JP2006286088A - Recording disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording disk cartridge in a simplified structure, which prevents contamination to a recording disk medium to the utmost, and has high stiffness, and excellent assembling performance and productivity. <P>SOLUTION: A recording disk cartridge has: a base frame 10; a lower plate 20 configuring a lower wall of a cartridge case C and having a chucking center hole C3 formed therein; an upper plate 30; a rotary shutter 40 for opening and closing a side opening; and a swing shutter 50 that has a bearing 51 fit onto a spindle 21, engages with the rotary shutter 40, and opens and closes the chucking center hole C3 by swinging depending on rotational operation of the rotary shutter 40, wherein a lock spring 70 for locking or unlocking the rotary shutter 40, which is formed by forming a sheet of plate, has a bearing part 71, lock leg part 72, unlock leg part 73, and spring leg part 74. <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 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 is disposed between the recording disk medium and the lower plate, and swings in accordance with the rotational operation of the rotary shutter by engaging with the rotary shutter. The rotary shutter is supported by a swing shutter that opens and closes the chuck center hole, and a pivot provided on at least one of the lower plate, the base frame, and the upper plate so as to be swingable. And a lock spring that locks or unlocks the rotation of the rotary shutter. The lock spring is formed by forming a single plate, and the outer periphery of the support shaft is viewed from a different side. A bearing portion consisting of first and second pieces that are externally fitted in a sandwiched state, and one side of the first piece, A lock leg that engages with the rotary shutter, and a lock leg that is connected in a folded state from the other side of the first piece to the other side of the second piece, and abuts against the drive gear of the disk drive, An unlocking leg that allows the part to escape in a direction away from the rotary shutter, and a spring leg that is connected to one side of the second piece and generates a biasing force in a direction to engage the lock leg with the rotary shutter. Part.

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, the lock spring is formed by forming one plate, and is rotatably supported by a bearing portion composed of first and second pieces that are externally fitted so as to sandwich the outer periphery of the support shaft from different sides. . The lock leg is held in a state of being engaged with the rotary shutter by the biasing force of the spring leg. As a result, the rotation of the rotary shutter is locked, the recording disk medium is fixed when not in use, and the recording disk medium is prevented from being damaged. Further, the state in which the access opening is closed is maintained, so that it is difficult for dust to enter the cartridge case. When the cartridge case is inserted into the disc drive, the drive gear of the disc drive comes into contact with the unlocking leg, and the locking leg is released in a direction away from the rotary shutter. As a result, the rotary shutter can be rotated, and the access opening is opened so that the magnetic head and the optical pickup can access the recording disk medium.

  By forming a single plate in this way, it is possible to easily form a lock spring for locking or unlocking the rotary shutter, which is excellent in assembling and productivity, and has a simplified structure. Is obtained.

Further, it is desirable that a reinforcing portion is provided along the lock leg portion.
In this way, mechanical strength is imparted to the lock leg by providing the reinforcing part along the lock leg, and the lock leg is prevented from bending when the lock leg is engaged with and disengaged from the rotary shutter. Thus, the engagement / disengagement operation of the lock leg can be performed reliably.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the reinforcing portion has at least a surface formed by being bent in a direction in which the lock leg portion is engaged and disengaged.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the lock leg from being bent when the lock leg is engaged and disengaged with respect to the rotary shutter, and the lock leg can be reliably engaged and disengaged.

Moreover, the site | part in which the said reinforcement part of the said lock leg part was provided can be set as the structure which is cross-sectional substantially L-shaped.
Thus, by forming the lock leg portion in an L-shaped cross section, it is possible to easily form a reinforcing portion having a surface along the direction to be engaged and disengaged, and to securely engage and disengage the lock leg portion. Can do.

Furthermore, it is desirable that the bearing portion has a smooth surface shape at a portion facing the spindle side.
With such a configuration, smooth rotation of the lock spring can be realized, and the lock leg can be engaged and disengaged reliably.

  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, a magnetic disk cartridge 1, which is an example of a recording disk cartridge, is configured by storing a magnetic disk medium MD 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 MD 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 MD.
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 MD is formed at the center of the lower side of the cartridge case C. Yes. The chuck center hole C3 is closed by a swing shutter 50 when the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is not in use, and is opened by rotating the swing shutter 50 during use, and the center core 61 (chuck) of the magnetic disk medium MD is opened. 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 V-V of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lock spring, (a) is a partially broken perspective view, and (b) is locked in a direction away from the rotary shutter. It is a perspective view in the state where the leg part rotated. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the magnetic disk cartridge with the upper plate removed, and FIG. 8 is a partially broken plan view showing meshing with the drive gear in the magnetic disk cartridge with the upper plate removed. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line WW in FIG. 7, (a) is an exploded cross-sectional view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing an assembled state. FIG. 10 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 MD 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 70 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 continuous with the shutter operation opening C4 when viewed from the outside (see FIG. 11A).
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. In addition, on the upper surface 20a of the lower plate 20, in order to avoid interference between the support shaft 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. An escape groove 22 is formed.
The support shaft 21 protrudes from the lower plate 20 toward the upper plate 30. In the present embodiment, the 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 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 protrusion 42c rotates concentrically with the center of the cartridge case C (center of the magnetic disk medium MD) 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.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9A and 9B, the upper plate 30 is provided with a convex portion 34. The convex portion 34 protrudes from the upper plate 30 toward the lower plate 20. In this embodiment, the convex portion 34 is formed to have a cylindrical outer peripheral surface by drawing, and the outer diameter of the convex portion 34 is described later. The retaining pin 63 is formed to have an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the head portion 63b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9B, in the assembled state of the cartridge case C, the bottom surface 34a is formed so as to contact the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63, thereby preventing the bearing 51 from coming off. The pin 63 can be configured to have a continuous axis with the head portion 63b.

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 other of the base frame 10 is formed. 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. 7, 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. Here, the drive gear 110 is provided with a gear 110a that meshes with the driven gear 41a on the upper side, and an abutting portion 110b that abuts on an unlocking leg 73 of the lock spring 70 described later on the lower side. Yes. 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, and a configuration that can apply a driving force to the driven gear 41a, for example, a disk It may be driven to rotate in the drive D.

As shown in FIG. 7, the shutter member 41 has sliding contact ribs 41b 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 support shaft 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 support shaft 21 of the lower plate 20 is prevented from falling off from the lower plate 20 by the retaining pin 63 being inserted into the inner cylinder portion 21 a of the 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. 6B, 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 swing shutter 50 and the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63 that are externally fitted to the support shaft 21 are like one continuous shaft as described above, and this continuous shaft is magnetic. A lock spring 70 is supported to stop unnecessary rotation of the rotary shutter 40 when the disk cartridge 1 is not used.
The lock spring 70 is formed by forming a single plate and includes a bearing portion 71, a lock leg portion 72, an unlocking leg portion 73, and a spring leg portion 74 as shown in FIG. Is done. In the present embodiment, a plate having a thickness of 0.06 to 0.2 mm, preferably 0.06 to 0.1 mm is used. When the plate thickness exceeds 0.2 mm, the spring force of the spring leg portion 74 becomes excessive, and the locking leg portion 72 cannot be engaged / disengaged smoothly, and if the plate thickness is less than 0.06 mm. A suitable urging force cannot be applied to the lock leg 72. Further, by appropriately selecting the height dimension of the spring leg 74, a suitable urging force can be applied to the lock leg 72 in combination with the selection of the plate thickness as described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the bearing portion 71 is externally fitted so that the outer periphery of the bearing 51 fitted on the spindle 21 and the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63 is clamped from different sides. The first and second pieces 71A and 71B (see FIG. 6A). In the first and second pieces 71A and 71B, the facing portion between the bearing 51 and the head portion 63b is formed in a smooth surface shape. Specifically, ironing is performed on the facing portion. It is also effective to apply a chemical treatment, for example, a sliding treatment by applying silicon oil or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the lock leg 72 is connected to one side 71a of the first piece 71A, and the distal end 72a is connected to the driven gear 41a (see FIG. 7) of the rotary shutter 40. It is designed to engage. The lock leg portion 72 has a reinforcing portion 72A having a substantially L-shaped cross section and having a surface bent in a direction in which the lock leg portion 72 is engaged and disengaged. This reinforcing portion 72A is also formed by forming. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 8, the reinforcing portion 72 </ b> A partially overhangs the spring leg 74 in a state in which the distal end portion 72 a of the lock leg portion 72 is rotated in the direction away from the rotary shutter 40. It is supposed to wrap. That is, the spring leg 74 overlaps the state where it enters the lower part of the reinforcing part 72A without coming into contact with the reinforcing part 72A (overlap with a predetermined gap), thereby inhibiting the rotation of the lock leg part 72. Is prevented.

  The unlocking leg 73 has a substantially sector shape continuously connected to the other side 71c of the second piece 71B from the other side 71b of the first piece 71A, and is connected to the drive gear 110 of the disk drive D. The lock leg 72 is brought into contact with the rotary shutter 40 in a contact direction (see FIG. 8). In addition, the unlocking leg 73 has a shape in which the upper end (approximately the upper half) is cut away, so that contact with the gear 110a is reliably prevented when contacting the drive gear 110. ing.

  The spring leg 74 is connected to one side 71d of the second piece 71B and generates a biasing force in a direction in which the lock leg 72 is engaged with the rotary shutter 40. Here, the spring leg portion 74 is in contact with the inner periphery of the base frame 10, specifically, the inner wall of the spring accommodating portion 17.

Such a lock spring 70 has an arrangement in which the unlocking leg 73 faces the outside of the cartridge case C from the shutter operation opening C4, and the bearing 71 of the lock spring 70 has the retaining pin 63 and the bearing 51 (FIG. 3). (See below). That is, the lock spring 70 is arranged concentrically with the swing center of the swing shutter 50.
In the state of FIG. 7, the spring leg 74 generates a biasing force between the spring leg 74 and the inner wall of the spring accommodating part 17, and generates a clockwise torque that presses the lock leg 72 toward the driven gear 41 a side. A spring 70 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. 8, the abutting portion 11b of the drive gear 110 abuts on the unlocking leg 73, and the locking leg 72 is opposite to that shown in FIG. By rotating clockwise, the lock spring 70 releases the lock of the rotary shutter 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic disk medium MD 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 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.
11A and 11B show the operation of the rotary shutter, where FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the closed state as viewed from the left front, and FIG. 11B is a perspective view of the open state as viewed from the left front. FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the magnetic disk cartridge. FIG. 12A shows a state where the rotary shutter is closed, and FIG. 12B 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. 7, the distal end of the lock leg 72 of the lock spring 70 is engaged with the driven gear 41a of the shutter member 41, so that the rotary shutter 40 is locked and is caused by vibration from the outside or the like. 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. 12A, 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. By this insertion operation, as shown in FIG. 11A, the drive gear 110 of the disk drive D enters the groove 18 and comes into contact with the unlocking leg 73 of the lock spring 70, The engagement of the driven gear 41a is released. When the drive gear 110 enters further into the groove 18, as shown in FIG. 11B, the gear 110a of the drive gear 110 meshes with the driven gear 41a to rotate the driven gear 41a, that is, 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. 7, the rotary shutter 40 is slidably contacted with the lower plate 20 by the slidable contact ribs 41 b formed along the circumference, and thus rotates smoothly. The swing shutter 50 rotates between the rotary shutter 40 and the lower plate 20, but does not interfere with the sliding contact rib 41b because it swings in the range of the window portion 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. 12B, 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 MD. 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 MD 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 MD starts to rotate 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. 8 and 11B).

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. In other words, the operation of pulling out the magnetic disk cartridge 1 from the disk drive D causes the gear 110a of the drive gear 110 to rotate in the direction to close the rotary shutter 40, and this engaging operation swings the engaging convex portion 42c of the rotary shutter 40. The swing shutter 50 is pushed and moved by engaging with the engagement hole 52 of the shutter 50 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. By this turning operation, the chuck center hole C3 is closed by the swing shutter 50. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 12B to 12A, the swing shutter 50 contacts the conical surface 61d of the center core 61 to push the magnetic disk medium MD into the cartridge case C. Then, the center hole 61 c of the center core 61 and the protrusion 31 are engaged, and the magnetic disk medium MD is fixed in the cartridge case C.

  Further, when the drive gear 110 is withdrawn from the groove 18 from the state of FIG. 11B to the state of FIG. 11A, the contact between the unlocking leg 73 of the lock spring 70 and the contact portion 110b of the drive gear 110 is achieved. Is released, and the lock leg portion 72 of the lock spring 70 rotates clockwise in FIG. 7 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 MD 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, the lock spring 70 is formed by forming a single plate, and is fitted on the outer periphery of the bearing 51 fitted on the spindle 21 and the head portion 63b of the retaining pin 63 so as to be sandwiched from different sides. The first and second pieces 71A and 71B are rotatably supported by a bearing portion 71 (see FIG. 13). The lock leg 72 is held in a state of being engaged with the rotary shutter 40 by the urging force of the spring leg 74. Thereby, the rotation of the rotary shutter 40 is locked, and the magnetic disk medium MD is fixed when not in use, thereby preventing the magnetic disk medium MD from being damaged. Further, the state in which the access opening C2 is closed is maintained, so that dust does not easily enter the cartridge case C. When the cartridge case C is inserted into the disk drive D, the contact part 110a of the drive gear 110 of the disk drive D contacts the unlocking leg part 73, and the lock leg part 72 is released in a direction away from the rotary shutter 40. . As a result, the rotary shutter 40 can be rotated, the access opening C2 is opened, and the magnetic head H can access the magnetic disk medium MD.

  By forming a single plate in this way, the lock spring 70 for locking or unlocking the rotary shutter 40 can be easily formed, and it has excellent assemblability and productivity and has a simplified magnetic structure. A disk cartridge 1 is obtained.

  Further, since the reinforcing portion 72A is provided along the lock leg 72, mechanical strength is imparted to the lock leg 72, and the lock leg 72 is engaged during the engagement / disengagement of the lock leg 72 with respect to the rotary shutter 40. The bending of the part 72 is prevented, and the engagement / disengagement operation of the lock leg part 72 can be performed reliably.

  Further, since the reinforcing portion 72A has a surface bent in a direction in which the lock leg 72 is engaged and disengaged, the lock leg 72 is bent when the lock leg 72 is engaged and disengaged with respect to the rotary shutter 40. Thus, the lock leg 72 can be engaged and disengaged reliably.

  Further, the portion provided with the reinforcing portion 72A of the lock leg portion 72 has a substantially L-shaped cross section, so that it is possible to easily form the reinforcing portion 72A having a surface bent toward the direction of engagement / disengagement. The engagement / disengagement operation of the lock leg 72 can be performed reliably.

  Furthermore, since the bearing portion 71 has a smooth surface at the portion facing the support shaft 21 side, the lock spring 70 can be smoothly rotated, and the locking leg portion 72 can be engaged and disengaged. It can be done reliably.

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.
FIG. 14 shows a modification of the embodiment. 14A and 14B are perspective views of a lock spring employed in a recording disk cartridge according to a modification of the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, in the magnetic disk cartridge of this modification, the reinforcing portion 72A of the lock spring 70 is formed in a curved cross section. Also by forming the reinforcing portion 72A in such a shape, mechanical strength is imparted to the lock leg portion 72, and the lock leg portion 72 bends when the lock leg portion 72 is engaged and disengaged with respect to the rotary shutter 40. This prevents the locking leg 72 from being engaged and disengaged. Note that, as in this modification, the reinforcing portion 72A only needs to have a shape that has a surface that is bent toward at least the direction in which the lock leg 72 is engaged and disengaged, and adopts various forms. obtain.

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.
The reinforcing portion 72A of the lock spring 70 may be provided as a separate member.

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. It is a perspective view of a lock spring, (a) is a partially broken perspective view, (b) is a perspective view of a state in which the lock leg is rotated in a direction away from the rotary shutter. 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. It is WW sectional drawing of FIG. 7, (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 procedure. (A) (b) is a perspective view which shows the modification of a lock spring.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magnetic disk cartridge 10 Base frame 14 Rib 20 Lower plate 21 Support shaft 30 Upper plate 40 Rotary shutter 50 Swing shutter 51 Bearing 61 Center core 63 Retaining pin 70 Lock spring 71 Bearing part 72 Lock leg part 73 Lock release leg part 74 Spring leg Part 110 Drive gear C Cartridge case C2 Access opening C3 Chuck center hole C4 Shutter operation opening D Disk drive H Magnetic head MD Magnetic disk media SA Swing arm SP Spindle

Claims (5)

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. When,
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,
The lock spring is
Forming a single plate,
A bearing portion composed of first and second pieces that are externally fitted to sandwich the outer periphery of the spindle from different sides;
A locking leg that is connected to one side of the first piece and engages the rotary shutter;
A lock that is continuously provided in a state of being folded back from the other side of the first piece to the other side of the second piece, and is brought into contact with the drive gear of the disk drive so that the lock leg part is released from the rotary shutter. A release leg,
A recording disk cartridge comprising: a spring leg portion that is continuously provided on one side of the second piece and generates a biasing force in a direction in which the lock leg portion is engaged with the rotary shutter.   The recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing portion is provided along the lock leg portion.   3. The recording disk cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing portion has at least a surface formed by bending in a direction in which the lock leg portion is engaged and disengaged.   4. The recording disk cartridge according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the lock leg portion where the reinforcing portion is provided has a substantially L-shaped cross section.   5. The recording disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the bearing portion facing the support shaft has a smooth surface shape. 6.

Images