JPH09245452A - Disc cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a disc from colliding with other parts of, destruction of recording information and break down of the apparatus by providing a sup port protrusion at least at one point within a disc cartridge. SOLUTION: Support protrusions 26, 27 and 28 are provided at a recessed part 18a of a lower shell 18 to regulate the inclination of a magnetic disc 20. The support protrusions 26 and 27 are arranged near a head insertion port 22 and the support protrusion 28 at a position on the side opposite to the head insertion port 22 sandwiching a hub hole 24. The support protrusions 26-28 are all so arranged below a non-information recording area provided on the outer periphery of an information recording surface under the disc 20 as to face it. The inclination of the disc 20 is regulated at a position lower than a disc support surface of a metal hub 21 to enable accurate prevention of collision with the support protrusions 26-28 of the disc 20 turning while being chucked.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disk cartridge having a large storage capacity used in an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to controlling the tilt of the disk-shaped recording medium in the cartridge housing so that the disk-shaped recording medium tilts when the cartridge is inserted. The present invention relates to a disc cartridge that prevents contact with a guide, an actuator, or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a disk cartridge generally used in a high-speed and large-capacity disk recording / reproducing apparatus represented by a removable hard disk apparatus, for example, a cartridge having a structure shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is known. ing.

This disc cartridge 1 has an external shape as shown in FIG. 10, and has a structure as shown in exploded form in FIG. That is, the disc cartridge 1
Has a cartridge housing 2 formed by a pair of upper and lower shells 3 and 4, a magnetic disk 6 rotatably housed in a disk housing chamber 5 of the cartridge housing 2, and the like. A metal hub 7 is attached to the center of the magnetic disk 6, and a lower portion of the metal hub 7 is rotatably fitted in a hub hole 8 of the lower shell 4. The cartridge housing 2 is provided with a rotary actuator of the disk recording / reproducing apparatus and a head insertion opening 9 through which the tip end side of the tilt guide is inserted and removed.

A cartridge door 10 for opening and closing the head insertion port 9 of the disc cartridge 1 is attached to the head insertion port 9. The cartridge door 10 prevents dust from entering when the cartridge is not inserted. The cartridge door 10 is rotatably supported at both ends on the upper shell 3 by projections 10a protruding from both ends, and is rotated by a door opening / closing mechanism of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus when it is inserted into the disc recording / reproducing apparatus. The lower end side of the cartridge door 10 is projected outward. As a result, the head insertion port 9 is opened, and the tip end side of the rotary actuator or the like can be inserted into the disk storage chamber 5.

Thus, when the disc cartridge 1 is inserted through the insertion port of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus, first, the door opening / closing mechanism automatically opens the cartridge door 10 of the disc cartridge 1 and opens the head insertion port 9. Next, the tip ends of the rotary actuator and the tilt guide provided in the disc recording / reproducing apparatus enter the disc accommodating chamber 5 through the head insertion opening 9 according to the amount of the disc cartridge 1 inserted. At this time, the magnetic disk 6
The metal hub 7 attached to the center of is mounted on the annular convex portion 11 projecting on the disk housing chamber 5 side of the hub hole 8 until it is chucked by the spindle motor, and is mounted on the support surface 14a of the chassis 14. In contrast, it is horizontal.

At this time, the magnetic disk 6 and the tilt guide 1
The relationship with 2 is shown in FIG. A part of the outer peripheral edge of the magnetic disk 6 is inserted into the slit 13 of the tilt guide 12, and the tilt guide 12 has a gap larger than the gap T1 between the upper piece 12a of the tilt guide 12 and the upper information recording surface 6a of the magnetic disk 6. The gap T2 between the lower piece 12b and the lower information recording surface 6b of the magnetic disk 6 is narrower. Also,
A gap D1 is set between the inner surface of the upper shell 3 and the upper surface of the metal hub 7, and between the lower outer peripheral surface of the metal hub 7 loosely fitted in the hub hole 8 and the inner peripheral surface of the hub hole 8. A play allowance D2 is set in a ring shape.

After that, when the disk cartridge 1 reaches a predetermined position, the motor elevating mechanism raises the spindle motor, and the spindle motor lifts the metal hub 7 by a predetermined amount. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the gap S is set between the metal hub 7 and the annular convex portion 11, and the gaps T1 and T2 change to substantially the same size. At the same time, the metal hub 7 is attracted by the chucking magnet attached to the spindle motor, and the magnetic disk 6 is made rotatable integrally with the spindle motor (chucking).

Next, when the spindle motor rotates and the angular velocity of the magnetic disk 6 becomes constant, the rotary actuator is driven, and its tip moves along the inclined surface of the tilt guide 12 toward the magnetic disk 6 side. To do. Then, a pair of upper and lower magnetic heads mounted near the tip of the rotary actuator is brought close to the upper and lower information recording surfaces 6a and 6b of the magnetic disk 6 from above and below, thereby recording information on the magnetic disk 6. Alternatively, preparation for regeneration is completed. After that, by supplying a predetermined electric signal to the magnetic head, desired information can be recorded on the upper and lower information recording surfaces 6a and 6b of the magnetic disk 6, or reproduction of previously recorded information can be executed.

[0009]

However, in the conventional disk cartridge as described above, the spindle motor is used to lift the metal hub 7 to a predetermined position for chucking, and the metal hub 7 and the annular convex portion 11 are arranged. In order to release the contact with, the gap D1 is set between the metal hub 7 and the upper shell 3 in the vertical direction, and the play allowance D2 is set between the metal hub 7 and the hub hole 8 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the attitude of the magnetic disk 6 may change in the disk storage chamber 5, and the magnetic disk 6 may not be kept horizontal with respect to the support surface 14a of the chassis 14.

A disk recording / reproducing apparatus using such a disk cartridge is not always used in a horizontal state. For example, a cartridge mounted inside a small portable computer. It is expected that the hard disk drive will be used on the operator's lap or outdoors. Further, this type of disc recording / reproducing apparatus may be used not only in the horizontal placement method but also in the vertical placement method, and in some cases, it is rare to be used in the horizontal state.

In such a case, the disc cartridge 1
Since the gap D1 and the play allowance D2 described above exist in the disk, it becomes impossible to maintain the horizontal state of the magnetic disk 6 and the metal hub 8 in the disk storage chamber 5 when the cartridge is not inserted. As a result, when the cartridge is inserted, it is possible that the magnetic disk 6 is inserted into the disk recording / reproducing apparatus in a tilted state.

However, as shown in FIG. 14, when the disk cartridge 1 in which the magnetic disk 6 and the metal hub 8 are tilted in the cartridge housing 2 is inserted into the disk recording / reproducing apparatus, the outer peripheral edge of the magnetic disk 6 is inserted. Cannot enter the slit 13 of the tilt guide 12,
The outer peripheral edge may collide with the upper piece 12a or the lower piece 12b of the inclined guide 12. Further, since the outer peripheral edge of the magnetic disk 6 also enters between the upper and lower suspensions of the rotary actuator and between the upper and lower dimple plates, the magnetic disk 6 may collide with the suspension, the dimple plate, or the like. as a result,
When the magnetic disk 6 collides with a suspension, a dimple plate, or the like, the information recording surface of the magnetic disk 6 is rubbed by the suspension or the like, the information recorded on the information recording surface is destroyed, or the rotary actuator or the tilt guide 1
There is a problem that 2 etc. will be damaged.

As a measure for avoiding such a problem, for example, a tilt guide, a rotary actuator, or the like is placed outside the disk cartridge in a standby state, the magnetic disk is chucked by a spindle motor, and then the tilt guide or the like. It is conceivable that the is inserted from the head insertion port and moved to a predetermined position.

However, in such a countermeasure method,
There is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the device because a mechanism for waiting the tilt guide and the like and a space for waiting the tilt guide are required. In addition, since many parts are required to form the standby mechanism and the like, not only is it difficult to reduce the cost due to the large number of parts, but also the number of assembling steps is increased and the production efficiency is increased. There is also a problem in that the occurrence rate of failures becomes high due to the increase in complicated mechanisms as well as the deterioration.

As another measure for avoiding the above-mentioned problems, a gap D between the upper shell 3 and the metal hub 7 is provided.
Although the value of 1 may be reduced, the amount of displacement of the magnetic disk 6 due to the change in the attitude of the metal hub 7 is enlarged according to the radius of the magnetic disk 6 and becomes maximum at the outer peripheral edge, so that the effect is It is not a very small and effective measure. Not only that, but also the processing accuracy of the lower shell 4 and the metal hub 7, the positioning accuracy with the spindle motor, and the like must be made strict, which causes a problem of cost increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems by providing a structure in which a disc-shaped recording medium does not tilt more than a predetermined amount in a cartridge housing. There is.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and the like and to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention faces at least a non-information recording area of a disk-shaped recording medium and at least one of the cartridge housings is provided. A support protrusion is provided at a position so that the support protrusion can support the non-information recording area of the disc-shaped recording medium to regulate the tilt of the disc-shaped recording medium when not mounted in the disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus. Is characterized by.

According to the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the tilt of the disc-shaped recording medium is limited within a certain range by the support protrusions. Therefore, when the disc cartridge is mounted in the disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus. There is no risk of the disc-shaped recording medium coming into contact with the tilt guide, the actuator, or the like, the attachment / detachment of the disc cartridge and the chucking of the disc-shaped recording medium can be reliably performed, and the reliability of these operations can be improved.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a disc cartridge, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state before the disc cartridge is inserted into a disc recording / reproducing apparatus, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a state where the disc cartridge is completely inserted, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state before chucking the disc cartridge, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a state after chucking the disc cartridge, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the rotary actuator and the tilt guide of the disk recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. 2, FIG. 7 is an illustration showing the relationship between the disk and the tilt guide before chucking, and FIG. 8 is the same after chucking. Explanatory drawing showing the relationship between the disc and the tilt guide of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a usage example of the disc recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the disc cartridge 15 includes a cartridge housing 16 formed by superposing a pair of upper shell 17 and lower shell 18.
A magnetic disk 20 showing a specific example of a disk-shaped recording medium rotatably housed in a disk housing chamber 19 formed in the cartridge housing 16, and a hub attached to the center of the magnetic disk 20. Cartridge door 2 capable of opening and closing a metal hub 21 and a head insertion opening 22 formed between the upper and lower shells 17 and 18 showing a specific example of
3 and so on.

The upper shell 17 is formed of a quadrangular thin plate-like body, and a concave portion 17a serving as a disk accommodating chamber 19 is provided on the inner surface of the upper shell 17, and the concave portion 17a has a cutout portion that opens to the front side. 17b is provided. Similarly to the upper shell 17, the lower shell 18 is made of a quadrangular thin plate, and has a concave portion 18a serving as a disk accommodating chamber 19 provided on the inner surface thereof, and the concave portion 18a is provided on the front side. A notch portion 18b that opens is provided. A disk accommodating chamber 19 is formed by these upper and lower recesses 17a and 18a, and upper and lower cutouts 17b and 18a.
A head insertion port 22 is formed by b.

The cartridge door 23 that opens and closes the head insertion opening 22 is made of a strip-shaped member having a size that rotatably fits into the head insertion opening 22. Protrusions 23a protruding outward, respectively
23b is provided. One protrusion 23a of the cartridge door 23 is rotatably fitted in a bearing hole 17c provided on one side of the cutout portion 17b of the upper shell 17, and the other protrusion 23b is a cutout portion 17b of the upper shell 17. It is rotatably inserted in a bearing recess 17d provided on the other side. A bearing convex portion 18c provided on the other side of the cutout portion 18b of the lower shell 18 is fitted in the bearing concave portion 17d, thereby preventing the protrusion 23b from coming out and allowing the cartridge door 23 to rotate. I am trying.

The magnetic disk 20 comprises a donut-shaped information recording member having information recording areas REC capable of recording information provided on both upper and lower surfaces thereof.
A non-information recording area NOR in which information cannot be recorded is provided with an appropriate width on the outer side and the inner side in the radial direction of each information recording area REC of 20b. A metal hub 21 is fitted in the center hole 20c of the magnetic disk 20, and is fixed by an adhesive or other fixing means to be integrally formed. As the material of the metal hub 21, for example, stainless steel (for example, SUS410 or the like) that can be attracted by a magnet is suitable, but it goes without saying that another magnetic material can be applied.

A flange portion 21a is formed in the middle of the metal hub 21 in the height direction.
The upper part of a is fitted into the center hole 20c of the magnetic disk 20, and the disk supporting surface of the magnetic disk 20 is formed by the upper surface of the flange portion 21a. Below the flange portion 21a of the metal hub 21, the lower shell 18
Is loosely fitted in a hub hole 24 provided substantially in the center. Further, the hub hole 24 on the side of the recess 18a of the lower shell 18
An annular convex portion 25 is formed on the peripheral edge, and as shown in FIG. 4, the flange portion 21a of the metal hub 21 is placed on the annular convex portion 25 in the non-chucking state.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, three support protrusions 26, 27, 28 for restricting the inclination of the magnetic disk 20 are provided in the recess 18a of the lower shell 18. The first and second support protrusions 26 and 27 are provided in the vicinity of the head insertion opening 22, that is, the first support protrusion 26 is provided on one side of the cutout portion 18b of the lower shell 18, and the second support protrusion 27 is provided. Is provided on the other side of the cutout portion 18b of the lower shell 18. These first and second support protrusions 26, 27
As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, is integrally provided so as to be continuous with the side wall that partitions the disk accommodating chamber 19. Also,
The third support protrusion 28 is provided at a position opposite to the head insertion port 22 with the hub hole 24 interposed therebetween. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the third support protrusions 28 are provided inside the side wall partitioning the disc storage chamber 19 with an appropriate gap.

All of these three support projections 26 to 28 are installed below the non-information recording area NOR provided on the outer peripheral edge of the lower information recording surface 20b of the magnetic disk 20. And three support protrusions 26-28
Are set to almost the same height, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, when the flange portion 21a of the metal hub 21 is placed on the annular protrusion 25 of the hub hole 24, the It is set to be slightly lower than the disc supporting surface of the metal hub 21 so that an appropriate gap can be formed between the information recording surface 20b. In this way, by restricting the inclination of the magnetic disk 20 at a position lower than the disk support surface of the metal hub 21, it is possible to reliably prevent the magnetic disk 20 that is rotationally driven in the chucking state from colliding with the support protrusions 26 to 28. can do.

As the material of the magnetic disk 20, for example, synthetic resin such as polycarbonate (PC) or polyolefin is suitable, but other synthetic resin can be used as well as materials other than synthetic resin. Also, for example, various materials such as a glass material and an aluminum alloy can be used. Also, the upper and lower shells 17, 18
The material of the cartridge lid 23 is, for example, AB
Synthetic resins such as S resin (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin), HIPS (high impact polystyrene), PP (polypropylene) are suitable, but other synthetic resins can of course be used.

The cartridge housing 16 can be assembled and disassembled by vertically stacking such a pair of shells 17 and 18. Then, after the magnetic disk 20 is housed in the disk housing chamber 19 in the cartridge housing 16, a plurality of mounting screws (not shown) are tightened to form the disk cartridge 15. The cartridge door 23 attached to the upper shell 17 is biased by a torsion coil spring (not shown) so as to close the head insertion port 22.

The disk cartridge 15 having such a structure is combined with the main body 31 of the apparatus on which the rotary actuator or the like is mounted, and the removable disk recording / reproducing apparatus 30 showing a specific example of the disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus. Are configured. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
The apparatus main body 31 includes a chassis 32 provided with a cartridge housing portion for housing the disc cartridge 15.
And a cover plate 33 and the like for covering the cartridge housing portion provided on the upper surface of the chassis 32. The cover plate 33 is attached to the chassis 32 with a mounting screw (not shown).
The disc cartridge 15 is removably inserted from the insertion opening provided on the side while being fixed by tightening.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge accommodating portion of the chassis 32 is provided with a through hole 34 penetrating the chassis 32 in the vertical direction.
A spindle motor 35 as a hub drive shaft, which is supported by a chassis 32 so as to be able to move up and down, is fitted to the unit 4 so as to be able to move up and down via a motor elevating mechanism (not shown). A ring-shaped chucking magnet 36 is attached to the upper surface of the spindle motor 35, and when the spindle motor 35 moves up, the chucking magnet 36 attracts the metal hub 21 of the magnetic disk 20. It is integrated with the motor 35 in the rotation direction (see FIG. 5).

Further, a rotary actuator 37 is rotatably attached to the rear of the cartridge accommodating portion of the chassis 32, and the rotary actuator 3 is provided.
An inclination guide 38 and a printed circuit board 39 are provided in association with 7. The rotary actuator 37 includes a rotary shaft 40 that is rotatably supported by the chassis 32, and an arm portion 41a and a bifurcated portion that are attached to the rotary shaft 40, rotate integrally, and project toward opposite sides. A rotating arm 41 having 41b and an arm portion 4 of the rotating arm 41.
A pair of upper and lower suspensions 42 attached to 1a
a, 42b and a pair of upper and lower dimple plates 43a, 4 fixed to the front portions of the suspensions 42a, 42b.
3b, a drive coil 44 fixed to the forked portion 41b of the rotating arm 41, and the like.

Drive coil 4 of rotary actuator 37
4 is composed of a fan-shaped bobbin 44a and a coil portion 44b wound around the fan-shaped outer periphery of the bobbin 44a, and is formed in a plate shape as a whole. Below the drive coil 44, a fan-shaped plate magnet 4 fixed to the chassis 32 is provided.
5 are arranged with a predetermined gap, and the plate-shaped magnet 45 and the drive coil 44 constitute a voice coil motor. Further, the drive coil 44 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 39 via the flexible printed wiring 46, and the rotary actuator 3 is controlled by the control circuit provided on the printed circuit board 39.
7 drive control is performed.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The arm portion 41a is divided into upper and lower parts by a slit 41c, and the base portions of a pair of suspensions 42a and 42b are slidably supported on the upper and lower arm portions 41a, respectively. Therefore, by sliding the suspensions 42a and 42b with respect to the rotary arm 41 and changing the fixed position thereof, the arm length of the rotary actuator 37 can be arbitrarily adjusted. The pair of suspensions 42a and 42b serve as springs that press the upper and lower flying sliders 48a and 48b against the upper and lower information recording surfaces 20a and 20b of the magnetic disk 20 with a predetermined load, and the pair of suspensions 42a and 42b are provided at the front ends of each pair. The flying sliders 48a and 48b are attached so as to face each other vertically.

The pair of flying sliders 48a and 48b are for recording / reproducing, which is a specific example of a recording and / or reproducing head capable of individually recording and reproducing information on the information recording area REC of the magnetic disk 20. Each has a magnetic head (not shown),
The upper magnetic head of a is the upper information recording surface 2 of the magnetic disk 20.
0a, and the lower magnetic head of the lower flying slider 48b faces the lower information recording surface 20b of the magnetic disk 20. The distance between the pair of flying sliders 48a and 48b is moved closer to and away from each other through the operation of the pair of dimple plates 43a and 43b which varies depending on the position of the tilt guide 38.

A pair of dimple plates 43a and 43b
Are individually fixed to the front ends of the pair of suspensions 42a and 42b, and the dimple plates 43a and 43b are individually fixed.
The tip of each is bent outward in a crank shape,
The tip end of the inclined guide 38 is sandwiched between the upper and lower portions. Then, each dimple plate 43a, 43
On the inner surface of the tip of b, hemispherical slide protrusions 49, 49
And the slide protrusions 49 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the tilt guide 38.
Are in slidable contact with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the tilt guide 38 is fixed to the chassis 32 via a spacer 51, so that the tilt guide 38 is lifted from the support surface 32a of the chassis 32. It is in. for that reason,
When the cartridge is inserted, substantially the entire tilt guide 38 is inserted into the cartridge housing 16 from the head insertion opening 22 of the disk cartridge 15. This tilt guide 38
Is provided with a slit 52 that opens toward the magnetic disk 20. Inside the slit 52, the magnetic disk 20 is provided.
A part of the outer peripheral edge of is inserted.

On the upper surface of the upper piece 38a formed by the slit 52 of the inclined guide 38, an upper inclined surface 50a with which the slide protrusion 49 of the upper dimple plate 43a contacts is formed, and on the lower surface of the lower piece 38b, the lower dimple plate 43b. Slanted surface 50b with which the slide protrusion 49 of
Are formed. The distance between the upper and lower inclined surfaces 50a and 50b varies depending on the rotational position of the rotary actuator 37, and the inlet side is relatively narrow and the depth side is wide. Thus, when the cartridge is not inserted, the rotary actuator 37 has both the inclined surfaces 5 of the inclined guide 38.
0a and 50b are on standby from the top to the depth side thereof.
On the other hand, when the cartridge is inserted, the disc cartridge 15
When is inserted into the apparatus main body 31 and the spindle motor 35 is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed, the spindle motor 35 is driven based on a control signal output from the control circuit of the printed circuit board 39 to rotate toward the magnetic disk 20 side.

The upper and lower magnetic heads are the printed circuit board 39.
And an information recording area R above and below the magnetic disk 20 based on the control output of the control circuit.
Predetermined information is recorded in the EC, or information previously recorded in the information recording area REC is reproduced.

The disk having the above-mentioned structure is
For example, it can be used as follows in combination with the device main body 31. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the disc cartridge 15 is brought closer to the insertion port of the cover plate 33 of the apparatus main body 31 from the cartridge lid 23 side, and the disc cartridge 15 is placed in the cartridge housing chamber.
Insert As a result, according to the insertion amount of the disk cartridge 15, the cartridge door 23 is pivoted outward by a door opening / closing mechanism (not shown), and the head insertion opening 22 is automatically opened. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the disc cartridge 15 is opened through the opened head insertion port 22.
The tip of the tilt guide 38 and the rotary actuator 37 arranged on the chassis 32 is inserted into the cartridge housing 16.

In this case, the support projections 26 to 28 are provided at three locations in the recessed portion 18a of the lower shell 18 which constitutes one of the cartridge housings 16 of the disk cartridge 15, and the support projections 26 to 28 at these three locations are provided. By 28, it is possible to regulate the inclination of the magnetic disk 20 accommodated in the disk accommodating chamber 19 more than a certain amount. Therefore, when the cartridge is inserted, the magnetic disk 20 is always held within a certain tilt amount, and the rotary actuator 37 and the tilt guide 38 are inserted into and taken out of the magnetic disk 20 held in a substantially horizontal state.

Therefore, when the disk cartridge 15 is mounted on the apparatus main body 31, there is no risk that the magnetic disk 20 will collide with the tilt guide 38, the rotary actuator 37, etc., and the information recording surfaces 20a, 20b of the magnetic disk 20.
Is a suspension 42a of the rotary actuator 37,
The information recorded on the information recording surfaces 20a and 20b is destroyed by rubbing with 42b or the like, or the rotary actuator 3
There is no risk of damaging 7, the tilt guide 38, or the like.

Further, support protrusions 26 to 28 provided at three locations
When the magnetic disk 20 is in a normal state in which the magnetic disk 20 is horizontal, the height is set so as not to contact the lower information recording surface 20b of the magnetic disk 20. There is no possibility that the support protrusions 26 to 28 will contact the lower information recording surface 20b of the magnetic disk 20. Moreover, the setting positions of the support protrusions 26 to 28 are
Since the magnetic disk 20 is provided so as to face the non-information recording area NOR that is not used because it is obstructed by the tilt guide 38 of the magnetic disk 20, there is a phenomenon that the magnetic disk 20 is greatly tilted and comes into contact with the support protrusions 26 to 28. Even if it occurs, the support protrusions 26 to 28 come into contact with the non-information recording area NOR, so that there is no risk of accidentally destroying the information stored in advance.

After the magnetic disk 20 is chucked, the magnetic disk 20 is pushed up by the spindle motor 35, and as shown in FIG.
Since the gap between the flange portion 21a of No. 1 and the annular convex portion 25 of the chassis 32 is further increased, the possibility of contact between the magnetic disk 20 and the inclined guide 38 can be further reduced, and the rotation of the magnetic disk 20 can be reduced. It does not hinder the Furthermore, the provision of the support protrusions 26 to 28 does not affect the stable flying of the flying sliders 48a and 48b.

In this embodiment, the upper and lower shells 1
Since a synthetic resin is used as the material for the members 7 and 18 and the three support protrusions 26 to 28 are formed integrally with the lower shell 18 by injection molding, a conventional mold can be used. . Therefore, the support protrusions 26 to 28
There is no risk of cost increase due to the formation of the. Further, when the support protrusions 26 and 27 are formed continuously on the side wall partitioning the disk storage chamber 19, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the strength of the side wall.

Next, a part of the outer peripheral edge of the magnetic disk 20 is provided with a pair of suspensions 42a and 42b and dimple plates 43a and 43b which are installed above and below the slit 52 of the tilt guide 38 and the rotary actuator 37.
As the disk cartridge 15 is inserted into the space and inserted to a predetermined set position, the metal hub 21 of the magnetic disk 20 is located above the through hole 34 of the chassis 32 as shown in FIG. Then, the spindle motor 35 is raised by the operation of a motor lifting mechanism (not shown), and the chucking magnet 36 approaches the metal hub 21. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the metal hub 21 is attracted to the spindle motor 35 by the attraction force of the chucking magnet 36 and is pushed up by a predetermined amount to separate the flange portion 21 a from the annular convex portion 25 of the lower shell 18. . This allows the magnetic disk 20 to rotate freely.

After that, the spindle motor 35 is driven to rotate the magnetic disk 20, and the rotary actuator 35 is driven to rotate around the rotary shaft 40 toward the magnetic disk 20. As a result, the tip end side of the rotary actuator 35 is guided and moved by the upper and lower inclined surfaces 50a and 50b of the inclined guide 38, and the upper magnetic head supported by the upper suspension 42a moves to the magnetic disk 20.
The lower magnetic head, which is located above the upper information recording surface 20a, is supported by the lower suspension 42b, is located below the lower information recording surface 20b.

At this time, the upper and lower flying sliders 48a, 4
Due to the aerodynamic effect given to 8b, the upper and lower magnetic heads face the information recording surfaces 20a and 20b facing each other.
Is lifted or lowered by several tens of nm from each other, and each magnetic head moves on the information recording surfaces 20a and 20b in a state of being separated from each information recording surface by a minute amount. As a result, desired information can be recorded in each information recording area REC of the magnetic disk 20 by the upper and lower magnetic heads, or prerecorded information can be read out respectively to reproduce the recorded content.

The disk recording / reproducing apparatus 30 having such a structure and operation is put into practical use by being mounted in a portable computer as shown in FIG. 9, for example. The portable computer 60 is composed of a personal computer main body 61 in which the disc recording / reproducing device 30 is built in, and a personal computer lid 62 rotatably connected to the personal computer main body 61 by a hinge means. A keyboard 63 is attached to the personal computer body 61.
Display 6 attached to PC lid 62 on top of 3
4 can be folded so that they are overlapped. The disc recording / reproducing device 30 has an insertion opening provided on the side surface of the personal computer body 61, and the disc cartridge 15 is inserted / removed from the side.

Such a portable computer 60 is often used not only in a horizontal place such as on a desk but also in an inclined state on an operator's knees or any place such as outdoors. Further, not only the horizontal placement method but also the vertical placement may be used as a standard state, and in such a case, the inclination of the magnetic disk 20 as described above occurs. However, according to the present invention, since the tilt amount of the magnetic disk 20 is regulated as described above, the above-mentioned inconvenience does not occur, and when the cartridge is inserted, the magnetic disk 20 has the actuator 37, the tilt guide 38, or the like. It is possible to provide the portable computer 60 that is not likely to collide with.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which the magnetic disk 20 is used as the disk-shaped recording medium has been described. Various disc-shaped information recording media such as magnetic discs and floppy discs can be used. Further, in the above embodiment,
An example of application to a removable disk recording / reproducing apparatus using a recording / reproducing head for recording / reproducing as a disk recording / reproducing apparatus has been described, but it goes without saying that it can be applied to a disk apparatus capable of only recording or reproducing. .

In the above embodiment, the lower shell 1
Although the example in which the support protrusions 26 to 28 are provided at three positions of the recessed portion 18a of No. 8 has been described, the support protrusions can prevent the magnetic disk 20 from colliding with the rotary actuator 37 and the tilt guide 38 when the cartridge is inserted. If something
It should be in at least one place. For example, in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, the hub hole 24 is used as the one supporting protrusion.
It is preferable to set it in the vicinity of the head insertion opening 22 of the lower shell 18 having the. However, the setting position, the number, the shape, etc. of the support protrusions are not limited to this supplementary explanation and the above-mentioned embodiment. Further, as the material of the support protrusion, a material capable of absorbing a shock at the time of contact can be used, and as long as the inclination amount of the disk-shaped recording medium can be limited as described above, Any method, material, etc. may be used.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example in which the supporting projections 26 to 28 are provided on the lower shell 18 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, in a disc recording / reproducing apparatus which is vertically placed as a standard. In such a case, the upper shell may be provided with a support protrusion. It is also possible to provide hub holes in both of the pair of shells and provide support projections in both shells. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example in which a rotary actuator is used has been described, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a disk recording / reproducing device having a linear actuator. Thus, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit thereof.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the support protrusion is provided at least at one position inside the disc cartridge, the tilt amount of the disc-shaped recording medium in the disc cartridge can be restricted to a predetermined amount or less. It is possible to prevent the information recorded on the disc-shaped recording medium from being destroyed and the disc recording / reproducing device from breaking down by preventing the collision with the inclined guide.

Further, the apparatus main body can be installed not only horizontally but also vertically, and the tilt of the disk-shaped recording medium can be always maintained at a constant permissible amount regardless of the posture during use. It can be suppressed to the following. Further, according to the present invention, since the inclination of the disk-shaped recording medium can be regulated only by providing the supporting protrusions on the cartridge housing, it is not necessary to make a big change to the mold or the like for manufacturing the cartridge housing, and the cost can be reduced. This can be achieved without causing an increase, and the reliability of attachment / detachment of the cartridge and chucking can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 shows a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the disc recording / reproducing apparatus suitable for use is inserted.

FIG. 3 shows a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a state of being inserted into a disc recording / reproducing device suitable for use.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before chucking of the disk cartridge of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after chucking of the disk cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a rotary actuator and a tilt guide of a disc recording / reproducing apparatus suitable for use in the disc cartridge of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the disc before chucking and the tilt guide of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a disc and a tilt guide after chucking of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing a portable computer suitable for use with the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view showing a conventional disc cartridge.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional disk cartridge.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a disc before chucking and a tilt guide of a conventional disc cartridge.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a disc after chucking and a tilt guide of a conventional disc cartridge.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a disc and a tilt guide in which a disc-shaped recording medium of a conventional disc cartridge is tilted.

[Explanation of symbols]

15 disk cartridge, 16 cartridge housing, 17 upper shell, 18 lower shell, 17a,
18a Recessed portion, 17b, 18b Notched portion, 19
Disk storage chamber, 20 magnetic disk (disk-shaped recording medium), 20a, 20b information recording surface, 21 metal hub (hub), 21a flange part, 22 head insertion port, 23 cartridge door, 24 hub hole, 25 annular convex part, 26, 27, 28 support protrusions,
30 removable disk recording / reproducing apparatus (disk recording and / or reproducing apparatus), 31 apparatus body, 32
Chassis, 32a support surface, 35 spindle motor, 37 rotary actuator, 38 tilt guide, 42a, 42b suspension, 43a, 4
3b dimple plate, 48a, 48b flying slider, 52 slit, REC information recording area,
NOR Non-information recording area

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cartridge housing in which a disk storage chamber is formed by stacking a pair of shells, and a hub hole provided in at least one shell of the pair of shells rotatably fitted therein. A disk-shaped recording medium having a hub which is rotatably housed in the disk housing chamber, and a recording and / or reproducing head for recording and / or reproducing information in an information recording area of the disk-shaped recording medium. And a tilt guide for holding the recording and / or reproducing head on and off, and a head insertion opening provided in the cartridge housing for facing the non-information recording area of the disc-shaped recording medium. By providing a supporting protrusion on at least one location of the cartridge housing, the supporting protrusion prevents the disc-shaped recording medium from A disc cartridge, wherein an information recording area can be supported so that a tilt of a disc-shaped recording medium when not mounted in a disc recording and / or reproducing apparatus is regulated. 2. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the support protrusion is provided near a head insertion opening of a shell having the hub hole of the pair of shells. 3. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the support projections are provided in the vicinity of the head insertion opening of a shell having the hub hole of the pair of shells and on the opposite side across the hub hole. A disk cartridge characterized by being provided at a plurality of different positions. 4. The disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the support protrusion is integrally provided so as to be continuous with a side wall that partitions the disc storage chamber. 5. The disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the support protrusion has a height that regulates the inclination of the disc-shaped recording medium at a position lower than the disc supporting surface of the hub of the disc-shaped recording medium. And a disk cartridge.