JPH10106209A - Disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a shutter to open and close in both directions by providing a pair of shutter springs each having a fixed end, which is fixed to a case, and a movable end, which is removably engaged with the case and the shutter. SOLUTION: Until a shutter 22 reaches an opening position, a movable spring receiving member 54 pushes a movable end 11b of a shutter spring 8 to move to the vicinity of a fixed end 11a. The movable spring receiving member 54 and a fixed spring receiving member 34 are positioned with a positional offset therebetween in a direction of inserting a cartridge 10. Thus, even when the shutter 22 is moved at the opening position, there is no interference with each other, and it is possible to surely and smoothly open the shutter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disk cartridge containing an optical disk as a recording medium.
In particular, the present invention relates to a disk cartridge having a shutter that can be opened and closed in both directions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a magneto-optical (MO) recording type of 90 m
m optical disks have become widespread. Further, as the same 90 mm rewritable optical disk, a phase change type (PC) type optical disk that can be used on both sides and has a larger capacity, and an optical disk drive including the same have been developed.

[0003] In order to take advantage of the characteristics of the PC type optical disk, the basic part including the vertical and horizontal dimensions is 90 units.
A dedicated cartridge is provided which is the same as an MO type disc of mm, but mainly has a unique thickness size and a shutter opening / closing mechanism.

[0004] Usually, a disk cartridge has a flat rectangular case containing an optical disk, and has windows on both sides of the case to expose a part of the optical disk and a hub. The case is provided with a slidable shutter for opening and closing the window.

In recent years, as this type of disk cartridge, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-119081,
A so-called double-opening disk cartridge having shutters that can be opened and closed on both right and left sides of a window, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-94487, has been proposed.

[0006] This double-opening disk cartridge has a pair of shutter springs provided on both sides of a shutter, and the shutter is held at a closed position where the window is closed by these springs. Each shutter spring has one end fixed to the case and the other end fixed to the shutter. In addition, the shutter is provided at a predetermined distance from the shutter.
One opening is formed. Then, by sliding the shutter in any direction against the urging force of the shutter spring, one opening of the shutter opposes the window of the case, and the window is opened.

Further, as another type of double-sided disk cartridge, a guide shaft provided over the entire length in the width direction of the case, a pair of sliders slidably mounted on the guide shaft, and these sliders are mutually connected. There is provided one provided with a connected tension spring and a projection provided on an inner wall of a case so as to regulate sliding of each slider.

According to this disk cartridge, when the shutter is opened to one side, one slider moves on the guide shaft together with the shutter, and the other slider is restricted from moving in one direction by the projection. As a result, the shutter moves to the open position under the urging force of the tension spring, and when the opening force applied to the shutter is released, the window of the case is closed by the urging force of the tension spring. Return to position.

[0009]

However, in the disk cartridge having a pair of shutter springs described above, it is difficult to accurately hold the shutter at the closing position due to a variation in the urging force of the shutter springs.
In addition, when the shutter is opened, both shutter springs expand and contract, so that the movement stroke of the shutter cannot be made large.

A disk cartridge having a guide shaft, a slider, and the like has a large number of parts and a high manufacturing cost, and has a complicated structure and is relatively difficult to assemble. Not suitable for automatic assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge which has a simple structure, can be automatically assembled, and can reliably hold a shutter at a closed position. It is in.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge for storing a disk-shaped recording medium and a window exposing a part of the recording medium. A case having a portion, a shutter that is movably attached to the case, a closing position that closes the window, and two opening positions that are located on both sides of the window and respectively open the window, A pair of shutter springs disposed on both sides of the shutter in the case and biasing the shutter toward the closed position and holding the shutter at the closed position.

The shutter spring has a fixed end fixed to the case and a movable end detachably engaged with the case and the shutter when the shutter is at the closed position. When the shutter moves from the closed position to one open position, the shutter presses the movable end of the shutter spring provided on the one open position side to the fixed end side to separate it from the case. In addition, the shutter spring is separated from the movable end of the shutter spring provided on the other open position side.

According to the disk cartridge of the present invention, each of the shutter springs provided on both sides of the window in the case has the fixed end fixed to the case and the shutter spring when the shutter is in the closed position. And a movable end detachably engaged with the case and the shutter.
When the shutter is moved from the closed position to the one open position, the movable end of the shutter spring located at the one open position is pushed toward the fixed end by the shutter, and The movable end of the shutter spring separated from the case and located on the other open position side is separated from the shutter, and is maintained in an engaged state with the case.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium and having a window partly exposing a part of the recording medium, and a closing part closing the window part. Position, two open positions located on both sides of the window, each opening the window,
A shutter movably attached to the case,
A pair of shutter springs disposed on both sides of the shutter in the case and biasing the shutter toward the closed position and holding the shutter at the closed position.

The case includes a spring accommodating portion formed on both sides of the window portion and accommodating the shutter spring, a locking spring receiver positioned adjacent to the window portion in each spring accommodating portion, and the window portion. And a fixed spring receiver located away from the locking spring receiver. The shutter has a pair of movable spring receivers that are respectively aligned with the locking spring receiver in the closed position.

Each of the shutter springs is formed of a torsion spring, and has a fixed end engaged with the fixed spring receiver and a movable end. The movable end of each shutter spring is engaged with the locking spring receiver and the movable spring receiver aligned with the shutter when the shutter is at the closed position,
When the shutter moves from the closed position toward one open position, the shutter moves toward the fixed end in a state of being engaged with the movable spring receiver and separates from the locking spring receiver, and the shutter is closed. When moved toward the other open position from the movable spring receiver, the movable spring receiver is separated from the movable spring receiver and held by the locking spring receiver.

According to the disk cartridge having the above structure, at the time of assembling, after the shutter is mounted on the case, each shutter spring is inserted into the spring accommodating portion through the opening of the case, so that the pair of shutter springs is mounted at the predetermined position. can do.

Further, in a state in which the movable member is moved to the closed position,
The shutter is biased by a pair of shutter springs and is held at the closed position. At that time, the movable end of each shutter spring is
The urging force is restricted by engaging the shutter and the case, thereby preventing the shutter from being excessively urged.

When the shutter is opened, the movable end of the shutter spring provided on the open side is separated from the case by being pushed by the shutter, and is displaced toward the fixed end while engaging with the shutter. On the other hand, the movable end of the other shutter spring is
It is kept engaged with the case and separated from the shutter. This allows the shutter to move to the open position while receiving the urging force of only one of the shutter springs.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium, and having a window having a part of the recording medium exposed, and a closure for closing the window. A shutter, movably mounted on the case, guide means for guiding the movement of the shutter, and a case; And a pair of shutter springs disposed on both sides of the shutter and biasing the shutter toward the closed position and holding the shutter at the closed position.

The case includes a spring accommodating portion formed on both sides of the window and accommodating the shutter spring, and a shutter opening at the front end surface of the case and communicating with the spring accommodating portion. It has two openings that can be inserted, and a bridge portion located between the openings and facing the window.

The guide means includes a guide groove extending along a front end face of the case, a guide projection provided on the shutter and moving on the bridge portion and inside each spring accommodating portion in response to movement of the shutter. ,have.

The guide groove has a first portion formed in the bridge portion, and a pair of first grooves formed on the inner surface of the case in each of the spring receiving portions and linearly aligned with the first portion. 2 part. Also,
The guide projection includes a first protrusion that engages with the first portion when moving on the bridge portion, and a second protrusion that engages with the second portion when moving within the spring receiving portion. And a projection.

According to the disk cartridge having the above structure, at the time of assembly, after the shutter is mounted on the case, each shutter spring is inserted into the spring accommodating portion through the opening of the case, so that the pair of shutter springs is mounted at the predetermined position. can do.

In the opening / closing operation of the shutter, when the guide projection provided on the shutter moves on the bridge portion,
The movement of the shutter is guided by engaging the first protrusion with the first portion of the guide groove, and when moving in each spring accommodating portion, the second protrusion is formed by the guide groove formed on the inner surface of the case. The movement of the shutter is guided by engaging the second portion. Therefore, at any moving position, the movement of the shutter can be reliably guided by the guide projection.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration will be schematically described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a disk cartridge 10 according to the present embodiment accommodates an optical disk 14 having a recording / reproducing surface on both sides as an information recording medium. A flat rectangular case 12 is provided. The case 12 is formed by joining a pair of half cases 13.

The upper and lower surfaces of the case 12, that is, 2
One main surface has a window 1 for access to the optical disk 14.
6 are formed and face each other. Each window 1
Reference numerals 6 extend from substantially the center of the case 12 toward the insertion direction A of the disk cartridge 10 to the vicinity of the front end surface 12a of the case 12.

Optical disk 14 stored in case 12
A hub 18 having a center hole 21 is attached to the center of the hub. Then, the hub 18 and the optical disc 1
4 are partially exposed through the window 16.

In the case 12, a double-sided integrated shutter 22 for opening and closing the window 16 is slidably provided. The shutter 22 has a U-shaped cross section, and is attached so as to sandwich both sides of the case 12 from the front end surface 12a of the case 12. The shutter 22 is connected to the
As shown in FIG. 3, a closed position for closing the window portion 16 and two open positions for opening the window portion 16 on both sides of the closed position as shown by a solid line and a two-dot chain line in FIG. The space is slidable in a direction parallel to the front end surface 12a of the case 12. As described later, the shutter 22 is constantly urged toward the closed position by two shutter springs 8a and 8b disposed on both sides of the window 16 in the case 12.

Next, the configuration of each part of the disk cartridge 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of half cases 13 of the case 12 have the same shape and structure except for a part, and are joined with their inner surfaces facing each other with the front and back reversed. Each half case 13 has an access window 16. In addition, a region where the shutter 22 slides in the surface of the half case 13 is formed as a shallow rectangular recess 15, and a window 16 is also formed in this recess. Further, the half case 13 has a protrusion 17 for preventing the protrusion from protruding from the center of the rear end of the recess 15 to the vicinity of the window 16.
The 7 engages with the free end of the shutter 22 to hold the shutter in the recess 15 as described later.

A bridge 21 extending across the window 16 is formed at the center of the front end of each half case 13 and faces the front end of the window. A pair of fitting holes 23 are formed on the inner surface of the bridge portion 21 of one half case 13,
The bridge portion 21 of the other half case 13 is provided with a pair of projections (not shown) that fit into the fitting holes 23. The pair of half cases 13 have substantially the same configuration except that one half has a fitting hole 23 and the other has a projection.

At both rear corners of each half case 13,
A mounting hole 20 into which an operation piece for switching write protection (not shown) is slidably fitted, and a projection provided on the optical disk drive side is inserted when a disk cartridge is loaded into an optical disk drive (not shown). A pair of reference positioning 24 for positioning the optical disk cartridge with respect to the optical disk drive and a detection hole 26 for detecting the loading of the disk cartridge into the optical disk drive (not shown) are formed.

As can be clearly understood from FIGS. 2 and 4, the inner surface of the half case 13 has the outer edge of the half case,
A rib 13a having a predetermined height is formed over substantially the entire circumference except the front end, and constitutes both side walls and a rear wall of the case 12. The inner surface of the half case 13 has an optical disc 1
4 annular ribs 13b for forming a space for storage
Is formed in the body.

On both sides of the front end of the window 16, ribs 13 are provided.
A pair of spring accommodating portions 30 for accommodating the shutter springs 8 are formed by the a, 13b and the bridge portion 21, respectively. Each spring accommodating portion 30 has an opening 32 opened on the front end surface 12 a of the case 12, and these openings 32 are located on both sides of the bridge portion 21.

A fixed spring receiver 34 protrudes from the inner surface of one side wall of the half case 13, and is located in the spring housing 30 near the opening 32. The fixed spring receiver 34 is formed in a hook shape, and has an inclined surface 34 a that is inclined rearward from the inner surface of the side wall of the half case 13 toward the spring accommodating portion 30.

A projection 36 is provided in the other spring accommodating portion 30 in the vicinity of the bridge portion 21, and the upper surface of the projection, that is, the side facing each other when the pair of half cases 13 are joined. A guide surface 36 inclined toward the opening 32 and the inner surface of the half case 13
a is formed. As will be described later, the guide surface 36a moves the shutter spring 8 from the deformed position to the initial position, that is,
When returning to the position where the shutter 22 is in the closed position,
The arm of the shutter spring is guided to a predetermined position.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, a pair of left and right locking spring receivers 38 are formed at both longitudinal ends of the bridge portion 21, respectively. Each locking spring receiver 3
8 are formed by recesses opened toward the opposing spring accommodating portions 30, respectively.
The half case 13 has an inclined surface 38a inclined toward the rear of the half case 13. Further, the locking spring receiver 38 and the fixed spring receiver 34 opposed thereto are arranged so that the interference between the two 38 and 34 can be prevented when the shutter 22 is moved to the open position. ,
That is, they are slightly shifted in the insertion direction A.

The half case 13 is formed with a guide groove 40 extending along the front end face 12a, and is located near the front end face. The guide groove 40 is provided to guide the sliding of the shutter 22.
First portion 40a formed on the outer surface of bridge portion 21
And a pair of second portions 40b formed on the inner surface of the half case 13 and located in the respective spring accommodating portions 30.

The first portion 40a extends over the entire length of the bridge portion 21 in the longitudinal direction, and both ends thereof communicate with the corresponding spring accommodating portions 30 respectively. Each of the second portions 40b is formed so as to be linearly aligned with the first portion 40a, extends from the side wall of the half case 13 to the bridge portion 21, and communicates with the end of the first portion 40a. doing.

The outer surface of the bridge portion 21 is located at a lower level than the outer surface of the other portion of the half case 12, and a guide portion is provided at the boundary between both ends of the bridge portion 21 and the spring housing 30. A slit 42 extending to the groove 40 is formed. The ends of the first and second portions 40a and 40b of the guide groove 40 face upside down via the slit 42.

A moving groove 44 extending along the front end surface 12a of the half case 13 and opening to the front end surface is formed in the inner surface of the front end portion of the bridge portion 21. Also,
A guide groove 40 is formed on the outer surface of the bridge portion 21 from the front end thereof.
A pair of mounting guide grooves 46 extending to the vicinity of the first portion 40a are formed. Each mounting guide groove 46 is formed so as to be inclined from the guide groove 40a side toward the distal end side of the bridge portion 21.

The pair of half cases 13 configured as described above are abutted on each other with their inner surfaces facing each other and joined to each other. At the same time, the protrusion formed on the other bridge portion is elastically fitted into the fitting hole 23 formed on the one bridge portion 21, and the joined state of the half cases 13 is maintained.

In a state where the half cases 13 are joined together, as shown in FIGS.
The spring accommodating portions 30 are formed on both sides of the body. Fixed spring receivers 34 are provided on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the case 12.
Are provided, and project into the corresponding spring accommodating portions 30. In each spring accommodating portion 30, an inclined guide surface 36a for guiding the arm of the shutter spring is provided near the bridge portion 21.

The locking spring supports 38 respectively formed on the two bridge portions 21 are aligned with each other at each end of the bridge portions, and face the corresponding spring receiving portions 30. The moving groove 44 formed in the bridge portion 21
Each end extends between two opposing locking spring receivers 38 and communicates with the spring housing 30. Furthermore,
The mounting guide grooves 46 formed in the bridge portion 21 are arranged to face the mounting guide grooves 46 formed in the other bridge portion, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the shutter 2
2 is a pair of shielding plates 22 each formed in an elongated rectangular shape having a size capable of closing the window 16 of the case 12.
a and a connecting plate 22b connecting these shielding plates. The shielding plates 22a are opposed to each other in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the connecting plate 22b extends perpendicular to the shielding plates and connects one end of the shielding plates.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9, the connecting plate 22b of the shutter 22 has a projecting portion 50 at the center in the width direction, and the projecting portion forms a step portion 51. An opening / closing pin 70 (see FIG. 21) of a shutter opening / closing mechanism (not shown) on the optical disk drive side for sliding the shutter 22 is engaged with these steps 51.

The shutter 22 has a pair of left and right guide projections 52a and 52b, and a pair of movable spring receivers 54. That is, a pair of guide projections 52a and 52b are provided on the inner surface of one end in the width direction of the connection plate 22b.
And one movable spring receiver 54 is provided.
a pair of guide projections 52 on the inner surface at the other end in the width direction of b.
a, 52b and the other movable spring receiver 54 are provided.

The guide projections 52a and 52b are formed in a plate shape, project from the inner surface of the connecting plate 22b in parallel with the shielding plate 22a, and face each other at a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the bridge portion 21 of the case 12. doing. The guide projection 52a has a projection 56a (first projection) projecting at right angles from the extension end thereof toward the guide projection 52b, and a projection 56b (second projection) projecting at right angles from the extension end toward the shielding plate 22b.
These projections extend in a direction parallel to the connecting plate 22b, that is, in the sliding direction of the shutter 22. Thereby, the guide projection 52a is formed to have a substantially T-shaped cross section as a whole.

Similarly, the guide projection 52b has a projection 56a projecting at a right angle from the extension end thereof toward the guide projection 52a.
(A first protrusion) and a protrusion 56b (a second protrusion) projecting at right angles from the extended end toward the shielding plate 22b, and these protrusions are in a direction parallel to the connecting plate 22b. That is, it extends in the sliding direction of the shutter 22. Thus, the guide projection 52b is formed to have a substantially T-shaped cross section as a whole.

Each movable spring receiver 54 is also formed in a plate shape, protrudes from the inner surface of the connecting plate 22b in parallel with the shielding plate 22a, and is located between the guide projections 52a, 52b. Each movable spring receiver 54 has a recess 54a formed with a plate-like projection, and the recess is formed in the case 12 described above.
Of the same size and shape as the locking spring receiver 38 of FIG.

The shutter 22 having the above-described structure is integrally formed of resin. The thickness d1 of the connection plate 22b is set to be approximately twice the thickness d2 of each shielding plate 22a. Also,
In order to improve the strength of the connecting plate 22b, two ribs 5 extending in the longitudinal direction of the connecting plate 22b are provided inside the protrusion 50.
8 are integrally formed. In addition, guide projections 52a,
In order to improve the strength and the positional accuracy of the movable spring receiver 52b and the movable spring receiver 54, a padding 59 is formed at the base end thereof.

Further, a recess 60 is formed on the inner surface of the projecting portion 50 of the connecting plate 22b. The recess 60 faces the gate position G when the shutter 22 is injection-molded, and acts to make the flow of resin uniform during injection molding.

The shutter 22 configured as described above
As shown in FIG. 2, the free end of the shielding plate 22a is
Is attached to the case 12 by pushing in the direction of arrow E from the front end face 12a side of the. At this time, the guide protrusions 52a and 52b of the shutter 22 are pushed in a state where they are aligned with the mounting guide grooves 46 formed in the bridge portion 21. Thereby, the guide projections 52a and 52b of each pair move along the mounting guide groove 46 while sandwiching the bridge portion 21 from above and below.

By further pushing the shutter 22 in the direction of arrow E, the guide projections 52a and 52b
And the connecting plate 22b is engaged with the first portion 40a of the case 1.
2 and adjacently opposes the front end face 12a. The pair of movable spring supports 54 projecting from the inner surface of the connecting plate 22b
1 is slidably inserted into a moving groove 44 formed in the distal end surface.

Further, the shielding plate 22a moves on each upper surface of the case 12, and its free end is located between the bottom surface of the recess 15 formed on each surface of the case 12 and the protrusion 17 for retaining. Is inserted and retained. With the above operation, the shutter 2
2 is attached to the case 12.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the shutter 22 is in the closed position, the two windows 16 of the case 12 are closed.
Are closed by the shutter shielding plates 22a, respectively. The width of each shielding plate 22 a is formed slightly larger than the width of the window 16, and both side edges of the shielding plate overlap the upper wall of the case 12.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11,
When the shutter 22 is closed, the recesses 54 a of the pair of movable spring receivers 54 are aligned with the locking spring receivers 38 provided at both ends of the bridge portion 21 of the case 12. Further, the movable spring receiver 54 and the locking spring receiver 38 aligned with each other are provided so as to be located in an overlap region 60 between the shutter 22 and the upper wall of the case 12.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, when the shutter 22 is closed,
a and 52b sandwich the bridge portion 21 of the case 12 from both sides. Also, the protrusions 56a inside the guide protrusions 52a and 52b respectively correspond to the first portions 40 of the guide grooves 40.
a is slidably engaged with a. That is, the guide protrusion 5
2a and 52b guide the movement of the shutter 22 by sliding the inner protrusion 56a in the first portion 40a while moving on the bridge portion 21.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Is moved from the closed position to one of the open positions, the two shielding plates 22a of the shutter come off the windows 16 to open the windows. At this time, the movable spring receiver 54 of the shutter 22
Move out of the movement groove 44 of the bridge portion 21 and into the spring housing portion 30 on the open side.

The guide projections 52a of the shutter 22
52b, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG.
a slides in the first portion 40a of the guide groove 40,
Each of the spring housing portions 30 on the open side passes through the slit 42.
Move in. At that time, the projection 56a of the guide projection 52a, 52b is disengaged from the first portion 40a, and the outer projection 56b is engaged with the second portion 40b of the guide groove 40 instead. Thereafter, until the shutter 22 reaches the open position, the projections 56b of the guide projections 52a, 52b
Move in b.

That is, the guide projections 52a, 52b
While moving inside the spring accommodating portion 30, the outer protrusion 56b
Slides in the first portion 40b provided in the spring storage portion to guide the movement of the shutter 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 16 to FIG.
Spring housing 3 formed on both sides of window 16 of case 12
As the pair of shutter springs 8 housed in a pair 0, those having the same structure are used in a point-symmetric manner. That is, each shutter spring 8 includes a coil portion 8a and two arms 9 extending from both ends of the coil portion in directions substantially opposite to each other.
a, 9b. The tip of one arm 9a is bent at a right angle to the coil portion 8a side to form a fixed end 11a. The tip of the other arm 9b is bent at a right angle toward the coil 8a to form a movable end 11b.

The shutter spring 8 having the above-described structure
2 with the front end face 1 of the case 12 held in the closed position.
The springs are mounted in the spring accommodating portions 30 from the opening portions 32 that are opened in 2a. That is, first, the shutter 22 is moved to the closing position, and the movable spring receiver 54 of the shutter 22 and the locking spring receiver 38 formed on the bridge portion 21 are aligned with each other. In this state, the pair of arms 9a and 9b of each shutter spring 8 are slightly elastically deformed in a direction approaching each other, and then inserted into the spring accommodating portion 30 through the opening 32 from the coil portion 8 side.

Subsequently, the fixed end 11a of the shutter spring is connected to the guide surface 34 of the fixed spring receiver 34 formed on the case 12.
a, and the movable end 11b is brought into contact with the guide surface 38a of the movable spring receiver 54 and the locking spring receiver 38 aligned with each other. When the pressing force applied to the arms 9a and 9b is released in this state, the arms 9a and 9b move in a direction away from each other by their own elasticity. At this time, the fixed end 11a and the movable end 11b of the shutter spring 8 move along the guide surfaces 34a and 38a, respectively, and the fixed end 11a
Engages with the fixed spring receiver 34, and the movable end 11b engages with the locking spring receiver 38 of the bridge portion 21 and the movable spring receiver 54 of the shutter 22.

By the above operation, the pair of shutter springs 8
Is completed. As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18,
When the shutter 22 is in the closed position, each movable spring receiver 54 of the shutter is aligned with the corresponding locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12, and the movable end 11b of each shutter spring 8 is Stop spring receiver 38
Is engaged. Thus, the shutter 22 is urged from both sides by the two shutter springs 8 and is held at the closed position.

In this case, the movable end 11 of each shutter spring 8
b engages with the locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12 in addition to the movable spring receiver 54, so that an excessive biasing force is prevented from acting on the shutter 22 from the shutter spring 8 and the shutter 22 is , Is held at the closed position by the preload of the shutter spring 8. Therefore, even when the biasing forces of the two shutter springs 8 vary due to manufacturing variations or the like, the shutter 22 can accurately hold the shutter 22 at the closed position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS.
For example, when the opening / closing pin 70 of the shutter opening / closing mechanism (not shown) on the optical disk drive side moves along the front end surface of the case 12 and engages with the step portion 51 of the shutter 22, the shutter 22 moves from the closed position to any open position. The movable spring receiver 54 positioned on the shutter open side of the movable spring receiver 54 of the shutter 22 is moved from the position aligned with the locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12 into the spring housing portion 30 on the shutter open side. Go to At this time, the movable spring receiver 54 holds the movable end 11 while maintaining the engagement state with the movable end 11b of the shutter spring 8 located on the shutter open side.
b is pressed toward the spring accommodating portion 30 to be separated from the locking spring receiver 38. The movable spring receiver 54 is provided with the shutter 22.
Until reaches the open position, the movable end 11b of the shutter spring 8 is pressed and moved to the vicinity of the fixed end 11a.

The movable spring receiver 54 and the fixed spring receiver 3
4, the shutters 22 are shifted from each other along the insertion direction of the cartridge 10. Therefore, even when the shutter 22 is moved to the open position, it does not interfere with each other, and the shutter can be reliably and smoothly opened. it can.

On the other hand, of the movable spring receivers 54 of the shutter 22, the movable spring receiver 5 located on the side opposite to the shutter opening side
4 moves away from the locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12 with the movement of the shutter 22, and moves in the movement groove 44 of the bridge portion 21 toward the spring opening portion 30 on the shutter open side.

When the movable spring receiver 54 is separated from the locking spring receiver 38, it is also separated from the movable end 11b of the shutter spring 8 on the opposite side. Therefore, the movable end 11b of the shutter spring 8 on the opposite side is maintained in a state of being engaged with the locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12, and the shutter spring 8 located on the side opposite to the shutter open side is held in the initial state. You.

Accordingly, the shutter 22 is moved to the open position by the opening / closing pin 70 while receiving the urging force of only the shutter spring on the shutter open side without being affected by the shutter spring 8 located on the side opposite to the opening direction. You.

When the pressing force applied to the shutter 22 by the open / close pin 70 is removed when the shutter is closed, the shutter 22 is pressed toward the closed position by the open shutter spring 8 engaged with the shutter. And moved to the closed position. When the shutter 22 moves to the closing position, the movable spring receiver 54 of the shutter
And aligned with. Then, the movable end 11b of the shutter spring 8 that has pressed the shutter 22 also engages with the locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12, and thereafter, excessive bias acting on the shutter 22 is restricted. As a result, the shutter 22 is held at the closed position.

When the shutter spring 8 returns from the contracted state shown in FIG. 21 to the initial state shown in FIG. 17, that is, when the shutter 22 returns from the open position to the closed position, the arm 9b of the shutter spring Immediately before returning to the initial state, the guide surface 36 provided on the inner surface side of the case 12
Guided to a predetermined position by a. Therefore, the movable end 11b of the arm 9b is
Can always be accurately engaged at a fixed position.

Therefore, even when the shutter spring 22 is slightly displaced in accordance with the opening / closing operation of the shutter 22, the shutter spring can be reliably returned to the predetermined initial state every time the shutter returns from the open position to the closed position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the shutter spring from coming off or being caught, thereby improving reliability.

When the shutter 22 moves to the other open position, the operation of each part is the same except that the operation direction is reversed. According to the disk cartridge 10 configured as described above, the shutter 22 can be opened and closed in both directions with a simple configuration in which the pair of shutter springs 8 are provided on both sides of the window portion 16, and the shutter is located at the center. Can be held at the closed position.

The disc cartridge 10 includes a case 12, a shutter 22, a pair of shutter springs 8,
And the minimum number of parts
The shutter 22 can be mounted on the case only by inserting it into the case 12 from the front end side, and similarly, a pair of shutter springs can be mounted on the case only by inserting it through the opening 32 of the case. Therefore, the assembling is easy, and the automatic assembling of the disk cartridge becomes possible.

Further, the disk cartridge 1 having the above configuration
According to 0, although the pair of left and right shutter springs 8 is provided, the opening and closing operation of the shutter 22 is performed by only one shutter spring corresponding to the opening direction. That is, when the shutter 22 moves to one open position, the movable end 11 of the shutter spring 8 provided on the shutter open side is moved.
b is the distance between the locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12 and the shutter 22.
The movable end 11b of the other shutter spring 8 is separated from the movable spring receiver 54 of the shutter 22 and is held in a state of being engaged with the locking spring receiver 38 of the case 12.

Accordingly, the shutter 22 is opened and closed without being affected by the other shutter spring 8 in a state of being engaged with only the shutter spring 8 on the open side. As a result, the opening / closing stroke of the shutter 22 can be made sufficiently large, and, for example, a disk cartridge containing a large-diameter optical disk having a diameter of about 120 mm can be handled.

Further, the disk cartridge 1 having the above configuration
According to 0, although the opening 32 for inserting the shutter spring 8 is formed on both sides of the bridge portion 21 at the front end of the case 10, the movement of the shutter 22 can be reliably guided. .

That is, when the guide projections 52 a and 52 b provided on the shutter 22 move on the bridge portion 21, the inner projection 56 a
a, the outer projection 56b engages with the second portion 40b of the guide groove 40 formed on the inner surface of the case 12 when the shutter 22 is moved in each opening 32. This guides the movement of the shutter 22. Therefore, at any of the movement positions, the movement of the shutter 22 can be reliably guided by the guide protrusions 52a and 52b.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the shutter 22
Has two pairs of guide projections 52a and 52b. However, the same operation and effect as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained with a configuration in which only one pair of these guide projections is provided. In this case, the guide projections 52a and 52b are provided at the center of the connecting plate 22b of the shutter 22, and have a sufficiently large width along the moving direction of the shutter 22.

In the present invention, the information recording medium is not limited to an optical disk having a recording / reproducing surface on both sides, but may be an optical disk having a recording / reproducing surface on only one side.

[0084]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the shutter can be opened and closed in both directions with a simple structure having only a pair of shutter springs, and the shutter can be reliably moved to the closed position. Can be retained,
A disk cartridge that can be automatically assembled can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, since the shutter is biased by using only one of the shutter springs in accordance with the opening direction of the shutter, a simple configuration in which the opening and closing stroke of the shutter can be set large. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a shutter closed.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the disk cartridge.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the disk cartridge in a state where a shutter is opened.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing a front end portion of a half case of the disk cartridge and an enlarged view of a fixed spring receiver.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a bridge portion of a case of the disk cartridge.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the case.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a bridge portion of the case.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an inner surface side of a shutter of the disk cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a front end portion of the disk cartridge in a state where the shutter is closed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between a locking spring receiver of the case and a movable spring receiver of the shutter when the shutter has moved to a closing position.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a front end portion of the disk cartridge in a state where the shutter has moved to an open position.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an engagement state between a guide protrusion of the shutter and a guide groove of a case when the shutter moves from a closed position to an open position.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along lines HH in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the disk cartridge in which the shutter is in a closed position.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the front end of the half case and a pair of shutter springs in a state where the shutter is in a closed position.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between a locking spring receiver of the case and a movable spring receiver of the shutter and an engagement relationship between the spring receiver and a shutter spring in a state where the shutter has moved to a closing position. .

FIG. 19 shows the positional relationship between the locking spring receiver of the case and the movable spring receiver of the shutter and the engagement relationship between these spring receivers and the shutter spring when the shutter moves from the closed position to the open position. FIG.

FIG. 20 is a front view of the disk cartridge with the shutter at an open position.

FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the front end of the half case and a pair of shutter springs in a state where the shutter has moved to an open position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 8 shutter shutter 8a coil part 9a, 9b arm 10 disk cartridge 11a fixed end 11b movable end 12 case 12a front end face 13 half case 14 optical disk 16 window 21 bridge part 22 shutter DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Spring accommodation part 32 ... Opening part 34 ... Fixed spring receiver 38 ... Locking spring receiver 40 ... Guide groove 40a ... First part 40b ... Second part 44 ... Moving groove 52a, 52b ... Guide protrusion 54 ... Movable spring Receiving 56a, 56b ... projection

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A case containing a disk-shaped recording medium and having a window exposing a part of the recording medium, a closing position for closing the window, and positions on both sides of the window. Two open positions for opening the windows, respectively; a shutter movably attached to the case; and a shutter disposed inside the case on both sides of the shutter, each of which faces the shutter toward the closed position. A pair of shutter springs that are urged and held at the closed position, wherein the shutter springs are respectively fixed ends fixed to the case, and are detachable from the case and the shutter when the shutter is at the closed position. And a movable end that engages with the shutter. When the shutter moves from the closed position to one open position, a shutter spring provided on the one open position side is movable. A disk cartridge wherein a moving end is pressed toward the fixed end to separate it from the case, and is separated from a movable end of a shutter spring provided on the other open position side. 2. A case containing a disk-shaped recording medium and having a window exposing a part of the recording medium, a closing position for closing the window, and positions on both sides of the window. Two open positions for opening the windows, respectively; a shutter movably attached to the case; and a shutter disposed inside the case on both sides of the shutter, each of which faces the shutter toward the closed position. A pair of shutter springs which are urged and held at the closed position, wherein each of the shutter springs is fixed to the case, and separates from the case and the shutter when the shutter is at the closed position. A movable end operably engaged with the shutter, the shutter being located at the one open position when the shutter moves from the closed position to the one open position. Roots is pushed to the fixed end spaced from said case the movable end by the shutter,
A disk cartridge, characterized in that a movable end of a shutter spring located on the other open position side is detached from the shutter and maintains an engagement state with the case. 3. A case accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium and having a window exposing a part of the recording medium, a closing position for closing the window, and positions on both sides of the window. Two open positions for opening the windows, respectively; a shutter movably attached to the case; and a shutter disposed inside the case on both sides of the shutter, each of which faces the shutter toward the closed position. A pair of shutter springs which are urged and held at the closed position, wherein the case is formed on both sides of the window portion, and a spring housing portion respectively housing the shutter spring; A locking spring receiver positioned adjacent to the window and a fixed spring receiver spaced apart from the window, wherein the shutter is aligned with the locking spring receiver in the closed position. A pair of movable spring receivers arranged in a row, wherein each of the shutter springs is formed of a torsion spring, and the fixed end engaged with the fixed spring receiver and the shutter when the shutter is at the closed position. When the shutter moves from the closed position to the one open position by engaging with the stop spring receiver and the movable spring receiver aligned with the stopper, the shutter moves toward the fixed end in a state engaged with the movable spring receiver. A movable end separated from the movable spring receiver and held by the lock spring receiver when the shutter moves from the closed position to the other open position. A disc cartridge characterized in that: 4. The case is formed in a flat rectangular shape having two parallel main surfaces on which the window portion is formed, a front end surface, and two side surfaces parallel to each other. A bridge part that constitutes a part of the front end face and opposes the front end of the window part, and has two openings that respectively open to the front end face on both sides of the bridge part, and the opening part is 4. The disc cartridge according to claim 3, wherein each of the disc cartridges is formed so as to communicate with the spring accommodating portion and to allow the shutter spring to pass therethrough. 5. The locking spring receiver is formed on the bridge portion so as to face the spring housing portion, and the bridge portion extends through the vicinity of the locking spring receiver and is connected to the shutter. The disk cartridge according to claim 4, further comprising a moving groove in which the movable spring receiver moves. 6. The disk cartridge according to claim 4, wherein each of the fixed spring receivers is provided adjacent to a side surface of the case in the spring accommodating portion. 7. The shutter comprises: a pair of shielding plates slidable on the two main surfaces, respectively; and a connecting plate connecting the shielding plates to each other and facing a front end surface of the case. The disk cartridge according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the movable spring receiver of the shutter is provided to protrude from an inner surface of the connecting plate. 8. A guide means for guiding the movement of the shutter, wherein the guide means is formed on a first portion formed in the bridge portion and on an inner surface of the case in each of the spring accommodating portions. And a pair of second portions linearly aligned with the first portion, a guide groove extending along the front end face, and a guide groove provided on the shutter and on the bridge portion in response to movement of the shutter. And a guide projection that moves in each spring accommodating portion. The guide projection includes a first projection that engages with the first portion when moving on the bridge portion, and a guide projection that moves in the spring accommodating portion. The disk cartridge according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a second projection that engages with the second portion when moving. 9. The shutter comprises: a pair of shielding plates slidable on the two main surfaces, respectively; and a connecting plate connecting the shielding plates to each other and facing a front end surface of the case. The guide projection projects substantially parallel to the shield plate from the connection plate, and the first and second projections project from the extension end of the guide projection in directions opposite to each other. The disk cartridge according to claim 8, wherein: 10. A case containing a disk-shaped recording medium and having a window exposing a part of the recording medium, a closing position for closing the window, and positions on both sides of the window. A shutter movably attached to the case; a guide means for guiding the movement of the shutter; and a shutter disposed inside the case on both sides of the shutter. A pair of shutter springs, each of which biases the shutter toward the closed position and holds the shutter at the closed position, wherein the case is formed on both sides of the window and houses the shutter springs respectively. And two openings that are open to the front end face of the case and communicate with the spring receiving portions, respectively, and through which the shutter spring can be inserted.
A bridge portion located between the openings and facing the window, wherein the guide means is formed on a first portion formed in the bridge portion and on an inner surface of the case in each of the spring receiving portions. A guide groove extending along a front end face of the case, the guide groove being provided along the front end surface of the case, and being provided in response to movement of the shutter. A guide projection that moves on the bridge portion and in each spring accommodating portion, wherein the guide projection engages with the first portion when moving on the bridge portion; A second projection which engages with the second portion when moving in the spring accommodating portion. 11. The case has two main surfaces each having the window, and the shutter includes a pair of shield plates slidable on the two main surfaces, respectively, and the shield plate. A connection plate connected to each other and facing a front end surface of the case, wherein the guide protrusion projects from the connection plate substantially parallel to the shielding plate, and the first and second protrusions include: 11. The disk cartridge according to claim 10, wherein the guide projections are provided so as to project from the extending end portions in directions opposite to each other. 12. A case having an optical disk capable of processing information on both sides and having a window exposing a part of both sides of the optical disk, a closing position for closing the window, Two open positions respectively located on both sides to open the window, a shutter movably attached to the case, and disposed on both sides of the shutter in the case, each closing the shutter in the closed position A pair of shutter springs urged toward the closed position and held at the closed position, wherein the case is formed on both sides of the window portion, and a spring accommodating portion accommodating the shutter spring respectively; A locking spring receiver positioned adjacent to the window and a fixed spring receiver positioned away from the window, wherein the shutter is locked in the closed position. A pair of movable spring supports, each of which is aligned with the spring support, wherein each of the shutter springs is formed of a torsion spring, and the fixed end engaged with the fixed spring support and the shutter are in the closed position; When the shutter moves from the closed position to one of the open positions, the fixed end is engaged with the movable spring retainer and the movable spring retainer aligned therewith. And when the shutter moves from the closed position toward the other open position, the movable end is separated from the movable spring receiver and held by the locking spring receiver. And a disk cartridge comprising: