JPH10255432A - Disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a disk cartridge capable of surely opening/closing the window part of a case and also capable of being miniaturized. SOLUTION: The window part 16 exposing a part of the optical disk is formed on the case 12 wherein the optical disk 14 is housed, and a shutter 22 for opening/closing this window part is also provided thereon. The shutter is formed by being divided into a pair of shutter members 22a, 22b, and these shutter members are mounted on the case 12 so as freely movable respectively between the closing position for closing the window part with the mutual corporation and the opening position for opening the window part while being respectively positioned at both sides of the window part.

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 window for exposing a recording medium and a shutter for opening and closing the window.

[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.

In these disk cartridges,
Normally, the shutter is configured as a single shutter that simultaneously opens and closes windows formed on both sides of the case. The shutter overlaps and closes the window, and moves to either side of the window to move the window. It can be switched along the outer surface of the case between the open position where the portion is opened.

[0007]

In the case of the disk cartridge having the above-described structure, the shutter must be formed to have a width larger than the width of the window in order to reliably close the window formed in the case. There is. Therefore, if the window of the case is formed to be wide corresponding to the optical head or the like on the disk drive side, the width of the shutter needs to be formed accordingly.

Conversely, in order to reliably open the window of the case, it is necessary to move the shutter to a position where it is completely retracted from the window, and the shutter has a movement stroke at least as large as the width of the shutter. Need to be. At the same time, the case needs to be formed with a sufficient width to secure the movement stroke of the shutter. Therefore, when the wide shutter is used as described above, the movement stroke of the shutter is not large, and as a result, the entire case becomes large. Particularly, in the case of the double-opening type disk cartridge, it is necessary to provide a region corresponding to the movement stroke of the shutter on both sides of the window portion, which further increases the size.

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 that can reliably open and close a window of a case and can be downsized.

[0010]

To achieve the above object, according to the disk cartridge of the present invention, a shutter for opening and closing a window of a case is divided into two parts, and each shutter is closed and opened. , The width and movement stroke of each shutter are reduced, and the size of the entire case is reduced.

That is, a disk cartridge according to a first aspect of the present invention accommodates a disk-shaped recording medium, and has a case having a window that partially exposes the recording medium; The shutter includes a pair of shutter members. These shutter members cooperate with each other to close the window, and to close the window on both sides of the window. It is characterized in that it is attached to the case movably between an open position to be opened and the open position.

Further, the disk cartridge according to the present invention includes a pair of locking means for locking the shutter members at the closed positions, respectively, and each locking means is formed on the case and provided between the locked position and the unlocked position. , And an engaging portion provided on the shutter member and engaged with the lock claw at the closed position.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge according to the present invention, which has one end connected to the shutter member, and a pair of slidably provided in the case slidably linked to opening and closing operations of the shutter member. A belt is provided, and each belt has another end portion engageable from the outside of the case.

[0014]

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 is an information recording medium such as an optical disk 14 having a recording / reproducing surface on both sides.
Is provided with a flat rectangular case 12 in which is stored. 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 accessing the optical disc 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 housed in case 12
A hub 18 having a central hole 23 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.

Each window 16 has a substantially semicircular central portion 16a facing the hub 18 of the optical disk 14, and a rectangular extending portion extending from the central portion and facing the recording / reproducing surface of the optical disk. And a projection 16b.
The central portion 16a is formed to have a slightly larger diameter than the hub 18. The width of the extension 16b is
It is formed slightly larger than the diameter of a.

In the case 12, a shutter 22 for opening and closing the window 16 is slidably provided. Shutter 22
Is provided with a pair of shutter members 22a and 22b of a double-sided integral type each having a substantially U-shaped cross section.
These shutter members 22a and 22b are attached so as to sandwich both sides of the case 12 from the front end surface 12a of the case 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shutter members 22a and 22b are respectively closed at half-close positions of the window portion 16, and at both sides of the window portion 16 as shown in FIG. 16 can be slid along a direction parallel to the front end surface 12a of the case 12 (arrow B direction). And, as described below,
When the disk cartridge 10 is not used, the shutter member 2
2a and 22b are each locked in the closed position.

Next, the configuration of each part of the disk cartridge 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 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. Also, the shutter member 22 of the surface of the half case 13 is provided.
A region where a and 22b slide 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 guide groove 17 formed at the rear end of the recess 15 and extending in the sliding direction of the shutter member. Engage with the free end of 22b to guide the movement of the shutter member. 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. As can be clearly seen from FIG. 2, the inner surface of each half case 13 has a circular recess 19 for forming a space for accommodating the optical disk 14.
Are formed.

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 portions 24 for positioning the optical disk cartridge with respect to the optical disk drive are formed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, at the front end of each half case 13, a guide rib 26 extending in the sliding direction B of the shutter 22 is formed, and extends over the entire width of the half case in the width direction. Extending. In addition, each half case 1
3, guide ribs 2 are provided on both sides of the window portion 16.
Guide slits 27 extending in parallel with 6 are formed.

Further, each half case 13 has a pair of lock claws 28 located on both sides of the window portion 16, respectively. These lock claws 28 are formed integrally with the half case 13 and are arranged adjacent to the guide slit 27. Each lock claw 28 is formed so as to be elastically deformable between a lock position shown in FIG. 4 and a lock release position described later, and is normally held at the lock position by its own elasticity.

Further, of the guide ribs 26, each lock claw 2
A guide groove 30 is formed in a portion opposed to 8, and each extends in a direction perpendicular to the guide rib. The pair of half cases 13 configured as described above are abutted and joined to each other with their inner surfaces facing each other.
At the same time, a plurality of pins 31 protruding from the inner surface of one half case 13 are fitted into fitting holes (not shown) formed on the inner surface of the other half case 13, so that the half case 13
The joint state of the comrades is maintained.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shutter member 22a,
22b are formed symmetrically with each other and have the same size and shape. Specifically, each shutter member includes a pair of shield plates 32 formed in an elongated rectangular shape, and a connecting plate 33 connecting these shield plates.
Each shielding plate 32 is formed in a width capable of closing half of the window 16. The shielding plates 32 face each other in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the connecting plate 33 extends perpendicular to the shielding plate and connects one end of the shielding plates. Further, the extending end portions of both shielding plates 32 are slightly bent inward, and the gap therebetween is reduced.

The shutter members 22a and 22b are
The case 12 is attached to the case 12 so as to sandwich the case 12 from above and below by a pair of shielding plates 32, and the connecting plate 33 corresponds to the front end surface of the case. The extending end of each shielding plate 32 is engaged with a guide groove 17 formed in the case 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, an engagement slot 34 functioning as an opening is formed at an end on the connection side of each shielding plate 32, and an engaging slot 34 formed on the other shielding plate. It faces the matching slot. These engagement slots 3
Reference numeral 4 extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the shutter member, and also opens to the connecting plate 33. As described later, these engagement slots 34 include the shutter 22.
An opening / closing arm of a shutter opening / closing mechanism (not shown) on the optical disk drive side for opening / closing the shutter is engaged.

As shown in FIG. 5, each shutter member 22
Each of the shielding plates 32 a and 22 b has a contact side edge 35 that contacts each other when the shutter 22 is closed. The contact side edge 35 is slightly inclined toward the other opposing shutter member, and extends from the connection plate 33 toward the extension of the shielding plate 32. Therefore, each shield plate 32 has a slightly larger width W2 on the extension end side than the width W1 on the connection side, for example,
It is formed to be wider by about 0.5 mm. This is because, when the shutter 22 is opened / closed by the shutter opening / closing mechanism, the movement of the shielding plate 32 on the extension end side is slightly delayed with respect to the movement of the connection side portion of the shielding plate 32. Shutter members 22a, 22
This is to prevent a gap from being generated between b.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the shutter 2
2 is a connecting plate 3 for the shutter members 22a and 22b, respectively.
3 is provided with a slider 36 screwed to the inner surface. Each slider 36 has a rectangular plate-shaped main body 38, a pair of parallel engaging claws 40 protruding from the main body toward the case 12, and a pair of parallel guide claws 42 protruding from the main body toward the case 12.
And are integrally provided.

At the extending ends of the pair of engaging claws 40, there are formed convex portions 40a which protrude in directions approaching each other. Similarly, at the extending ends of the pair of guide claws 42, a convex portion 42a protruding in a direction approaching each other is formed. Also,
The engaging claw 40 and the guide claw 42 are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval, and a guide groove 44 located between the engaging claw and the guide claw is formed on each side edge of the main body 36. . When the slider 36 is fixed to the shutter member, each guide groove 44 is located to face the engaging slot 34 of the shielding plate 32.

Each of the sliders 36 configured as described above has a pair of engagement claws 40 and a pair of guide claws 4.
2, the guide rib 26 of the case 12 is attached to the case 12 while being sandwiched from both sides of the case, and is slidable along the guide rib 26. Also, the projection 40a of the engagement claw 40 and the projection 42a of the guide claw 42
Is movably engaged in the guide slit 27 of the case 12. Further, each engagement claw 40 is formed so as to be able to engage with the corresponding lock claw 28 of the case 12, and these engagement claw and lock claw function as locking means in the present invention. The shutter members 22a and 22b are slidably attached to the case 12 via the slider 36 having the above-described configuration.

In the disk cartridge constructed as described above, when not in use, a pair of shutter members 22a,
Reference numeral 22b is locked in the closing position, and closes the window 16. That is, as can be clearly understood from FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, when each of the shutter members 22a and 22b is in the closed position, the engagement claw 40 of each slider 36 engages with the lock claw 28 on the case 12 side. The shutter member is locked at the closing position. In the closed position, the guide groove 44 of the slider 36 and the engagement slot 34 of the shielding plate 32 are provided.
Are respectively opposed to the guide grooves 30 formed in the guide ribs 26 of the case 12.

On the other hand, the disk cartridge 1 having the above configuration
When 0 is loaded into an optical disk drive (not shown), the shutter 22 is automatically opened by the shutter opening / closing mechanism on the optical disk drive side. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the shutter opening / closing mechanism includes a pair of opening / closing arms 50, and these opening / closing arms 50 are provided rotatably and urged in directions approaching each other. Have been. The tip of each opening / closing arm 50 is formed in a bifurcated shape, and a pair of opening / closing pins 52 protrude from the inner surface of the tip.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded into the optical disk drive along the direction of arrow A, a pair of open / close pins 52 provided at the distal ends of the pair of open / close arms 50 respectively. It is inserted into a corresponding engagement slot 34 provided in the shutter members 22a, 22b. And these opening and closing pins 52 are
The rod enters the end of the engagement slot 34 through the guide groove 44 of the slider 36 and the guide groove 30 of the case 12, and abuts the lock claw 28 of the case 12 to deform the lock claw to the unlock position. Thereby, the lock of the shutter members 22a and 22b is released.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the disk cut ridge 10 is further pushed in the direction of arrow A, the pair of opening / closing arms 50 are pushed by the disk cartridge and rotate in a direction away from each other. With the rotation of the open / close arm 50, the shutter members 22a and 22b are pushed toward the open position by the open / close pins 52. When the disk cartridge 10 is pushed to the predetermined position, the shutter members 22a and 22b move to the open positions.
In the open position, the two shield plates 32 of each of the shutter members 22a and 22b are positioned off the window 16 to open the window.

When the disk cartridge 10 is ejected from the optical disk drive, the disk cartridge moves in a direction away from the opening / closing arm 50, so that the opening / closing arms 50 are rotated in a direction approaching each other by an urging member (not shown). I do. And the opening and closing arm 5
With the rotation of 0, the shutter members 22a and 22b are moved to the closing position by the opening / closing pin 52, and automatically close the window portion 16. At the same time, the engagement claw 40 of each slider 36 engages with the lock claw 28 on the case 12 side, and the shutter member 22
a, 22b are each locked in the closed position.

According to the disk cartridge 10 configured as described above, the shutter 22 includes the pair of shutter members 2.
2a and 22b, and are provided to be openable and closable in directions opposite to each other. Therefore, the width of each of the shutter members 22a and 22b along the moving direction is formed to be about 1/2 of the conventional single shutter, and the moving stroke of the shutter member is also about 1/2 of the conventional one. I have. Therefore, the case 12 only needs to have about の of the conventional area on both sides of the window 16 as a shutter sliding area required in accordance with the movement stroke of the shutter member. The width can be set substantially equal to the diameter of the optical disc 14. As a result, the size of the entire disc cartridge 10 can be reduced.

Each shutter member 22a, 22b is
Since the shutter 22 is locked in the closed position by the lock claw 28 and the engagement claw 40 as the locking means, the shutter 22 can be prevented from being inadvertently opened, and the window 16 can be reliably closed. In this case, there is no need to provide a shutter spring or the like for urging the shutter member to the closed position, so that the number of components can be reduced and the size can be further reduced.

Further, according to the configuration of the shutter 22, the shutter members 22a and 22b are reliably opened and closed even when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded in the optical disk drive with the shutter 22 half-opened or fully opened. be able to. That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded in the optical disk drive with the shutter 22 normally closed, the shutter members 22a, 22b
Is moved to the open position by the opening / closing arm 22.

As shown in FIG. 9B, when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded in the optical disk drive with the shutter 22 half opened, the shutter members 22a, 22a
The engagement slot 34 of 2b does not initially engage with the opening / closing arm 50, but the opening / closing arm 50 is gradually rotated in the opening direction with the insertion of the disk cartridge, and is inserted into the optical disk drive to some extent (from the left). Third)
The opening / closing pin of the opening / closing arm 50 is connected to the shutter members 22a, 22
b engages with the engagement slot 34. Thereafter, the shutter members 22a and 22b are moved to the open position by the opening / closing arm 50.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded in the optical disk drive with the shutter 22 fully opened, the opening / closing arm 50 is
It does not engage with the engagement slots 34 of the shutter members 22a and 22b until the disk cartridge 10 is inserted to the final position, but when the disk cartridge 10 is inserted to the final position (fourth from the left), the engagement slots 34 Engages.

Therefore, in any case, the open / close arm 5
0 means that the shutter members 22a and 22b must be inserted before the disk cartridge 10 is inserted to the predetermined final position.
And the shutter 22 can be reliably opened, and the disk cartridge 1
When ejecting 0 from the optical disk drive,
The shutter 22 can be reliably closed by the opening / closing arm 50.

In the above-described embodiment, the shutter spring is omitted by providing the lock mechanism for locking each shutter member at the closing position. However, if necessary, the shutter spring may be replaced with the lock mechanism. It may be used. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the slider 36 of each shutter member 22a, 22b and the case 1
2, a torsion spring 54 as a shutter spring
The shutter member 22 is provided by these torsion springs.
a, 22b may be configured to be biased and held at the closed position.

Next, a disc cartridge 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. According to the second embodiment, the disc cartridge 10 includes a pair of belts connected to the shutter members 22a and 22b, respectively, and is configured to open and close the shutter members via the belts. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment. The same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Only different portions will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the front end face 12a of the case 12 of the disc cartridge 10
A pair of recesses 60 are formed and are located on both sides of the bridge portion 21. Further, a pair of guide grooves 62 and a pair of guide ribs 63 for guiding sliding of the slider 36 fixed to the shutter members 22a and 22b are provided at the front end of each half case 13.

A pair of guide grooves 62 are formed on the outer surface of the bridge portion 21 and extend along the front end face 12a from substantially the center in the longitudinal direction of the bridge portion 21 to both ends of the bridge portion 21. It is open in the place 60. The pair of guide ribs 63 are formed on the inner surface of the half case 13 and are located in the recesses 60, respectively. Each guide rib 63 extends from the side wall of the half case 13 to the bridge portion 21 along the front end face 12 a of the case 12, and
It is shifted to the a side.

The bridge portion 21 is formed to have a thickness smaller than the thickness of the case 12 and its outer surface is located at a lower level than the outer surfaces of the other portions of the half case 13. A slit 64 extending to the guide groove 62 is formed at a boundary between the two ends of the bridge 21 and the recess 60.
(See FIG. 12). One end of each guide groove 62 and one end of the guide rib 63 are adjacently opposed via the slit 64.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, guide recesses 66 extending in the insertion direction A of the disc cartridge 10 are formed at the front ends of both side surfaces 12b of the case 12, respectively. Each guide recess 66 has a side surface 12.
b extends from the vicinity of the middle portion to the front end surface 12a of the case 12.

A belt guide groove 68 for guiding both side edges of the belt 80 described later is formed at both corners on the bottom side of each guide recess 66. Each guide groove 68 extends in the guide recess 66 along the insertion direction A, and further includes a guide protrusion 7 provided at a corner of the case 12.
0 to the front end face 12a side, and the case recess 6
It communicates with 0. A groove is formed in the guide rib 63 located in the recess 60 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and forms a part of the belt guide groove 68.

On the other hand, the slider 36 fixed to the inner surface of the connecting plate 33 of each of the shutter members 22a and 22b is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped block as shown in FIGS. A guide groove 72 extending in the longitudinal direction of the slider is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the slider 36, and an engagement slit 74 opened at one end of the slider is formed on the bottom surface of the guide groove. Part of the engaging slit 74 is formed to have a semicircular cross section. The slider 36 has a guide claw 76 projecting bifurcated from one side surface thereof.
The guide pawl extends over the entire length of the slider 36 in the longitudinal direction.

The belt 80 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin, and has a semicircular projection 82 at one end for retaining and a rectangular parallelepiped engaging portion 84 at the other end. Is provided. And the belt 80
Is connected to the slider 36 by inserting one end thereof together with the projection 82 into the engagement slit 74 of the slider 36.

The slider 36 having the above structure is slidably engaged with the front end of the case 12. That is, at the closing position of the shutter 22, the guide pawl 7 of each slider 36
Numeral 6 sandwiches the bridge portion 21 of the case 12 from above and below, and slidably engages a guide groove 62 formed in the bridge portion. That is, the slider 36 guides the movement of the shutter members 22a and 22b by moving the guide claws 76 in the guide grooves 62 while moving on the bridge portion 21.

In the open position of the shutter 22,
Each slider 36 is located in the recess 60 of the case 12, and the guide rib 63 on the case 12 is slidably engaged with the guide groove 72 of the slider 36. That is, the slider 36
The guide groove 72 engages with the guide rib 63 of the case 12 while moving in the recess 60, so that the shutter member 2
It guides the movement of 2a, 22b.

On the other hand, each belt 80 is attached to the case 12 with both side edges engaged with the belt guide groove 68, and a part is located in the guide recess 66 of the case 12, and the other part is It is located in the recess 60. Each belt 80 moves along the belt guide groove 68 in conjunction with the movement of the slider 36. The engaging portion 84 attached to the belt 80 is located in the guide recess 66 and can be operated from outside the case 12, and moves in the guide recess 66 as the belt moves.

As shown in FIGS. 12, 14, and 16, a pair of lever accommodating recesses 88 are formed on the inner surface of each half case 13, and are disposed on both sides of the disc accommodating recess 19. . A part of each lever housing recess 88 communicates with the guide recess 66 through the opening 88a. Also,
A circular engagement hole 93 is formed on the bottom surface of each lever accommodating recess 88.

In each lever accommodating recess 88, a belt 80 is provided.
And the shutter member 22a or 22
A lock lever 90 for locking b in the closed position is housed. The lock lever 90 has a V
One end forms a lock claw 91 and the other end forms a pressing arm 92. Lock lever 9
A pair of pivot pins 96 projecting in opposite directions are integrally formed at the base end of the zero.

The lock lever 90 having the above-described configuration is configured such that the pivot support pin 96 is engaged with the engagement hole 93 and the lever housing recess 8 is engaged.
8 so as to be rotatable. And the lock claw 9
1 is located opposite the opening 88a, and the pressing arm 92 elastically abuts against the inner surface of the lever accommodating recess 88 so that the lock claw 91 projects from the opening 88a into the guide recess 66. It is energizing.

According to the disk cartridge 10 configured as described above, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 14,
When the shutter members 22a and 22b are in the closed position, the engaging portion 84 of each belt 80 is
8 has moved to the front end face 12a side of the case 12 beyond the opening 88a. The lock claws 91 of each lock lever 90 protrude into the guide recess 66 through the opening 88a, that is, protrude into the movement path of the belt 80. Accordingly, the movement of the engaging portion 84 of the belt 80 in the shutter opening direction is restricted by the lock claw 91, and as a result, the shutter members 22a and 22b are locked at the closed positions.

On the other hand, when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded in an optical disk drive (not shown), the shutter 22 is automatically opened by the shutter opening / closing mechanism on the optical disk drive side. That is, as shown in FIG.
When the disk cartridge 10 is loaded into the optical disk drive along the direction of arrow A, a pair of opening / closing members 96 (only one is shown) of the shutter opening / closing mechanism respectively enter the guide recess 66 of the case 12. This opening / closing member 96
Is formed in a hook shape having a recess engageable with the engaging portion 84 of the belt 80, and is configured to be slidable in the guide recess 66 and rotatable around the pivot. Have been.

When the disk cartridge 10 is further pushed in the direction of arrow A, the engaging portions 84 of the respective belts 80 come into contact with the opening and closing members 96 to rotate the opening and closing members 96 in the direction of arrow C. Thereby, the opening / closing member 96 is engaged with the engaging portion 84, and at the same time, presses the lock claw 91 of the lock lever 90 into the lever accommodating recess 88, and retreats from the moving path of the engaging portion 84. As a result, the lock of the engaging portion 84, that is, the lock of the shutter members 22a and 22b is released, and the shutter 22 becomes openable.

Subsequently, when the disc cut ridge 10 is further pushed in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIG. 17, the opening / closing member 96 moves in the guide recess 66 while being engaged with the engaging portion 84. And the slider 3 via the belt 80
Pull 6. Thereby, the shutter members 22a, 22
b moves from the closed position to the position. Then, when the disk cartridge 10 is pushed into the predetermined position, the shutter members 22a and 22b reach the open positions, respectively, come off from the window 16, and open the windows.

During this time, the lock claw 91 of the lock lever 90 is pressed by the belt 80 and held at the lock release position. When the disk cartridge 10 is ejected from the optical disk drive, the opening and closing member 96 is engaged with the engaging portion 84 of the belt 80 by moving the disk cartridge in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow A. It moves in the direction of 12a. Along with this, the shutter members 22a and 22b are moved to the closing position via the belt 80, and automatically close the window portion 16.
Then, when the shutter members 22a and 22b reach the closing position, the engaging portion 84 of the belt 80 is located on the case front end surface 12a side beyond the lock claw 91. Thereby, the lock claw 91 returns to the lock position through the opening 88a, and locks the belt 80 and the shutter members 22a and 22b to the closed position.

According to the disk cartridge 10 configured as described above, the shutter 22 includes the pair of shutter members 2.
2a and 22b, and are provided to be openable and closable in directions opposite to each other. Therefore, the width of each of the shutter members 22a and 22b along the moving direction is formed to be about 1/2 of the conventional single shutter, and the moving stroke of the shutter member is also about 1/2 of the conventional one. I have. Therefore, the case 12 only needs to have about の of the conventional area on both sides of the window 16 as a shutter sliding area required corresponding to the movement stroke of the shutter member. The width can be set substantially equal to the diameter of the optical disc 14. As a result, the size of the entire disc cartridge 10 can be reduced.

Each of the shutter members 22a and 22b is
Since the shutter 22 is locked at the closing position by the lock lever 90 functioning as a locking means, the shutter 22 can be prevented from being inadvertently opened, and the window 16 can be reliably closed.
In this case, there is no need to provide a shutter spring or the like for urging the shutter member to the closed position, so that the number of components can be reduced and the size can be further reduced.

Further, similarly to the above-described embodiment, even when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded in the optical disk drive with the shutter 22 being half-opened or fully opened, the opening / closing member 96 of the shutter opening / closing mechanism engages the belt 80. The shutter members 22a and 22b can be reliably opened and closed by engaging with the portion 84 without fail.

In the above-described embodiment, the shutter spring is omitted by providing the lock means for locking each shutter member at the closing position. However, if necessary, the shutter spring may be replaced by the shutter spring. It may be used. In this case, similarly to the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 10, each shutter member 22a, 22b
For example, a torsion spring may be provided as a shutter spring between the slider 36 and the case 12, and the shutter members 22a and 22b may be biased to the closed position and held by the torsion spring.

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, 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. Also, at the rear end of the case, an opening for taking out the optical disk,
A lid that opens and closes this opening may be provided so that the optical disk can be freely inserted into and removed from the case.

[0069]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, since the shutter is divided into two and opened and closed, the window of the case can be reliably opened and closed and the size can be reduced. Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple disk cartridge.

[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 of a half case of the disk cartridge, and a perspective view showing a front end of the half case and a slider.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the disk cartridge in a state where the shutter is closed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a front end of the disk cartridge and a shutter opening / closing arm.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which the shutter opening / closing arm is engaged with a shutter.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state where a shutter is opened by the shutter opening / closing arm.

FIG. 9 is a view schematically showing an opening operation of a shutter.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modification of the disk cartridge provided with the shutter spring.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a disk cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention, with a shutter closed.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the disk cartridge according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the disc cartridge according to the second embodiment in a state where a shutter is opened.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the disk cartridge in a state where the shutter is closed, with one half case omitted.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a part of a slider and a belt.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view showing a belt, a slider, and a lock lever portion of the disk cartridge.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the disk cartridge in a state where the shutter is opened, with one half case omitted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Disc cartridge 12 ... Case 12a ... Front end face 13 ... Half case 14 ... Optical disc 16 ... Window part 21 ... Bridge part 22 ... Shutter 22a, 22b ... Shutter member 28 ... Locking claw 32 ... Shielding plate 33 ... Connecting plate 34 ... Matching slot 36 Slider 40 Engagement claw 50 Opening / closing arm 52 Opening / closing pin 54 Torsion spring 62 Guide groove 66 Guide recess 68 Belt guide groove 80 Belt 84 Engaging section 90 Lock lever 91 Lock claw

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A storage device, comprising: a case accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium and having a window that partially exposes the recording medium; and a shutter that opens and closes the window. A shutter member is provided, and these shutter members are movable between a closed position for closing the window in cooperation with each other and an open position for opening the window located on both sides of the window. A disc cartridge, wherein the disc cartridge is attached to the case. And a lock claw formed on the case and movable between a lock position and an unlock position. 2. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising: an engagement portion provided on the shutter member and engaged with the lock claw at the closed position. 3. The disk cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the lock claw is formed integrally with the case so as to be elastically deformable between the lock position and the lock release position. 4. The shutter has a slider attached to each shutter member and slidably engaged with the case. The slider has an engagement claw constituting the engagement portion. The disk cartridge according to claim 2, wherein 5. The shutter member according to claim 2, wherein each of the shutter members has an opening for unlocking and opening and closing the shutter, which is located opposite to the lock claw of the case in the closed position. 5. The disk cartridge according to any one of the above items 4. 6. A pair of shutter springs provided in the case on both sides of the window portion to urge the shutter toward the closed position and hold the shutter at the closed position. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein 7. The shutter member according to claim 1, wherein said pair of shutter members have an equal width, and at said closing position, said window portions are closed half by one.
The disk cartridge according to the item. 8. The shutter member is formed in a flat rectangular shape having two parallel main surfaces on which the windows are formed, a front end surface, and two side surfaces parallel to each other. 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 shield plate of each of the shutter members has a contact side edge that contacts the shield plate of the other shutter member at the closed position. The disk cartridge according to the item. 9. The disk according to claim 8, wherein the contact side edge of each shield plate of each shutter member extends slightly inclining from the connection plate to the other shutter member side. cartridge. 10. A pair of belts each having one end connected to the shutter member and slidably provided in the case in conjunction with opening and closing operations of the shutter member, wherein each belt is provided in the case. 2. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a second end portion engageable from outside of the disk cartridge. 11. The case includes two parallel main surfaces each having the window formed therein, a front end surface, and two parallel main surfaces.
The shutter member is formed in a flat rectangular shape having two side surfaces, and each of the shutter members is a pair of shielding plates slidable on the two main surfaces, respectively, and the shielding plates are connected to each other. A connecting plate facing the front end face,
Wherein the shutter comprises a slider fixed to a connection plate of each shutter member and slidably engaged with a front end of the case; one end of the belt is connected to the slider; The disk cartridge according to claim 10, wherein the portion is slidably provided on a side surface of the case. 12. Each shutter plate of each shutter member has a contact side edge that contacts the shield plate of the other shutter member at the closed position, and the contact side edge of each shield plate of each shutter member. 12. The disk cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the disk cartridge extends slightly inclining from the connection plate toward the other shutter member. 13. The disk according to claim 10, wherein said pair of shutter members have an equal width to each other, and in said closed position, said window portions are closed half by one. cartridge. 14. A system according to claim 10, further comprising a pair of locking means for locking said belt and restricting movement of said shutter member when said shutter member moves to the closing position. The disk cartridge according to the item. 15. Each of the lock means is movable between a lock position protruding on a movement path of the other end of the belt and engaging with the other end, and an unlock position retracting from the movement path. 15. The disk cartridge according to claim 14, further comprising a lock member provided on the case.