JP3297538B2 - Optical disk cartridge - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical disk cartridge for storing an optical disk as an information recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today, read-only (read-only) optical disks such as CD-ROMs, write-once optical disks on which information can be written only once, and rewritable optical disks on which information can be rewritten, have been developed. Optical discs have been developed and are beginning to be put into practical use.

An optical disk cartridge for accommodating these optical disks will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the optical disk cartridge 1, and FIG. 7 is a front view thereof. Reference numeral 2 denotes an opening / closing window 4a formed on one main surface of a flat shell 4 forming an outer shell of the optical disk cartridge. The shutter 3 is a shutter guide for guiding the opening and closing operation of the shutter 2.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a state in which the opening window 4a is closed. FIGS. 8 and 9 are top views of the optical disk cartridge 1, and FIG. 9 shows a state in which the shutter 2 opens the opening window 4a.

[0005] Reference numeral 5 denotes a columnar slider for fixing the shutter 2 and smoothly opening and closing the shutter 2 with respect to the shell 4. The slider 5 is slidably mounted on the side edge of the shell 4. Have been. The fixing of the shutter 2 to the slider 5 can be achieved by screwing two screws 6 into the back surface of the sliding surface of the slider 5 through a through hole provided in the bent portion 2a of the shutter 2.

The shutter 2 is opened by a spring member 7 composed of a spring stretched between a spring engagement portion (not shown) formed on the inner surface of the shutter 2 and a spring engagement portion 4b of the shell 4. It is biased in a direction to close the window 4a.

[0007] In the optical disk cartridge 1 having the above-described configuration, before use, the opening window 4a is closed by the shutter 2 to protect the optical disk housed therein.
Is mounted on the magnetic drive, the opening window 4a is opened by the shutter 2, and the optical disk is exposed through the opening window 4a, so that recording information can be read and written.

[0008]

In the optical disk cartridge 1 having the above-mentioned structure, the side edge of the shell 4 and the sliding surface of the slider 5 come into contact with the opening and closing operation of the shutter 2. Are shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. FIG.
0 is a top view of a main part with the shutter 2 removed,
FIG. 11 is a front view of the main part.

According to these figures, when the optical disk cartridge 1 is mounted on the magnetic drive, the opening window 4a is opened by the shutter 2 and the side edge of the shell 4 and the slider 5 come into planar contact. It has become.

However, the two screws 6 are connected to the slider 5
Since the shutter 2 is fixed to the slider 5 by being screwed into the back surface of the sliding surface, if the tightening torque of the screw 6 is too strong, the following problem occurs. That is, FIG. 12 is a top view of the main part with the shutter 2 removed. If the tightening torque of the screw 6 is too strong, the space between the shell 4 and the slider 5 becomes narrower than the normal torque. The contact surface between the side edge and the sliding surface of the slider 5 comes into close contact with each other, so that the opening and closing operation of the shutter 2 cannot be performed smoothly or the shutter 2 keeps the opening window 4a open. There was a problem of becoming.

The shell 4 itself warps inward as shown in FIG. 13 (this figure is also a top view of the main part with the shutter 2 removed), other than due to the tightening torque of the screw 6 as described above. A similar problem arises when the system is used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to smoothly open and close a shutter so that a contact surface between a side edge of a shell and a sliding surface of a slider does not come into close contact.

[0013]

In the optical disk cartridge according to the present invention, a columnar slider is slidably mounted on a side edge of a flat shell for housing an optical disk, and a rear surface of the slider with respect to a sliding surface is connected to the shell. Cover the opening window formed on one principal surface of the shutter with a bent portion for opening and closing, and screw a plurality of screws into the back surface of the slider through the bent portion to fix the shutter to the slider;
Further, in an optical disc cartridge in which the width of a slider portion facing the bent portion of the shutter is 3.2 mm,
On both side surfaces or one side surface of the portion of the columnar slider covered by the shutter, a recess having a depth of 0.1 to 0.3 mm was provided at the same depth over the entire interval from the back surface of the slider portion to the sliding surface. It is characterized by the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a columnar slider is slidably attached to a side edge of a flat shell for housing an optical disk, and a back surface of the slider with respect to a sliding surface is formed on one main surface of the shell. And a plurality of screws are screwed into the rear surface of the slider through the bent portion to fix the shutter to the slider. In an optical disk cartridge in which the width of the opposing slider portion is 3.2 mm, 0.1 to 0 at the same depth in the sliding direction of the slider on both side surfaces or one side surface of the portion of the columnar slider covered by the shutter. .3 mm is provided.

[0015]

In the optical disk cartridge having the above structure, the columnar slider is provided with a recess having a depth of 0.1 to 0.3 mm on both side surfaces or one side surface of the portion covered by the shutter. A screw is screwed into the rear surface of the slider through the bent portion of the shutter, and when the shutter is fixed to the slider, the side edge of the shell and the sliding surface of the slider may be fixed even if the screw is tightened too much. Contact surfaces are not brought into close contact. Further, even when the shell itself is warped inward, the close contact state does not occur. As a result, the shutter can be smoothly opened and closed, and a highly reliable optical disk cartridge can be provided. As a reference example, a configuration in which the portion of the columnar slider that is covered by the shutter is tapered is described.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the case where a recessed portion exceeding 0.3 mm is provided, the strength is weakened, and the device is detached or broken by a drop test or the like.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with an optical disk cartridge containing a 3.5-inch magneto-optical disk. The optical disk cartridge of this embodiment has the same configuration as the conventional optical disk cartridge 1 except for the configuration of the slider, except for the configuration of the slider. Therefore, one embodiment of the configuration of the slider is shown in FIG. Another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 with reference to FIGS.

(Example 1) FIG. 1 is a top view of a main part of the optical disk cartridge of the present example with a shutter removed. According to the figure, the width of the slider 5a, that is, the width of the portion of the shutter 2 facing the bent portion 2a is 3.
For the slider 5a of this width, the depth on both sides of the portion covered by the shutter 2 is 0.1 to 0.3.
A concave portion 8 of mm is provided. The recess 8 has the same depth over the entire distance from the back surface of the slider 5a to the sliding surface.

The shell 4 is a molded product of polycarbonate or ABS resin for maintaining the mechanical strength to some extent.
The shutter 2 is made of SUS, whereas the slider 5a is made of polycarbonate or ABS resin.
The slider 5a provided with the recess 8 is formed by injection molding or grinding a conventional molded product.

The present inventor has also prepared a slider 5a having recesses 8 on both sides of the portion covered by the shutter 2, or a slider having recesses 8 on one side thereof, and various optical disk cartridges thereof. (Prototype Nos. 1 to 1
0) was tested. In this test, a screw tightening torque test, a shell warpage test, and a drop test were performed on each optical disk cartridge.

In the screw tightening torque test, the screw tightening torque was set to 2.
The setting was performed at 0 kgf. The shell warpage test was performed under the condition that the shell 4 was warped inward by 0.1 mm or more. The drop test was carried out by laying vinyl having a thickness of 2 mm on concrete and dropping the optical disc cartridge from a height of 76 cm with six sides and four corners facing down. Table 1 shows the results.

In the respective items of the screw tightening torque test and the shell warpage test in the same table, a mark “○” indicates that there was no problem even if the shutter 2 was repeatedly slid, and a mark “X” indicates that the shutter 2 was not disturbed.
Is sliding, the contact surface between the side edge of the shell 4 and the sliding surface of the slider 5a comes into close contact with each other, and the opening and closing operation of the shutter 2 is not performed smoothly. In the drop test items, a circle indicates that the slider 5a did not come off or broke, and a cross indicates that the slider 5a came off or broke.

[0023]

[Table 1]

As is clear from this table, the prototype N of the present invention
o. In 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, good results were obtained in both the screw tightening torque test and the shell warpage test, and there was no problem even when the shutter 2 was repeatedly slid. Prototype No. In Examples 1, 2, and 3, both the screw tightening torque test and the shell warpage test were defective, and the opening and closing operation of the shutter 2 was not performed smoothly. In addition, the prototype No. In 6, 9, and 10, the slider 5 was used in the drop test.
a has come off or broken.

(Example 2) FIG. 2 is a top view of a main part of the optical disk cartridge of this example with a shutter removed, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG.

According to these figures, the width of the slider 5b is 3.2 mm, and the slider 5b having this width has a depth of 0. 0 on both sides of the portion covered by the shutter 2.
A recess 9 of 1 to 0.3 mm is provided. The recess 9 is formed to have the same depth throughout the sliding direction of the slider 5b.

The present inventor has also prepared a slider 5b provided with concave portions 9 on both sides of the portion covered by the shutter 2 or a slider provided with concave portions 9 on one side thereof. (Prototype Nos. 11 and 2
0) was tested. In this test, the same screw tightening torque test, shell warp test, and drop test as in (Example 1) were performed on each optical disk cartridge. Table 2 shows the results. In the results in the same table, the evaluations with the marks ○ and x are the same as in (Example 1).

[0028]

[Table 2]

As is clear from this table, the prototype N of the present invention
o. In 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, good results were obtained in both the screw tightening torque test and the shell warpage test, and there was no problem even when the shutter 2 was repeatedly slid. Prototype No. 11, 12, 1
In No. 3, both the screw tightening torque test and the shell warpage test were defective, and the opening and closing operation of the shutter 2 was not performed smoothly. In addition, the prototype No. In Nos. 16, 19 and 20, the slider 5a was detached or broken in the drop test.

Example 3 FIG. 4 is a top view of a main part of the optical disk cartridge of the present example with a shutter removed, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG.

According to these figures, the width of the slider 5c is 3.2 mm, and the slider 5c having this width has a depth of 0. 0 on both sides of the portion covered by the shutter 2.
A recess 10 of 1 to 0.3 mm is provided. The recess 10 extends from the back surface of the slider 5c to the sliding surface.
In addition, it is formed over the sliding direction of the slider 5c.

The present inventor has also prepared a slider 5c having recesses 10 on both sides of the portion covered by the shutter 2, or a slider having recesses 10 on one side thereof.
These various optical disk cartridges (prototype No. 21
-30) were tested. In this test, the same screw tightening torque test, shell warp test, and drop test as in (Example 1) were performed on each optical disk cartridge.
Table 3 shows the results. In the results in the table, ○, ×
The evaluation by the mark is the same as (Example 1).

[0033]

[Table 3]

As is clear from this table, the prototype N of the present invention
o. In Examples 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, good results were obtained in both the screw tightening torque test and the shell warpage test, and there was no problem even when the shutter 2 was repeatedly slid. Prototype No. 21, 22, 2
In No. 3, both the screw tightening torque test and the shell warpage test were defective, and the opening and closing operation of the shutter 2 was not performed smoothly. In addition, the prototype No. In Nos. 26, 29 and 30, the slider 5a was detached or broken in the drop test.

According to (Example 4) and (Example 2), the recess 9 is formed with the same depth over the entire sliding direction of the slider 5b.
It was confirmed by an experiment that the tapered shape 9a may be formed instead of the concave portion 9 and the object of the present invention could be achieved by this.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0037]

As described above, according to the optical disk cartridge of the present invention, both side surfaces of the columnar slider slidably mounted on the side edge of the flat shell for housing the optical disk are covered by the shutter. Alternatively, since a concave portion having a depth of 0.1 to 0.3 mm is provided on one side surface, a plurality of screws are screwed into the back surface of the slider via the bent portion of the shutter, and the shutter is fixed to the slider. When the shell screw is manually tightened,
Or even if the torque is too strong with time with an automatic screwdriver, the contact surface between the side edge of the shell and the sliding surface of the slider will not be in close contact, or even if the shell itself is warped inward, The close contact state does not occur, and as a result, the opening and closing operation of the shutter can be performed smoothly,
A highly reliable optical disk cartridge could be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part top view of an optical disk cartridge according to the present invention with a shutter removed.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a main part of the optical disk cartridge according to the present invention with a shutter removed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a main part top view of the optical disk cartridge according to the present invention with a shutter removed.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an optical disk cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the optical disk cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the optical disk cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the optical disk cartridge.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a main part of the optical disc cartridge with a shutter removed.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a main part of the optical disc cartridge with a shutter removed.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a main part of a conventional optical disk cartridge with a shutter removed.

FIG. 13 is a top view of a main part of a conventional optical disk cartridge with a shutter removed.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment taken along line XX of FIG. 2;

[Description of Signs] 1 Optical disk cartridge 2 Shutter 2a Bending portion 4 Shell 4a Open window 5, 5a, 5b, 5c Slider 6 Screw 8, 9, 10 Depressed portion

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A columnar slider is slidably mounted on a side edge of a flat shell for accommodating an optical disk, and a back surface with respect to a sliding surface of the slider is opened and closed by an opening window formed on one main surface of the shell. A plurality of screws are screwed into the back surface of the slider through the bent portion, and the shutter is fixed to the slider .
Furthermore, the width of the slider portion facing the bent portion of the shutter
Is 3.2 mm in an optical disk cartridge,
On both sides or one side of the portion of the columnar slider covered by the shutter, from the back surface of the slider portion to the sliding surface
An optical disc cartridge characterized in that a concave portion having a depth of 0.1 to 0.3 mm is provided at the same depth over the entire distance . 2. A columnar slider is slidably mounted on a side edge of a flat shell for accommodating an optical disk, and a back surface with respect to a sliding surface of the slider is opened and closed by an opening window formed on one main surface of the shell. A plurality of screws are screwed into the back surface of the slider through the bent portion, and the shutter is fixed to the slider .
Furthermore, the width of the slider portion facing the bent portion of the shutter
Is 3.2 mm in an optical disk cartridge,
Both side surfaces of the portion of the columnar slider covered by the shutter
Or one side, the same
An optical disc cartridge provided with a concave portion having a depth of 0.1 to 0.3 mm.