JPH01102787A - Disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve operating sensibility by loading a shutter on a cartridge case slidably freely in parallel with the inserting/extracting direction of a cartridge and forming an insertion hole to which its supporting pin can be inserted at a shutter part confronting with the supporting pin at the time of opening the shutter. CONSTITUTION:The shutter 7 is loaded slidably freely on the cartridge case 1 in parallel with the inserting/extracting direction of a disk cartridge, and also, the insertion holes 7c and 7b to which its supporting pins can be inserted are formed at the shutter 7 part confronting with the supporting pin at the time of opening the shutter 7. And the shutter 7 is opened fully when the disk cartridge is inserted in the loading position of a disk driving device. Next, the disk cartridge is descended from the position to the side of the supporting pin, and a supporting part at the tip 30 of the supporting pin is abutted directly with the case 1 passing through the insertion holes 7c and 7d, then, supports the disk cartridge in a stable state. In such a way, it is possible to obtain superior operating sensibility.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a disc cartridge, and particularly to a disc cartridge that can be loaded by changing the front and back sides of the disc cartridge.

[Conventional technology]

Disk-shaped recording media such as magnetic disks and optical disks are designed to be easily handled and protected from dust by being inserted into a recording/playback device while still being stored in a disk cartridge so that desired information can be recorded and played back. ing. For this purpose, a head insertion hole is provided in the cartridge case forming the main body of the disc cartridge so that the head can come into contact with a disc-shaped recording medium when the disc cartridge is installed in a recording/reproducing apparatus. However, when the head insertion hole is provided in this manner, when the disk cartridge is not in use, dust may enter the cartridge case through the head insertion hole and adhere to the recording surface of the disk-shaped recording medium, or During handling, a finger or the like touches the recording surface of the disk recording medium through the head insertion hole, causing dust or scratches on the recording surface, making it impossible to record and reproduce properly. For this purpose, the disk cartridge is usually provided with a shutter that closes the head insertion hole when not in use.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing one conventional example of such a disk cartridge, in which (a) shows the front side and FIG. 4 (b) shows the back side, 1 is a cartridge case, 2 is an upper case,
3 is a lower case, 4 is a disk-shaped recording medium, 5a and 5b are spindle holes, and 6a.

6b is a head insertion hole, 7 is a shutter, 7a and 7b are shutter surfaces, 8a and 8b are openings, and 25 is a coil spring.

In the figure, a cartridge case 1 includes an upper case 2 and a lower case 3 that are integrated, and a disk-shaped recording medium 4 that can be used on both sides is housed therein. A spindle hole 5 having the same diameter is provided coaxially at approximately the center of each of the upper case 2) and lower case 3.
A head insertion hole 5a of the same shape is provided on the forward side (upper side in the figure) of the spindle hole 5 of the lower case 3 so as to cross the entire recording area in the radial direction of the disk-shaped recording medium 4 and to overlap with each other. , 5b are provided.

A U-shaped shutter 7 is further attached to the cartridge case 1 so as to sandwich the cartridge case. An opening 8a is provided on the shutter surface 7a on the upper case 2 side of the shirt tuff (FIG. 4(a)), with an opening 8a offset to the right side in the drawing from the center thereof, and on the shutter surface 7b on the lower case 3 side of the shirt tuff. , (FIG. 4(b)), an opening 8b is provided to the left of the center in the drawing.

These openings 8a and 8b are positioned so as to overlap each other on the shirt tough, and have approximately the same shape as the head insertion holes 6a and 5b, and are formed slightly wider than the head insertion holes 6a and 5b. .

This shutter 7 is located at arrow A with respect to the cartridge case 1.
It is possible to slide in the direction of arrow B.

In such a disk cartridge, the shutter 7 is always urged in the direction of arrow B by a spring 25 and is closed in the illustrated position, and when in use, it is pushed in the direction of arrow A by opening means on the disk drive device. It slides and is moved to the end of the sliding range. As a result, the shutter openings 8a and 8b are aligned with the head insertion holes 6a and 6b, respectively, and the head insertion holes 6a and 6b are opened. Thereafter, two heads, or a pad and a head, are inserted through the head insertion holes 6a and 6b. Further, a spindle is inserted through the spindle hole 5a, and the disk-shaped recording medium 4 is loaded onto the spindle side for recording or reproduction.

When recording or reproduction is finished, the disk cartridge is ejected, the pressing force of the opening means is released, the shutter 7 returns to the direction of arrow B, and the head insertion holes 6a, 6 are closed.
b is closed.

By the way, in the disc cartridge as described above, the shutter 7 is opened only by pressing force from one direction, so if you want to use the disc cartridge upside down, it is necessary to provide another opening means on the disc drive device side. It is necessary to provide - However, since conventionally used disk drives are provided with only one opening means, it has not been possible to use the disk cartridge 1 with the above configuration upside down.

For this reason, a disk cartridge has already been proposed that can be used in reverse even in a disk drive device equipped with only one opening means. An example of this type of disk cartridge is shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of essential parts of the disk cartridge. In the same figure, a shutter 7 is slidably attached in correspondence with the head insertion hole A6a (a similar head insertion hole 6b is also formed on the back side) of the case 2 of the disk cartridge L, as in the conventional example. There is. This shutter 7 has openings 8a+ and 88x of the same shape formed on the negative side in parallel with each other across the head insertion hole 6a (similar openings are formed on the other side), and the same spring strength is applied on both sides. Torsion coil springs 25a and 25b are arranged.

The torsion coil spring 25a is attached to a support shaft 2 provided in the case 2.
The coil portion is supported by 0b, one end is in contact with the side wall surface of the case 2, and the other end is a contact portion 29a against the side of the shutter 7. Further, a stopper 19b is provided near the contact portion 29a to restrict the displacement of the contact portion 29a, and this stopper 19b has a torsion coil spring in a position that hardly applies any elastic force to the shirt tough when the shirt tough is closed. The contact portion 29a of 25a is restricted.

On the other hand, the other torsion coil spring 25b is also symmetrically supported by the same support shaft 20a at a symmetrical position with respect to the torsion coil spring 25a and the head insertion hole 6a, and the position of the contact portion 29b is regulated by the stopper 19a. has been done. The side surface of the shirt tough that these contact parts 29a and 29b come into contact with slightly protrudes upward, and the protrusion part 36a,
The shutter release lever on the disk drive side comes into contact with 36b, and the shutter 7 is moved to the front edge 2 of the cartridge case l.
It is possible to slide along a. Other parts that are not particularly described are constructed in the same manner as in the conventional example.

With the above configuration, even if there is only one shutter release lever on the disk drive side, the disk cartridge can be used inverted.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, the disc cartridge that can be used inverted as described above has a problem in that the structure of the disc cartridge is complex, the number of parts is large, and the cost is high.

Furthermore, since the insertion direction of the disk cartridge and the opening/closing direction of the shutter are at right angles to each other, it has been pointed out that the force required to open/close the shutter is large, resulting in a poor operational feel.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned technical background, and its purpose is to have a calendar wheel structure, excellent operability, and
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disc cartridge that can be used reversibly.

[Means for solving problems]

To achieve the above object, the present invention includes a cartridge case in which a head insertion hole is formed, a disk-shaped recording medium rotatably housed in the cartridge case, and a shutter for opening and closing the head insertion hole. A disk cartridge whose shutter is opened when the disk drive device is inserted from outside into the device, and the cartridge case is positioned on at least three support pins inside the device with the shutter open, and recording or playback is performed. In the above, the shutter is attached to the cartridge case so as to be slidable in parallel with the insertion/extraction direction of the disk cartridge, and an insertion hole through which the support pin can be inserted is formed in the portion of the shutter that faces the support pin when the shutter is opened. The configuration is as follows.

[Effect]

When a disk cartridge is inserted into a disk drive, an engaging piece provided in the disk drive engages to regulate the position of the shutter, and when the disk cartridge is further inserted with the shutter regulated, the shutter maintains this position, and only the cartridge case moves forward, and when the cartridge case is inserted to the loading position, the shutter is fully opened.Then, from this position, the disk cartridge is lowered to the support pin side and positioned. However, at this time, since an insertion hole is formed in the shutter portion facing the support pin, the support portion at the tip of the support pin passes through the insertion hole and directly contacts the case. As a result, at least three support pins can directly contact the cartridge case to stably support the disk cartridge.

In addition, in case the cartridge case is used upside down, if a similar insertion hole is formed in the part facing the support pin of the shutter on the opposite side, the cartridge case can be directly and stably supported even on the upside down side. I can do it.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

1 to 3 are for explaining a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which the shutter is closed, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the shutter is open. The bottom view shown in FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of section C in FIG. 1. In addition, in the figure, the same reference numerals are given to the components that are the same as or can be considered to be the same as those of the conventional example.

1 and 2, the disk cartridge includes a cartridge case 1 consisting of an upper case 2 and a lower case 3, and an insertion direction E of the disk cartridge into the disk drive device along the left side surface 1a in FIG. and a shutter 7 slidably mounted in parallel with the shutter 7.

The shutter 7 has a U-shaped cross section and is formed symmetrically on the upper case 2 side and the lower case 3 side, and has shutter insertion holes 6a, 6b and a spindle hole 5a, which will be described later.

Covers 5b. In addition, head insertion holes 6 are provided in the radial direction in the portions of the upper case 2 and lower case 3 that face the head device.
a and 6b are formed. Further, on the opposite side of the upper case 2 and the lower case 3 to which the shack is attached, there are two support bins (not shown) that are installed vertically in two places on each side of the upper case 2 and the lower case 3, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 3, the supported surfaces 2b, 2c+ 3b, and 3c that 0 abuts are slightly thicker than the upper case surface 2d and the lower case surface 3d. These supported surfaces 2b, 2c
.

3b and 3c are set to be flush with mounting surfaces 2e and 3e on which the shutter 7 is slidably mounted.

Furthermore, the cartridge case 1 is located on the side la side of the shirt tough, as shown in FIG.
An insertion hole 7d into which a support pin can be inserted is provided in a protruding portion of the shutter that is symmetrical to the supported surface 3b with respect to the center 'iaD. Further, an insertion hole 7C on the upper case 2 side is formed at a position symmetrical to this insertion hole 7d with the cartridge case 1 interposed therebetween. Therefore, this insertion hole 7C is also located at a position symmetrical to the supported surface 2b with respect to the center line when the shirt tough is fully opened on the upper case 2 side.

Incidentally, also in this embodiment, the spindle hole 5a.

5b is formed along the center line of the head insertion holes 6a, 6b, so that when the shutter 7 is opened from the spindle holes 5a, 5b, the hubs 4a, 4b of the disk-shaped recording medium 4 are exposed. .

Next, the operation of the disk cartridge configured as described above will be explained.

First, the disk cartridge is inserted into the disk drive device in the direction of arrow E with the shutter 7 in FIG. A retaining piece (not shown) engages with a groove 7e formed on the tip side, and the shutter 7 is held in place.

Hold in engaged position. When the cartridge case 1 is pushed in the direction of the arrow E with the shutter 7 held in this way, the cartridge case 1 comes out in the direction of the arrow E relative to the shirt tough, so the shutter 7 is inserted into the head insertion holes 6a and 6b. When it reaches the deepest part, the front edge 7f of the shirt tough completely opens up to the spindle holes 5a and 5b.

This position is the loading position, and at this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the support pin insertion hole 7d is at a position symmetrical to the supported surface 3b with respect to the centerline.

In this state, the disk cartridge is lowered toward the support bin, and the tips 30 of the four support pins shown by the two-dot chain lines are respectively connected to the supported surfaces 3a and 3b and the shutter mounting surface 3 on the tip side in the insertion direction.
e and through the insertion hole 7d, and abut against the shutter mounting surface 3e on the rear end side in the insertion direction, and the cartridge case 1 is stably supported at four points by the support pins.

When the recording/reproduction ends in this state and the disk cartridge is ejected, the cartridge case l moves vertically upward from the tip 30 of the support pin and then moves in the direction of arrow G. At this time, since the position of the shutter 7 remains restricted by the retaining piece, the spindle holes 5a, 5b and the head insertion holes 5a, 5b are closed as the cartridge case 1 moves. The front edge 7f of the shirt tough is the front end 2'' of the shutter mounting surfaces 2e and 3e.

3f, the engaging piece is unable to restrict the shutter 7 (and comes off from the engaging groove 7e, and the shutter 7
is ejected from the disk drive in a closed state.

When used upside down, the disk cartridge is inserted into the disk drive with the bottom side as shown in FIG. The mating piece engages with the engagement groove 7e and performs the same operation.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, (1) the pushing direction of the disk cartridge and the sliding direction of the shirt tough are the same, so when the shutter 7 is opened and closed, the direction of force application can be changed using a rotating lever or the like; (As a result, it is possible to avoid friction caused by the rotating lever coming into contact with the front edge in the cartridge insertion direction and sliding). Since the spring for restoring the shutter also serves as a cartridge ejector, an ejector is not required on the driving device side. ■ The shutter opening/closing mechanism requires fewer parts, making it possible to provide a disk cartridge with a simple structure and low cost. ■ Head insertion hole 5a , 5b and the spindle hole 6a.

6b are closed, so the intrusion of dust is minimized. ■ Even if the disc cartridge is loaded upside down, the tip of the support pin does not come into contact with the shutter and support it, and the cartridge is directly loaded. Since the case is supported, the support state remains constant, resulting in fewer output changes and stable read/write characteristics.

In addition, with a disk cartridge configured as above,
If supported points are provided at the four corners of the cartridge case 1, reversal use is possible without providing support bin insertion holes 7c + 7d in the shirt tough, but providing supported points at the four corners is due to the structure of the disk drive device. Since there is no space available from above, the - point has to be placed in the sliding range of the shutter 7.Therefore, it is possible to directly support the shutter 7, but due to the thickness of the shirt tough and the shutter 7
1. There is no guarantee that the disc cartridge can be supported in a constant state depending on the mounting condition between the cartridge case 1 and the shirt tough, etc. However, if the cartridge case is directly supported as in the above embodiment, the above uncertainties are eliminated, so the mutual positional relationship between the head device and the cartridge case 1 as well as the disk-shaped recording medium 4 is constant. Therefore, the read/write characteristics become stable.

Additionally, as a method of supporting the disk cartridge, there is three-point support in addition to the above-mentioned point support, but in this case, the first
In the figure and FIG. 2, the insertion holes 7h and 7i may be provided at the positions shown by the two-dot chain lines.As can be seen from FIG. A position where 7h (7i) does not overlap with either the head insertion hole 6a (6b) or the spindle hole 5a (5b) is selected.

Furthermore, as the insertion holes 7c and 7d, the relief holes 7J and 7 in the molding for undercutting the shirt tough are provided with 71
．． It is also possible to select any position within the 7m range and use it.

In addition, in the case of the above embodiment, two shutter opening means are required on the disk drive side, but they can be simply a retaining piece, so the structure is simple and it is possible to provide them at any position as needed. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention configured as described above, the disk cartridge has stable read/write characteristics even when used inverted, is low in cost, and has an excellent operability. can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 are for explaining the present invention in detail, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. The enlarged side view of part C, FIGS. 4 and 5 are for explaining the conventional example, and FIG. 4(a) is a plan view of the disk cartridge according to the first conventional example, and FIG. 4(b) is a bottom view of the same, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of a disk cartridge according to a second conventional example. 1 - Cartridge case, 2...
......Top case, 3...Bottom case, 4...Disk-shaped recording medium, 6a, 5
b...Head insertion hole, 7...
...Shutter, 7c, 7d......Insertion hole,
30......Tip. Figure 2 Figure 4 (b)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A cartridge case in which a head insertion hole is formed, a disk-shaped recording medium rotatably housed in the cartridge case, and a shutter for opening and closing the head insertion hole, and the device can be accessed from the outside of the disk drive device. In a disc cartridge, a shutter is opened when the disc is inserted into the disc cartridge, and recording or reproduction is performed by positioning the cartridge case on at least three support pins in the device with the shutter open, and the shutter is inserted into the disc cartridge. The disc is mounted in a cartridge case so as to be slidable in parallel to the insertion/removal direction of the disc, and has an insertion hole through which the support pin can be inserted, in a portion of the shutter that faces the support pin when the shutter is opened. cartridge. (2) The disc cartridge according to claim (1), wherein the insertion hole is formed in shutter portions on both sides of the disc cartridge.