lower plate 20 may be integrally formed of resin, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, or the like. The base frame 10 and the upper plate 30 may be integrally formed using these materials.
Further, when the shape of the base frame 10 is complicated or when there is an undercut shape, a part of the base frame 10, for example, the main frame 10X and the lower plate 20 are integrally formed, and the base frame 10 For example, the subframe 10Y and the upper plate 30 may be integrally formed. By adopting a structure in which the base frame 10 is divided in this way, it is possible to smoothly perform die cutting and increase the shape accuracy of the product.

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 through the shutter operation opening C4, and meshes with the drive gear 110 (see FIGS. 1 and 7) 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. The drive gear 110 is provided in a state of being fixed to the disk drive D in the present embodiment. However, the drive gear 110 is not limited to this. It may be driven to rotate in the drive D.

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 lower support shaft 21 of the lower plate 20, and the swing shutter 50 is supported by the lower plate 20 so as to be swingable. The swing shutter 50 that is externally fitted to the lower support shaft 21 of the lower plate 20 is prevented from falling off the lower plate 20 by inserting a retaining pin 63 into the inner cylinder portion 21 a of the lower support shaft 21.
The retaining pin 63 includes a pin portion 63 a and a head portion 63 b, and the outer periphery of the head portion 63 b has substantially the same diameter as the outer periphery of the bearing 51. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, the head portion 63 b is like a single continuous shaft with the bearing 51 of the swing shutter 50.
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 bearing 51 of the rotary shutter 40 and the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63 are formed as one continuous shaft as described above, and this continuous shaft is the rotary shutter when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is not used. A lock spring 64 is supported to stop unnecessary rotation of 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, 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. ing. 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. That is, the lock spring 64 is arranged concentrically with the swing center of the swing shutter 50.
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, as shown in FIG. 7, the drive gear 110 comes into contact with the unlocking leg 64c, and the locking leg 64a rotates counterclockwise in FIG. By doing so, the lock spring 64 releases 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 chrome-based 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 includes a truncated cone-shaped 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 in 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 with the spindle SP. The size of the center hole 61c also corresponds to the size of the projection 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 driving gear 110 enters further into the groove 18, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 7, the driving gear 110 meshes with the driven gear 41a to rotate the driven gear 41a, that is, to rotate the rotary shutter 40. Move.
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 smoothly rotated because it is slidably contacted with the lower plate 20 by the slidable contact rib 41 b formed along the circumference. 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. (See FIGS. 7 and 10B).

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 portion 52 to swing 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 withdrawn 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, and the lock spring is released. The 64 locking leg portions 64a rotate clockwise in FIG. 6 and engage 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.

Further, since the lock spring 64 that locks or unlocks the rotation of the rotary shutter 40 is disposed concentrically with the swing center of the swing shutter 50, the swing shutter 50 and the lock spring 64 can be supported coaxially. In addition, it is not necessary to separately provide a support shaft for swinging the lock spring 64 in the cartridge case C. Accordingly, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 having a simplified structure and excellent assembly and productivity can be obtained.
In particular, when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is small or ultra-small, it is difficult to provide a plurality of support shafts in the cartridge case C. Therefore, there is a support structure for supporting the swing shutter 50 and the lock spring 64 coaxially. It is effective.

  Further, the swing shutter 50 includes a bearing 51 that is externally fitted to the lower support shaft 21, and the lock spring 64 is further externally fitted to the bearing 51 so as to be swingable. The assembling work can be sequentially performed in one direction as indicated by arrows in FIG. Therefore, assembly by a simple process is possible, and assemblability and productivity can be improved.

The bearing 51 of the swing shutter 50 to which the lock spring 64 is fitted has an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63, and these are like one shaft. Therefore, the stable rotation operation of the lock spring 64 can be realized.
In the present embodiment, since the bearing 51 is formed by burring processing, the protruding height of the bearing 51 is limited by the plate thickness of the swing shutter 50. In this way, the bearing 51 and the retaining pin 63 are provided. Since the head portion 63b is configured as a single shaft, the bearing 51 can be covered (secured) by the head portion 63b because the bearing 51 cannot be formed high by burring. As a result, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 can be obtained in which the production process is simplified and the space is saved by the coaxial structure.
Furthermore, the upper support shaft 34 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63, and these are like one shaft, so that the lock spring 64 can be rotated more stably. Dynamic operation can be realized.

  Furthermore, since the lower support shaft 21 is formed by burring and the upper support shaft 34 is formed by drawing, the shaft can be formed easily and inexpensively.

  Further, the rotary shutter 40 has a driven gear 41a that engages with the drive gear 110 and performs a rotation operation on the outer periphery, and the lock spring 64 is provided so as to be detachable from the driven gear 41a. By engaging / disengaging the lock spring 64 with respect to the driven gear 41a, the rotary shutter 40 can be locked or unlocked. In other words, the driven gear 41a has both a function for performing the rotation operation of the rotary shutter 40 and a function for performing the locking, thereby having a simplified structure and saving space. Can be obtained.

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.
13 and 14 show a modification of the embodiment. FIGS. 13A, 13B, 14A, and 14B are cross-sectional views showing the main parts of a recording disk cartridge according to a modification of the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 according to this modification is configured such that the upper support shaft 34A is formed deeper toward the lower support shaft 21 by drawing, by removing the retaining pin 63. did. By adopting such a configuration, the lock spring 64 can be supported from both the upper and lower directions of the bearing 51 fitted on the lower support shaft 21 and the upper support shaft 34A, and the lock spring 64 is stabilized. A rotating operation can be realized.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, the upper support shaft 34 </ b> B may be formed deeper to a depth where it contacts the lower support shaft 21. That is, in this example, the lower support shaft 21 and the upper support shaft 34B are configured to contact each other, and the upper support shaft 34B has an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the bearing 51 of the lock spring 64. Yes. By adopting such a configuration, the bearing 51 and the upper support shaft 34B become one shaft, so that more stable rotation support of the lock spring 64 can be realized. Further, since the bottom surface 34a of the upper support shaft 34B faces above the bearing 51, there is an advantage that the bearing 51 is prevented from coming off.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14A, the shaft 35 is insert-molded (by a member different from the upper plate 30, for example, a resin member) into the upper plate 30, and the upper support shaft 34B (see FIG. 13B). You may make it replace with. Instead of such insert molding, a metal member different from the upper plate 30 may be formed corresponding to the upper support shaft.
Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, a bearing 36 facing the lower support shaft 21 is formed on the upper plate 30 by burring, and the shaft supported by the inner cylindrical portion 21 a of the lower support shaft 21 and the bearing 36. The portion 67 may be formed in the lock spring 64, and the shaft portion 67 may be supported by the lower support shaft 21 and the bearing 36. With this configuration, the magnetic disk cartridge 1 having a coaxial structure that allows the lock spring 64 to be stably rotated can be obtained.

Further, 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 has rigidity such as a DVD-RAM. It may be a disc medium.
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.
Moreover, the bearing 51 of the swing shutter 50 should just be comprised including the inner cylinder part supported by the lower support shaft 21, and can employ | adopt various forms.
Further, the lock spring 64 may be configured to be supported by at least one of the lower support shaft 21 and the upper support shaft 34.

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. FIG. 5 is a partially broken plan view showing meshing with a drive gear in a magnetic disk cartridge with an upper plate removed. Sectional drawing of the support structure of a swing shutter and a lock spring is shown, (a) is an exploded sectional view, (b) is sectional drawing which shows an assembly | attachment state. 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. It is an expansion perspective view which shows an assembly | attachment procedure. (A) (b) is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the recording disc cartridge which concerns on the modification of embodiment. (A) (b) is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the recording disc cartridge which concerns on the modification of embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Magnetic disk cartridge 10 Base frame 14 Rib 20 Lower plate 21 Lower support shaft (support shaft)
30 Upper plate 34 Upper support shaft (support shaft)
40 Rotary shutter 50 Swing shutter 51 Bearing 61 Center core 64 Lock spring 110 Drive gear C Cartridge case C2 Access opening C3 Chuck center hole C4 Shutter operation opening D Disk drive H Magnetic head DM Magnetic disk media SA Swing arm SP Spindle

Claims (8)

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 swings in accordance with the rotational operation of the rotary shutter to open and close the chuck center hole by being engaged with the rotary shutter. And
The rotary shutter is pivotably supported by a support shaft provided on at least one of the lower plate, the base frame, and the upper plate so that the rotary shutter can be engaged and disengaged. A lock spring for locking or unlocking,
A recording disk cartridge, wherein the lock spring is arranged concentrically with the swing center of the swing shutter. The support shaft is composed of a lower support shaft projecting from the lower plate toward the upper plate,
The swing shutter includes a bearing including an inner cylinder portion fitted on the lower support shaft,
2. The recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the lock spring is further fitted on the bearing so as to be swingable. The support shaft includes the lower support shaft and an upper support shaft projecting from the upper plate toward the lower plate so as to be arranged on the same axis line of the lower support shaft,
The recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the lock spring is supported by at least one of the lower support shaft and the upper support shaft.   4. The recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the support shaft is formed by drawing or burring.   The recording disk cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support shaft is formed of a member different from the lower plate and the upper plate.   4. The recording disk cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the upper support shaft has a cylindrical or conical outer peripheral surface.   The outer diameter of the upper support shaft is formed to be equal to the outer diameter of the inner cylinder portion of the bearing of the swing shutter, according to any one of claims 3 to 6. Recording disk cartridge as described.   The rotary shutter has a driven gear that engages with a drive gear of the disk drive to perform the rotation operation on an outer periphery, and the lock spring is provided so as to be engageable with and disengaged from the driven gear. 8. The recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the recording disk cartridge is a recording disk cartridge.

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