KR100492679B1 - Shutter mechanism for disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sliding mechanism for a shutter provided on a cartridge case of a disc cartridge, which mechanism is slidable in both directions from the neutral position in which the head access opening is closed by the shutter, to the left and right of the cartridge case. Easy to assemble in less configuration. The cartridge case has a groove formed between the pair of corresponding portions forming the case, the shutter is biased toward a neutral position that closes the head access opening, and the shutter has a protrusion that slidably engages the groove. The shutter is divided by the connecting portion of the upper wall side shutter plate and the lower wall side shutter plate and fixed together after the shutter plates are assembled to the cartridge case.

Description

Shutter mechanism for disk cartridge {SHUTTER MECHANISM FOR DISK CARTRIDGE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disc cartridge rotatably housed in a disc-shaped recording medium such as an optical disc or a magnetic disc. In particular, when the head access opening of the disc cartridge is closed by the shutter, the shutter of the cartridge is bilaterally moved from the neutral position. A shutter mechanism of a disc cartridge of the type that is slidable.

Background Art [0002] Conventionally, the cartridge case of a disc cartridge containing a disc-shaped recording medium such as a compact disc has a head access opening for accessing the head. This head access opening can be opened and closed by a shutter slidably mounted on the surface of the cartridge case. When the disc cartridge is loaded inside the disc drive system, the shutter of the disc cartridge is slid by the shutter drive pin of the disc drive system. This causes the shutter to open the head access opening to read and / or write to the disc-shaped recording medium.

On the other hand, there is provided a conventional disc cartridge capable of accommodating a readable and recordable disc-shaped recording medium on both sides of the recording medium, and loading the disc drive system so that either of the front and rear surfaces of the disc drive is on top. . In order to avoid the complexity of the shutter drive mechanism on one side of the disc drive system, the shutter of the disc cartridge is configured to be slidable in both directions from the neutral position where the head access opening is closed by the shutter, and at this time, the shutter drive of the disc drive system The pin is configured to be driven in one direction.

As a shutter mechanism of this type, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-6758 discloses a disc cartridge of a shutter mechanism having the following structure.

In other words, the disc cartridge,

A shutter capable of being guided by a sliding groove formed on the cartridge case as a guide means, the shutter being slidable with respect to the cartridge case having a first slider;

A stopper installed at an intermediate position with respect to the cartridge case;

A pair of slidable second sliders on both sides of said stopper;

A biasing means, comprising a pair of torsional coil springs mounted on both sides of said stopper to bias a pair of second sliders towards each other,

The shutter has a pair of claws formed inwardly bent from an opening operable to allow each claw to contact the inner surface of each second slider when both of the pair of second sliders contact the stopper.

In such a mechanism, when the shutter is not driven by the disc drive system, the shutters are held in a neutral position while being biased with each other by a pair of torsional coil springs. On the other hand, for example, if the shutter is slid from the neutral position to the right, the shutter is moved in the right direction together with the right second slider while the right torsion coil spring is deformed or changed, wherein the left second slider is in contact with the stopper. In a fixed position. When the shutter slides in the left direction, the operation is reversed.

According to the above mechanism, the first slider of the shutter has only a function of guiding the shutter with respect to the cartridge case, and has no function of being biased or reversed by the torsion coil spring as a biasing means.

On the other hand, as another shutter mechanism, the shutter mechanism (refer Japanese Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2508449) provided with a pair of slider which can slide with respect to a metal guide shaft is proposed. The guide shaft is arranged along the direction in which the shutter is slidable, and the pair of sliders are connected to each other by a torsion coil spring. This shutter mechanism also has a stopper formed at the center on the cartridge case and contacting a pair of sliders from the inside, the length of the stopper being longer than the free length of the torsion coil spring. In the above mechanism, the shutter has a pair of protrusions which respectively contact two sliders from the inside.

In accordance with the mechanism, the shutter is normally held in a neutral position where the head access opening is closed by the shutter biased as above. On the other hand, the shutter is moved together with one of the sliders when the shutter is slid, at which time the other slider is kept in the fixed position.

That is, the former prior art shutter mechanism requires two torsional coil springs as a component, and the latter prior art shutter mechanism requires an independent guide shaft. In other words, the electronic shutter mechanisms require a lot of assembly parts, and therefore, entail high production costs. In addition, the latter prior art shutter mechanism requires that the shutter mechanism be assembled in such a way that the slider and shutter are first mounted on separate guide axes to form a subassembly, and then the subassembly is assembled on a cartridge case. I have a problem. That is, there was a problem that it was difficult to assemble the shutter mechanism.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention that the assembly operation of the shutter mechanism is made small by making the number of assembly parts of the shutter mechanism small so that the shutter can slide from right to left with respect to the cartridge case to a neutral position to close the head access opening of the cartridge case. An object of the present invention is to provide a disc cartridge capable of preventing a cost increase.

In order to realize these and other objects of the present invention, the disc cartridge according to the present invention is provided with an upper half-shell of the upper wall and a lower half-shell of the lower wall. A cartridge case having a head access opening, a disc-shaped recording medium rotatably housed inside the cartridge case, and a neutral case corresponding to the position of closing the head access opening, with respect to the cartridge case. A shutter configured to slide in a direction slid from right to left of the guide, guide means formed in a direction sliding on a portion of the cartridge case, a first slider fixed to the shutter and guided by the guide means; Return the shutter to the neutral position when the shutter is moved from the neutral position to one of the left and the right And biasing means for applying a biasing force to the first slider.

For example, when the biasing means is configured such that the biasing means is constituted by a pair of springs on both sides of the shutter to bias the shutter toward the neutral position, the first slider is fixed to the shutter and guided by the guide means. When the first slider is configured to be composed of a single slider, the shutter of the present invention as compared to the former prior art shutter mechanism (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-6758) in which a pair of coil springs and a pair of sliders are used. The mechanism can be made easier by assembling fewer assembly parts and can prevent the increase in manufacturing cost. In other words, according to the mechanism of the present invention, it is not necessary to use two sliders.

On the other hand, for example, when the first slider is configured such that the first slider is composed of a single protrusion fixed to the shutter, and a guide means is formed between the upper half-shell and the lower half-shell and in the groove which is engaged with the single protrusion. In the case of constituting the guide means so as to be constituted by the present invention, the shutter mechanism of the present invention has a smaller number of assembly parts than the latter conventional shutter mechanism (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2508449) using a metal guide rod. By the construction, the assembly is easier and the rise in manufacturing cost can be prevented. That is, according to the mechanism of this invention, it is not necessary to use a metal guide rod.

In the mechanism, the biasing means is guided by a guide means and is arranged on one side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider and on the other side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider, respectively. A slider, spring means for attracting the pair of second sliders to one another, one end of which is adjacent to an inner surface of one of the second sliders and the other end of which is adjacent to an inner surface of the other of the second sliders from the inside It may further comprise a stopper installed on the cartridge case having a pair of ends.

In the above mechanism, the pair of second sliders and the stopper may be preferably configured such that the position where the pair of sliders all contact the stopper corresponds to the neutral position of the shutter with respect to the cartridge case.

In the above mechanism, the guide means may comprise a first guide groove formed jointly by a portion of the upper wall and a portion of the lower wall, and the first slider may comprise a slidable protrusion inside the first guide groove. And the second slider slidably engages the first guide groove, and the shutter may comprise an upper shutter plate and a lower shutter plate, wherein the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate are divided at positions connected to each other and at the same time the cartridge After being mounted on the case, they are integrally formed with each other.

According to the mechanism, for example, when one of the second sliders contacts the protrusions of the first slider and both of the second sliders contact the stopper so as to bias the shutters toward the neutral position, the protrusions of the first sliders cause the shutters. Is positioned between the pair of second sliders to close the head access opening of the cartridge case. On the other hand, when the shutter is moved in the left or right direction from the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case, the protrusion pushes one of the pair of second sliders in the corresponding direction, while the other of the pair of second sliders is a stopper. It is held fixed with the other second slider held by. By the spring means attracting both second sliders to each other, the shutter is returned to the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case at the time when any force for holding the shutter in a position that does not correspond to the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case is released.

In addition, according to this mechanism, the first guide groove is formed inside the cartridge case instead of mounting the guide rod on the cartridge case, and a single spring means such as a spring coil that pulls the two second sliders together is a pair of pairs. Instead of mounting a pair of individual spring coils biasing different sliders to each other from the outside at different positions inside the cartridge case, respectively. Therefore, by reducing the number of parts constituting the disc cartridge case of the type in which the shutter of the cartridge case can slide sideways with respect to the cartridge case from the neutral position, low manufacturing cost can be realized.

Further, according to the mechanism of the present invention, since the shutter mechanism does not need to be configured as a subassembly before the shutter mechanism is assembled with respect to the cartridge case body, in other words, the disc cartridge is first formed on the main body of the cartridge case. After simply attaching the part, it is easily completed by fixing the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate to each other, so that the work of assembling the case of the disc cartridge can be performed relatively easily.

In the mechanism of the present invention, a protrusion of the first slider includes a first protrusion formed in a direction sliding on one side of a pair of side surfaces of the shutter, and a pair of the shutters separated from the first protrusion. It may include a second protrusion formed in the sliding direction on the other side of the side.

In the apparatus of the present invention, one of the upper wall and the lower wall includes a protrusion formed on the inner side thereof in parallel with the first guide groove, and the second slider includes a sliding surface slidable with respect to the protrusion. desirable.

In the above mechanism, the sliding movement of the second slider relative to one of the upper wall and the lower wall of the cartridge case is stabilized. In addition, since the disc cartridge can be assembled to the sliding surface of the second slider in contact with the protrusion, the assembling efficiency of the disc cartridge is improved.

In the mechanism of the present invention, the second slider includes a wedge-shaped protrusion projecting in the direction of contact with the stopper, while the stopper includes a cutout portion to which the wedge-shaped protrusion of the second slider is engaged. The wedge-shaped protrusions and cutouts include auxiliary friction surfaces in contact with each other, and the mutual friction surfaces in contact with each other are pressed against each other by a biasing force applied by the spring means when the second slider contacts the stopper. )

According to the mechanism of the invention, when assembling a pair of second sliders are assembled to one of the upper half-shell and the lower half-shell, and when the spring means are installed between the pair of second sliders, 2 The secondary friction surfaces of the slider and the stopper are in contact with each other with the secondary friction surfaces which are pressed against each other. Therefore, the second slider can be assembled stably with respect to the stopper, and detachment or disengagement of the second slider from the stopper is effectively prevented. That is, the configuration itself contributes to the strengthening of the assembly work.

In the mechanism of the present invention, the second slider preferably further comprises a wedge-shaped groove formed in a tapered shape between the main body of the second slider and the wedge-shaped protrusion, and the surface for forming the wedge-shaped groove is usually While formed in the sliding direction and formed to taper in a direction opposite to the stopper, the stopper includes a wedge-shaped component complementary to the wedge-shaped groove, the surface of the wedge-shaped groove and the surface of the wedge-shaped component. Are in contact with each other by a biasing force exerted by the spring means when the second slider is in contact with the stopper.

According to the mechanism of the invention, the second slider is wedge-shaped when the auxiliary sliders of the second slider and the stopper contact each other during assembly, as well as when the second slider contacts the stopper by a biasing force applied by the spring means. Since the surface of the groove and the surface of the wedge-shaped part are held by the stopper so as to contact each other, the stability with respect to the second slider assembly is further increased as compared with the stopper.

In the device of the invention, it is preferred that a portion of the lower wall comprises a plate-shaped wall having protrusions projecting inwardly and having a second guide groove on a side opposite the side from which the plank-like wall protrudes. However, the second guide groove is in the sliding direction, and the second slider has a groove in which the protrusion of the plate-shaped wall is slidably mounted, and at the same time, the second guide groove of the plate-shaped wall protrudes into the groove. It has a claw that slidably engages.

According to the mechanism of the present invention, the second slider has a projection of the lower wall, in which the claw of the second slider is received inside the groove of the second slider, which slidably engages the second guide groove of the plate-shaped wall of the lower wall. Since mounted on the bottom wall, the second slider is prevented from being disengaged or released from the protrusion of the bottom wall.

In the apparatus of the present invention, one of the upper wall and the lower wall includes a second guide groove which exists in parallel with the first guide groove and is opposite to the first guide groove with respect to one of the upper wall and the lower wall, Preferably, one of the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate corresponding to one of the upper wall and the lower wall includes a protrusion that slidably engages the second guide groove.

According to the mechanism of the present invention, since the shutter is slidably guided on both sides of the cartridge case, the sliding movement of the shutter associated with the cartridge case is more stabilized.

To realize the above object, a cartridge case consisting of an upper half-shell of an upper wall and a lower half-shell of a lower wall and having a head access opening, and the cartridge case A disc-shaped recording medium rotatably housed in the interior thereof, a shutter configured to slide in a direction sliding from right to left with respect to the cartridge case in a neutral position corresponding to a position for closing the head access opening, and the cartridge case A guide means formed in a sliding direction on a part of the first guide, the first slider being fixed to the shutter and guided by the guide means, and the shutter being moved to the neutral position when the shutter is moved from the neutral position to one of the left and right sides. Removing the disc cartridge including bias means for applying a biasing force to the first slider for returning. Wherein the guide means comprises a guide groove in which a portion of the upper wall and a portion of the lower wall are jointly formed therebetween, the first slider comprising a slidable protrusion inside the guide groove, the shutter being top And a shutter plate and a lower shutter plate, wherein the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate are divided in a position to be connected to each other and are integrally formed with each other after being mounted on the cartridge case.

On the other hand, a cartridge case consisting of an upper half-shell of the upper wall and a lower half-shell of the lower wall and having a head access opening, and rotatably inside the cartridge case A disc-shaped recording medium housed therein, a shutter configured to slide in a direction sliding from the right side to the left side of the cartridge case with respect to the cartridge case in a neutral position corresponding to the position of closing the head access opening; A guide means formed in the direction of sliding in the first direction, a first slider fixed to the shutter and guided by the guide means, and returning the shutter to the neutral position when the shutter is moved from the neutral position to one of the left and right sides. A disc cartridge comprising biasing means for applying a biasing force to a first slider, said disc cartridge comprising: a bar; When mounted on the both sides of the shutter with a pair of coil springs such as ground means to bias the shutter to the neutral position relative to the cartridge case, it is necessary to provide a first slider, not with respect to the cartridge case. If the disc cartridge is thus configured, when the shutter is not operated, the shutter is held in a neutral position with respect to the cartridge case. In addition, in the mechanism of the present invention, the number of disk cartridge assembly parts can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. In the case where the disc cartridge is configured as described above, there is provided a click means for positioning the shutter with respect to the cartridge case, the projection including one protrusion of the shutter and the cartridge case and a concave surface engaged with the other protrusion of the shutter and the cartridge case. Can be. In the above mechanism, the holding force of the shutter with respect to the cartridge case applied by the click means can be set to the same degree as the holding force smaller than the force applied by the pin for driving the shutter. In the above mechanism, unintentional opening of the head access opening of the cartridge case is effectively prevented.

In order to realize the above object, a cartridge case comprising an upper half-shell of an upper wall and an upper half-shell of a lower wall, and having a head access opening, the cartridge A disc-shaped recording medium rotatably housed inside the case, a shutter configured to slide in a direction slid from right to left with respect to the cartridge case in a neutral position corresponding to a position for closing the head access opening, and a cartridge case A guide means formed in a sliding direction on a part of the first guide, the first slider being fixed to the shutter and guided by the guide means, and the shutter being moved to the neutral position when the shutter is moved from the neutral position to one of the left and right sides. Providing a disc cartridge including bias means for biasing the first slider to return. The biasing means may include a pair of second sliders guided by the guide means and disposed on one side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider and on the other side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider, respectively. Wow; Spring means for attracting the pair of second sliders to each other; Further comprising a stopper installed on the cartridge case, the one end of which is adjacent to an inner surface of one of the second sliders and the other end of which is adjacent to an inner surface of the other one of the second sliders, the cartridge case having a pair of ends; The guide means includes a guide rail integrally configured in a sliding direction with one inner surface of the upper wall and the lower wall, the first slider slidably engages the guide rail, and the second slider is the guide. And slidably engages the rail.

According to the mechanism, for example, if one of the second sliders is in contact with the first slider to bias the shutter towards the neutral position, and the pair of second sliders are all in contact with the stopper, the first slider may be the cartridge being shuttered. It is positioned between the pair of second sliders to close the head access opening of the case. On the other hand, when the shutter is moved in the right or left direction from the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case, the first slider pushes one of the pair of second sliders in the corresponding direction, and the other of the pair of second sliders is a stopper. It is held fixed to the other one held by it. Since the spring means pull both of the second sliders together, the shutter returns to the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case when releasing any force that keeps the shutter in a position that does not correspond to the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case.

Further, according to the mechanism of the present invention, the guide rail is not manufactured as a member integrated in the cartridge case and separated from the cartridge case, and the two second sliders are not individually biased from both sides of the cartridge case by the respective spring means. However, each second slider is biased from each other from the inside of the cartridge case by a single spring means. Therefore, in the disc cartridge of the type in which the shutter can slide in the right or left direction from the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case, it is possible to reliably realize the reduction of the number of assembly parts for the disc cartridge, thereby lowering its manufacturing cost.

In the mechanism of the present invention, the guide rail preferably includes a rail portion and a leg portion connecting the rail portion to one inner surface of the upper wall and the lower wall, wherein the rail portion is typically the thickness of the cartridge case. It is disposed at a position corresponding to the center line with respect to the direction, and at the same time, the thickness thereof is formed to be equal to or thinner than the thickness of the disc-shaped recording medium, and the leg portion is formed at a position outside the head access opening of the cartridge case.

The head for reading / writing data of the disc drive system is accessed to the disc shaped recording medium through the head access opening of the cartridge case. Therefore, in the above mechanism of the present invention, the interference of the guide rail with respect to the head access is reliably prevented.

In the above mechanism, the rail portion of the guide rail preferably has a square cross section.

In the above mechanism, rotation of the first slider relative to the guide rail and rotation of the second slider relative to the guide rail are reliably prevented. As a result, using the above mechanism, there is no need to provide special separating means for preventing rotation of the first and second sliders.

In such a mechanism, the first slider and the guide rail can be mounted on the guide rail in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction in which the first slider extends, and also one end of the pair of ends of the guide rail. And a space extending in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction between one side wall of the pair of side walls of the cartridge case so as to penetrate one of the second sliders, and the other end of the pair of ends of the guide rail. Between the other side wall of the pair of side walls of the cartridge case extending in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction to form a space through which the other one of the second slider can pass, the second slider is the second slider is the guide It has an engaging part which can be inserted in the sliding direction with respect to a rail, and can be mounted.

According to the mechanism, the work of mounting the first and / or second slider on the guide rail is facilitated.

Further, according to the above mechanism, the spring means can be easily mounted on the second slider before and after the second slider is mounted on the guide rail.

Therefore, using the above mechanism, it is easy to assemble the disc cartridge since there is no need to prepare components such as subassemblies in advance.

In the mechanism, a retention part is formed on the other inner surface of the upper wall and the lower wall, wherein the holding part constitutes an extension of the guide rail corresponding to the space between the upper wall and the lower wall. It may further include a, and may further include a engagement means for engaging the first slider and the second slider with each other while the first slider and the second slider in contact with each other. A concave part provided on the contact surface of one of the first slider and the second slider, and a convex part provided on the other contact surface of the first slider and the second slider to be engaged with the concave part. ) May be included.

With this mechanism, even if the second slide is slid from the neutral position to the position where the second slider is disengaged from the guide rail when the shutter is forcibly moved from the neutral position, the second slider is separated from the guide rail or The disengagement can be prevented.

In the above mechanism, the second slider includes an engagement recess in which the second slider is mounted on the guide rail in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, wherein the engagement recess is formed inside an elastic hook-like portion that is part of the second slider. .

Use of the mechanism can facilitate guiding the mounting of the second slider on the guide rail.

In the mechanism of the present invention, the elastic hook-like portion preferably includes a tip portion having an inclined guide surface for guiding the mounting of the second slider on the rail portion of the guide rail.

Using this mechanism, mounting of the second slider on the guide rail can be done more easily.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before describing the present invention, it should be noted that like reference numerals refer to like or like elements throughout the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 33.

First, the disc cartridge according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9, 11 and 12.

The disk cartridge illustrated in the figure is provided as a disk-shaped recording medium, and has a rectangular thin hollow cartridge case rotatably housing a digital video disk (DVD). These cartridge cases each have a half-shell (hereinafter referred to as "upper wall side half-shell" (A side)) on the side of the upper wall of the same thickness each formed of plastic and a half-shell on the side of the lower wall ( In the following, the " lower wall side half-shell "

1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a disc cartridge. FIG. 2 is a partial internal view of the half-shell of the top wall of the disc cartridge shown in FIG. 1. 3 is a partial top view of the half-shell of FIG. 2. 4 is a partial internal view of the half-shell on the side of the bottom wall of the disc cartridge shown in FIG. 5 is a partial top view of the half-shell of FIG. 4. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 4 with the shell and shutter mechanism assembled together. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 4 with the shell and shutter mechanism assembled together. 8 is a perspective view of the left slider of the disc cartridge shown in FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a right slider of the disc cartridge shown in FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a half-shell of the upper wall, 20 denotes a half-shell of the lower wall, 30 denotes a shutter of a shutter mechanism configuration made of plastic, and 40 denotes a slider (left slider). And the right slider), and 50 indicate a spring. The half-shell 10 on the side of the upper wall and the half-shell 20 on the side of the lower wall are basically identical to each other except for a portion constituting a guide groove for sliding the shutter 30 as described below. to be. Peripheral walls 12, 22 defining the disk receiving space, and side walls 13, 23 extending along the side edges of the top wall 11 and the bottom wall 21 are side half-shells 10 of the top wall. ) And the side half-shells 20 of the lower wall are integrally formed. The two shells 10, 20 form the head access openings 14, 24 in the direction in which the disk cartridge is loaded into the disk drive (not shown) upward from the center positions of the upper wall 11 and the lower wall 21. do. These head access openings 14 and 24 are covered with a shutter 30, and the shutter 30 is configured to slide left and right from a neutral position where the shutter 30 covers the openings 14 and 24.

The two shells 10 and 20 have different positions of the top walls 15 and 25, and when the two shells 10 and 20 are combined with each other, the guides extend along the opening / closing direction of the shutter. The groove 60 is formed on the side of the lower wall 21 between the two top walls 15, 25 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). That is, the two top walls 15 and 25 are integrated with each other to form the guide groove 60.

The thickness of the central portions 15a, 25a of the two top walls 15, 25, i.e., the portion corresponding to the width of the head access opening, is smaller than the thickness of the cartridge case of the other portions 15b, 25b, and the head is a disc cartridge. Is less than or equal to the thickness of the disc-shaped recording medium so as not to disturb or disturb the running of the head during access to disc 1 (i.e., disc-shaped recording medium) having a disc drive loaded with a disk. Correspondingly, the surfaces of the upper wall 11 and the lower wall 21 are formed such that the central portions 11a and 21a of the upper end thereof are recessed in comparison with the left and right side portions 11b and 21b thereof. Inside the cartridge case, a slider / spring guide space 61 is formed which communicates with the guide groove 60 when the two shells 10, 20 are combined together.

The shutter 30 has a shutter plate 31 on the side of the upper wall (hereinafter also referred to as an "upper wall side shutter plate") and a lower wall connected to the upper wall side shutter plate 31 by a connecting plate 33. A shutter plate 32 (hereinafter also referred to as a "bottom wall side shutter plate") on the side thereof. The connecting plate 33 is formed in a U-shaped cross section and is fixed to the cartridge case so as to sandwich the upper wall 11 and the lower wall 21 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 1, the shutter 30 having a protruding shape or appearance when viewed from the front has a recess 37 formed on the left and right shoulder portions. This recess 37 is used to open the shutter 30 by engaging the shutter drive pin when the disc cartridge is loaded into the disc drive.

The lower wall side shutter plate 32 and the connecting plate 33 are integrally molded as an L-shaped member, and the upper wall side shutter plate 31 is fixed to the end face of the connecting plate 33. The lower wall side shutter plate 32 has a protrusion 34 for slidably fitting into the guide groove 60 of the cartridge case. However, the protrusions 34 of the shutter 30 are arranged on the narrow first protrusions 34a arranged on one side of the shutter 30 and the other side of the shutter 30 as shown by the virtual lines in FIG. 1. They may also be formed respectively as arranged narrow second protrusions 34b.

On the other hand, in order to integrate the upper wall side shutter plate 31 and the connecting plate 33 into the cartridge case, a positioning projection 35 is formed on the end surface of the connecting plate 33, and the upper wall side Positioning recesses 36 are formed in the shutter plate 31. The upper wall side shutter plate 31 and the connecting plate 33 can be fixed by, for example, ultrasonic welding after the positioning projection 35 is inserted into the positioning recess 36.

A guide space (groove) 61 is formed between the upper wall side half-shell 10 and the lower wall side half-shell 20 to guide the sliders 40, 40 and the spring 50. The two sliders 40 and 40 housed in the guide space 61 each have a engaging portion 41 for slidably engaging the guide groove 60 on the upper end as shown in FIG. 1. Two engagement portions 41 and 41 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the shutter 30 so as to sandwich the protrusion 34 of the shutter 30 (see FIG. 11).

In addition, each of the sliders 40 and 40 (the left slider shown in FIG. 8 and the right slider shown in FIG. 9 is symmetrical with respect to the shutter 30) has a pin 42 for supporting the torsion coil spring 50. This provided positioner 43 is provided. Torsion coil spring 50 is coupled to spring locking pins 42 and 42, respectively, to bias the two sliders 40 and 40 to attract each other. In addition, the engaging portions 41 of the sliders 40 and 40 are respectively constituted by the upper wall 41a and the side wall 41b.

A groove 41c is formed between the upper wall 41a, the side wall 41b, and the positioning portion 43 in which the upper wall 25 of the lower wall side half-shell 20 is engaged. The spring locking pins 42 and 42 are preferably L-shaped as shown in the modified embodiment of FIG. 21 in order to prevent the ends of the spring 50 from being easily uncoupled or disengaged. In this modified embodiment, the components of the slider or the corresponding parts shown in the first embodiment are designated as reference numerals used in the first embodiment and are denoted by the letters " E ".

The positioning portions 43 of the two sliders 40, 40 each have a convex portion or protrusion 44 protruding in the opposite direction to the spring locking pin that engages the spring 50. Then, a stopper 26 is formed on the lower wall side half-shell 20 of the cartridge case in contact with the inner surface of the protrusion 44 of each slider 40, 40, so that the protrusion 44 of the slider 40 is formed. When the sliders 40 and 40 are positioned with respect to the stopper 26 by contacting the stopper 26 of the cartridge case, the shutter 30 is in a neutral position with respect to the cartridge case, The access openings 14, 24 are intended to be closed.

On the other hand, the stopper 26, which is a protrusion that restricts the travel or movement of the sliders 40 and 40 with respect to the cartridge case, is in contact with the upper wall side half-shell so as to contact the engaging portions 41 and 41 of the sliders 40 and 40. It can be formed on (10).

Also provided is a projection streak 16 extending parallel to the guide groove 60. A protruding streak 16 is formed on the top wall side half-shell 10 of the cartridge case, and a lower surface (or an inner surface) of the protruding streak 16 is formed in a circular shape so that the torsion coil spring 50 does not interfere. do. The sliders 40 and 40 each have a slide surface 45 which slidably contacts the upper surface of the protruding streak 16.

In the above configuration, the lower wall side shutter plate 32 of the shutter 30 is disposed on the surface of the lower wall side half-shell 20 so that the protrusion 34 is engaged with the guide groove 60, A pair of sliders 40, 40 are placed on the lower wall side half-shell 20 to connect both ends of the spring 50 to a pair of pins 42, 42 of the two sliders 40, 40. After the connection, the shells 10 and 20 are fixed to each other, and the disc cartridge can be assembled by fixing the upper wall side shutter plate 31E to the connection plate 33.

When the disc cartridge is assembled in this way, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, a pair of sliders 40 and 40 come into contact with the protrusions 34 of the shutter 30 from both left and right sides ( 11), the sliders 40, 40 are positioned by the stopper 26 formed on the cartridge case, and the shutters 30 are positioned at the center of the guide groove 60, so that the projections 34 of the shutter 30 are located in the center of the guide groove 60. ) Is in the neutral position, causing the head access openings 14, 24 to be closed. On the other hand, the stopper 26 is in contact with the inner surface of the protrusion 44 of each slider 40.

On the other hand, when the shutter 30 slides in the right or left direction from the neutral position (FIG. 12 shows a state in which the shutter 30 is moved in the left direction), the protrusion 34 of the shutter 30 has a shutter ( The protrusions 34 of 30 move together while pressing one of the sliders 40 and 40. While moving, the other slider 40 is held in position by the stopper 26 so that the torsion coil spring 50 extends. Therefore, since the two sliders 40 and 40 are attracted to each other by the torsion coil spring 50, the shutter 30 is in the neutral position when the force for holding the shutter 30 in the open position of the shutter is released. Return to.

In the above configuration, since each component or part can be simply mounted in the shell without having to arrange the shutter mechanism in the form of a subassembly in advance, the disk cartridge can be easily assembled in a conventional manner. In addition, since only one spring is used and no metal parts are used, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and to realize a light weight disc cartridge.

Hereinafter, the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 10 will be described.

In the above modified embodiment, the components or parts corresponding to the components or parts of the disc cartridge of the first embodiment are designated as reference numerals used in the first embodiment, and are denoted by the letter "A".

FIG. 10 corresponds to FIG. 7 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a second guide groove 62A is formed on the surface of the top wall 11A parallel to the guide groove 60A, which second guide groove 62A guides against the top wall 11A. It is formed to face the groove 60A. A second projection 38A slidably attached to the second guide groove 62A is formed on the inner surface of the top wall side shutter plate 31A.

As described above, since the central portion (part corresponding to 11a of the first embodiment) of the top wall 11A is recessed compared to the left and right side parts (part corresponding to 11b of the first embodiment), the second guide groove ( 62A) is formed only on the left and right side portions (parts corresponding to 11b of the first embodiment) as shown by the phantom lines in FIG. Optionally, the second guide groove 62A may be continuously formed to cover the center portion (part corresponding to 11a of the first embodiment) from both left and right side portions.

When the second guide groove 62A is provided, the sliding operation on both sides of the shutter can be guided by both sides of the cartridge case, so that the sliding operation of the shutter 30A can be guided more stably to the cartridge case. It becomes possible.

Next, three modified embodiments of the slider and the stopper will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18, 22, and 23.

In the above modified embodiment, the components or parts corresponding to the disc cartridge of the first embodiment are designated as reference numbers used in the first embodiment and are denoted by the letters "B", "C" or "F" respectively. have.

As shown in Fig. 13, the slider 40B has the same basic configuration as the slider of the first embodiment. That is, the slider 40B includes a positioning portion 43B provided to the spring locking pin 42B, a latching portion 41B, and a protrusion 44B. In this modified embodiment, the friction protrusion 44Ba is formed on the inner surface of the protrusion 44B. This friction protrusion 44Ba has an inclined friction surface 44Bb.

On the other hand, at the corresponding end of the stopper 26B that meshes with the slider 40B, a cutout 26Ba shaped to receive the friction protrusion 44Ba of the slider 40B is formed, as shown in FIG. Moreover, on this cutout part 26Ba, the inclined friction surface 26Bb corresponding to the inclined friction surface 44Bb is formed. These inclined friction surfaces 44Bb and 26Bb are inclined with respect to the slide movement direction. Thus, when the shutter 30B is in the neutral position. As shown in FIG. 15, the slider 40B is biased in the left direction in the drawing such that the friction protrusion 44Ba of the slider 40B contacts the cutout 26Ba of the stopper 26B. In this state, since both the friction protrusions 44Ba and the friction surfaces 44Bb and 26Bb of the cutouts 26Ba are inclined, the friction protrusions 44Ba are embedded in the cutouts 26Ba like wedges. The friction surfaces are in close contact with each other.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, the biasing force of the coil spring 50B is applied to the sliders 40B and 40B. Therefore, the slider tends to be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow Y in the figure. As a result, in the structure of the slider and the stopper according to the first embodiment, the slider is disengaged or disengaged from the guide groove 60 and the top wall 25 during the assembling process, resulting in poor assembly efficiency. Incompatibility is caused.

On the contrary, according to the modified embodiment of Figs. 13 to 15, even when the rotational force in the direction of the arrow Y is applied to the slider, the frictional force acting between the two friction surfaces becomes a resistance to rotation. That is, since the position and attitude of the slider are kept relatively fixed and stable, the assembling work of the slider has an advantage of being more efficient.

16 to 18 show other modified embodiments of the slider and the stopper for the installation of the slider more stable than the above-described modified embodiment. In this modified embodiment, the components or parts corresponding to the components or parts of the disk cartridge of the first embodiment are designated as reference numerals used in the first embodiment and are denoted by the alphabet letter "C". This modified embodiment is basically the same as the modified embodiment of FIGS. 13 to 15. However, in this modified embodiment, the notch 44Cc is formed on the side surface of the positioning portion 43C of the friction protrusion 44Ca. Moreover, the protrusion part 26Cc is formed on the edge part of the stopper 26C corresponding to the notch part 44Cc.

Therefore, even in this modified embodiment, as shown in Figs. 17 and 18, the frictional force acting between the friction surfaces 26Cb and 44Cb generates a resistance to the rotation of the slider with respect to the stopper.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the protrusion 26Cc of the stopper is embedded in the notch 44Cc of the slider. Thus, as shown in the figure, against the rotational force when the slider acts in the direction of the arrow Y, the slider is reliably prevented from rotation by directly engaging the projection 26Cc and the projection 44Cc. Therefore, in this variant embodiment, the slider can be prevented almost 100% from being disengaged or released from the stopper.

22 and 23 show yet another modified embodiment of the slider and stopper for the installation of a more stable slider. In this modified embodiment, the components or parts corresponding to the components or parts of the disk cartridge of the first embodiment are designated as reference numerals used in the first embodiment and are denoted by the letter "F".

A feature of the slider of this variant embodiment is that an upper wall extension 41Fd is provided which is formed by extending a portion of the upper wall 41Fa and an engaging claw 41Fe is formed from this upper wall extension 41Fd. Corresponding to this engagement claw 41Fe, a groove 25Fc is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall 25F of the lower wall side half-shell 20F. As can be seen from FIG. 23, with the sliders 40F and 40F assembled to the bottom wall side half-shell 20F, the top wall extension 41Fd extends on the top wall 25F and engages claws. 41Fe slidably engages the groove 25Fc. Therefore, the slider once mounted on the top wall 25F is not easily detached or disengaged from the top wall 25F.

Mounting of the slider on the top wall is forcibly performed from the left side in FIG. In the mounting operation, since the upper wall of the slider and the extension portion 41Fd of the slider are bent upward, the slider can be attached on the upper wall 25F without any problem.

The upper wall extension 41Fd extends from a part of the upper wall 41Fa, but the extension may be formed by extending the entire upper wall 41Fa as indicated by the imaginary line shown in FIG. have.

Alternatively, the variant embodiments shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 can be used in combination with the foregoing variant embodiments and are shown in FIGS. 13-18.

Next, a specific example of a structure in which the two shutter plates 31 and 32 are positioned with respect to each other and welded to each other will be described below with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.

In the example of FIG. 1, a narrow positioning recess 36e opening toward the inner surface is formed in the center of the protrusion 37a between the two recesses 37, 37 of the lower wall side shutter plate 32. At the same time, a large number of large and small welding protrusions 35 are formed in good balance around the positioning recess 36. On the other hand, the upper wall side shutter plate 31 has a plurality of recesses 36 corresponding to the protrusions 35 of the lower wall side shutter plate 32, and at the same time a position corresponding to the positioning recesses 36e. The determination protrusion 35e protrudes toward the center of the protrusion 37b corresponding to the protrusion 37a of the lower wall shutter plate 32. The two shutter plates 31 and 32 are connected to each other, and the positioning protrusion 35e is inserted into the positioning recess 36e, while the welding protrusion 35 is inserted into the welding recess 36. . In the above configuration, the two shutter plates 31 and 32 are stably positioned relative to each other. Thereafter, the weld protrusion 35 and the weld recess 36 are integrated by ultrasonic welding or other means. Engaging portions of the positioning projection 35e and the positioning recess 36e may be welded to each other at the same time.

Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment and the above-described modified embodiment, but may be implemented in various other ways.

For example, the protrusion of the shutter 30 may be formed slightly wider (eg, about 1 to 2 mm) than the width of the stopper 26 such that only one of the sliders 40, 40 contacts the stopper 26 in the neutral position. Can be. In such a configuration, even if the shutter 30 is slightly moved from side to side in the neutral position, substantially no problem will occur if this movement is within about 1 to 2 mm.

Next, a disc cartridge according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The disc cartridge illustrated in the figure is a disc-shaped recording medium having a rectangular thin plate-shaped hollow cartridge case rotatably housing a digital video disc (DVD) 101. These cartridge cases each have a half-shell (hereinafter referred to as "upper wall side half-shell" (A side)) on the side of the upper wall of the same thickness each formed of plastic and a half-shell on the side of the lower wall ( In the following, the " lower wall side half-shell "

Figure 24 is a plan view showing a half-shell on the side of the top wall of the disc cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is an interior view of the half-shell shown in FIG. 24. Fig. 26 is a plan view showing a half-shell on the side of the bottom wall of the disc cartridge according to the second embodiment. FIG. 27 is an interior view of the half-shell shown in FIG. 26. The two shells 110 and 120 are basically the same except for the guide rail portion for sliding the shutter described below.

Peripheral walls 112 and 122 defining the disk housing space and side walls 113 and 123 extending along the side edges of the top wall 111 and the bottom wall 121 are respectively top wall side half-shells 110. And the bottom wall side half-shell 120. The two shells 110, 120 are head access openings 114, 124 formed in a direction in which the disc cartridge is loaded in a disc drive (not shown) upward from the center positions of the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 121. Is provided. These openings 114, 124 are covered with a shutter 130 (see FIGS. 28 and 29), and the shutter 130 is moved from the neutral position where the shutter 130 covers the openings 114, 124 to the left and right sides. It is adjusted to slide.

FIG. 28 shows the half-shell on the side of the top wall shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the half-shell on the side of the bottom wall shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, and the shutter mechanism of FIG. Sectional drawing cut along the line VIII-VIII. FIG. 29 shows the half-shell on the side of the top wall shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the half-shell on the side of the bottom wall shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, and the shutter mechanism of FIG. Sectional drawing cut along the line VIII-VIII.

28 and 29, reference numeral 115 denotes a guide rail provided on the upper wall side half-shell 110, 140 denotes an inner slider, and 150 denotes an outer slider. As will be described later, a pair of outer sliders 150 are provided, which are connected to each other by springs 160 to be attracted to each other.

The guide rail 115 integrally formed at the upper end of the inner surface of the upper wall 111 has a rail section 115a extending along one side of the cartridge case and having a rectangular cross section, and the rail portion 115a. And a leg part 115b connected to the inner surface of the upper wall 111. As shown in Figs. 28 and 29, the leg portion 115b is formed only on the left side and the right side of the head access opening 114, and the rail portion 115a of the guide rail 115 is the thickness of the cartridge case. Direction on the center line, the thickness of the rail portion 115a is less than or equal to the thickness of the disc-shaped recording medium (not shown). In the above configuration, the guide rail 115 does not disturb or disturb the running of the head to access the disc when the disc drive is loaded into the disc cartridge.

On the other hand, since the rail portion 115a of the guide rail 115 is slightly shorter than the distance between the two side walls 113 and 113 of the upper wall side half-shell 110, both ends of the rail portion 115a and the upper portion thereof. A space or gap 162, 162 is formed between both sidewalls 113 of the wall side half-shell 110. On the other hand, in the lower wall side half-shell 120, the retainer 125, which constitutes the extension of the guide rail 115, has the guide rail 115 cartridges when the two shells 110, 120 are connected to each other. It is formed integrally with the upper end portions of both side walls 123 and 123 so as to be continuous between both side walls of the case.

Reference numerals 116 and 126 denote support members for the inner slider 140 extending in parallel with the guide rail 115, where only the rail portion 115a and the support members 116, 126 of the guide rail 115 are head access openings. Across (114, 124). Both ends of the upper surfaces of these support members 116, 126 act as stoppers for the outer sliders 150, 150, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 27, steps 116a, 116a and steps 126a, 126a. Is formed.

The shutter 130 is made of plastic and is formed in a U-shaped cross section. The shutter 130 includes a shutter plate 131 for closing the opening 114 of the upper wall 111, a shutter plate 132 for closing the opening 124 of the lower wall 121, and the shutter plate 131. , The cross section is formed into a quadrangle by a connecting plate 133 that connects each other 132. The shutter is provided from the outside to overlap the upper wall 111 and the lower wall 121.

On the inner surface of the connecting plate 133 of the shutter 130 is provided an inner slider 140 for slidably engaging the guide rail 115. When the inner slider 140 accesses the guide rail 115 vertically towards the top wall 111, the inner slider 140 has a groove 141 inside the guide rail 115 is mounted. After the inner slider 140 is mounted on the guide rail 115, the shutter 130 may be secured to the inner slider 140 by threaded assembly, ultrasonic welding, or other optional means.

The inner slider 140 is shown in FIGS. 30-32, FIG. 30 is a plan view of the inner slider 140, FIG. 31 is a front view of the inner slider, and FIG. 32 is a side view of the inner slider. The inner slider 140 has a protruding shape as seen from the front and has recesses 142 and 142 on both left and right shoulder portions thereof.

Corresponding to the recesses 142 and 142, the shutter 130 has recesses on the left and right shoulder portions which are not shown in the figure, and the shutter 130 is shaped so that its central portion protrudes. On the other hand, the recesses on both shoulder portions of the shutter 130 are used for the manner in which the shutter 130 is opened by hooking the recesses with the shutter drive pins of the disc drive system when the disc cartridge is loaded into the disc drive.

The pair of outer sliders 150, 150 are slidably mounted on the guide rail 115 to overlap the inner slider 140 from both sides. 33 shows one of these external sliders 150, 150. The outer slider 150 has an engagement recess 151 inserted along the axis with respect to the guide rail 115. Each outer slider 150 is formed from a space 162, 162 formed between both ends of the rail portion 115a of the guide rail 115 and both side walls 113 of the upper wall side half-shell 111. It is inserted into the rail part 115a.

The engagement recess 151 of the outer slider 150 is formed or defined by a hook-shape portion 152. In addition, each outer slider 150 is provided to a hook 153 on the surface of the outer slider facing the inner slider 140. The outer slider 150 is formed symmetrically with respect to the inner slider 140.

The hooks 153, 153 of the two outer sliders 150, 150 support the torsion coil spring 160 therebetween, so that the two outer sliders 150, 150 are attracted to each other. The torsion coil spring 160 extends within the recess 143 formed on the front bottom side of the inner slider 140 or remains between the two outer sliders 150, 150. Therefore, in the state where the two outer sliders 150 and 150 are in contact with the stoppers 116a and 126a of the upper surface of the support members 116 and 126 of the cartridge case, the inner slider 140 is supported by the support members 116,. 126, with the shutter 130 in a neutral position such that the head access openings 114, 124 are closed by the shutter 130.

In the device, the disc cartridge,

Mounting the inner slider 140 on the guide rail 115,

Inserting the outer sliders 150, 150 from both ends of the guide rail 115,

Mounting a torsional coil spring 160 between the pair of outer sliders 150 and 150,

Connecting the two shells 110 and 120 of the nested disc-shaped recording medium 101 to each other,

The shutter 130 may be assembled to the internal slider 140.

In the disk cartridge assembled in this manner, the pair of outer sliders 150 and 150 are in contact with the inner slider 140 fixed to the shutter 130 and both left and right sides thereof, and the two outer sliders 150 and 150 are contacted. The inner slider 140 is located at the center of the guide rail 115 and is positioned by the steps of the supports 116 and 126, that is, the stoppers 116a and 126a. In this state, the shutter 130 is in a neutral position, and the head access openings 114 and 124 are closed by the shutter 130.

According to the above mechanism, since the individual components and parts can be simply mounted on the shells 110 and 120 without the need for disposing a shutter mechanism like a conventional subassembly, the assembling work of the disc cartridge can be easily executed. have.

In addition, since only one spring 160 is used, and no additional metal parts are used, the manufacturing cost of the disc cartridge can be reduced and the disc cartridge can be lightly realized.

On the other hand, in the configuration in which the rail portion 115a of the guide rail 115 has a rectangular or rectangular cross section, the guide rail 115 prevents rotation of the inner slider 140 and rotates the outer sliders 150 and 150. It functions as a stopper for the guide rail 115 to prevent the damage. Therefore, according to the structure mentioned above, it is not necessary to provide arbitrary specific means for preventing rotation.

On the other hand, when the shutter 130 slides in the left or right direction from the neutral position with respect to the cartridge case, the inner slider 140 moves with the shutter 130 in the corresponding direction, and at the same time the inner slider 140 moves the outer slider. Push out one of (150, 150). While the inner slider is moving, the other of the outer sliders 150, 150 is connected to the stoppers 116a, 116a; 126a, 126a such that the torsion coil spring 160 extends between the pair of outer sliders 150, 150. Is held in a fixed position. As a result, when the two outer sliders 150 and 150 are pulled together by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 160, and the shutter 130 becomes weak when the force for keeping the shutter in the same position becomes weak, It returns from the position which opens the head access opening of a case to a neutral position by the biasing force.

The present invention is not limited to the second embodiment and various modified embodiments can be implemented. For example, instead of forming the retainer 125, an extension of the guide rail 115 is formed on the lower wall side half-shell 120, for example, the contact surface of the inner slider 140 and the outer slider 150, 150. Recesses may be formed on one of the contact surfaces of the inner surface and protruding portions (projections) on the other surface of the contact surfaces of the inner slider 140 and the contact surfaces of the outer sliders 150 and 150. When the and the outer slider 150 contact each other, the recesses and the protrusions are engaged with each other as engagement means.

In this configuration, as in the above embodiment in which the retainer 125 is provided as an extension of the guide rail 115, the outer slider 150 is disengaged from the guide rail 115 when the shutter 130 is opened. Alternatively, the departure is prevented so that the outer slider 150 slides to a position where it can be disengaged from the guide rail 115.

Further, for example, the guide rail extends to the outer slider 150 so that the outer slider 150 can be mounted on the rail portion 115a of the guide rail 115 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the guide rail extends. Instead of mounting the outer slider 150 on the rail portion 115a of the guide rail in the axial direction, the tip end portion of the elastic hook-like portion 152 of the outer slider 150 is the virtual line of FIG. 29. It may be formed shorter than indicated by 152a.

In the above-described configuration according to the present invention, the outer sliders 150 and 150 are guide rails without providing the spaces 162 and 162 between the side walls 113 and 113 of the cartridge case and the side surfaces of the guide rail 115. It can be easily mounted on the 115.

Further, the tip portion of the hook-shaped portion 152 is formed as a guide slide surface as indicated by the phantom line 152b in the same drawing, so that the outer slider 150 is mounted on the rail portion 115a of the guide rail 115. Increase efficiency.

In addition, the inner slider 140 is slightly wider than the width of the gap or space between the two stoppers 116a, 126a; 116a, 126a of the support members 116, 126 (e.g., about 1-2 mm). So that only one of the outer sliders 150, 150 is in contact with one of the stoppers 116a, 126a in a neutral position. In this configuration, the shutter 130 can be moved slightly to the left or to the right when the shutter is positioned in the neutral position, but since the movement is within about 1 to 2 mm, no special problem occurs.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made. Such changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a disc cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial interior view of the half-shell on the side of the top wall of the disc cartridge shown in FIG.

3 is a partial top view of the half-shell of FIG.

4 is a partial interior view of the half-shell on the side of the bottom wall of the disc cartridge shown in FIG.

5 is a partial top view of the half-shell of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4 with a shell and shutter mechanism assembled;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 4 with the shell and shutter mechanism assembled together; FIG.

8 is a perspective view of a left slider of the disc cartridge shown in FIG.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the right slider of the disc cartridge shown in Fig. 1.

10 is a cross-sectional view of the modified embodiment of FIG.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the shutter is in a neutral position to explain the operation of the slider of the first embodiment.

12 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the shutter is moved to the left to explain the operation of the slider of the first embodiment.

13 is a perspective view of a slider according to a modified embodiment of the slider of the first embodiment;

Figure 14 is a plan view of the main part with the slider of Figure 13 assembled to a half-shell on the side of the bottom wall;

Figure 15 is a front view of the main part with the slider of Figure 13 assembled to a half-shell on the side of the bottom wall;

16 is a perspective view of a slider of another modified embodiment of the slider of the first embodiment;

17 is a plan view of the main part with the slider of FIG. 16 assembled to a half-shell on the side of the bottom wall;

18 is a front view of the main part with the slider of FIG. 16 assembled to a half-shell on the side of the bottom wall;

19 is a perspective view of the main part of the shutter plate on the side of the upper wall;

20 is a perspective view of an essential part of the shutter plate on the side of the bottom wall;

21 is a perspective view of a variant embodiment of the engagement pin provided on the slider of the first embodiment;

22 is a perspective view of another modified embodiment of the engagement pin provided on the slider of the first embodiment;

FIG. 23 is a cross sectional view of another alternative embodiment of FIG. 7 with the slider of FIG. 22 used;

Figure 24 is a plan view showing a half-shell on the side of the top wall of the disk cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is an interior view of the half-shell shown in FIG. 24;

Fig. 26 is a plan view showing a half-shell on the side of the bottom wall of the disc cartridge according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 27 is an interior view of the half-shell shown in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 shows the half-shell on the side of the top wall shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the half-shell on the side of the bottom wall shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, and the shutter mechanism of FIG. Sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII.

FIG. 29 shows the half-shell on the side of the top wall shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the half-shell on the side of the bottom wall shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, and the shutter mechanism of FIG. Sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII.

30 is a plan view of the inner slider shown in FIG. 28;

FIG. 31 is a front view of the inner slider shown in FIG. 28;

32 is a side view of the inner slider shown in FIG. 28;

33 is a perspective view of the outer slider shown in FIG. 29;

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

1, 101: disc-type recording medium

10, 10A, 10F, 110: upper half-shell

20, 20A, 20F, 120: lower half-shell

14, 24, 144, 124: head access opening

30, 30A, 30F, 130: Shutter

34, 34a, 34b, 140: first slider

40, 40B, 40C, 40E, 40F, 150: second slider

41, 50, 26, 150, 160, 116, 126: bias means

Bias means: 50A, 41B, 50B, 26B, 41C, 50C, 26C, 41E, 50E, 41F, 50F

Spring means: 50, 50A, 50B, 50C, 50E, 50F, 160

26, 26B, 26C, 116, 126: stopper

60, 60A, 60F, 115: guide means

60, 60A, 60F: 1st guide groove

62A: 2nd guide groove

16, 16A, 16F, 34, 34a, 34b, 38A: protrusion

31, 31A, 31F: Upper Shutter Plate

32, 32A, 32F: Lower Shutter Plate

44Ba, 44Ca: Wedge-shaped protrusion

26Ba: cutout

44Bb, 26Bb, 44Cb, 26Cb: auxiliary friction surface

44Cc: Wedge Groove

26Cc: Wedge Parts

25, 25A, 25F: Plate Wall

25Fc, 41Fc: Home

41Fe: Claw

115: guide rail

115a: Rail portion

115b: leg section

125: holding part

152: engaging portion

151: recess

152a, 152b: Elastic Hook Type Part

Claims (18)

An upper half-shell having an upper wall and a lower half-shell having a lower wall, having a cartridge case having a head access opening, and a disc-shaped recording medium having said cartridge A disc cartridge rotatably housed inside the case and having a shutter configured to slide in a direction sliding from the right side to the left side of the cartridge case with respect to the cartridge case in a neutral position corresponding to a position for closing the head access opening; To Guide means formed in a direction sliding on a portion of the cartridge case; A first slider fixed to the shutter and guided by the guide means; And Bias means for applying a biasing force to the first slider to return the shutter to the neutral position when the shutter is moved from the neutral position to one of a left side and a right side; Including, The bias means, A pair of second sliders guided by the guide means and disposed respectively on one side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider and the other side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider; Spring means for attracting the pair of second sliders to each other; And A stopper provided on a cartridge case having one pair of end portions capable of being adjacent to an inner surface of one of the second sliders and the other end thereof being adjacent to an inner surface of the other one of the second sliders; More, The guide means comprises a first guide groove in which a portion of the upper wall and a portion of the lower wall are formed jointly therebetween, The first slider includes a slidable protrusion inside the first guide groove, And the second slider is slidably engaged with the first guide groove. The method of claim 1, And the shutter comprises an upper shutter plate and a lower shutter plate, wherein the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate are divided in a position to be connected to each other and are integrally formed with each other after being mounted in the cartridge case. The method of claim 2, Protrusions of the first slider, A first protrusion formed in a direction sliding on one side of the pair of side surfaces of the shutter, and a second portion separated from the first protrusion and formed in a direction sliding on the other side of the pair of side surfaces of the shutter; A disc cartridge comprising two projections. The method of claim 2, One of the upper wall and the lower wall includes a protrusion formed on the inner side thereof in parallel with the first guide groove, And the second slider includes a sliding surface slidable relative to the protrusion. The method of claim 2, The second slider includes a wedge-shaped protrusion projecting in the direction in which the second slider contacts the stopper, while the stopper includes a cutout in which the wedge-shaped protrusion of the second slider is engaged, The wedge-shaped protrusion and the cutout include an auxiliary friction surface in contact with each other, And the sub frictional surfaces in contact with each other are pressed against each other by a biasing force applied by the spring means when the second slider contacts the stopper. The method of claim 5, The second slider further includes a wedge-shaped groove formed in a tapered shape between the main body of the second slider and the wedge-shaped protrusion, wherein the surface forming the wedge-shaped groove is generally formed in the sliding direction and faces the stopper. It is formed to taper in the direction, while the stopper includes a wedge-shaped component complementary to the wedge-shaped groove, And the surface of the wedge-shaped groove and the surface of the wedge-shaped part contact each other by a biasing force applied by the spring means when the second slider contacts the stopper. The method of claim 2, A portion of the lower wall includes a plate-shaped wall having a protrusion projecting inwardly and having a second guide groove in a sliding direction on a side opposite to the side on which the plank-like wall protrudes, The second slider includes a claw having a groove inside the slidably mounted protrusion of the plate-shaped wall and slidably engaging the second guide groove of the plate-shaped wall while protruding into the groove. Disc cartridge characterized in that. The method of claim 2, One of the upper wall and the lower wall includes a second guide groove present in parallel with the first guide groove and opposite the first guide groove with respect to one of the upper wall and the lower wall, And one of the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate corresponding to one of the upper wall and the lower wall includes a projection for slidably engaging the second guide groove. An upper half-shell having an upper wall and a lower half-shell having a lower wall, having a cartridge case having a head access opening, and a disc-shaped recording medium having the cartridge case A disc cartridge having a shutter rotatably received in the interior thereof and configured to slide in a direction sliding from the right side to the left side of the cartridge case with respect to the cartridge case in a neutral position corresponding to a position for closing the head access opening. In Guide means formed in a direction sliding on a portion of the cartridge case; A first slider fixed to the shutter and guided by the guide means; And Bias means for applying a biasing force to the first slider to return the shutter to the neutral position when the shutter is moved from the neutral position to one of a left side and a right side; Including, The bias means, A pair of second sliders guided by the guide means and disposed respectively on one side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider and the other side of the pair of side surfaces of the first slider; Spring means for attracting the pair of second sliders to each other; And A stopper provided on a cartridge case having one pair of end portions capable of being adjacent to an inner surface of one of the second sliders and the other end thereof being adjacent to an inner surface of the other one of the second sliders; More, The guide means comprises a guide rail which is integrally configured in the sliding direction with the inner surface of one of the upper wall and the lower wall, The first slider is slidably engaged with the guide rail, And the second slider is slidably engaged with the guide rail. The method of claim 9, The guide rail, Rail portion; And A leg portion connecting the rail portion to an inner surface of one of the upper wall and the lower wall; Including, The rail portion is disposed at a position corresponding to the center line with respect to the thickness direction of the cartridge case, and the thickness thereof is formed to be equal to or thinner than the thickness of the disc-shaped recording medium, And the leg portion is formed at a position outside of the head access opening of the cartridge case. The method of claim 9, And a rail portion of the guide rail has a square cross section. The method of claim 9, And the first slider and the guide rail are configured such that the first slider can be mounted on the guide rail in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction in which the guide rail extends. The method of claim 9, A space extending between the one end of the pair of end portions of the guide rail and one side wall of the pair of side walls of the cartridge case in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction to form a space through which one of the second sliders can pass; Between the other end of the pair of ends of the guide rail and the other side wall of the pair of side walls of the cartridge case extending in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction to form a space through which the other one of the second slider can penetrate, And said second slider has a latching portion to which said second slider is inserted and mounted in the sliding direction with respect to said guide rail. The method of claim 13, A retaining portion formed on the other inner surface of the upper wall and the lower wall, wherein the retaining portion constitutes an extension of the guide rail corresponding to the space between the upper wall and the lower wall. A disk cartridge, characterized in that. The method of claim 13, And engagement means for engaging the first slider and the second slider with each other while the first slider and the second slider are in contact with each other. The method of claim 15, The engagement means, A recess provided on a contact surface of one of the first slider and the second slider; And A disc cartridge comprising a convex portion provided on the other contact surface of the first slider and the second slider to engage the recessed portion, The method of claim 9, The second slider includes an engagement recess in which the second slider is mounted on the guide rail in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, And the engaging recess is formed inside an elastic hook-like portion that is part of the second slider. The method of claim 17, And the resilient hook-shaped portion includes a leading end portion having an inclined guide surface for guiding mounting of the second slider on the rail portion of the guide rail.

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