JPH1116318A - Magnetic disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accommodate into a case a shutter spring for urging a shutter member to move in a long distance without any interference on the rotating area of a magnetic disk medium. SOLUTION: A shutter spring 4 for urging, in the closing direction, a shutter member 3 for opening and closing an aperture 22 for inserting magnetic head opening to a case 2 is structured by a tensile coil spring with one end engaged with the case 2 and the other end engaged with a part of the shutter member 3. The engagement position with the shutter member 3 is deviated in the moving side of the opening direction from the area near the center position of the aperture 11 for magnetic head insertion in the closed condition and the engagement position with the case 2 is separated toward the rear direction from the front end surface 2c in the inserting direction.

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 containing a disk-shaped magnetic disk medium in a case, and more particularly to a shutter spring for urging a shutter member for 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 is brought in and out of both sides of the magnetic disk medium for external contact or close proximity thereto. Is provided with an open / close shutter member for preventing intrusion of dust and the like when not in use.

On the other hand, the recording capacity of a magnetic disk medium in the magnetic disk cartridge has been increased due to an improvement in a linear recording density and an improvement in a track density due to a change in a recording method, an improvement in a magnetic layer, and the like. For this reason, in a magnetic disk cartridge having an increased recording capacity, it is necessary to improve the dust resistance of the conventional magnetic disk cartridge having a lower recording capacity than that of a lower magnetic disk cartridge, and to minimize the attachment of foreign matter to the magnetic disk medium, thereby improving reliability. is there.

Further, as described above, when a magnetic disk cartridge having a recording capacity higher than that of a conventional magnetic disk cartridge is provided, a drive device for driving the large-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge is newly provided. . This new drive device can drive a new large-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge, and of course, in many cases, is a so-called "lower-compatible" function, that is, lower in terms of recording capacity for the convenience of the user. A function to drive a conventional magnetic disk cartridge is provided.

In order to realize the function of backward compatibility, a new large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge is formed so that the main dimensions and structure of its case substantially match those of a conventional magnetic disk cartridge.

[0007]

As described above, regarding the common use of the main dimensions and structure of the magnetic disk cartridge, the conventional magnetic disk cartridge having a low recording capacity does not have a structure with much improved dustproofness. There is a need to increase the dust resistance in response to the increase in the recording capacity while obtaining the above-mentioned backward compatibility function.

As one means for solving the above problem, in the conventional magnetic disk cartridge, the spindle hole on the lower surface of the case is opened so that the center core member of the magnetic disk medium is exposed. In order to prevent dust and improve dust resistance, it is conceivable that the spindle hole is also closed during storage by a shutter member that opens and closes the magnetic head insertion opening.

In this case, since the diameter of the opening of the spindle hole is larger than the width of the opening for inserting the magnetic head, the sliding range of the opening and closing operation of the shutter member for opening and closing the opening is increased. Although it is necessary to increase the amount, a torsion coil spring specified in JIS B0103 is used in the conventional magnetic disk cartridge, but a shutter spring using such a spring requires a spring to secure a necessary stroke amount. However, there is a problem in that the overall shape of the case becomes large and it is difficult to secure a space in the case for allowing its deformation.

Specifically, a conventional shutter spring using a torsion coil spring has a coil portion of several turns in the center, and a wire spring extends in two directions from the coil portion. With regard to locking to the member and urging in the closing direction, with the opening and closing operation of the shutter member, the end of the torsion coil spring attached to the shutter member is linearly moved, and the center coil portion is the end on the case side. In order to increase the stroke of the torsion coil spring, it is necessary to increase the length of the wire springs on both sides. The trajectory of the wire spring portion extends toward the rotation center of the magnetic disk medium, and interferes with the rotation area of the magnetic disk medium.

In view of the above, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has provided a magnetic disk having a shutter spring capable of obtaining a large stroke amount corresponding to an expansion of a sliding range of a shutter member without interfering with a rotation area of a magnetic disk medium. No cartridge is provided.

[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 case, and a magnetic head insertion opening formed in the case is provided. A shutter member that closes the opening during storage and opens during recording and reproduction, wherein the shutter member includes a shutter spring that is biased in a direction to close the magnetic head insertion opening. One end is formed by the tension coil spring, the other end of which is locked to a part of the shutter member, and the locking position with the shutter member is set when the shutter member closes the magnetic head insertion opening. The opening position is closer to the opening direction from near the center position of the magnetic head insertion opening, and the locking position with the case is away from the front end surface in the insertion direction to the rear side. It is characterized in that the a position.

Preferably, an arc-shaped wall is provided inside the case along the outer periphery of the rotation area of the magnetic disk medium, and a part of the shutter spring is extended along the wall. is there.

In the interior of the case, a substantially linear wall is formed substantially parallel to the front end face of the case, at least from the position where the shutter member is locked with the shutter spring in the shutter member with the magnetic head insertion opening closed. It is preferable that the shutter member be formed so as to extend toward the opening direction moving side of the shutter member in order to guide the shutter spring.

On the other hand, after locking the shutter spring on the case side by locking one end of the shutter spring to the tip of a spring locking member formed separately from the case, the spring locking member is inserted into the case. It is preferable in terms of assembling that it is inserted and fixed to the case to be locked at a predetermined position.

The spring locking member has elasticity at least in the direction of the inner wall of the case, and after being inserted to a designated position along an insertion guide provided on the case, is fixed to the case by the elastic action. Those that prevent the falling off are preferred.

Further, the spring locking member has an elastic hook portion at a portion opposite to the locking end with the shutter spring, and after fixing the spring locking member in the case, The hook portion may be provided so as to be a lock member for opening and closing the shutter member.

[0018]

According to the present invention as described above, the shutter spring is constituted by a tension coil spring, one end of which is spaced rearward from the front end face in the insertion direction of the case, and the other end of which closes the shutter member. By locking the shutter member in the opening direction from the vicinity of the center position of the magnetic head insertion opening in the state, and biasing this shutter member in the closing direction,
This tension coil spring expands and contracts along the arrangement path, and can be stored in a narrow space in the case in a form corresponding to the shape of the space. An urging force acting to bring the members closer to each other acts, the shutter member can be urged in the closing direction, and a shutter spring having a large stroke with respect to the expansion of the sliding range of the shutter member can be configured. It is possible to obtain a magnetic disk cartridge having a large recording capacity with improved dust resistance while ensuring backward compatibility.

In particular, by setting the distance between the locking portions at both ends of the shutter spring with respect to the shutter member in the closed state to a certain extent, the other end of the shutter spring having one end locked to the case is projected from the front end of the case. After the assembling of the case is completed in this state, the other end of the shutter spring is locked to the shutter member, and the shutter member is assembled to the case at a position where the shutter spring is slightly extended, so that the shutter member is attached to the shutter member. The power can be given, and the assembling can be easily performed.

Further, in the case where an arc-shaped wall on the outer periphery of the magnetic disk medium and a substantially linear wall substantially parallel to the front end face are provided inside the case, the expansion and contraction of the shutter spring along these walls. The operation can be performed, and a stable opening and closing operation of the shutter member can be obtained.

On the other hand, when the shutter spring is locked on the case side by using a spring locking member, the assembly can be performed more easily, and the shutter spring is separately attached to the assembled case. With the one end locked to the shutter member and the other end locked to the spring locking member, the shutter member is externally fitted to the case, and the spring locking member is inserted into the case to make the entire assembly easy and easy. It can be done reliably. In particular, when elasticity is imparted to the above-mentioned spring locking member, it can be fixed by a simple operation by the elastic action when the case is inserted.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned spring locking member, a hook portion serving as an opening / closing lock member of a shutter member is provided.
In the storage state of the magnetic disk cartridge, it is possible to prevent the shutter member from being opened by mistake and exposing the magnetic disk medium from the magnetic head insertion opening, and one member has two functions of a spring lock and a shutter lock. And the reliability of the magnetic disk cartridge can be improved at low cost.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a top view of the large-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge according to the first embodiment with a shutter member opened, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view with the shutter member closed.

The magnetic disk cartridge 1 is held in a case 2 (hard case) made of a synthetic resin such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, with a central portion attached to a center core member 5. A disk-shaped magnetic disk medium 6 is rotatably accommodated. The center core member 5 is coupled to a rotating spindle of a drive device (not shown) and transmits a rotating force to the magnetic disk medium 6. The magnetic disk medium 6 has a disk-shaped base made of a flexible polyester sheet or the like and a magnetic layer formed on both sides.

The case 2 has two shell halves, an upper case forming the upper surface 2a and a lower case forming the lower surface 2b, fixed to each other in a lid-like manner. The planar outer shape of the case 2 is the same as the case of a conventional magnetic disk cartridge (3.5-inch magnetic disk cartridge having a recording capacity of 1 to 2 MB).

The lower surface 2b of the case 2 is provided with a lower magnetic head insertion opening 11 extending in a rectangular shape at the center from the front end, and the upper surface 2a of the case 2 also has an upper magnetic head extending in a rectangular shape. A head insertion opening 12 is provided. In the center of the lower surface 2b, a spindle hole 13 for exposing the center core member 5 is opened in a circular shape.

Further, a shutter member 3 slidable in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is mounted on the case 2 to open and close the magnetic head insertion openings 11, 12 and the spindle hole 13. A shallow sliding groove 21 is formed on the upper surface 2a and the lower surface 2b of the case 2 in the movement range. The shutter member 3 is made of, for example, a stainless steel plate or an aluminum plate, or a plastic such as polyacetal resin, and has an upper plate 31 covering the front upper surface 2a of the case 2 and a lower plate 32 covering the lower surface 2b of the case 2. Are connected by a connecting plate portion 33 that covers the front end surface 2c of the case, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section.

The lower plate 3 of the shutter member 3
Numeral 2 is provided so as to extend long in the center direction for simultaneously opening and closing the lower magnetic head insertion opening 11 and the spindle hole 13. At this time, the width of the magnetic head insertion opening 11 is smaller than the diameter of the spindle hole 13, and the opening and closing movement range of the shutter member 3 is set to be large enough to open and close the spindle hole 13.

When the shutter member 3 is opened, a shutter opening / closing member (shutter opening / closing pin) (not shown) is brought into contact with one end of the shutter member 3, and the contact start position A is set to the conventional magnetic disk. The contact position C of the shutter opening / closing member with respect to the shutter member 3 at the end of the opening operation is set at a position shifted from the contact start position B of the cartridge with the shutter member toward the side end of the case 2. It is set to be the same as the contact position in the cartridge.

The upper and lower face plate portions 31 and 32 and the connecting plate portion 33 correspond to the moving range of the shutter member 3 as described above.
One end, that is, the end that the shutter opening / closing member abuts and locks, is provided on an extended portion 34 which is formed to extend from the main portion of the upper and lower face plate portions 31 and 32 and protrudes, and has a substantially L-shape. I have.

Further, both sides 32a, 32 of the lower surface plate portion 32
b is provided not in a straight line but in a bent shape. In particular, portions corresponding to the left and right cartridge reference holes 22 and 23 (formed conventionally as standards) provided on the side of the lower surface 2 b of the case 2 are provided with the cartridge reference holes 22 when the shutter member 3 is opened and closed. , 23 do not interfere with each other.

The shutter member 3 is fitted in a guide groove 24 provided in the front edge of the case 2 in a lateral direction.
A guide claw 35 for opening and closing along the front edge portion is provided on both sides of the lower surface plate portion 32, and a locking portion with a later-described shutter spring 4 for displacing the shutter member 3 in the normal closing direction. 36 (see FIG. 3) is provided on the connecting plate portion 33 so as to protrude inside.

As shown in FIG. 3, an outer peripheral rib 25 serving as a side wall is provided on the inner surface of the case 2, and an arc-shaped wall portion 2 is provided on the front and rear portions along the outer periphery of the magnetic disk medium 6.
6 are provided, and the upper and lower shells are joined by projections 28 arranged in a substantially triangular space at the corners. Further, a substantially linear wall portion 27 that is tangentially continuous with the front arcuate wall portion 26 and substantially parallel to the front end face 2c is a shutter member 3 in a state where at least the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12 are closed. It is formed to extend in the opening direction from the position of the locking portion 36. The arc-shaped wall portion 26 and the linear wall portion 27 are formed to project from at least one of the upper and lower shells.

As shown in FIG. 3, the shutter spring 4 for urging the shutter member 3 in the closing direction is constituted by a tension coil spring 41, and hooks 42 and 43 are provided at both ends thereof. The hook 42 is locked to the pin-shaped locking portion 29 of the case 2, and the hook 43 at the other end is locked to the locking portion 36 of the shutter member 3. Is provided so as to urge. The expansion and contraction of the tension coil spring 41 of the shutter spring 4 is performed by being guided along the arc-shaped wall portion 26 and the linear wall portion 27.

In the shutter spring 4 as described above, the locking position of the one-end hook 42 and the shutter member 3, that is, the formation position of the locking portion 36 is determined by the shutter member 3 closing the magnetic head insertion opening 11 in FIG. In this state, it is a portion on the moving side in the opening direction from the vicinity of the center position of the magnetic head insertion opening 11, and the locking position with the case 2, that is, the formation position of the locking portion 29 is separated from the front end face in the insertion direction to the rear side. This is a portion close to the arc-shaped wall portion 26.

Thus, both end hooks 42, 43 of the shutter spring 4 with respect to the shutter member 3 in the closed state.
Becomes longer to some extent, and its assembly becomes easier.
That is, the one end hook 42 of the shutter spring 4 is engaged with the engaging portion 29 of the case 2, and the other end hook 43 of the shutter spring 4 is projected from the front end surface 2 c of the case 2, and the magnetic force is applied between the upper and lower shells. The assembly of the case 2 is completed by incorporating components such as the disk media 6. Then, the other end hook 43 of the shutter spring 4 is connected to the shutter member 3.
At the position where the shutter spring 4 is slightly extended and the shutter member 3 is made to correspond to the sliding groove 21 of the case 2 to complete the assembly.

The shutter member 3 as described above always keeps the closed state (the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), and the upper and lower plate portions 31 and 32 of the shutter member 3 are provided with the respective magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12. And cover the spindle hole 13 and close it,
This prevents foreign matter such as dust from entering the case 2.

Also, in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Three identification holes 15 are provided on one side to identify the recording capacity, and an erroneous erasure prevention display section 16 is provided on the opposite side.

The large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 1 as described above is driven by a drive device (not shown) having a so-called "lower compatibility" function. The drive device has a mechanism for opening the shutter member 3 in response to the insertion of the magnetic disk cartridge 1, further holding the shutter member 3 in the inserted state, and moving the magnetic head from the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12 to the magnetic disk medium. 6, a rotary spindle is magnetically engaged with the center core member 5 from the spindle hole 13 to drive the magnetic disk medium 6 to rotate at a predetermined number of revolutions, and to perform magnetic recording and reproduction by a magnetic head. It is. When a conventional magnetic disk cartridge having a lower recording capacity is inserted into the drive device, the cartridge is set in the same manner as described above, the shutter member is opened, and magnetic recording and reproduction can be performed on the magnetic disk medium by a magnetic head.

When the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 1 is to be loaded into a small-capacity type drive device, the opening / closing pin of the shutter opening / closing mechanism is brought into contact with the end of the extension 34 of the shutter member 3. The connecting plate 33
It is not opened simply by sliding on the surface.

FIG. 4 shows a magnetic disk cartridge according to the second embodiment, in which a shutter spring is assembled after assembling a case.

The case 2 of the magnetic disk cartridge 1
The basic structure of the shutter member 3, the shutter spring 4, the magnetic disk medium 6, and the like is the same as in the first embodiment. The one end hook 42 of the shutter spring 4 is locked to the case 2 by using the spring locking member 7.

The spring locking member 7 is entirely formed of a member having elasticity, and a pin-shaped locking portion 71 similar to the locking portion 29 in the case 2 of the previous example is provided at the tip of the rod portion.
Is provided, and one end hook 42 of the shutter spring 4 is locked. The part opposite to the locking part 71 is bent,
A hook portion 72 that is substantially parallel to the front end face 2c when assembled to the case 2 is provided. The hook portion 72 has a key-shaped tip and is provided in an open / close lock structure for engaging and holding the end of the shutter member 3 moved to the closed position. The other end hook 4 of the shutter spring 4
3 is locked to the locking portion 36 of the shutter member 3 as in the previous example.

The assembling of the shutter spring 4 using the above-described spring locking member 7 is performed by first assembling the case 2 by incorporating the magnetic disk medium 6 and the like separately from the shutter spring 4. With respect to the case 2, one end hook 42 of the shutter spring 4 is locked to the locking portion 71 of the spring locking member 7, and the other end hook 43 is locked to the locking portion 36 of the shutter member 7. Is inserted into the case 2 while the shutter spring 4 is slightly extended with the locking portion 71 of the spring locking member 7 first. The locking member 7 has elasticity in the direction of the inner wall of the case between the hook member 72 and the other end, and when the other end of the spring locking member 7 is locked to the inner end of the front end surface 2c of the case, the elasticity is increased. The shutter member 3 is fixed to the case 2 by the action and urges the shutter member 3 in the closing direction.

When inserting the spring locking member 7 into the case 2, it is desirable to provide an insertion guide for guiding the spring locking member 7 to a predetermined position.

As described above, the spring locking member 7 assembled to the case 2 can engage the elastic hook portion 72 with the end of the extension portion 34 of the shutter member 3, and is urged by the shutter spring 4. When the shutter member 3 is moved to the closed position, the end of the extension 34
By the elasticity of the shutter 2, the shutter member 3 is moved over and engaged, and the shutter member 3 is locked and opened and closed. This allows
In the storage state, it is possible to prevent the shutter member 3 from being erroneously opened, exposing the magnetic disk medium 6 from the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12, and preventing foreign substances from entering and adhering.

When the shutter opening / closing member approaches the shutter member 3 to open the shutter member 3, the hook portion 72 of the spring locking member 7 comes into contact with the shutter member 3 when the shutter opening / closing member approaches to open the shutter member 3. The shutter member 3 is opened by deforming in the engagement release direction to release the lock.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing a state in which a shutter member of a magnetic disk cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention is opened.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the magnetic disk cartridge of FIG. 1 in a state where a shutter member is closed.

FIG. 3 is an inner view of a lower shell of the magnetic disk cartridge of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an inside view of the lower shell of the magnetic disk cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magnetic disk cartridge 2 Case 2c Front end surface 3 Shutter member 4 Shutter spring 6 Magnetic disk media 11,12 Magnetic head insertion opening 13 Spindle hole 26 Arc wall 27 Linear wall 29 Locking portion 36 Locking Part 41 Tension coil spring 42,43 Hook 71 Lock part 72 Hook part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A disk-shaped magnetic disk medium is rotatably housed in a case, and a magnetic head insertion opening formed in the case, and a shutter member which closes the opening during storage and opens during recording / reproduction. In the magnetic disk cartridge provided, the shutter member has a shutter spring biased in a direction to close the magnetic head insertion opening, and the shutter spring has one end in the case and the other end in the case. It is constituted by a tension coil spring locked to a part of the shutter member, and the locking position with the shutter member is near the center position of the magnetic head insertion opening when the shutter member closes the magnetic head insertion opening. From the front end face in the insertion direction to the rear side from the front end face in the insertion direction. Magnetic disk cartridge that. 2. An arc-shaped wall portion is provided inside the case along an outer periphery of a rotation area of the magnetic disk medium, and a part of the shutter spring extends along the wall portion. The magnetic disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A substantially linear wall substantially parallel to a front end face of the case inside the case, and is engaged with a shutter spring in a shutter member in a state where at least a magnetic head insertion opening is closed. 2. The magnetic disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic disk cartridge is formed so as to extend from the position to a side in which the shutter member moves in the opening direction. 4. The locking of the shutter spring on the case side is performed by locking one end of the shutter spring to a tip end of a spring locking member formed separately from the case, and then inserting the spring locking member into the case. 2. The magnetic disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic disk cartridge is locked at a predetermined position by being inserted and fixed to the case. 5. The spring locking member is provided with an elastic hook portion at a portion opposite to a locking end with a shutter spring, and after the spring locking member is fixed in the case,
5. The magnetic disk cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the hook locks a shutter member.