JPH07307072A - Disk cartridge and disk changer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the disk changer device in small size having high speed disk changeability without neccessity of providing any spaces other than the thickness of the disk cartridge(s) and capable of using plural sets of the disk cartridges. CONSTITUTION:The disk cartridge is composed of an upper case 3, a lower case 2 and a middle case 4, and a disk 1 is housed in the middle case, and then the disk is used by drawing out the middle case more than half. The disk cartridge is externally formed with chamfered parts 2-j and 3-j on four sides which are parallel to the direction of drawing out the middle case, while individual U-shaped notches 2-f and 3-f are provided in the direction of the cartridge thickness to be seen on the sides parallel to the direction of drawing out the middle case. The depth of each notch is larger than the size of the chamfered part, and three engravings in a shop curtain shape from the U-shaped notch are provided, and then a groove is provided in contiguity with the shop-curtain engravings to be deeper than the shop-curtain shaped engravings.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disc cartridge having therein an optical disc used for recording / reproducing information, and a disc changer device using a plurality of disc cartridges.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Audio discs and video discs,
Optical disk devices are widely used as data storage devices for computers because the random access characteristics of disks are accepted by users, and they have characteristics that tape media do not have. There is.

On the other hand, when the disk medium and the tape medium are compared in terms of capacity per unit volume, the disk has a storage area in a plane (that is, two-dimensionally), whereas the tape has a structure in which the tape itself is wound. Therefore, the storage medium has a three-dimensional (that is, three-dimensional) storage area, and thus the disk medium is more disadvantageous than the tape medium in terms of recording / reproducing for a long time.

Therefore, some attempts have been made to realize a disk system having both "random access of disk" and "long-time recording / reproducing of tape". For example, there is Japanese Patent Application No. 5-174066 "Disc cartridge and drive device and disc changer device" which the present applicant has already filed. This is an invention showing a mechanism for high-speed exchange of a plurality of discs in a small space, and an attempt is made to realize them by a disc changer device.

A conventional disk changer device (for example, a CD changer device), a disk stocker structure for accommodating a plurality of disks in the above-described disk changer device, and a conventional disk cartridge structure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 16 shows a structure in which conventional discs (or disc cartridges of the above invention) are arranged in a disc stocker in a disc changer device. Reference numeral 1 denotes a disk or a disk cartridge (hereinafter abbreviated as disk), and 2 denotes a disk stocker. In the case of this structure, the thickness d of the disc 1
On the other hand, the distance D between the central axes of the convex portions of the disc stocker needs to be large. Because the thickness of the disc 1 has a dimensional error in manufacturing, clearances C1 and C2 are required between the protrusions of the disc stocker in addition to the thickness d of the disc 1, and the width C3 of the protrusion is also required. It is because In particular, C3 is essential for this structure.

Further, a clearance h between the disc 1 and the upper part of the disc stocker 2 is also necessary due to a dimensional error in manufacturing the disc 1. Due to such a structure, the disc 1 and the disc stocker 2 always have backlash. Has become.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the structure of a conventional disc cartridge. Reference numeral 1 is a disk cartridge, 3 is a slide shutter, 4 is a write protect mechanism, and 5 is a write protect detector. The write protect mechanism 4 is composed of a rectangular hole and a lever that slides in the hole. When the lever moves in the plane A of the disk cartridge 1 in the A direction or the B direction, the presence or absence of the hole changes. Then, the write protect detector 5 detects the presence / absence of the hole to determine whether or not the disk is write protected. However, in the case of this structure, the write protect detection device 5 needs to be arranged in the thickness direction of the disc cartridge 1.

[0009]

However, the disk stocker structure of the conventional disk changer device and the conventional disk cartridge as described above have the following problems.

That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the disc stocker of the disc changer device requires a space in a portion other than the disc cartridge, which is disadvantageous in miniaturization. Further, play is required both in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Although not shown in FIG. 16, when the drive device equipped with the optical pickup pulls out the disc, the relative position between the optical pickup and the disc to be recorded / reproduced is loose. It is not always constant and may cause a malfunction. further,
If two (or more) cartridges are connected side by side with a two-disc (or multiple disc),
It cannot be stored with the disk stocker having this structure.

With respect to the conventional disc cartridge, as shown in FIG. 17, the write protect detection device must be arranged in the thickness direction of the disc cartridge, and the disc changer device is realized by the conventional disc cartridge. In this case, it is difficult to arrange the disk cartridges side by side in the thickness direction. If it is assumed that the disk cartridges are arranged side by side in the thickness direction and housed, only the desired disk cartridges are pulled out from the plurality of disk cartridges arranged in the thickness direction in order to detect whether or not they are write-protected. This requires an operation, which is disadvantageous in terms of speeding up the disc exchange, and is also disadvantageous in reducing the size by increasing the space required for disc exchange.

The present invention solves the above problems and provides a disc changer that absorbs stacking errors of disc cartridges and provides a fast disc exchange speed without providing an unnecessary space in the disc changer device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk cartridge suitable for such a disk changer.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, a disk cartridge of the present invention comprises an upper case and a lower case having a square flat plate shape and three sides having edges thicker than a central portion, the upper case and the lower case. The case is made up of a gap formed by joining sides without thick edges, and a middle case provided with a notch for accommodating a disk and into which a turntable and an optical head are inserted. It is configured to slide and use the disc by pulling out more than half, and each has a lock mechanism with a cam structure that is provided at both corners on the pull-out side of the middle case to stop the pulling out of the middle case. The mechanism has a structure that can be released by at least two methods.

Further, in the outer shape of the disc cartridge, four sides parallel to the direction of pulling out the middle case are chamfered, and the sides parallel to the direction of pulling out the middle case are seen from the thickness direction of the disc cartridge. At least two U-shaped notches are provided on the disk, and the depth of the notches is larger than the chamfered dimension. Furthermore, the U-shaped notches extend from the U-shaped notches toward the inside of the disk cartridge surface. The three engravings are provided for both the upper and lower cases. Adjacent to the goodwill engraving, a groove deeper than the goodwill engraving is provided for each of the notches, and the notch has a V-shaped cross section. By inserting a leaf spring, it is possible to connect multiple disk cartridges,
The structure is such that it can be easily used in a disc changer device.

Further, in the middle case of the disk cartridge, one or more write protect mechanisms each having a square or oval hole and a lever sliding in the hole are formed on the side surface of the middle case in the pull-out direction. The structure is provided.

Further, in a disc changer device for handling a plurality of disc cartridges arranged side by side, a disc stocker for accommodating the disc cartridges has a plurality of disc facets on each of the two sides of the disc stocker on the side where the chamfered portion of the disc cartridge comes into contact. The disc changer device is provided with a convex portion.

Furthermore, one of the two surfaces of the disk stocker provided with the convex portions is punched or molded into a thin plate having an elastic force to form a disc from a component provided with a plurality of convex portions. It was a disc changer device with a stocker.

[0018]

In the disc cartridge of the present invention, four edges parallel to the direction of pulling out the middle case are chamfered in the outer shape, so that when a plurality of disc cartridges are arranged, a recess is formed between the disc cartridges. Due to the projections and depressions provided in the disc stocker of the disc changer device, the disc cartridge can be stored in the disc changer device without providing an unnecessary space between the disc cartridges. That is, a compact disc changer device can be provided. Further, since one side of the convex portion in the disc stocker is a leaf spring made of one thin plate having elasticity, the dimensional error of the disc cartridge should be absorbed by the deflection of the leaf spring. It is also possible to prevent the disc cartridge from rattling.

Further, since a U-shaped cutout is provided on a side parallel to the direction of pulling out the middle case when the disk cartridge is viewed from the thickness direction, a plurality of V-shaped leaf springs are incorporated in the cutout. The assembled disc cartridge can also be stored in the disc changer device.

Further, by providing the write protect mechanism on the side surface in the direction of pulling out the middle case, if the write protect detecting device is provided in the drive device, the write protect state can be known when the middle case is pulled out.

In a changer containing a large number of disc cartridges and a single disc disc cartridge connected by a V-shaped leaf spring, each medium case is pulled out when loading. , The turntable and the optical pickup approach the disc to perform the recording / reproducing operation. After the operation is completed, the middle case is stored in the original state and the next disk is moved. That is, it is possible to make a disc changer device capable of exchanging discs in a quick operation.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A disk cartridge and disk changer device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing the structure of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded perspective views of the appearance thereof.

In FIG. 1, 1 is an optical disk, 2 is a lower case, 3 is an upper case, 4 is a middle case, 5 is a lock cam,
6 is a release lever. The disc is housed in the middle case, and the middle case 4 slides in the gap formed by adhering the upper case 3 and the lower case 2 to pull out the disc 1 more than half for use. It is composed. In addition, a lock mechanism is provided to prevent the disc (medium case) from being pulled out carelessly. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the disc (the middle case) is stored, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the disc (the middle case) is pulled out.

The details will be described below. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is an optical disk, which is housed in a middle case 4.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a lower case, which has a rectangular flat plate shape and is provided with a rim 2-a thicker than the central portion on three sides and a gap into which the middle case 4 is inserted. Since one side on the side where the middle case 4 is pulled out serves as a doorway for the middle case 4 to slide, such an edge is not provided.

Drawout side (entrance / exit) of upper and lower cases 2 and 3
On the nearby sliding side surface, there is provided a release hole made by cutting out the edge of the sliding side. The release hole is a flat surface portion 2-which is formed by notching the edge 2-a of the upper and lower cases in a stepped manner.
b and the release lever of the cylinder standing on the plane b
-C and a shallow engraving portion 2-d that prevents the release lever 6 from being pushed in from a predetermined position. Reference numeral 6 denotes a release lever, which has a hole 6-a for fitting in the release lever support 2-c and is rotatably supported in the release hole. Reference numeral 3 denotes an upper case, which is similar to the lower case 2.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a medium case having a rectangular plate shape and an outer peripheral portion having a thicker edge 4-a than the central portion, in which the disk 1 is housed.
A cutout 4-b into which the turntable and the optical head are inserted is provided on the bottom. A U-shaped cutout 4-c at right angles to the sliding direction, a flat part 4-d with a slight step, and a flat part in the flat part A columnar cam column 4-e installed near the sliding surface of the case 4 is provided. An inclined portion 4-j is provided at the open end of the U-shaped cutout. Reference numeral 5 is a lock cam, which is rotatably inserted into the cam column 4-e through a hole 5-e.

In the state where the middle case 4 is housed in the cartridge, a part of the lock cam protrudes from the outer shape of the middle case 4 by the elastic force of the lock cam, and the upper case 3
Also, the lower case 2 is locked and locked. In order to release this locked state, it is necessary to insert a part of both of the two lock cams protruding from the outer shape of the middle case 4 into the middle case. At this time, the lock cam 5 is the engraved portion 2 of the disc cartridge. The structure is such that it can be released by pushing from the −b side, or can be released by pushing the lock cam from the U-shaped cutout 4-C side of the middle case.

Reference numeral 4-h denotes a rib extending from the outer peripheral edge of the middle case 4 toward the center of the middle case at the same height as the edge.
The rigidity of the middle case is increased, and when the middle case (disk) is housed in the upper and lower cases, the inner walls of the upper and lower cases are prevented from coming into contact with the disks.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4-i denotes a thin plate arc-shaped projection, which secures a sufficient height from the bottom of the middle case around the disk housing portion of the middle case in consideration of the disk thickness and surface wobbling. A plurality of discs are arranged to prevent the discs from popping out.

In the middle case 4, two write protect mechanisms 4-k are installed on the side surface of the middle case 4 which is pulled out. The structure of the write protect mechanism 4-k has a rectangular hole formed in the side surface of the middle case 4, and the lever slides inside the hole toward the center of the middle case 4 or the outside of the middle case 4. When the lever is on the center side of the middle case 4, the write protection is not performed (that is, the recordable state), and when the lever is on the outside of the middle case 4, the write protection is performed (that is, the write protection is performed). (Recording is not possible). In contrast to this, write protection may be performed when the lever is located on the center side of the middle case 4, and write protection may not be performed when the lever is located outside the middle case. Whether the write protection is performed or not is performed by the write protect detection device 15, as shown in FIG. 3 (or FIG. 6).

As described above, by providing the write protect mechanism on the side surface in the direction of pulling out the middle case 4,
By providing a write protect detection device in the drive device, the write protect state can be known when the middle case 4 is pulled out, and it is possible to provide a disc changer device that requires a small amount of unnecessary space and can exchange disks at high speed. Further, it becomes possible to provide a disc cartridge suitable for such a disc changer device (details will be described in the disc changer device of FIG. 7).

Although the holes of the write protect mechanism in this embodiment are rectangular, they may be elliptical.

When the middle case is pulled out as shown in FIG. 3 from the state where the middle case is housed in FIG. 2, although not shown here,
The base on which the spindle motor, the optical pickup, and the traverse are placed rises, the disk 1 is clamped, and recording / reproducing is performed. When the recording / reproducing on the disk 1 pulled out from the upper and lower cases is completed, the middle case 4 is housed in the upper and lower cases again and is in a standby state.

In this case, in the conventional disc cartridge shown in FIG. 17, it was necessary to drop the disc cartridge in the thickness direction, but in the case of this embodiment,
Although not shown here, the turntable is raised without dropping the disc cartridge, and the optical pickup is also raised. These rising areas are
By fitting the middle case 4 into the area drawn from the upper and lower cases, the area can be made smaller than the plan view of the cartridge, and the dead space in the drive due to the vertical movement can be reduced.
The space is minimized, the mounting space for the electric circuit is secured, and the drive can be made smaller and thinner.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, chamfers 2-j and 3-j are obliquely provided on the outer side of the disk cartridge on four sides parallel to the direction in which the inner case is pulled out. The chamfer 2-j and the chamfer 3-j are chamfered with the same dimensions.

Due to this chamfering, when the disc cartridges of this embodiment are used in a disc changer device, when adjacent disc cartridges are arranged in a state of being almost in contact with each other, concave portions are formed at the end portions of the disc cartridges. It is formed. When a convex portion having a shape that fits into this concave portion is provided on the inner wall of the disc stocker, as shown in FIG.
A compact disc changer device that can store a disc cartridge without providing an unnecessary space in the vertical direction is provided with the same relationship as the concave / convex portion provided in the disc stocker in the disc changer device described in can do.

Further, in a disc changer device containing a large number of disc cartridges and a single disc disc cartridge, which are connected by a V-shaped leaf spring, in a disc cartridge desired for loading. One case is pulled out, the turntable and the optical pickup are brought close to the pulled-out disk 1 housed in the middle case, and the recording / reproducing operation is performed. After the operation is completed, the middle case 4 is stored in the original state, and the disk cartridge is moved to the next desired disk cartridge. This makes it possible to realize a disc changer device capable of exchanging discs in a quick operation (details will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13).

When the outer shape of the disc cartridge is viewed from the thickness direction of the disc cartridge, a U-shaped cutout 3-f (or 2) is formed on a side parallel to the direction in which the middle case 4 is pulled out.
-F) is provided four times. This portion will be described below with reference to an enlarged view of the cutout portion of the disc cartridge shown in FIG.

The depth of the notch 3-f (or 2-f) is made larger than the dimension of the chamfer 3-j (the dimension viewed from the thickness direction of the disc cartridge), and further the U-shaped notch is formed. Engraving like a goodwill from the notch 3-f (or 2-f) toward the inside of the disc cartridge surface 3
-H, 3-i (or 2-h, 2-i) are provided on each of the upper case and the lower case by three, and engraved like a goodwill 3-
Adjacent to h, 3-i (or 2-h, 2-i), a groove 3-g (or 2-g) deeper than the goodwill-like engraving is provided.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view in which the disk cartridges are connected by a V-shaped leaf spring. In FIG. 5, 1
Reference numeral 0 is a V-shaped leaf spring having a V-shape in plan view, the total width A on the open side is slightly smaller than the width a of the grooves 2-f and 3-f, and the width C of the leaf spring on the open side. Is slightly smaller than the width c formed by the groove 3-h, and the width B on the focusing side is slightly smaller than the width b of the center 3-i (or 2-i) of the three engraved goodwills. The length in the vertical direction is slightly smaller than twice the thickness of the disc cartridge, and both ends are bent slightly more than a right angle to make a U-shaped cross section, and the tip end is an R-shaped or V-shaped bent portion. 10-1 was adopted.

With the above-mentioned structure, a plurality of disk cartridges of this embodiment are superposed on each other, and the groove 3-f of the disk cartridge having the U-shaped cross section is formed.
(Or 2-f) shift the V-shaped leaf spring 10 by the thickness of the disk cartridge, and fit the focusing side portion of width B into the center 3-i (or 2-i) of the three engraved goodwill-shaped pieces. Thus, a plurality of disc cartridges can be connected to each other to form a plurality of discs. The upper disc cartridge is restricted by the center 3-i (or 2-i) of three engraved goodwill and the focusing side of the V-shaped leaf spring, and the lower disc cartridge is V-shaped. The upper and lower disc cartridges are not disengaged because they are restricted by the two claws on the open side of the leaf spring and the two outer sides (3-h or 2-h) of the engraved goodwill.

At this time, when the disk cartridge is viewed from the thickness direction, the groove 3-f (or 2-f) is deeper than the depth of the chamfered portion 3-j (or 2-j), and further, V
The structure is deeper up to the surface position of the letter leaf spring.

With the disc cartridge having such a structure, even a plurality of disc cartridges having V-shaped leaf springs can be housed in the disc changer device in the same manner as the single disc cartridge (for details, see FIG. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 13.).

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a plurality of disc cartridges, in which four disc cartridges are stacked and the V-shaped leaf spring 10 is provided in the U-shaped grooves 2-f and 3-f of the disc cartridge. Four disc cartridges are connected by shifting them by thickness and fitting them into the disc cartridge. Although four disk cartridges are connected in this embodiment, in principle, this mechanism can connect an infinite number of disk cartridges.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a disc changer device suitable for the disc cartridge of the present invention. 1
Reference numeral 1 is a disk cartridge, 12 is a disk changer device, 13 is a disk stocker, 14 is a drive device, and 15 is a write protect detection device.

As shown in FIG. 7, the disc changer device of this embodiment has a structure in which the disc cartridges 11 can be stored side by side in the disc stocker 13. Details of the disk stocker 13 are shown in FIGS.
It will be described in 3.

The drive device 14 is provided with a write protect detection device 15 for detecting the state of the write protect mechanism 4-h (FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 6) provided in the middle case, and further. Although not shown in this figure, it has an optical pickup, a turntable for chucking and rotating the disc, and a spindle motor to which the turntable is attached.

At the time of recording / reproducing, first, the drive unit 14 reaches the vicinity of the desired disc to be recorded / reproduced in the A direction or B direction.
Move in the direction. Next, the middle case accommodating the desired disc is pulled out, the turntable approaches the pulled-out disc and is chucked, and the disc is rotated by the rotation of the turntable attached to the shaft of the spindle motor. Further, the optical pickup approaches and performs recording / reproduction. When the recording and reproduction are completed, the turntable stops rotating, releases the chucking, moves away from the disc, and the middle case is stored in the disc cartridge and is in a standby state.

In the disk changer device of this embodiment, most disks that are not actually used for recording and reproduction are in this standby state. In the case of recording / reproducing in accordance with the controller's command, it suffices to select the required disc, pull out the middle case and bring the pickup close to the disc.

As can be seen from the disc changer device of FIG. 7, a plurality of disc cartridges can be densely arranged and housed, so that a small disc changer device can be provided. Since they can be exchanged, it is possible to provide a disc changer device with a fast disc exchange speed.

FIG. 8 is a front external view of the disc changer device. Reference numeral 13-1 is a plurality of triangular convex portions existing on the lower surface inside the disc stocker, and in this case, it has a structure for accommodating 64 disc cartridges,
There are 65 convex portions. Reference numeral 16 is one thin plate having a plurality of convex leaf springs existing on the upper surface inside the disc stocker. Also in this case, since 64 disc cartridges are stored, 65 convex portions are present.

First, the lower part of the disk stocker will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the disc stocker when the disc cartridge is stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device. The lower part of the disk stocker is a triangular convex part 1
3-1, the width between the convex portions is d, and the thickness of the disc cartridge is d '. The d'is manufactured to be slightly smaller than the d. At this time, a slight clearance e1 is created between the disk cartridges. With such a configuration, a dimensional error in the thickness of the disc cartridge can be easily absorbed, and an unnecessary space as shown in FIG. 16 of the conventional example need not be provided in the disc changer device.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the disc stocker when a plurality of sets of disc cartridges are stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device. In this figure, a disc cartridge of thickness d'is set to 5
The figure shows the positional relationship between the disc cartridge and the lower part of the disc stocker when the discs are connected. In this case, a deviation e2 from the ideal state occurs in the vertical direction.

The order of e2 is, for example, d = 3.
5 mm, d ′ = 3.45 mm, and the chamfering angle of the disc cartridge is 45 ° (at this time, the triangular convex portion at the bottom of the disc stocker is an isosceles right triangle).
= 0.075 mm. That is, the structure may be such that the vertical error e2 = 0.075 mm between the drive device 14 and the disk cartridge 11 shown in FIG. 7 can be absorbed on the drive side. As an example of this method, 0.075m
With an error of about m, if the turntable shaft to be inserted into the disc center hole is provided with a taper of at least 0.075 mm, the turntable will not fail to chuck the disc.

FIG. 11 is a three-sided view of an elastic thin plate used on the upper side of the disk stocker portion of the disk changer device, where (a) is a bottom view, (b) is a front view, and (c).
Is a left side view. As the thin plate 16, one elastic thin plate is punched out to provide 65 convex leaf springs. As is clear from FIG. 6B, the tip of the leaf spring has a rounded shape when viewed from the front. The rounded portion comes into contact with the chamfered portion of the disc cartridge 11. In this example, the thin plate punched and provided with the convex portions is used, but a thin plate molded and provided with the convex portions may be used.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the disc stocker when the disc cartridge is stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device of the present invention. This figure is an enlarged view of the lower part of the disk stocker, whereas FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the disk stocker. The tip of the leaf spring of the convex thin plate 16 is rounded, and the rounded portion is in contact with the chamfered portion of the disc cartridge 11. Since the leaf spring tip of the convex thin plate 16 has an elastic force, it has a structure capable of absorbing vertical error and horizontal error of the disk cartridge.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the disc stocker when a plurality of sets of disc cartridges are stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device. This figure is an enlarged view of the upper part of the disk cartridge, whereas FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the disk stocker. If the disc cartridge 1
When the thickness d ′ of 1 is the same as the distance d between the convex portions of the convex thin plate 16, the position of the convex portion is as shown by the chain double-dashed line. In the case of this example, since d ′ is smaller than d, a horizontal displacement occurs, but the horizontal displacement is absorbed by the elastic force of the convex portion of the thin plate.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the disc changer device. This can be utilized not only for the notch portion 3-f (or 2-f) of the disc cartridge not only for mounting the V-shaped leaf spring (FIG. 5) but also for not easily coming off from the disc stocker in the disc changer device. It is the figure which showed. Reference numeral 13-2 is a leaf spring having an R-shaped tip and is provided corresponding to each disk cartridge. Disc cartridge 11 to disc stocker 1
3 is pushed into the disk 3, the notch 3f of the disk cartridge 11 is placed on the tip of the leaf spring 13-2 having an R-shaped tip.
When the left side passes, a leaf spring with an R-shaped tip 13-
No. 2 bends downward, and there is no problem in pushing the disc cartridge 11. When the disc cartridge 11 is pushed deep into the disc stocker 13, the leaf spring 13-2 having an R-shaped tip engages with the cutout portion 3-f of the disc cartridge 11 by the elastic force. At this time, the spring constant of the leaf spring 13-2 having an R-shaped tip is designed so that the disk cartridge 11 does not come off due to vibration of the vehicle. In this way, the cutout portion 3-f of the disc cartridge 11 can be used for fixing the disc cartridge in the disc changer device.

FIG. 15 shows the R-shaped leaf spring 13-2 of FIG.
It is an enlarged view of the periphery and shows a method of fixing the disc cartridge to the disc stocker of the disc changer device. As can be seen from this figure, the notch portion 3-f of the disk cartridge 11 has a leaf spring 1 having an R-shaped tip.
The disk cartridge 11 has a structure in which 3-2 is inserted and the disk cartridge 11 is hard to come off.

[0061]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, four sides parallel to the direction in which the inner case of the disc cartridge is pulled out are chamfered, and the disc stocker in the disc changer device is provided with protrusions depending on the thickness of the cartridge. By providing the portion, it is not necessary to provide a space other than the thickness of the disc cartridge as in the conventional example, and a stacking error of the disc cartridge can be absorbed in the small space, and a compact disc changer device is provided. can do.

Further, the surface on one side of the middle case on which the convex portion is provided is made up of parts made by punching out one thin plate, and the size of all the disk cartridges is made by this one part. It has the advantage of absorbing errors and eliminating rattling. It can be created at low cost.

Further, when the disk cartridge is viewed from the thickness direction, a U-shaped notch is provided on a side parallel to the direction in which the middle case is pulled out, and even if a V-shaped leaf spring is attached to the notch, the depth of the notch is increased. Since the chamfer is larger than the chamfered dimension, even a plurality of sets of disc cartridges equipped with V-shaped leaf springs can be stored in the disc changer device. In other words, there is no need to worry about single discs or multiple discs. This is something that was impossible in the conventional example.

Further, the disk cartridge of the present invention comprises an upper case, a lower case and a middle case, and a middle case.
The disc is stored in the case, the middle case is the upper case and the lower case.
It is configured to slide in a gap made by adhering to the disk, pull out the disk more than half, and use the optical pickup part close to the disk for use. Also, write protect to the side surface in the direction of pulling out the middle case. By providing the mechanism, it is possible to replace the disk at high speed and detect the write protect state.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural exploded perspective view of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention (when the medium case is stored).

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the disk cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention (when the middle case is pulled out).

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a cutout portion of a disc cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a V-shaped disc cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Enlarged perspective view connected by a letter leaf spring

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a plurality of disk cartridges according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of a disc changer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front external view of a disc changer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the disc stocker when the disc cartridge is stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the disc stocker when a plurality of sets of disc cartridges are stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view showing an elastic plate used on an upper side of a disc stocker portion of a disc changer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the disc stocker when the disc cartridge is stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the disc stocker when a plurality of sets of disc cartridges are stored in the disc stocker portion of the disc changer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a disc changer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a view showing a mechanism for fixing the disc cartridge to the disc stocker of the disc changer device in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a disc stocker and a disc (or a disc cartridge) in a conventional disc changer device.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a conventional disc cartridge and a write protect detection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 optical disk 2 lower case 3 upper case 4 middle case 5 lock cam 6 release lever 10 V-shaped leaf spring 11 disk cartridge 12 disk changer device 13 disk stocker 14 drive device 15 write protection detection device 16 convex Thin plate

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hironori Okazawa 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An upper case having a rectangular flat plate shape and having three edges with a thicker edge than the central portion of the case, a lower case having a rectangular flat plate shape and having three edges with a thicker edge than the central portion of the case, and the upper case and the lower portion. A disk is housed with a gap formed by joining the sides without the thick edges and a square flat plate having an edge thicker than the central portion of the case in the outer peripheral portion, and a turntable and an optical head are inserted. And a middle case having a cutout provided therein, the middle case is configured to slide in the gap and to be used by pulling out more than half of the disk. A disk cartridge having a cam structure locking mechanism for stopping the withdrawal of the middle case, the outer shape of the disk cartridge being parallel to the direction of withdrawing the middle case. One of the disk cartridge being characterized in that chamfered edges. 2. When the outer shape of the disk cartridge is viewed from the thickness direction of the disk cartridge, at least two U-shaped notches are formed on a side parallel to the direction in which the inner case is pulled out.
The depth of the notch is larger than the chamfered dimension, and further three goodwill-like engravings from the U-shaped notch toward the inside of the disc cartridge surface are provided in both the upper and lower cases. The disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a groove deeper than the engraved engraving is provided adjacent to the engraved engraving in each of the notches. 3. In the middle case of the disk cartridge, at least one write protect mechanism is formed on a side surface of the middle case in a direction of pulling out the middle case, the hole having a square or oval shape and a lever sliding in the hole. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disk cartridge is provided with one. 4. A disc changer device for handling a plurality of disc cartridges according to any one of claims 1 to 3 side by side, wherein a disc stocker for accommodating the disc cartridges has a chamfered portion of the disc cartridges which is in contact with the disc stocker. 2. A disc changer device having a plurality of convex portions formed on each of two surfaces in the disc stocker. 5. A disc stocker is formed from a component provided with a plurality of protrusions by punching or molding one thin plate having elastic force on one of the two faces having the protrusions of the disc stocker. The disc changer device according to claim 4, wherein the disc changer device is configured.