JPH08221928A - Disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a disk cartridge which is suitable for a reduction in size and thickness and is optimum for handling plural sheets of disks. CONSTITUTION: This disk cartridge is composed of an upper case 3, a lower case 2 and a middle case 4. The disk 1 is housed in this middle case 4. The middle case 4 slides in a spacing formed by sticking the upper case 3 and the lower case 2 and is used by drawing the disk 2 more than half. The disk cartridge has locking mechanisms 5 of a cam structure which are disposed in both corner parts on the drawing out side of the middle case 4 and function to stop the drawing out of the middle case 4. The joint surfaces of the upper and lower cases from the end face on the drawing out side of the middle case to releasing parts 6 for the locking mechanisms 5 have grooves 2-d parallel with the drawing out direction of the middle case. The external shape is so formed that chamfers are provided on the four sides parallel with the drawing out direction of the middle case. Further, four deep recesses 50 are arranged near the four corners of the upper and lower cases. These cases are provided with plural pieces each of grooves 51 connecting from the respective recesses 50 to the upper planes thereof, the chamfered end faces and the lower planes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disc cartridge for an apparatus for recording and reproducing information on an optical disc.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Audio discs and video discs,
Further, an optical disc device is widely used as a data storage device of a computer because the feature of random accessibility of the disc is accepted by users.

When handling a larger amount of information (image information, etc.) in the future, handling of a plurality of disks is considered to be important. High-speed exchange of such a plurality of discs in a small space is realized by a disc changer device. In the future, faster disk exchange will be important.

A conventional disc changer device and a conventional disc cartridge structure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional disc cartridge. Reference numeral 101 is a disk cartridge, 103 is a slide shutter, 104 is a write protect mechanism, and 105 is a write protect detection device. The write protect mechanism 104 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 101 in the direction A or the direction B, the presence or absence of the hole changes. Then, the write protect detection device 105 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 105 is used for the disk cartridge 10
1 must be arranged in the thickness direction.

FIG. 12 is a view showing the structure of a conventional disc changer device. Reference numeral 101 is a disc cartridge, 106 is a disc stocker for storing a plurality of disc cartridges, 107 is a drive device, 108 is an insertion / removal device for pulling out or inserting the disc cartridge 101 from the disc stocker 106, and 109 is a pullout device. A transfer device for carrying the disk cartridge to the drive device 107, a guide shaft 110 for moving the transfer device 109, a cable 111, and a controller 112. The transfer device 109 is instructed by the control unit 112.
Selects a desired disk case, removes the disk cartridge from the stocker 106 by the insertion / removal device 108, and pushes it into the drive from the slot 107-1 of the drive device 107. The reverse is also done.

FIG. 13 shows the structure when the conventional disk cartridges 101 are arranged on the disk stocker 106 in the disk changer device. 10
Reference numeral 1 is a disk cartridge, and 106 is a disk stocker. In the case of this structure, the distance D between the central axes of the convex portions of the disc stocker 106 needs to be large with respect to the thickness d of the disc cartridge 101. Because the thickness of the disc cartridge 101 has a dimensional error in manufacturing, clearances C1 and C2 are required between the convex portions of the disc stocker 106 in addition to the thickness d of the disc cartridge 101, and the width of the convex portion is further increased. This is because C3 is also required. In particular, C3 is essential for this structure.

Further, a clearance h between the disc cartridge 101 and the upper part of the disc stocker 106 is also necessary due to a dimensional error in manufacturing. Due to such a structure, the disc cartridge 101 and the disc stocker 106 have a structure in which there is always a gap. Has become.

[0009]

The above-described conventional disk cartridge and disk stocker structure of the conventional disk changer device have the following problems.

Regarding the disc stocker of the disc changer device, as shown in FIG. 13, a space is required in a portion other than the disc cartridge, which is disadvantageous in terms of downsizing. Further, since a gap is required both in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, when the insertion / removal device 108 pulls out the disc cartridge 101, the relative position with respect to the disc cartridge is not always constant because of the existence of the gap, which may cause malfunction. It may be the cause.

Further, in the conventional disc cartridge, as shown in FIG. 11, the write protect detection device must be arranged in the thickness direction of the disc cartridge, and the conventional disc cartridge has a structure in which the write protect detectors are arranged side by side in the thickness direction. When realizing a disc changer device, an operation of pulling out a desired disc cartridge from a plurality of disc cartridges arranged in the thickness direction and inserting it into a drive device in order to detect whether or not write protection is performed. This cannot be detected until later, and this operation is disadvantageous in terms of speeding up disk exchange. Further, the amount of pulling out by the inserting / removing device must completely pull out the disc cartridge, so that the depth of the disc cartridge must be at least twice as large as that of the disc cartridge, and the changer device becomes large.

Further, a large amount of information cannot be stored in a single disc, so a disc of two discs (or a disc of plural discs)
In such a case, the two (or more) disk cartridges cannot be physically overlapped and combined with each other because of the shutter structure and the write protect structure, which is impossible with the disk cartridge having this structure. Even if they are combined, they cannot be stored by the disk stocker of this structure.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by absorbing stacking errors of disk cartridges without physically providing an unnecessary space in the disk changer device, and physically installing a plurality of disks such as two disks. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a disc cartridge suitable for a disc changer that can provide a disc cartridge that is physically coupled to the disc cartridge and that can provide a disc changer with a fast disc exchange speed.

[0014]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a disk cartridge according to the present invention comprises an upper case and a lower case each having a rectangular flat plate shape and three sides having edges thicker than the central portion.
It has a gap formed by combining the upper case and the lower case with thick sides without edges, and a middle case provided with a notch for accommodating a disk and inserting a turntable and an optical head. , The middle case is configured to slide in the gap and pull out more than half of the disk for use.
Each of the corners on the pull-out side of the middle case has a lock mechanism of a cam structure for stopping the pull-out of the middle case, and the lock mechanism can be released by at least two methods.

Further, in the outer shape of the disk cartridge, four sides parallel to the direction of pulling out the middle case are chamfered, and the upper and lower cases have deep dents near the four corners. 4 are arranged, and a plurality of grooves for connecting the upper plane, the chamfered end face and the lower plane from each recess are provided.

The depth of the groove to be connected is shallower than the recess in the upper and lower plane portions, and deeper than the chamfered amount in the chamfered end face portion.

Further, a plurality of disc cartridges can be superposed and coupled by inserting a coupling fitting made of a U-shaped elastic body made of metal or resin into the connecting groove.

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 pulling direction. The structure is provided.

[0019]

With the chamfering of the four sides parallel to the direction in which the middle case is pulled out in the outer shape of the disk cartridge, a recess is formed between the disk cartridges when a plurality of disk cartridges are lined up. Due to the projections and depressions provided in the disc stocker, the disc cartridge can be stored in the disc changer device without providing an unnecessary space between the disc cartridges.

Furthermore, the upper and lower cases have the four cores.
Four deep dents are arranged near the groove, and a plurality of grooves are provided to connect each dent to the upper plane, the chamfered end face, and the lower plane. By inserting a coupling fitting made of a U-shaped elastic body into the groove, it is possible to form a disc cartridge which is superposed and coupled.

Further, since the write protect mechanism is provided on the side surface of the middle case in the direction of pulling out, the disc cartridges which are superposed and combined are possible, and when the write protect detecting device is provided in the middle case pulling mechanism,
Since the write protect state can be identified during the operation of pulling out the middle case, it is not necessary to have a depth more than twice as large as that of the disk cartridge, and the changer function can be constituted by pulling out about half of the middle case. Further, the device can be downsized.

[0022]

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

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A and 2B are external perspective views, in which FIG. 2A is a state where the disc is housed (the middle case), and FIG. 2B is a perspective view where the disc is pulled out (the middle case).

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 disk 1 is stored in the middle case 4, and the middle case 4 slides in a gap formed by adhering the upper case 3 and the lower case 2 to pull out the disk more than half for use. This is the configuration. In addition, a lock mechanism is installed to prevent the disc (middle case) from being pulled out carelessly.

The details will be described below. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an optical disk which is housed in a middle case 4. Reference numeral 2 is a lower case, which is a rectangular flat plate and has a thicker edge 2-a on three sides than the central portion.
Is provided, and a gap into which the middle case 4 is inserted is provided. One side on the side where the middle case 4 is pulled out serves as an entrance for sliding the middle case, and therefore no edge is provided.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the upper and lower cases 2 and 3 near the drawer side (doorway). (A) is a plan sectional view,
(B) is an external side view. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the same portion. In FIGS. 3 and 4, on the sliding side surfaces of the upper case 2 and the lower case 3 near the drawer side (entrance / exit), there is provided a release hole formed by notching the edge of the sliding side. Has been. The release hole is the edge 2-a of the upper and lower cases.
A flat portion 2-b notched in a stepped manner, a cylindrical release lever 2-c erected on the flat surface, and a vertical case from the end face of the middle case drawer side to the release portion of the lock mechanism. It has a shape formed by a groove 2-d parallel to the direction of drawing out the middle case on the joining surface of the case. A release lever 6 has a hole 6-a that fits in the release lever column 2-c, and is rotatably supported in the release hole.

Returning to FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 denotes an upper case, which is similar to the lower case 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a middle case, which has a rectangular flat plate shape, has an edge 4-a thicker than the central portion in the outer peripheral portion, and has a disc 1 inside.
And a cutout 4-b into which the turntable and the optical head are inserted is provided on the bottom. At both corners on the side where the middle case 4 is pulled out, a U-shaped cutout 4-c that is orthogonal to the sliding direction and faces inward, a flat portion 4-d that is slightly stepped, and a flat portion of the flat portion. A cylindrical cam column 4-e installed near the sliding surface of the middle case is provided. The U-shaped notch is provided with an inclined portion 4-j at its open end.

Reference numeral 4-h denotes a rib extending toward the center of the middle case from the edge of the outer periphery of the middle case at the same height as the edge to increase the rigidity of the middle case and further to add the middle case (disk ), The inner walls of the upper and lower cases are prevented from coming into contact with the disc.

Reference numeral 4-i denotes a thin-plate arc-shaped protrusion, and a plurality of them are arranged around the bottom of the middle case in the disc housing portion while ensuring a sufficient height in consideration of the disc thickness and surface deviation. , The disc is prevented from jumping out.

In the middle case 4, two write protect mechanisms 4-j are installed on the side surface of the middle case 4 which is pulled out. The structure of the write protect mechanism 4-j has a rectangular hole on the side surface of the middle case, and the lever slides inside the hole toward the center side of the middle case or the outside of the middle case. And the presence or absence of write protection is detected by detecting the position.

Returning to FIGS. 3 and 4, a lock cam 5 is rotatably inserted into the cam column 4-e through a hole 5-e. When 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 due to the elastic force of the lock cam, and the upper case 3 and the lower case 2 are in a locked state. There are two methods for releasing this locked state. One is the middle case U
This is a method of inserting the pin 7 into the letter-shaped notch 4-C, pushing the lock cam, and rotating it to the left to release it. Another method is a middle case provided on the joining surface of the upper and lower cases from the end surface on the drawer side of the middle case to the releasing portion of the lock mechanism.
This is a method of pushing the release lever 6 by inserting the guide piece 8 into the groove 2-d parallel to the pull-out direction and rotating the lock cam 5 to the left by the release lever 6. Normally, the guide piece 8 is fixed to the drive side, and the disc cartridge is mounted on the drive by using it as a guide piece.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the outer shape of the disk cartridge, chamfers 2-j and 3-j are obliquely provided on four sides parallel to the direction in which the middle 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 cartridge of the present invention is used in a disc changer device, when the disc cartridges are arranged in contact with each other, a recess is formed between the disc cartridges, and the disc changer device is formed. There is a convexo-concave relationship with the convex portions provided in the internal disk stocker, and the disk cartridge can be stored without providing unnecessary space.

Further, in the upper case 3 and the lower case 2, four deep recesses 50 are arranged near the four corners thereof, and each recess 5
From 0, two grooves 51 connecting to the upper plane, its chamfered end face and the lower plane were provided. An enlarged perspective view of this portion is shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 5 shows a vertical sectional view on the groove 51 when a plurality of cartridges are stacked. In FIG. 5, 11, 11 'and 11 "are disk cartridges, 2 is a lower case, 3 is an upper case, 50-2 and 5
Reference numeral 0-3 is a depression provided with upper and lower cases, and reference numeral 51 is a groove for connecting the depressions 50-2 and 50-3 to the upper plane, its chamfered end face and the lower plane. 2-j and 3-j are chamfered upper and lower cases. The groove depth of 51 is shallower than the depth of the recess 50 by d2 on the upper plane and the lower plane, and is deeper by d1 on the chamfered end face than the chamfered amount. A U-shaped fitting 52 made of an elastic material such as metal or resin is inserted into the groove 51, and in the case of FIG. 5, disk cartridges 11 and 11 'are joined.

As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6, the fitting 52 has a flat spring portion 52 having a thickness d3 and a flat plate-shaped spring portion 52 at both ends.
-A, a cylindrical fixing portion 52-at the tip of the spring portion 52-a
b are provided respectively. The fixed portion 52-b is inserted into the groove 51 with a distance slightly smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting twice the depth of the recess from the thickness of the two disc cartridges.
The pressing force of the two disc cartridges is generated. The step d2 between the recess 50 and the groove 51 prevents the fitting 52 from coming off easily. Further, the thickness d3 is made slightly narrower than the groove width of 51 so as to prevent the disc cartridge from being displaced when the disc cartridge is fitted into a fitting state.
Notches 52-c and 52-d having the outer shape of the disk cartridge are provided on the side of the coupling member 52 opposite to the spring 52-a.

Next, the case of connecting three or more disk cartridges will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the groove portion when three disc cartridges are combined. Three disc cartridges 11, 11 'and 11 "are stacked. There are two grooves 51 extending from the recess 50, so the right groove is 51' and the other left groove is 5
1 ".

By inserting the fitting 52 into the groove 51 'on the right side of the disk cartridge 11 and 11',
And 11 'disk cartridges are joined. next,
11 'and 11 "disc cartridge left groove 51"
11 'and 11 "by inserting the fitting 52 into the
Disc cartridges are combined. Therefore, the three disc cartridges 11 and 11 'and 11 "are joined together. When another disc cartridge is stacked and the fitting is inserted in the right groove, another one is joined. By repeating this, an infinite number of disc cartridges can be joined together, and Fig. 8 shows an external perspective view of the three joined disc cartridges.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a disc changer device suitable for the disc cartridge of the present invention. 1
1 is a disc cartridge of the present invention, 12 is a disc changer device, 13 is a disc stocker, 14 is a drive device, and 15 is a write protect detection device.

The disc cartridge 11 may be a single disc cartridge shown in FIG. 2 or a disc cartridge in which a plurality of discs are combined as shown in FIG. It has a structure that can be stored side by side. The details of the disk stocker 13 are shown in FIG.
Shown in FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part A of FIG. 9, that 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 disc stocker has triangular protrusions 13-1, the width between the protrusions 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 occurs between the disk cartridges. With such a structure, it is not necessary to provide an unnecessary space in the stocker portion of the disc changer device as in the conventional example shown in FIG.

By adopting a structure in which the four sides of the disk cartridge are chamfered, even in the case of a plurality of assembled disk cartridges incorporating U-shaped coupling fittings,
A concave portion is formed in the joint portion, and the triangular convex portion 13- is formed in the concave portion.
Since 1 is fitted, it can be housed in the stocker portion of the disc changer device like a single disc cartridge.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drive unit 14 is
Write protect mechanism 4-j provided in the middle case
The write protection detection device 15 for detecting the state of Although not shown, the drive device 14
Further 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
Moves in the A direction or B direction to a position where the desired recording / reproducing disk cartridge is located. Next, the middle case containing the 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 recording / reproducing is performed by this. After the recording and reproduction are finished, the turntable stops rotating, releases the chucking, moves away from the disc, and the middle case is stored in the disc cartridge.

As can be seen from the disc changer device of FIGS. 9 and 10, according to the present embodiment, the disc cartridges can be closely arranged and housed, so that a compact disc changer device can be provided. Further, since the disc can be exchanged by sliding only the middle case of the disc cartridge, it is possible to provide a disc changer device having a fast disc exchange speed.

[0044]

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 technique, and a stacking error of the disc cartridge can be absorbed in the small space, thereby providing a compact disc changer device. be able to.

Further, by adopting a construction in which the inner case is pulled out instead of the shutter system and a write protect mechanism is provided on the side surface in the direction of pulling out the inner case, it is possible to form a disc cartridge which is superposed and coupled, whereby two disc cartridges are put together. It is convenient to carry a group disc together. In addition, it becomes possible to store the disc cartridge in the disc changer device by the disc cartridge having a plurality of discs equipped with the U-shaped coupling fittings. That is, it is possible to store the single disc and the plural discs in the disc changer device without distinguishing between them.

Since the coupling fitting is flat and has flat plate-shaped spring portions at both ends and a cylindrical fixing portion at the tip of the spring portion, the pressing force of the two disc cartridges is generated, The metal fitting does not come off easily due to the step between the depression and the groove. Also, since the coupling fitting is inserted into the groove, the plurality of disc cartridges will not come off. Therefore, the strength of the assembled disc can be sufficiently secured.

Further, from the end face on the side where the middle case is pulled out to the release part of the lock mechanism, the release lever is opened by inserting the guide piece into the groove provided on the joint surface of the upper and lower cases and parallel to the direction of pulling out the middle case. Since it is configured to be pushed and released, the disk cartridge is mounted on the drive by using the guide piece as a guide piece and accurately positioned and the lock can be released by a simple structure of fixing the guide piece to the drive side.

Further, since the write protect mechanism is provided on the side surface in the direction of pulling out the middle case, the write protect state can be identified during the operation of pulling out the middle case, so that the depth more than twice that of the disk cartridge becomes unnecessary, and The changer function can be configured by pulling out the case by about half. Further, the device can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a disc 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.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a disc cartridge (near the drawer side (entrance / exit) of the upper and lower cases 2 and 3) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial external perspective view of a disk cartridge (near the drawer side (entrance / exit) of the upper and lower cases 2 and 3) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in which the disk cartridges according to the embodiment of the present invention are connected by a U-shaped coupling fitting

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a U-shaped coupling fitting according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a groove portion when a plurality of disc cartridges of the present invention are combined.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of a plurality of combined disc cartridges according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a disc changer device 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 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional disk cartridge.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of a conventional disc changer device.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a disc stocker portion of a conventional disc changer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 optical disk 2 lower case 3 upper case 4 middle case 5 lock cam 6 release lever 11 disk cartridge 12 disk changer device 13 disk stocker 14 drive device 15 write protect detection device 50 recess 51 groove 52 U-shaped fitting

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── 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 edges on three sides that are thicker than a central portion, a lower case having a square plate shape and having edges on three sides that are thicker than a central portion, and the upper case and the lower case. Inside is provided with a gap made by combining sides without thick edges, a square flat plate with an edge thicker than the center part in the outer peripheral part, and a notch for inserting a turntable and an optical head. The inner case has a structure in which the disk is slid in the gap and is used by pulling out more than half of the disc. In order to prevent the inner case from being pulled out at both corners on the pulling side of the inner case. And a groove parallel to the direction of pulling out the middle case from the end face on the side of pulling out the middle case to the release portion of the lock mechanism. Characteristic disc card Cartridge. 2. A chamfer is provided on four sides of the outer shape of the disk cartridge which are parallel to the direction in which the middle case is pulled out, and deep recesses are formed near the four corners of the upper case and the lower case. 2. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein four grooves are arranged, and a plurality of grooves are provided to connect each recess to the upper plane, the chamfered end surface, and the lower plane. 3. The disk according to claim 2, wherein the depth of the connecting groove is shallower than the recess in the upper and lower plane portions and deeper than the chamfering amount in the chamfered end face portion. cartridge. 4. A U-shaped metal fitting or metal fitting made of an elastic material is inserted into the connecting groove, and a plurality of disc cartridges are superposed and joined. Disc cartridge as described. 5. In a middle case of a 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 a side surface of the middle case in a direction of pulling out the middle case. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disk cartridge is provided.