JPH1055646A - Magnetic disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure the opening/closing slide of a shutter member and the prevention of the fall-off while suppressing the deterioration of strength of a case by comprising the shutter member and its opening/closing mechanism so thinner as capable of being loaded with a disk drive device into a PC card slot. SOLUTION: On this disk cartridge, an opening 21 for inserting a magnetic head is arranged while communicating to both upper and lower surfaces from the front end surface part of the case 2 wherein magnetic disk media 6 are housed, and also a working piece 7 is provided for moving in accordance with the loading/unloading operation against the disk drive device, and further the shutter member 3 is provided for opening/closing the opening 21. This shutter member 3 comprises the end surface part for communicating an upper surface plate part, lower surface plate part, end surface part connecting both of the surface plate parts and a window part 34 for opening by communicating to both of the surface plate parts from the end surface part, and also on one end part of it, a connection member 4 working for the opening/closing operation while connecting with the working piece 7 is connected, and a guide pawl 37 engaging with a guide groove 28 arranged on the case 2 is provided on the upper/lower surface plate parts of one side having an end part for connecting the connection member 4 and an end part of the opposite side out of the upper/lower surface plate parts at both sides of the window part 34, then no guide pawl is provided around another upper/lower surface plate parts to which the connection member 4 is connected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic disk cartridge provided with a shutter member for accommodating a disk-shaped magnetic disk medium in a case and opening and closing a magnetic head insertion opening.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, magnetic layers are formed on both sides of a disk-shaped base made of a flexible polyester sheet or the like, and magnetic recording is performed on the magnetic layers by a magnetic head while being rotated. A magnetic disk cartridge in which a so-called floppy disk is accommodated in a flat case is provided, and is mainly used as a recording medium for a computer because of its advantages such as easy handling and low cost.

In addition, the magnetic disk cartridge has a magnetic head insertion opening through which a magnetic head for magnetic recording and reproduction contacts or approaches from one side or both sides of the magnetic disk medium from the outside. Is provided with an open / close shutter member for preventing intrusion of dust and the like when not in use.

By the way, the miniaturization of the computer using the above-mentioned magnetic disk cartridge has progressed, and the notebook type personal computer has become widespread. An external system without a built-in disk drive device is now being sold. The adoption of this external method is excellent in terms of portability of small personal computers. This causes a problem that data cannot be recorded on a plurality of magnetic disk cartridges.

[0005] In view of the above, some small personal computers are provided with a PC card slot (compliant with the PCMCIA specification) for an external interface and additional memory, and are used by mounting a PC card using an electronic circuit such as a memory card. ing. Therefore, a magnetic disk cartridge and a disk drive using the PC card slot have been proposed.

A PC that can be inserted into the PC card slot
The specifications of the card are type II, the thickness is 5.0 mm, and the thickness of the magnetic disk cartridge and the disk drive device is to be configured within this thickness. It must be made ultra-thin.

Due to such thickness restrictions, in the disk drive device, the magnetic head is the same as the conventional disk drive device for a 3.5-inch magnetic disk cartridge having a recording capacity of 1 to 2 MB. Since it is not possible to secure a space for vertical movement, this magnetic head is fixed, and at least one of the upper and lower surfaces is opened from the front surface of the case of the magnetic disk cartridge and the insertion of the shutter member. It is contemplated to be configured for insertion.

[0008]

However, when the above-described ultra-thin magnetic disk cartridge is constructed,
The shutter member opening / closing mechanism also rotates in conjunction with the insertion of the magnetic disk cartridge and rotates at the end of the shutter member, like the shutter opening / closing mechanism of a conventional 3.5-inch magnetic disk cartridge disk drive. A space for installing a lever member for engaging and opening the lever cannot be secured, and it is necessary to change the structure of the magnetic disk cartridge so that the shutter can be opened and closed by another method.

In order to open and close the shutter member, a guide claw is provided on the shutter member to prevent the shutter member from coming off the case.
A guide groove into which the guide claw is inserted is formed in the case along the moving direction. The guide claws need to be provided near both ends in the moving direction of the shutter member so as to obtain a reliable parallel movement. However, forming two guide grooves in the case in this way is thin. There is a problem that the strength of the case that must be formed is reduced.

That is, the sliding portion of the shutter member of the case is formed in a concave shape corresponding to the thickness of the shutter member and is formed to be thinner. In addition, the two guide grooves described above are formed. Causes insufficient strength. In particular, the shutter member needs to be urged so as to maintain the closed state, and a space for accommodating this urging member is required in the case. This makes it difficult to design and mold the magnetic disk cartridge, which is an obstacle to making the entire magnetic disk cartridge thin.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic disk cartridge which can be configured to be thin enough to be mounted in a PC card slot together with a disk drive while ensuring the strength of a case.

[0012]

According to a magnetic disk cartridge of the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problems, a disk-shaped magnetic disk medium is rotatably housed in a flat case, and the case is provided on both upper and lower surfaces from a front end face of the case. A shutter member is provided for opening and closing the magnetic head insertion opening in communication therewith, and the shutter member is slidably opened and closed by sliding the head insertion opening in a direction orthogonal to the direction of insertion into the disk drive device. An actuating piece that moves in conjunction with the operation, wherein the shutter member includes an upper surface plate along the upper surface of the case, a lower surface plate along the lower surface of the case, an end surface connecting the double-sided plate, and the end surface. And a window portion that opens to communicate with the double-sided plate portion, and a connecting member that opens and closes by connecting to the operating piece is connected to one end portion thereof. Of the upper and lower plate portions on both sides of the window portion, one upper and lower plate portion having an end opposite to the end connecting the connection member is engaged with a guide groove provided on at least one of the case upper and lower surfaces. A guide claw is provided, and no guide claw is provided in the vicinity of the other upper and lower plate portions to which the connecting member is connected.

Preferably, the connecting member includes an elastic member for urging the shutter member in the closing direction.

[0014]

According to the magnetic disk cartridge of the present invention as described above, the guide claws are formed only at the end opposite to the end for connecting the connecting member for performing the opening and closing operation. Only one guide groove is formed in the case. At the opposite end, positioning and prevention of detachment from the case can be performed by coupling with the coupling member, and predetermined opening and closing sliding of the shutter member can be obtained. The strength of the case can be secured. In particular, the guide groove is not formed in a portion where the thickness is reduced in order to secure an arrangement space for the connecting member. By the formation, the case design and molding are facilitated, and a highly reliable thin magnetic disk cartridge can be obtained.

Further, when the connecting member is provided with an elastic member for urging the shutter member in the closing direction, the number of parts and the cost can be reduced.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 is an external perspective view of an example of a magnetic disk cartridge, FIG. 2 is the same perspective view with a shutter member opened, FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view, FIG. 4 is a front end view of a case, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shutter member. FIG. 6 is a front view of the connecting member. In addition, in each figure, in order to clarify the structure, the thickness and the like of each part are shown in a ratio different from the actual size.

The magnetic disk cartridge 1 is a disk-shaped magnetic disk held by a center core 5 in a flat case 2 (hard case) made of a synthetic resin such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer. The media 6 is rotatably accommodated. The magnetic disk medium 6 is formed by forming a magnetic layer on one or both sides of a disk-shaped base made of a flexible polyester sheet or the like.

The case 2 has two shell halves, the inner surfaces of which are fixed to each other in a lid-like manner. It is provided in a rectangular shape.
The center core 5 is provided at the center of the case lower surface 2b.
Hub hole 22 for driving magnetic disk media with exposed
(See FIG. 3) is opened in a circular shape.

Although not shown in detail, the case 2 has an outer peripheral rib formed in a wall shape around each shell half and an inner rib obliquely formed at the center side of each corner portion, and an inner flat portion surrounded by these ribs. The magnetic disk medium 6 is accommodated in the space via liners 9, 9 (see FIG. 3) vertically.

The left side end face 2d with respect to the insertion direction C
A concave guide groove 23 is formed from the front end,
A vertical groove 24 in which an operation piece 7 described later is slidably mounted is opened in a part thereof, and a passage portion 25 that guides a connection member 4 described later into the case 2 diagonally forward from the vertical groove 24. Is provided.

Further, a shutter member 3 slidable in an opening / closing direction d orthogonal to the insertion direction C is mounted on the case 2 to open and close the magnetic head insertion opening 22. A shallow sliding groove 26 is formed on the surface of the case 2.

The shutter member 3 is made of metal, for example, formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section from a stainless steel plate or an aluminum plate. As shown in FIG. An upper surface plate portion 31 that covers the upper surface 2a and a lower surface plate portion 32 that covers the case lower surface 2b are connected by an end surface portion 33 that covers the case front end surface 2c. Further, a window portion 34 which is opened from the end surface portion 33 of the shutter member 3 in communication with the upper surface plate portion 31 and the lower surface plate portion 32.
And can communicate with the magnetic head insertion opening 21 of the case 2. The window 34 is provided at a position offset from the center of the shutter member 3.

Further, an engaging claw 35 is provided on the side of the shutter member 3 opposite to the window 34, that is, on the end face 33 of the portion which is on the advance side when the shutter member 3 moves in the opening direction. The connecting member 4 (the detailed structure will be described later) is connected to the engaging claw 35. With the formation of the engagement claw 35 and the connection with the connection member 4, an insertion groove 27 extending in the lateral direction is opened in the front end face 2c of the case 2 on which the shutter member 3 is mounted, as shown in FIG. The insertion groove 27 and the vertical groove 24 of the case-side end face 2 d are
Are provided so as to communicate with each other.

In the vicinity of the front portion of the upper surface plate portion 31 (or the lower surface plate portion 32) on the side opposite to the engagement claw 35, a guide claw 37 for retaining the inside is bent inward. . A guide groove 28 extending in the lateral direction is opened in the upper surface 2a of the case 2 corresponding to the guide claw 37. The guide claws are not formed on the upper and lower plate portions 31 and 32 in the vicinity of the connecting portion with the connecting member 4 on the opposite side, and since the connecting member 4 is connected to the engaging claw 35, A retaining is performed.

The connecting member 4 is, as shown in FIG.
The linear flexible member 41 and the coiled elastic member 42 are integrally formed by a wire such as a spring steel wire. One end of the flexible member 41 is provided in a U-shaped connecting portion 41a, and is connected to the engaging claw 35 of the shutter member 3 from a direction that is on the forward side when the shutter member 3 moves in the opening direction. The other end of the flexible member 41 is connected to the hook-shaped connecting portion 4.
1b and connected to the operating piece 7.

The elastic member 42 is provided with the flexible member 4.
A wire parallel to the flexible member 41 folded back from the connecting portion 41 a of the one end of the shutter member 3 to the shutter member 3 surrounds the outer periphery of the flexible member 41 and is wound in a coil shape. The length of the elastic member 42 is longer than the amount of movement of the shutter member 3 in the opening and closing direction, and shorter than the length of the flexible member 41. The connecting portion 41b at the other end of the flexible member 41 projects from the inside of the elastic member 42. It is provided to be.

The passage 25 formed in the case 2
The connecting member 4 is guided in a curved shape, and a flexible member 41 is inserted in the middle of the passage portion 25 to
2 is provided with a stopper 25a that carries one end. The position of the stopper 25a is determined by the shutter member 3
Is set so as to urge the shutter member 3 even in the state where is moved to the closed position.

The connecting member 4 has a connecting portion 41a at one end connected to the engaging claw 35 of the shutter member 3,
The end portion of the elastic member 42 is supported by the stopper 25a, and the other end connecting portion 41b of the flexible member 41 is slidably attached to the vertical groove 24. The shutter member 3 is connected to the operating piece 7 so that the shutter member 3 is opened and closed and slid via the connecting member 4 in accordance with the movement of the operating piece 7.

Although not shown, the passage portion 25 and, if necessary, an inner rib are provided inside the insertion groove 27 of the front end surface 2c of the case 2 as described above. A rib is similarly provided inside the vertical groove 24 to prevent dust from entering the internal magnetic disk medium 6.

On the other hand, although not shown, the disk drive device into which the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is inserted has an insertion passage through which the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is inserted. A shutter opening member 10 (see FIG. 1) is provided which can contact the operating piece 7 provided on the end face 2d. The shutter opening member 10 is engaged with the guide groove 23 of the case side end face 2d, and a magnetic disk cartridge. The operation piece 7 is moved rearward by the relative movement according to the insertion of the shutter member 1 to pull the flexible member 41 of the connecting member 4 and
Is opened and the elastic member 42 is compressed (see FIG. 2).

When the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is taken out, the shutter member 3
Is pushed by the urging force of the elastic member 42 and moves in the closing direction to close the head insertion opening 21, whereby the operating piece 7 moves forward via the flexible member 41.

In the opening / closing operation of the shutter member 3, the guide claw 37 is engaged with the guide groove 28 of the case 2 at one end of the shutter member 3, and the locking claw 35 and the connecting member 4 are connected at the other end. The connection guides the opening and closing sliding of the shutter member 3 and prevents the shutter member 3 from coming off the case 2.

Further, the above-mentioned disk drive device has a magnetic head 1 which does not open and close as described above.
1 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and a drive unit is provided below it so as to be able to move up and down, and the spindle is locked to the center core 5 of the magnetic disk medium 6 of the inserted magnetic disk cartridge 1 to rotate. It is configured to

With the structure of the shutter member 3 as described above, the thickness of the magnetic disk cartridge 1 can be reduced, and a mechanism for opening and closing the shutter member 3 can be provided in a thin disk drive.
An external storage device that can be mounted in the C card slot can be configured. In particular, by forming the flexible member 41 and the elastic member 42 integrally with the connecting member 4 by processing a wire, the number of parts and the cost can be reduced. Of course, the connecting member 4 is not limited to the structure of the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that a structure in which a coil spring or the like having another structure and a flexible member are connected in series can be appropriately selected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a magnetic disk cartridge according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where a shutter member of FIG. 1 is opened;

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a magnetic disk cartridge.

FIG. 4 is a front end view of the case.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shutter member.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a connecting member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magnetic disk cartridge 2 Case 2a Upper surface 2b Lower surface 2c Front end surface 3 Shutter member 4 Connecting member 6 Magnetic disk media 7 Working piece 11 Magnetic head 21 Head insertion opening 23 Guide groove 24 Vertical groove 28 Guide groove 31 Upper plate 32 Upper plate 32 Part 33 End face part 34 Window part 35 Engagement claw 37 Guide claw 41 Flexible member 42 Elastic member

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A disk-shaped magnetic disk medium is rotatably accommodated in a flat case, and a magnetic head insertion opening is opened from the front end surface of the case to both upper and lower surfaces. A magnetic disk cartridge provided with a shutter member that slides in a direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion into the disk drive device, and a shutter member that opens and closes the case. The shutter member has an upper surface plate along the upper surface of the case, a lower surface plate along the lower surface of the case, an end surface connecting the double-sided plate, and an opening communicating with the double-sided plate from the end surface. And a connecting member that is connected to the operating piece to perform opening and closing operations. A guide claw is provided on one of the upper and lower plate portions having an end opposite to the end for connecting the connecting member, of the face plate portion, the guide claw being engaged with a guide groove provided on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the case. A magnetic disk cartridge having no guide claw near the upper and lower plate portions to which the members are connected. 2. The magnetic disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member includes an elastic member for urging the shutter member in a closing direction.