JP4172237B2 - Removable disk drive device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disk drive device, and more particularly to a disk drive device in which a data recording disk housed in a cartridge is temporarily mounted in a disk drive and a data recording disk is taken out after read / write processing is executed. . This type of drive device is referred to as a “removable disk drive device”.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A disk for a removable disk drive device is usually stored permanently in a cartridge. The disk is permanently attached to the hub in the cartridge, and the disk rotates as the hub rotates. Here, when it is necessary to read data from the disk and / or write data to the disk (hereinafter, also referred to as read / write or R / W), the disk passes through the opening of the disk drive device. Is mounted on the mounting portion in the disk drive. For example, the opening of the disk drive device is provided with a hinged door that is pushed open when a cartridge is inserted. As described above, the disc is mounted on the hub, and is thereby held rotatably in the cartridge. In order to hold the disk rotatably, the spindle of the disk drive is engaged with the hub, so that the R / W head can access a predetermined part on the disk. The cartridge typically includes a sliding door that opens only when the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive and closes when the cartridge is not inserted into the disk drive.
[0003]
In removable disk drive devices, protecting the disk from contamination is an important issue. In the case of a fixed disk drive device (a disk drive device in which the disk is stored inside and is not taken out to the outside), when all manufacturing processes are completed, the disk is stored in a sealed space. It is rare for dust in the air to enter. Therefore, the contamination management of the disk is greatly different between the removable disk drive device and the fixed disk drive device.
[0004]
September / October issue of JEST (J of the IEST), pages 31-35, Nebenzehl L., Nagarajan R., Wong JS, Boyp・ "Voipe L." and Witney G., "Chemical integration and contamination control in hard disk drive manufacturing" The types of contamination and sources of contamination that can degrade performance are described, in particular the internal components of the hard disk are exposed to ambient air when the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive, and the user can When handling cartridges in the cartridge, contaminants such as oil and component debris adhere to the outer surface of the cartridge, and these contaminants are Due to the convection, the disk drive may enter the disk drive from the outer surface.
[0005]
The natural environment can also be a source of contamination particles. The most abundant pollutant particles are various compounds such as silica, sulfide, sulfate, carbonate, nitrate, etc. that are often observed especially in areas close to the desert. The fine particles fly even with a slight wind. In a factory, for example, a large amount of contaminating particles such as carbonaceous fly ash and carbide particles are generated. In addition, polluted particles are generated from humans. For example, it is known that about 100,000 particles having a diameter of 0.3 to 0.5 microns are emitted from a stationary human person every minute.
[0006]
Due to the rapid increase in recording density of magnetic hard disk drives, the flying height of the slider is currently as low as about 10 to 30 nm. In particular, a magnetoresistive (MR) head, a giant magnetoresistive ( In a disk drive using a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) head, a tunneling magnetoresistive (GMR) head or the like, particle contamination seriously affects the reliability of the disk drive. These types of heads are sensitive to the thermal asperities of the disk surface caused by the interaction between the particles and the head. Fine particles of micron or less existing in the air in the disk drive are likely to adhere to the trailing edge of the slider provided with the reading element. Larger, micron-scale particles can be trapped in the gap between the slider and the disk, penetrate the disk surface, and be embedded in the disk. Further, the air bearing surface of the slider may be scratched by the particles, which may damage the disk surface.
[0007]
Due to such a problem of contamination, the conventional removable disk drive is not suitable for recording a large amount of information over a long period of time, and is an information medium for exchanging data between two large-capacity information recording devices. Can only be used reliably.
[0008]
Various proposals have been made to reduce contamination in removable disk drives. The following references are hereby incorporated by reference:
[0009]
U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,793 discloses an air filter and removable cartridge door safety stop to reduce contamination in the disk drive.
[0010]
US Pat. No. 6,094,323 discloses two types of sealing members for preventing contamination particles from entering a disk drive. The first sealing member is an elongated belt-like member made of a foam attached near the door of the disk drive. The first sealing member seals the door and the gap between the cartridge and the disk drive. The second sealing member is formed from a plastic material. The second sealing member is provided, for example, to prevent contaminant particles from entering the hard disk drive mechanism such as the cartridge ejection mechanism and the head lock mechanism.
[0011]
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,121,471, 4,607,301, and 5,530,603 disclose a door sealing mechanism for preventing dust from entering the cartridge and the drive.
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The above technique has the following problems.
1) The contaminated outer surface of the cartridge is exposed to the internal components of the disk drive.
2) When the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive, particles or aerosols may enter the disk drive surface due to the guide surface of the cartridge.
3) When the sealing is rough, microparticles or less of fine particles may pass through the sealing surface.
[0013]
US Pat. No. 4,974,103 discloses a structure in which an R / W component and its suspension mechanism are incorporated in a disk cartridge and no opening is provided. When the cartridge is inserted into the disk drive, the disk rotates and the R / W head is driven by a magnetic field applied from the outside of the cartridge. Therefore, external particles do not enter the cartridge. However, with this structure, there is a problem that if the disk is damaged for some reason and becomes unusable, a relatively expensive R / W component and its suspension mechanism must be discarded at the same time.
[0014]
The particles may be scattered from the disk surface by centrifugal force during the rotation of the disk. Even if the sealing and filtering mechanisms can eliminate the aerosol material, once the particles have entered the disk drive, the filtering mechanism will not function well and some particles will enter the hard disk interface. Various advanced hard disk interface designs have been proposed to avoid the deposition of contaminants on the slider or to remove particles deposited on the MR head.
[0015]
However, these methods are effective only for a limited hard disk design. Removable disk drives are applied to various devices such as portable electronic devices such as video camcorders and notebook personal computers, and household electronic devices such as television receivers, set top boxes, and home servers. When particles in the environment enter the disk cartridge or disk drive, these particles are a significant burden on the conventional anti-contamination mechanism as described above.
[0016]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a removable disk drive device that can effectively protect the inside from contamination by fine particles in the air.
[0017]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, a removable disk drive device according to the present invention includes a disk drive and a removable cartridge that is a detachable cartridge, and the cartridge has a second closed space for storing one or more disks. The disk drive device defines a first closed space. Here, when it becomes necessary to perform read / write processing on the disk, the first and second closed spaces are connected to form a connected closed space, and the read / write processing is performed in this connected closed space. Executed. The present invention allows the disk to be substantially completely isolated from the air around the disk drive. In addition, although it is desirable for each closed space to have perfect airtightness, this is not a requirement of the present invention.
[0018]
That is, the present invention provides a disk drive and cartridge in a substantially similar environment to a fixed disk drive. As a result, it is possible to apply the advanced technology that has been employed only to the fixed disk drive device to the removable disk drive device, thus improving the recording density and reliability of the removable disk drive device.
[0019]
In order to solve the above-described problem, a removable disk drive device according to the present invention includes at least one recording disk and first interface means, a cartridge that defines a first closed space, and a recording disk. A disk rotation means for rotating, a data read / write means for performing data read / write processing on a recording disk, and a second interface means, and a disk drive for defining a second closed space. A removable disk drive device, wherein a first and second closed space is connected by engagement of the first and second interface means to form a connected closed space, and the first and second interface means are engaged. Is released, the first and second closed spaces are separated, and this removable disk drive device is further connected to the connected closed spaces. Oite, from the cartridge, comprising a moving means for moving the recording disk data reading / writing means disc rotating means rotates the recording disk to a position capable of performing read / write processing for the recording disk.
[0020]
When executing the read / write process, the moving means pushes out the recording disk from the cartridge, the recording disk is rotated by the disk rotating means, and the data read / write means can execute the read / write process for the recording disk. When the reading / writing process is completed, the moving means returns the recording disk to the cartridge.
[0021]
Furthermore, the present invention provides a cartridge device and a disk drive device used in the above-described removable disk drive device.
[0022]
In the semiconductor industry, a technique known as Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF) has been widely used in recent years. In SMIF, using a clean-room based box, a wafer is loaded into a processing facility having a clean room environment therein, and the wafer is unloaded from the processing facility. This technique is disclosed in detail, for example, in US Pat. Nos. 4,532,970, 4,534,489, 4,674,939, 4,739,882, and 4,724,874. U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,127 also discloses a pressurized interface device provided between the SMIF container and the processing facility. U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,163 discloses a technique for protecting a SMIF box from particle contamination using a pressurized gas. Many of the features of these devices can be suitably applied to the present invention. To the best of the present inventors' knowledge, the technology of applying SMIF technology to disk drives and reducing contamination in removable disks is: The disclosed disk stored in the cartridge may be a synthetic resin disk, a floppy disk, or a hard disk (for example, formed of metal, glass or ceramic material). There may be. As the disk, a magnetic recording disk is particularly preferable, and the disk may be held by a disk holder that holds the disk in a rotatable manner while the relative position is fixed with respect to the disk.
[0023]
A plurality of disks may be stored in a single cartridge. The plurality of disks may be fixed to a single hub via a separator. In this case, the disk drive may have a plurality of read / write members that access the plurality of disks.
[0024]
Alternatively, each disk may be separately fixed to an independent hub, and one of the plurality of disks may be moved from the cartridge to the disk drive. In this case, the cartridge may include a plurality of disk holders, and an internal loading mechanism for transporting the disk holders to the reading / writing means via the interface door may be provided.
[0025]
It may be designed such that an air flow is generated in a space constituted by the internal space of the cartridge and the internal space of the disk drive, thereby removing contaminant particles from the internal space and finally trapping by a filter.
[0026]
The sealing member and the movable part in the cartridge and the disk drive may be formed of a thermoplastic material or a fluoroplastic material that generates little or no scrap and scraping powder. Similarly, the disk loading mechanism may be designed so as not to substantially generate material waste.
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a removable disk drive device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0028]
First, a first embodiment of a disk drive device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This disk drive apparatus is composed of two basic units, that is, a cartridge 1 and a disk drive 100. An outer door 109 serving as an entrance of a “gateway region” is provided on the front surface of the disk drive 100, and the cartridge 1 is inserted into this gateway region. The gateway area is a space that is substantially equal to the outer dimension of the cartridge 1, that is, the cartridge 1 is inserted into the gateway area to substantially fill the gateway area. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the cartridge 1 is being inserted into the disk drive 100 via the outer door 109 of the disk drive 100 in this disk drive device. On the other hand, FIG. 1 shows a state where the cartridge 1 is completely inserted into the disk drive 100 via the outer door 109.
[0029]
The disk drive 100 includes a housing 101 that defines an enclosed volume 4, a spindle motor 120 having a head 121, and a read / write unit 5 that performs data read / write processing. The spindle motor 120 and the read / write unit 5 may be realized by any known design. The read / write unit 5 shown in this specific example includes a head gimbal member 130, a load / unload mechanism 131, a shaft support mechanism 133, and a voice coil motor (VCM) 132. As the voice coil motor (VCM) 132, a linear type or a rotary type is used. In addition, the read / write unit 5 includes further electronic components (not shown).
[0030]
2 is a side view of the disk drive 100 shown in FIG. 1, that is, a view of the disk drive 100 viewed from the lower side of FIG. 1, and shows a state in which the cartridge 1 is completely inserted into the disk drive 100. .
[0031]
The cartridge 1 includes a housing 10 having a front door 20. The housing 10 defines a closed space 3. When the cartridge 1 is completely inserted into the disk drive 100, the front door 20 hits the inner door 110 of the disk drive 100. The cartridge 1 further includes a door lock mechanism 50 that maintains the front door 20 in a closed state when the cartridge 1 is not inserted into the disk drive 100.
[0032]
As will be described in detail later, when the cartridge 1 is completely inserted into the gateway area of the disk drive 100, the door lock mechanism 50 releases the front door 20, and the front door 20 opens. As a result, the closed space 3 of the cartridge 1 and the closed space 4 of the disk drive 100 are connected to form a connected closed space in which an interface between the cartridge 1 and the disk drive 100 is achieved. That is, the door lock mechanism 50 constitutes first and second interface means for connecting the closed space 3 of the cartridge 1 and the closed space 4 of the disk drive 100.
[0033]
The cartridge 1 further includes a disk holder 30, which holds at least one data recording disk attached to the hub 40. The disk holder 30 is made of a non-contaminating plastic material (that is, a plastic material that does not substantially generate a contaminant). The disc holder 30 is fixed to the front door 20 of the cartridge 1. One of the roles of the disk holder 30 is to hold the disk in the cartridge 1 and prevent the disk from being damaged by contact. Further, the disk holder 30 also has a role of forming a space through which air flows when the disk rotates. The disc holder 30 includes a window 35, and the read / write unit 5 can access the disc through the window 35 when writing data to the disc or reading data from the disc. A back plate 80 is attached to the side surface of the disc holder 30.
[0034]
When the cartridge 1 is completely inserted into the disk drive 100, the front door 20 of the cartridge 1 is connected to the inner door 110 of the disk drive 100 constituting the interface means, as will be described later, in order to execute read / write processing. Locked to. Subsequently, the servo motor 150 is driven, whereby the screw rod 160 having the connecting member 170 connected to the inner door 110 constituting the interface means rotates. Accordingly, the servo motor 150 moves the inner door 110 in the right direction on the paper surface of FIGS. 1 and 2. The disc holder 30, the front door 20, and the inner door 110 move together until the disc holder 30 reaches the position of the region 36 indicated by the broken line in FIG. The cartridge 1 includes a trail-shaped guide mechanism having a roller 70, and the disk holder 30 is moved by the guide of the guide mechanism. Further, in the disk drive 100, a bowl-shaped guide mechanism including a roller 140 for guiding the disk holder 30 is provided.
[0035]
When the disk holder 30 reaches a position where it overlaps the region 36, the hub 40 engages with the head portion 121 of the motor 120. This state is shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the read / write unit 5 accesses the disk in the disk holder 30. As shown in FIG. 6, when the disc holder 30 is completely moved to the right position in FIG. 2, the back plate 80 closes the entrance of the cartridge 1, and at this position, the back plate 80 allows air to enter the cartridge 1. To prevent that.
[0036]
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a corner on the front side (side on which the door lock mechanism 50 is provided) of the cartridge 1 shown in FIG. Note that, on the front side of the cartridge 1, the corner opposite to the corner shown in FIG. 3 has a structure that is a mirror image with respect to FIG. When the cartridge 1 is inserted into the disk drive 100, the wall portion 93 of the housing 10 slides along the inside of the wall portion 83 of the disk drive 100, and a corner 94 of the housing 10 is provided on the wall portion 83. It contacts the contact step 84a of the contact portion 84.
[0037]
The contact portion 84 is formed so as to protrude toward the region where the cartridge 1 slides, and is provided so as to face the cartridge 1 inserted into the disk drive 100.
[0038]
At this time, the front door 20 of the cartridge 1 is locked to the housing 10 by a door lock mechanism 50 having occlusion members 51 and 52 constituting interface means attached to the housing 10 and the front door 20, respectively. . An O-ring type sealing member 113 is attached to an outer edge groove on the outer surface of the inner door 110. As a result, dirt on the surfaces of the front door 20 and the inner door 110 is sandwiched between the front door 20 and the inner door 110 and does not enter the closed space 3 of the cartridge 1 and the closed space 4 of the disk drive 100. The cartridge 1 also includes a sealing member 23 that prevents contaminants from entering the closed space 3 when the front door 20 is closed. The sealing member 23 is attached to the inner surface of the housing 10 of the cartridge 1 and surrounds the front door 20 of the cartridge 1. The disk drive 100 also includes a sealing member 123 that prevents contaminants from entering the closed space 4 when the inner door 110 is closed. The sealing member 123 is attached to the surface of the shoulder portion 84 and surrounds the inner door 110 of the disk drive 100.
[0039]
The door lock mechanism 50 constituting the first and second interface means for connecting, i.e., interfacing between the cartridge 1 and the disk drive 100 acts to strongly press the front door 20 of the cartridge 1 against the sealing member 23. is doing. The door lock mechanism 50 can be unlocked by the key 116. The key 116 is a rod biased by a spring 87. The key 116 penetrates the through hole of the wall portion 83, is inserted into the engagement hole of the housing 10, and is in contact with a part of the occlusal member 51. By pushing the rod, that is, the key 116 toward the inside of the cartridge 1, the occlusal member 51 is displaced toward the inside of the cartridge 1, thereby opening the front door 20.
[0040]
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 which shows the other part of FIG. 1 and overlaps with a part of FIG. 3 are diagrams for explaining the connection, that is, the interface between the front door 20 and the inner door 110.
[0041]
First, the inner door 110 includes one or more convex portions 114 constituting the first interface means. These convex portions 114 have shapes that match the corresponding concave portions 24 provided in the front door 20, and fit into the concave portions 24. That is, the recess 24 constitutes a second interface means. Thereby, the front door 20 and the inner door 110 are relatively correctly positioned. Instead of or in addition to this, a convex portion may be provided on the front door 20 and a concave portion corresponding to the convex portion may be provided on the inner door 110.
[0042]
Secondly, magnets 26 and 112 are embedded in the front door 20 and the inner door 110, respectively. The magnets 26 and 112 constituting the first and second interface means face opposite magnetic poles, The front door 20 and the inner door 110 are attracted to each other by magnetic force. Thereby, the sealing effect of the sealing member 113 is enhanced.
[0043]
Thirdly, the front door 20 includes a protruding portion 21 having a wide head portion 25 and a neck portion 27 that is narrower than the head portion 25. A jaw portion 118 provided so as to penetrate the inner door 110 from the outside of the inner door 110 of the disk drive 100 firmly sandwiches the neck portion 27 of the protruding portion 21 from both sides.
[0044]
When the cartridge 1 is not inserted into the disk drive 100, the safety lock 115 strongly presses the inner door 110 of the disk drive 100 in the closing direction, thereby enhancing the sealing effect of the sealing member 123. As shown in FIG. 7, when the cartridge 1 is inserted into the disk drive 100, the engaging member 117 is inserted and engaged with an engaging recess 117 a provided on the bottom surface of the cartridge 1. When the cartridge 1 is further pushed into the disk drive 100, the engaging member 117 extends the ejection spring 143.
[0045]
When the cartridge 1 is fully inserted into the disk drive 100, the sensor 190 supplies a ready signal to the disk drive 100, which causes the actuator 115a to move the safety lock 115 in a direction to retract the spring 115b, thereby causing the safety lock. 115 is locked to the rod hook 182, that is, the safety lock 115 is unlocked. At the same time, the engaging member 117 is locked by the rod hook 181, and the key 116 described above enters the engaging hole and opens the front door 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 21 is gripped by the jaw 118 up to this point.
[0046]
When the front door 20, the inner door 110, the disk holder 30, and the back plate 80 move to the right in the drawing until the state shown in FIG. 6 is reached, a head gimbal assembly (hereinafter referred to as HGA) 130 is voiced. A coil motor (VCM) 132 is loaded on the disk from a load / unload ramp 131. The R / W element attached to the HGA 130 can access the disk through the window 35 of the disk holder 30. While the disk is rotating, the back plate 80 closes the closed space of the cartridge 1, so that the airflow generated by the rotation of the disk does not enter the cartridge 1.
[0047]
When the read / write process is completed, the HGA 130 is unloaded and returned to the load / unload ramp 131. When the disk drive 100 is instructed to “wait for a long time” or stop the operation, a discharge ready signal is output. The servo motor 150 rotates the rod 160 so that the connecting member 170 moves in the direction opposite to that described above, that is, the left side of FIG. 6, and accordingly, the disk holder 30 is stored in the cartridge 1. Move to. The inner door 110 is strongly pressed against the sealing member 123 by the action of the servo motor 150. During this time, the front door 20 is also closed. Subsequently, the sensor outputs an ejection preparation completion signal.
[0048]
After the ejection preparation completion signal is output, when the eject button 180 provided on the front surface 2 of the disk drive 100 is pressed, the key 116 is pushed downward, whereby the occlusal member 51 is again engaged with the occlusal member 52. Thus, the door lock mechanism 50 locks the front door 20 to the housing 10. At the same time, the rod hooks 181 and 182 rotate around the pivot bearing portions 183 and 184, respectively, to release the engaging member 117 and the safety lock 115, respectively. As a result, the safety lock 115 of the disk drive 100 is pushed up by the urging force of the spring 115b, and firmly presses the inner door 110 of the disk drive 100. By this operation, the spring 119 is contracted, and the jaw portion 118 releases the protruding portion 21, thereby releasing the connection between the front door 20 and the inner door 110. Then, the cartridge 1 is discharged from the disk drive 100 by the contraction force of the discharge spring 143. The eject button 180 is connected to the spring 180a. When the eject button 180 is pressed and the above-described operation is completed, the eject button 180 returns to the original position.
[0049]
Note that the pump section 6 may be provided in the disk drive 100 shown in the first embodiment. In the pump section 6, a pump for increasing the air pressure inside the disk drive 100 and inside the cartridge 1 is provided. Although the configuration of the pump unit 6 is not described in detail here, the pump unit 6 can be realized by a configuration equivalent to the corresponding configuration in the second embodiment described below, for example.
[0050]
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, components common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
[0051]
In the second embodiment, the front door 20 in the first embodiment is replaced with a front door 520 having a hinge 91. The front door 520 opens outward via the hinge 91. The flexible sheet 92 attached to the inner surface of the cartridge 1 extends so as to cover the inside of the front door 520.
[0052]
In the second embodiment, the disc holder 30 is not fixed to the front door 520 of the cartridge 1. In the first embodiment, the components provided for connecting the front door 20 to the inner door 110 are connected to the front plate (not shown) of the disc holder 30 in the second embodiment. Is provided.
[0053]
In addition, the inner door 110 in the first embodiment is replaced with an inner door 510 that opens outward through a hinge 320. The flexible sheet 330 attached to the inner surface of the disk drive 100 extends so as to cover the inner surface when the inner door 510 is opened.
[0054]
The cartridge 1 is inserted into the gateway area via the outer door 109 of the disk drive 100 as in the first embodiment. The gateway area includes a space 8 corresponding to a margin for opening the front door 520 of the cartridge 1 and the inner door 510 of the disk drive 100. The hinges 91 and 320 are provided at different positions in the vertical direction. When the front door 520 and the inner door 510 are opened 90 degrees through the hinges 91 and 320, a clean passage without dust is formed by the inner surfaces of the front door 520 and the inner door 510, respectively. Sealing pads are affixed to the outer surfaces of the front door 520 and the inner door 510, and these sealing pads abut against the inner wall of the disk drive 100 in the open state, thereby confining contaminants.
[0055]
The air pressure in the cartridge 1 and the disk drive 100 is increased by the pump 300. The pump 300 is connected to the quick connection valves 90 and 310 via the tube 7. The second pump 301 sucks air from the space 8 between the two doors, that is, the front door 520 of the cartridge 1 and the inner door 510 of the disk drive 100.
[0056]
Here, when it becomes necessary to write data to the disk or to read data from the disk, the servo motor 150 drives the gripper 111, and the gripper 111 sandwiches the front plate of the disk holder 30 so that the disk holder 30 can be Is moved to the right side direction, that is, to the operating position. Subsequently, the inner door 510 and the front door 520 are closed. Thereafter, the operation of the pump 300 may be stopped.
[0057]
When the read / write operation is completed, the internal air pressure of the cartridge 1 and the disk drive 100 is increased again by the pump 300, the inner door 510 and the front door 520 are opened, the servo motor 150 drives the gripper 111, and the disk Return the holder 30 to the cartridge 1. When the gripper 111 is pulled back, the inner door 510 and the front door 520 are closed.
[0058]
Thus, even if the inner door 510 and the front door 520 are opened by increasing the internal pressure of the cartridge 1 and the disk drive 100, the contaminant cannot enter the cartridge 1 and the disk drive 100.
[0059]
As mentioned above, although two embodiment of this invention was described in detail, in the range which does not change the summary of this invention, it is possible to variously change the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, during the read / write operation, the read / write operation may be performed while the disc is not completely pushed out of the cartridge, but a part of the disc remains in the cartridge. In this case, the read / write head of the disk drive accesses the portion of the disk that protrudes from the cartridge.
[0060]
Furthermore, as another example of the present invention, a plurality of disks may be stored in a single cartridge.
[0061]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the removable disk drive apparatus according to the present invention has at least one recording disk and the first interface means, and defines the first closed space, and the disk rotation for rotating the recording disk. Removable disk drive device comprising: means, data read / write means for performing data read / write processing on the recording disk, and a disk drive having second interface means and defining a second closed space The first and second interface means are engaged to form a connected closed space in which the first and second closed spaces are connected, and the first and second interface means are disengaged. Thus, the first and second closed spaces are separated, and the removable disk drive device further includes a cartridge in the connected closed space. Di, comprising moving means for moving the disk to a position where the data reading / writing means disc rotating means rotates the recording disk can perform read / write processing for the recording disk. Thereby, the inside of the removable disk drive device can be effectively protected from contamination by fine particles in the air.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing a first state of a first embodiment of a disk drive device to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the disk drive device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing a part of the disk drive device shown in FIG. 1;
4 is a plan sectional view showing another part of the disk drive device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view showing a second state of the disk drive device shown in FIG. 1;
6 is a plan sectional view showing a third state of the disk drive device shown in FIG. 1; FIG.
7 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the disk drive device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view showing a second embodiment of the disk drive device to which the present invention is applied.
9 is a side sectional view of the disk drive device shown in FIG. 8. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 cartridge, 4 closed space, 5 read / write unit, 10 housing, 20 front door, 30 disk holder, 35 window, 40 hub, 50 door lock mechanism, 70 roller, 80 back plate, 100 disk drive, 101, Housing, 109 Outer door, 110 Inner door, 120 Spindle motor, 121 head, 130 head gimbal member, 131 Load / unload mechanism, 132 Voice coil motor (VCM), 140 roller

Claims (18)

A cartridge having at least one recording disk and first interface means and defining a first closed space;
A disk rotating means for rotating the recording disk; a data reading / writing means for performing a data reading / writing process on the recording disk; and a second interface means for defining a second closed space. A removable disk drive device comprising a disk drive,
By connecting the first and second interface means, a connected closed space in which the first and second closed spaces are connected is formed, and by disengaging the first and second interface means, , The first and second closed spaces are separated,
In the removable disk drive device, the disk rotating means rotates the recording disk from the cartridge in the connected closed space, and the data reading / writing means performs read / write processing on the recording disk. A moving means for moving the recording disk to a position where it can be ;
Each of the first and second interface means includes an opening, a door that closes the opening, and a closing means, and each of the closing means is engaged with the first and second interface means. When released, the removable disk drive device holds the doors so that the doors close the openings, and opens the doors when the first and second interface means are engaged. . The moving means pushes out the recording disk from the cartridge in the connected closed space, the recording disk is rotated by the disk rotating means, and the data reading / writing means performs read / write processing on the recording disk. to a position that can be performed by moving the recording disk, and the recording disk removable disk drive operation line cormorants請 Motomeko 1 wherein back into the cartridge. Each door, said the first and second interface means are engaged, a removable disk drive apparatus 請 Motomeko 1 wherein Ru an outer surface that is not exposed between the connection closed. Door door and disk drive of the cartridge, when said first and second interface means are engaged, a removable disk drive apparatus 請 Motomeko 1 or 3, wherein appears to be locked to each other. It said first and second interface means comprises a magnet member, respectively, the engagement of the first and second interface means, according to claim 1 to 4 any one including adsorption by magnetic force between the magnet member The removable disk drive device described. Is at least one of said first and second interface means comprises a convex member, the other of said first and second interface means, Ru with a corresponding concave member said projecting member is fitted 請 Motomeko 4 removable disk drive according. The magnet member of the first and second interface means, the convex member and a concave member, a removable disk drive of each 請 Motomeko 5 or 6 that are arranged in the doors. The cartridge has a fixed positional relationship with respect to the recording disk, holds the recording disk, and is provided with an opening for the data reading / writing means to access the recording disk removable disk drive apparatus 請 Motomeko 1 to 7 any one of claims Ru with a holder. The cartridge, said while the recording disk is rotated, a removable disk drive apparatus according 1, wherein any one 請 Motomeko 1-8 Ru comprising a back member to prevent air from flowing into the cartridge. The disk drive comprises a cavity for receiving the cartridge and an opening, and the second interface means is provided on the back of the cavity, and when the disk drive is inserted into the cavity, the first and first second interface means removable disk drive according any one 請 Motomeko 1 to 9 Ru engaged. It said disk drive, removable disk drive according 請 Motomeko 10 Ru comprises an outer door for covering the opening of the cavity. The removable disk drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , further comprising pump means for increasing air pressure in the connected closed space. Said pump means, said first and while the second interface means is engaged, a removable disk drive apparatus 請 Motomeko 12, wherein that will be connected between the first closed space. It said pump means, a removable disk drive apparatus 請 Motomeko 13 wherein sandwiched air Ru a suction means for sucking between the cartridge and the disk drive.   The cartridge apparatus used in the removable disk drive apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 14. The disk drive apparatus used in the removable disk drive apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 14 . In a disk drive device for writing data to or reading data from at least a recording disk disposed in a first closed space defined by a cartridge having first interface means,
A housing defining a second closed space;
A rotating means disposed in the second closed space for rotating the recording disk;
Data reading / writing means disposed in the second closed space for performing data reading / writing processing on the recording disk;
Second interface means,
By connecting the first and second interface means, a connected closed space in which the first and second closed spaces are connected is formed, and by disengaging the first and second interface means, , The first and second closed spaces are separated,
In the disk drive device, the disk rotation means can rotate the recording disk from the cartridge in the connected closed space, and the data reading / writing means can execute read / write processing on the recording disk. A moving means for moving the recording disk to a position ;
Each of the first and second interface means includes an opening, a door for closing the opening, and a closing means, and each of the closing means is engaged with the first and second interface means. When released, the disk drive device holds the door so as to close the openings, and opens the doors when the first and second interface means are engaged . A cartridge device defining a first closed space for accommodating at least one recording disk and comprising a first interface means,
The first interface means defines a second closed space for accommodating a rotating means for rotating the recording disk and a data reading / writing means for performing data reading / writing processing on the recording disk. Selectively engaged and disengaged with a second interface of the drive device;
By connecting the first and second interface means, a connected closed space in which the first and second closed spaces are connected is formed, and by disengaging the first and second interface means, , The first and second closed spaces are separated,
Each of the first and second interface means includes an opening, a door that closes the opening, and a closing means, and each of the closing means is engaged with the first and second interface means. When released, the cartridge device holds the door so as to close the opening, and the cartridge device opens the door when the first and second interface means are engaged .

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