JP4142602B2 - Disc cartridge - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a disk cartridge in which a disk-shaped disk medium used as an information or video recording / reproducing medium is rotatably accommodated in a case.

  For example, disk-shaped disk media such as optical disks and magneto-optical disks are used as portable computer recording / reproducing media and video recording / reproducing media. When recording or reproducing such a disk medium, the recording head irradiates the recording layer with laser light or both the laser light and the magnetic field while being rotated by the spindle shaft while being loaded in the disk drive device. Is done. As a result, in the disk media, information is recorded by pit formation, phase change, magnetization reversal, etc. due to decomposition and / or temperature rise of the recording layer, or the laser beam reflectance and polarization angle are read by the reproducing head. The recorded information is played back.

  In order to prevent dust and the like from adhering to the recording layer of the disk medium (the cover layer covering the recording layer) with the increase in recording capacity of the disk medium, a disk in which the disk medium is accommodated in the housing portion of the case A cartridge is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In such a disk cartridge, a center hole of the disk medium and a chucking opening and a head opening for accessing the recording layer side are provided on the recording layer side of the disk medium in the case. These openings are opened and closed by a pair of shutters driven by an inner rotor.

  In addition, there is known a disk cartridge provided with an opening that allows the disk medium to be taken in and out on the opposite side of the disk medium in the case from the chucking opening and the head opening (see, for example, Patent Document 2). . In this disk cartridge, the opening is provided, and a pair of shutters including the inner rotor are operated on the same plane, thereby reducing the thickness. The shutter mechanism of this disk cartridge will be described with reference to FIG.

  The disc cartridge 100 shown in FIG. 7 has a chucking opening 104 for accessing a center hole of a disc medium (not shown) in a bottom plate 102A of a case 102, and a head opening for a head of a drive device to access a recording surface. 106 are provided. Between the disk medium in the case 102 and the bottom plate 102A, a first shutter 108 that can rotate coaxially with the disk medium, and a second shaft 112 that has a rotating shaft 112 on the radially outer side of the disk medium in the case 102. A shutter 110 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the first shutter 108 and the second shutter 110 abut against the abutting end faces 108A and 110A to close the head opening 106, and the chucking opening 104. Is always open. Then, the first shutter 108 is rotated in the direction of the arrow G, and the second shutter 110 is rotated in the direction of the arrow H substantially opposite to the arrow G with respect to the head opening portion 106, as shown in FIG. As shown, the head opening 106 is opened.

  The contact end surfaces 108A and 110A of the first shutter 108 and the second shutter 110 are straight lines. In this disc cartridge 100, the contact end face 110A is in contact with and away from the contact end face 108A while drawing an acute relative movement trajectory. If the angle θ formed by the straight line L4 (see FIG. 7A) connecting the leading end Z of the contact end surface 110A in the closing direction and the contact end surface 110A is an acute angle, the head opening 106 is closed. Then, the second shutter 110 cannot move in the arrow H direction until the first shutter 108 rotates in the arrow G direction by a predetermined distance or more.

  As a countermeasure, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, the angle θ is an obtuse angle. For this reason, the contact end surface 108A of the first shutter 108 is larger than the edge portion 106A along the loading direction A of the head opening portion 106 to the drive device in the opened state of the head opening portion 106 shown in FIG. The head opening portion 106 is inclined with respect to the edge portion 106A so as to be in the open position. That is, the notch of the first shutter 108 is made larger than the head opening 106.

  Therefore, in this configuration, the size of the second shutter 110 is increased by an amount corresponding to the large area of the notch of the first shutter 108, and the second shutter 110 is limited in the case 102 with the head opening 106 opened. It was difficult to accommodate in the space. In other words, it is difficult to increase the width of the head opening 106 to increase the size.

Further, a disk cartridge having another shutter mechanism that operates a pair of shutters on the same plane is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 3). Although not shown, in this configuration, the rotational axis of the second shutter is on the opposite side to the left and right sides of the rotational axis 112 of the second shutter of the disk cartridge 100. It is configured to be located on a certain right side. Therefore, the contact end surface with the second shutter comes in contact with and separates from the contact end surface of the first shutter while drawing an obtuse angle relative movement locus. For this reason, in this conventional configuration, the operation of the second shutter does not interfere with the first shutter. However, in this configuration, the closed portion of the head opening by the second shutter and the rotational axis are far from each other, so that the second shutter becomes large (long). In addition, a cam mechanism that interlocks the first shutter and the second shutter must be disposed in the vicinity of the rotation axis of the first shutter, and a large force is required to open and close the head opening, and the first and second shutters. It was difficult to operate smoothly.
JP 2003-115184 A JP 2003-242740 A JP 2002-269944 A

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a disk cartridge that can smoothly open and close the head opening without increasing the size of the second shutter in consideration of the above facts.

  In order to achieve the above object, a disk cartridge according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a storage portion that rotatably stores a disk medium formed in a disc shape, and a recording surface side of the disk medium in the storage portion. A case provided with a head opening for the head of the drive device to access the recording surface; a first shutter provided in the case so as to be rotatable coaxially with the disk medium; and the first shutter A second shutter that is rotatable about an axis different from the first shutter, the first shutter and the second shutter abut against each other to close the head opening, and the first shutter and the second shutter A shutter mechanism that rotates in opposite directions with respect to the head opening to open the head opening, and in a closed state of the head opening Abutting ends to each other with serial first shutter and the second shutter has a portion of arcuate shape centered on the pivot axis of the second shutter is characterized by.

  In the disk cartridge according to claim 1, the first shutter that is rotatable coaxially with the disk medium, and the second shutter that is rotatable around a rotation axis different from the first shutter are abutted against each other. The head opening is closed while being positioned at the respective rotational positions where the ends abut. Further, the first shutter and the second shutter rotate to the opposite sides with respect to the head opening, thereby opening the head opening.

  Here, the first shutter and the second shutter have a circular arc shape centering on the rotation axis of the second shutter at the abutting end in a state where the first shutter and the second shutter are positioned to close the head opening. Therefore, the second shutter can be turned around the axis regardless of the turning position of the first shutter. That is, the second shutter can be smoothly rotated without interfering with the first shutter. As a result, the above-described effect can be obtained by forming the abutting end of the first shutter and the second shutter in a straight line while maintaining the function of reliably opening and closing the head opening by the first shutter and the second shutter. The second shutter can be downsized as compared with the above.

  Thus, in the disk cartridge according to the first aspect, the head opening can be smoothly opened and closed without increasing the size of the second shutter. In addition, the operation timing of the second shutter can be set independently of the operation timing of the first shutter, and the degree of freedom in design is improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the disc cartridge according to the first aspect, wherein the abutting ends of the first shutter and the second shutter are assumed to be virtual lines. In this case, an arc having an acute angle formed by a straight line connecting the virtual straight line and the rotation axis of the second shutter and the virtual straight line is centered on the rotation axis of the second shutter. It is formed in a shape.

  3. The disk cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the abutting end of the first shutter and the second shutter is a virtual straight line, and the virtual straight line and the rotation axis of the virtual straight line and the second shutter. A range in which the angle formed by the straight line connecting the centers is an acute angle (less than 90 °) is formed in an arc shape having a radius of curvature centered on the rotation axis of the second shutter. That is, the imaginary straight line is an arbitrary point on one side and the rotation axis of the second shutter with respect to a point where the angle formed by the virtual line and the straight line connecting the rotation axis of the second shutter is a right angle. An acute angle with respect to the straight line connecting the hearts.

  Then, the abutting ends of the first shutter and the second shutter, which are in positions that respectively close the head opening, close the head opening with respect to the entire range on one side with respect to the normal, that is, the normal. The portion on the second shutter rotation direction side has the arc shape. As a result, the second shutter can reliably rotate to open and close the head opening regardless of the rotation position of the first shutter. Therefore, the first shutter and the second shutter operate smoothly to open and close the head opening without interfering with each other regardless of the operation timing of each other.

  A disc cartridge according to a third aspect of the present invention is the disc cartridge according to the first aspect, wherein the abutting end of the first shutter and the second shutter is the abutting end of the first shutter. An angle formed by the virtual straight line and a straight line connecting the virtual straight line and the rotation axis of the second shutter when it is assumed that the virtual straight line extends along the edge of the head opening in the open state. Is formed in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis of the second shutter.

  4. The disk cartridge according to claim 3, wherein an abutting end of the first shutter with the second shutter is located along the edge of the head opening (substantially coincides) when located at the opening position of the head opening. When the straight line is assumed to be a straight line, a range in which an angle formed by the virtual straight line and a straight line connecting the virtual straight line and the rotation axis of the second shutter is an acute angle (less than 90 °) is set in the second shutter. Are formed in an arc shape having a radius of curvature centered on the pivot axis. That is, the imaginary straight line is an arbitrary point on one side and the rotation axis of the second shutter with respect to a point where the angle formed by the virtual line and the straight line connecting the rotation axis of the second shutter is a right angle. An acute angle with respect to the straight line connecting the hearts.

  The abutting ends of the first shutter and the second shutter, each of which is in the closing position of the head opening, are in the entire range on one side with respect to the normal, that is, the first opening that closes the head opening with respect to the normal. 2 The portion on the shutter rotation direction side has the arc shape. As a result, the second shutter can reliably rotate to open and close the head opening regardless of the rotation position of the first shutter. Therefore, the first shutter and the second shutter operate smoothly to open and close the head opening without interfering with each other regardless of the operation timing of each other.

  In addition, since the abutting end of the first shutter is recessed by the arc shape with respect to the edge of the head opening (the imaginary straight line) when the head opening is open, The size of the second shutter can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which the angle formed by the straight line connecting the rotation axis of the second shutter over the entire length is an obtuse angle, and the abutting end is a straight line. The second shutter can be significantly reduced in size as compared with the configuration to be performed.

  The disc cartridge according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the disc cartridge according to the first aspect, wherein the abutting ends of the first shutter and the second shutter are the rotation axis of the second shutter over the entire length. It is formed in the circular arc shape centering on.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, since the abutting end of the first shutter and the second shutter is formed in the arc shape over the entire length, the second shutter does not depend on the rotational position of the first shutter. The head opening can be opened and closed with reliable rotation. Therefore, the first shutter and the second shutter operate smoothly to open and close the head opening without interfering with each other regardless of the operation timing of each other. Further, the size of the second shutter can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the abutting end is a straight line and the angle formed by the straight line connecting with the rotation axis of the second shutter is an obtuse angle over the entire length. The second shutter can be significantly reduced in size as compared with the configuration in which the abutting end is a straight line.

  As described above, the disk cartridge according to the present invention has an excellent effect that the head opening can be smoothly opened and closed without increasing the size of the second shutter.

  A disc cartridge 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. An arrow A appropriately shown in each drawing indicates the loading direction of the disk cartridge 10 into the drive device, and for convenience, the side indicated by the arrow A that is the loading direction into the drive device will be described as the front side. The direction indicated by arrow B is the upper side, and the direction indicated by arrow C is the right side.

  FIG. 1 shows an external appearance of the disk cartridge 10 in a perspective view, and FIG. 2 shows the disk cartridge 10 in an exploded perspective view. As shown in these drawings, the disk cartridge 10 includes a case 14 that rotatably accommodates a disk medium 12 as a disk-shaped information recording / reproducing medium, and a recording / reproducing head that opens at the lower surface of the case 14. A shutter mechanism 18 for opening and closing the head opening 16 for accessing the recording surface of the disk medium 12 and a disk from the disk opening 20 that opens above the case 14 and allows the disk medium 12 to be inserted into and removed from the case 14. A disk holding mechanism 22 for preventing the media 12 from falling off is configured as a main component. In FIG. 1, the disk medium 12 is not shown.

  First, a schematic overall configuration of the disk cartridge 10 will be described, and then a detailed configuration of a shutter abutting portion in the shutter mechanism 18 which is a main part of the present invention will be described.

[Overall configuration of disk cartridge]
(Disk media configuration)
The disk medium 12 accommodated in the disk cartridge 10 is formed in a disk shape as described above. A center hole 12A that is chucked (engaged and held) by the rotating spindle shaft of the disk drive device is provided at the axial center of the disk medium 12. Further, the lower surface of the disk medium 12 is configured such that the recording surface is covered and protected by a cover layer (both not shown). The recording surface is formed in an annular shape in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the lower surface of the disk medium 12 and in a portion excluding a predetermined range around the center hole 12A. An area between the hole edge of the center hole 12 </ b> A and the inner edge of the recording surface on the lower surface of the disk medium 12 is a chucking area for the rotating spindle shaft of the drive device to hold the disk medium 12. In this embodiment, the diameter (outer diameter) of the disk medium 12 is approximately 120 mm.

(Case structure)
The case 14 is formed in a substantially rectangular flat container shape in plan view by joining the upper shell 24 and the lower shell 26. Specifically, the case 14 has a front edge portion formed in a substantially symmetrical circular arc shape in a plan view and a rear end formed in a linear shape along the left-right direction. It is designed to prevent loading.

  The upper shell 24 includes a top plate 28 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the case 14 in plan view, and an outer peripheral wall 30 erected downward substantially along the outer edge of the top plate 28. The top plate 28 is provided with a substantially circular disk opening 20 in plan view, and the inner diameter of the disk opening 20 is larger than the outer diameter of the disk medium 12. Thereby, the disk medium 12 can be inserted into and removed from the case 14 through the disk opening 20. The upper shell 24 includes an annular inner peripheral wall 32 erected downward along the edge of the disk opening 20.

  Further, notches 34 for attaching a disk pressing member 84 to be described later are provided at two locations on the rear end side of the top plate 28 and on the radially outer side of the inner peripheral wall 32. Further, on the right side of the cutout 34 on the right side of the top plate 28, a lock operation window 36 that is long in the left-right direction for operating a lock member 88 described later is provided. On the other hand, a notch portion 30A having a U-shaped edge portion that is elongated in the front-rear direction and opens downward is formed in the front-rear direction central portion of the portion constituting the right side wall of the case 14 in the outer peripheral wall 30. ing.

  The lower shell 26 includes a bottom plate 38 having a shape substantially corresponding to the top plate 28 and an outer peripheral wall 40 having a shape substantially corresponding to the outer peripheral wall 30. The bottom plate 38 is provided with a substantially circular chucking opening 42 corresponding to the center hole 12 </ b> A of the disk medium 12 and the head opening 16. In the following description, the chucking opening 42 and the head opening 16 may be collectively referred to as an access opening 44. The head opening 16 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the radial direction of the chucking opening 42, and is continuous with the front side of the chucking opening 42. Therefore, the notch edge of the bottom plate 38 formed by the access opening 44 is formed in a substantially U shape that opens forward. Further, the head opening 16 is formed by cutting out the front central portion of the outer peripheral wall 40 in the left-right direction over the entire height.

  The outer peripheral wall 40 is configured such that the upper end (open end) of the outer peripheral wall 40 abuts the lower end (open end) of the outer peripheral wall 30 of the upper shell 24 to form the peripheral wall of the case 14. At a position corresponding to the cutout portion 30A of the upper shell 24 on the outer peripheral wall 40, a cutout portion 40A having a U-shaped edge portion that is elongated in the front-rear direction and opens upward is formed. In a state in which the outer peripheral wall 30 and the outer peripheral wall 40 are in contact with each other, the notch 30A and the notch 40A form a shutter operation window 46 (see FIG. 1) on the right side surface of the case 14. ing. The shutter operation window 46 is for exposing an operation projection 66 of an inner rotor 60 described later.

  Further, the lower shell 26 includes an inner wall 48 erected partially from the bottom plate 38 along a circumference coaxial with the chucking opening 42. The inner wall 48 has an inner diameter of an imaginary circle connecting the inner surfaces thereof larger than an outer diameter of the inner peripheral wall 32 of the upper shell 24, and the inner wall 48 is interposed between the inner peripheral wall 32 and the upper shell 24 and the lower shell 26. A gap is formed. In this gap, an annular wall 62 (described later) of the inner rotor 60 is inserted. The bottom plate 38, the inner wall 48, and the inner peripheral wall 32 of the upper shell 24 form a disk housing portion 50 (see FIG. 1) as a housing portion for housing the disk media 12 in the case 14. As described above, the disk storage unit 50 can be loaded and unloaded with the disk medium 12 through the disk opening 20.

  Further, a support shaft 52 projects from the vicinity of the left rear corner of the bottom plate 38. The shaft center of the support shaft 52 is located outside the circumference along the outer surface of the inner wall 48, that is, outside the disk housing portion 50. In the present embodiment, the support shaft 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape whose inside is a reference hole 52 </ b> A that opens to the outer surface of the bottom plate 38. From the vicinity of the right rear corner of the bottom plate 38, there is provided a protrusion 53 provided with a reference hole 53A that is paired with the reference hole 52A and is elongated in the left-right direction. Further, a pair of left and right bearings 54 project from the radially outer side of the inner wall 48 at the rear portion of the bottom plate 38 and are used for supporting the shaft of the disk pressing member 84.

  Furthermore, a pair of front and rear recesses 56A and 56B are provided in a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction near the left end of the bottom plate 38. The recesses 56A and 56B are disposed so as to include the start and end of the movement locus of a cam projection 72 (described later) of the inner rotor 60, respectively, and are separated from each other. Further, a pair of guide pins 58 are provided in the vicinity of the left front corner of the bottom plate 38. The pair of guide pins 58 are disposed on a virtual circumference coaxial with the inner wall 48 and larger in diameter than the inner wall 48, and are used for guiding a disk receiving member 82 described later.

  The lower shell 26 described above is joined to the upper shell 24 by screws to form the case 14 with the upper end surface of the outer peripheral wall 40 abutted against the lower end surface of the outer peripheral wall 30. It should be noted that the upper shell 24 and the lower shell 26 may be joined by, for example, ultrasonic welding, adhesion, or the like, instead of screwing.

(Configuration of shutter mechanism)
The shutter mechanism 18 is provided in the case 14. Specifically, the shutter mechanism 18 includes an inner rotor 60 disposed in the case 14. The inner rotor 60 includes an annular wall 62 formed in a short cylindrical shape. As described above, the annular wall portion 62 is slidably inserted into the gap between the inner peripheral wall 32 of the upper shell 24 and the inner wall 48 of the lower shell 26. As a result, the inner rotor 60 can be rotated coaxially with the disc accommodating portion 50 (the disc medium 12 accommodated in the case 14).

  A flat plate-like first shutter 64 is integrally provided inside the lower end of the annular wall portion 62. The first shutter 64 is a disk having the same diameter and the same diameter as the annular wall 62, a notch 65 </ b> A having substantially the same shape as the access opening 44, and an inner peripheral disk receiving portion (arc rib) 80 of the second shutter 74 described later. The shape is provided with a notch 65B corresponding to the relative movement locus. Further, the annular wall portion 62 is formed with a substantially U-shaped notch portion 62A that is continuous with the radially outer end of the notch portion 65A and whose edge shape opens downward. The cut-out portion 62A coincides with the cut-out portion of the outer peripheral wall 40 of the lower shell 26, so that the recording / reproducing head can be accessed from the front of the disk cartridge 10.

  The first shutter 64 is slidably mounted on the bottom plate 38 (disk accommodating portion 50) of the lower shell 26, and the outer peripheral side and inner peripheral side of the head opening 16 as the inner rotor 60 rotates. A closing position (see FIG. 3) for closing a part of the head opening 16 and an opening position (see FIG. 6) for retracting from the head opening 16 can be taken. In other words, the first shutter 64 positioned at the open position is positioned so that the cutout portion 65 </ b> A substantially coincides with the access opening 44.

  An operation projection 66 that is exposed to the outside from the shutter operation window 46 of the case 14 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the annular wall portion 62. The operation protrusion 66 is disposed at the front end of the shutter operation window 46 when the first shutter 64 is in the closed position, and is positioned at the rear end of the shutter operation window 46 when the first shutter 64 is in the open position. Has been.

  Further, from the upper surface of the first shutter 64, an inner periphery receiving convex portion 68 formed in an arc shape is erected along an edge portion corresponding to the chucking opening portion 42 in the notch portion 65A. The lower surface of the chucking area of the disk medium 12 abuts on the inner periphery receiving projection 68. Accordingly, the first shutter 64 is disposed between the bottom plate 38 and the disk medium 12 so as to open and close a part of the head opening 16.

  On the other hand, from the vicinity of the outer periphery on the upper surface of the first shutter 64, the outer periphery receiving convex portion 70 is erected so as to straddle the inner surface of the annular wall portion 62. The outer peripheral receiving convex portion 70 has substantially the same height as the inner peripheral receiving convex portion 68, and a region radially outside the recording region on the lower surface of the disk medium 12 is in contact therewith. Accordingly, the first shutter 64 is configured to support the disk medium 12 from below at the inner circumferential receiving convex portion 68 and the outer circumferential receiving convex portion 70 when located at the closed position.

  Further, a cam projection 72 projects from the vicinity of the outer periphery of the lower surface of the first shutter 64 toward the lower shell 26 side. The cam protrusion 72 is disposed on the radially outer side of the notch 65B, and always enters a cam groove 78 (described later) of the second shutter 74.

  Further, the shutter mechanism 18 includes a second shutter 74 that closes a part of the remaining portion of the head opening 16 (a part on the inner peripheral side) when the first shutter 64 is located at the closing position. The second shutter 74 is formed in a flat plate shape and slides on the bottom plate 38. For this reason, the portion of the first shutter 64 that interferes with the moving region of the second shutter 74, specifically, the radially outer portion of the notch 65B is thinner than the other portions. That is, the second shutter 74 is thinner than the portion of the first shutter 64 that closes the head opening 16.

  The second shutter 74 is formed in a long plate shape, and includes a boss portion 76 that is pivotally supported by the support shaft 52 of the lower shell 26 at one end portion in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the second shutter 74 rotates around the support shaft 52 to close a part of the inner periphery of the head opening 16 (see FIG. 3) and to open from the top of the head opening 16. The position (see FIG. 6) can be taken. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 are in the closed position, the head opening 16 is completely brought into contact with the contact end surfaces 64A and 74A. It is the structure which closes. The shapes of the contact end faces 64A and 74A will be described later.

  Then, the first shutter 64 moves from the closed position to the open position side by rotating in the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 3 around the axis of the inner rotor 60, and the second shutter 74 is moved around the support shaft 52. It is configured to move from the closed position to the open position side by rotating in the direction of arrow E which is substantially opposite to the arrow D with respect to the opening 16. Further, the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 are interlocked with each other. Specifically, the second shutter 74 is provided with a cam groove 78 substantially along the longitudinal direction, and the cam protrusion 72 of the first shutter 64 enters the cam groove 78.

  Thus, when the operation protrusion 66 of the inner rotor 60 moves rearward and the first shutter 64 rotates in the arrow D direction with the head opening 16 closed, the cam protrusion 72 rotates (revolves) in the arrow D direction. When the groove wall of the cam groove 78 is pressed, the second shutter 74 is rotated in the direction of arrow E. The cam protrusion 72 is located in the vicinity of the end of the cam groove 78 on the side of the support shaft 52 when the head opening 16 is closed, and the inner rotor 60 rotates in the direction of arrow D as shown in FIGS. Accordingly, the relative movement is performed so as to be separated from the support shaft 52.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the second shutter 74 reaches the open position before the first shutter 64, and the second shutter 74 thereafter rotates in the direction of arrow E. In order to ensure rotation of the first shutter in the direction of arrow D while preventing the cam shaft 78, the end of the cam groove 78 opposite to the support shaft 52 side is cam protrusion when the second shutter 74 is located at the open position. It is formed in an arc shape that coincides with the movement locus of 72. Thereby, the first shutter 64 moves from the rotation position shown in FIG. 5 to the open position shown in FIG. 6 without interfering with the second shutter 74. Further, in the shutter mechanism 18, the inner rotor 60 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow D from the open state of the head opening 16, thereby closing the head opening 16 shown in FIG. 3 through the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 4. It is the structure which returns to a state.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, from the upper surface of the second shutter 74, an arcuate inner surface that forms an annular shape with the inner peripheral receiving convex portion 68 of the first shutter 64 with the head opening 16 closed. A circumferential receiving convex portion 80 is projected. The outer side (radial direction inner side) of the inner periphery receiving convex part 80 in the second shutter 74 is a notch part 74B (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the chucking opening 42 is configured to be completely opened while both the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 are located at the closed position. In other words, the chucking opening 42 is always open and communicates with the disk opening 20.

  The inner circumferential receiving convex portion 80 has its upper surface substantially flush with the upper surface of the inner circumferential receiving convex portion 68 in a state in which the head opening portion 16 is closed, and is formed on the remaining part of the chucking area on the lower surface of the disk medium 12. It is the structure which contacts from below (supports from the lower side). For this reason, dust or the like does not enter the lower surface of the disk medium 12, that is, the recording surface side via the chucking opening 42 that is always opened.

  In the shutter mechanism 18, when the inner rotor 60 rotates in the direction of arrow D, the cam protrusion 72 that has entered the recess 56 </ b> A of the lower shell 26 comes out of the recess 56 </ b> A, and the first shutter 64 is lifted and lifted from the second shutter 74. Is also located on the upper side. As a result, the inner periphery receiving convex portion 80 of the second shutter 74 is separated from the lower surface of the disk medium 12 at the initial stage of the opening operation of the head opening portion 16 and is rotated in the direction of arrow E. The configuration prevents the 80 from coming into contact with the recording surface of the disk medium 12. In addition, since the first shutter 64 is provided with the notch portion 65 </ b> B, the inner periphery receiving convex portion 80 of the second shutter 74 does not interfere with the first shutter 64.

  The cam projection 72 of the first shutter 64 that has moved to the open position enters the recess 56B to return the first shutter 64 to the state where it is placed on the bottom plate 38, and the disk media 12 is substantially parallel to the bottom plate 38. To come back. Thus, the chucking of the disk medium 12 by the rotating spindle shaft of the drive device is possible, and the rotating disk medium 12 is prevented from interfering with the first shutter 64. In the transition process from the opened state of the head opening 16 to the closed state, the reverse operation of the above description is performed.

  Further, the shutter mechanism 18 includes a disk receiving member 82. The disk receiving member 82 has a periphery of the outer periphery receiving projection 70 cut out at the radially outer end of the notch 65A of the first shutter 64 in a state where the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 close the head opening 16. A disk outer periphery receiving portion 82A is provided between the direction end portions. That is, the disk outer periphery receiving portion 82A forms an annular shape with the outer periphery receiving convex portion 70 of the first shutter 64 located at the closed position, and in this state, the upper surface is substantially flush with the upper surface of the outer periphery receiving convex portion 70, The configuration is such that the remaining part of the outer portion in the radial direction of the lower surface of the disk medium 12 is in contact from below (supported from below). Accordingly, dust or the like does not enter the lower surface of the disk medium 12, that is, the recording surface side via the disk opening 20.

  The disc receiving member 82 is supported by a pair of guide pins 58 of the lower shell 26 so as to be movable up and down. The disc receiving member 82 descends as the inner rotor 60 rotates in the arrow D direction, and rotates in the arrow D direction. It is set as the structure which does not interfere with the outer periphery receiving convex part 70. FIG. Although details are omitted, the corresponding circumferential end portions of the disk outer periphery receiving portion 82A and the outer periphery receiving protrusion 70 are formed in a tapered shape that overlaps vertically, and the disk outer periphery receiving portion is rotated by the rotation of the inner rotor 60 in the direction of arrow D. The configuration is such that 82 </ b> A is buried under the outer periphery receiving projection 70. In the transition process from the opened state of the head opening 16 to the closed state, the reverse operation of the above description is performed.

(Disk holding mechanism configuration)
The disk holding mechanism 22 includes a disk pressing member 84. The disc pressing member 84 is a pair of support shaft portions 84A that are rotatably supported by the pair of bearing portions 54 of the lower shell 26, and a pair of support shaft portions 84A that are formed integrally with the pair of support shaft portions 84A. And an arm portion 84B. Further, the arm portion 84B is provided with a pair of left and right disc contact portions 84C that contact the upper surface of the disc medium 12. The disc contact portion 84C can be made of rubber or the like which is a separate member with respect to the support shaft portion 84A and the arm portion 84B which are integrally formed of a resin material or the like.

  The disk pressing member 84 is a disk that causes the arm portion 84B to protrude into the disk housing portion 50 (disk opening 20) and the disk contact portion 84C to contact the upper surface of the disk medium 12 by rotating around the support shaft portion 84A. The pressing position, the disc rotation allowing position where the disc contact portion 84C is separated from the upper surface of the disc medium 12 while the arm portion 84B extends into the disc accommodating portion 50, and the disc insertion / removal where the arm portion 84B is retracted from the disc accommodating portion 50. The possible position can be selectively taken.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the disk holding mechanism 22 is provided with a disk pressing spring 86 for urging the disk pressing member 84 to the disk pressing position side, and an operation protrusion 88A provided in the case 14 so as to be slidable only in the left-right direction. And a lock member 88 that is exposed from the lock operation window 36. The disc presser spring 86 is a torsion coil spring. One end of the disc presser spring 86 is engaged with the arm portion 84 </ b> B, and the other end is engaged with the engagement protrusion 88 </ b> B of the lock member 88. As a result, the disc pressing member 84 is normally positioned at the disc pressing position by the urging force of the disc pressing spring 86 and holds the disc medium 12.

  The disk pressing member 84 is moved from the disk pressing position to the disk rotation allowable position with the operation of the first shutter 64 opening the head opening 16. Specifically, the annular wall portion 62 of the inner rotor 60 is provided with a portion whose wall height is higher than other portions (not shown), and this portion is accompanied by the rotation of the inner rotor 60 in the direction of arrow D. Thus, by lifting the arm portion 84B upward in the notch portion 34, the disc pressing member 84 is moved from the disc pressing position to the disc rotation allowable position. The state in which the disk pressing member 84 is positioned at the disk rotation allowable position is maintained with the head opening 16 being opened. Thus, the disc pressing member 84 is prevented from interfering with the rotating disc medium 12.

  The lock member 88 engages with the other end of the disk presser spring 86 when the operation protrusion 88A is positioned at the left end of the lock operation window 36, but the disk 88 when the operation protrusion 88A is positioned at the right end of the lock operation window 36. The engagement with the other end of the presser spring 86 is released. Therefore, by operating the operation protrusion 88A and moving the lock member 88 to the right, the urging force of the disk pressing spring 86 does not act on the disk pressing member 84. If the disk pressing member 84 is manually moved to the disk insertion / removal position in this state, the disk pressing member 84 will not return to the disk pressing position even if the hand is released from the disk pressing member 84, and the disk medium 12. The disc can be easily inserted into, removed from (removed from) the disc housing 50, and replaced.

[Configuration of shutter abutment]
As shown in FIG. 3, the contact end surface 74 </ b> A that is a contact end with the contact end surface 64 </ b> A of the first shutter 64 in the second shutter 74 is formed in an arc shape in a plan view. More specifically, the contact end surface 74 </ b> A is an arc having a radius of curvature centered on the axis of the support shaft 52 (boss portion 76) that is the rotation axis of the second shutter 74. Further, the contact end surface 64A, which is an edge of the notch 65A in the first shutter 64 and is a contact end with the contact end surface 74A, is a plan view that coincides with the contact end surface 74A when the head opening portion 16 is closed. It is formed in an arc shape.

  Since the contact end surfaces 64A and 74A have the arc shape as described above, the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 abut against the contact end surfaces 64A and 74A without any gaps, thereby closing the head opening 16. Thus, the head opening 16 can be opened and closed smoothly and reliably while maintaining the function.

  Here, the imaginary straight line L1 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the contact when it is assumed that the contact end face 64A substantially coincides with the right edge 16A of the head opening 16 when the first shutter 64 is located at the open position. It corresponds to the end face 64A. This virtual straight line L1 corresponds to the virtual straight line in the present invention. The virtual straight line L2 is a normal line of the virtual straight line L1 passing through the axis of the support shaft 52. From this figure, an arbitrary point on the virtual straight line L1 and the support shaft 52 are shown on the virtual straight line L1 on the arrow F side opposite to the virtual straight line L2 on the virtual straight line L1 (the movement side to the closing position of the second shutter 74). It can be seen that the angle between the line connecting the axes of the two and the virtual straight line L1 is an acute angle (less than 90 °). Therefore, if the contact end faces 64A and 74A are configured to coincide with the virtual straight line L1, the second shutter 74 cannot rotate in the arrow E direction unless the first shutter 64 first moves in the arrow D direction. . Similarly, in a state where the first shutter 64 is located at the closed position, the second shutter 74 cannot rotate from the open position side to the closed position.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the contact end faces 64A and 74A have the arc shape, so that the second shutter 74 rotates in the arrow E direction or the arrow F direction without depending on the position of the first shutter 64. This is a configuration that can be moved. Therefore, the entire range of the contact end faces 64A and 74A does not need to have the arc shape, and at least the side portion of the arrow F from the imaginary straight line L2 has the arc shape. In addition, the arrow E side part from the virtual straight line L2 in the contact end faces 64A and 74A can be formed in a straight line having an angle of 90 ° or more with the virtual straight line L2, for example. Regardless of the shape of the contact end faces 64A and 74A, the end of the arrow E side in the closed state of the head opening 16 is located slightly to the left of the left edge 16B of the head opening 16, and the case 14 It only has to be inside.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 6, the edge of the notch 65A of the first shutter 64 on the side of the contact end face 64A (the right edge of the portion corresponding to the head opening 16) is formed in an arc shape. Except for the end face 64 </ b> A, it is configured to substantially coincide with the right edge of the head opening 16 when located in the open position. Further, in a state where both the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 are located at the closed position, the end surface of the inner peripheral receiving convex portion 80 abuts against the end surface of the inner peripheral receiving convex portion 68, whereby the arrow F of the second shutter 74. The rotation in the direction is regulated.

  3 to 6, in order to facilitate understanding, parts other than those necessary for explanation of the operation of the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 (for example, the disk media 12, the disk holding mechanism 22, the upper part). Illustration of the shell 24 and the like is omitted.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the disk cartridge 10 configured as described above, the first shutter 64 and the second shutter 74 are positioned at the closed position to block the head opening 16 when not in use, such as during storage or transportation. Further, the inner periphery receiving projections 68 and 80 form an annular shape and come into contact with the chucking area of the disk medium 12 to prevent dust and the like from entering from the inner periphery side of the disk medium 12 to the recording surface side. The outer periphery receiving convex part 70 and the disk outer periphery receiving part 82A of the disk receiving member 82 form an annular shape and come into contact with the outer side in the radial direction of the recording surface of the disk medium 12, thereby recording from the outer periphery side of the disk medium 12. Prevents dust from entering the surface. Further, the disk pressing member 84 presses the disk medium 12 downward by the urging force of the disk pressing spring 86 to prevent the disk medium 12 from rattling.

  When this disc cartridge 10 is used, that is, when information is recorded on the disc medium 12 or when information recorded on the disc medium 12 is reproduced, the disc cartridge 10 is loaded into the drive device along the direction of arrow A. . With this loading operation (relative movement between the disk cartridge 10 and the drive device), the opening / closing member of the drive device engages with the operation protrusion 66 of the inner rotor 60 and moves the operation protrusion 66 rearward.

  Then, the inner rotor 60, that is, the first shutter 64 rotates in the direction of arrow D, and the second shutter 74 rotates in the direction of arrow E in conjunction with this. 4 and 5, when the operation projection 66 moves to the rear end of the shutter operation window 46, the head opening 16 is completely opened as shown in FIG.

  Next, in the drive device, the disk cartridge 10 is positioned by inserting a positioning pin into the reference holes 52A and 53A. In this positioning state, the rotating spindle shaft of the drive device enters from the chucking opening 42, and the rotating spindle shaft chucks the center hole 12 </ b> A (and the chucking area) of the disk medium 12 to hold the disk medium 12. However, it is separated from the upper surface of the first shutter 64. When the rotary spindle shaft rotates, the disk medium 12 is driven to rotate in the case 14 in a non-contact manner. On the other hand, the recording / reproducing head of the drive device enters from the head opening 16. By this recording / reproducing head, information is recorded on the recording surface of the disk medium 12, or information recorded on the recording surface is reproduced (the disk medium 12 is used).

  After use of the disk medium 12, the disk cartridge 10 is ejected from the drive device. With this discharging operation, the opening / closing member of the drive device engages with the operation protrusion 66 of the inner rotor 60 and moves the operation protrusion 66 forward. Then, the inner rotor 60, that is, the first shutter 64 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow D, and the second shutter 74 rotates in the direction of the arrow F in conjunction with this. When the operation projection 66 moves to the front end of the shutter operation window 46 through the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 4, the head opening 16 returns to the completely closed state as shown in FIG.

  Here, the contact end surface 74A of the second shutter 74 has an arc shape centered on the axis of the support shaft 52, and the support shaft 52 when the contact end surface 64A of the first shutter 64 is located at the closed position. The second shutter 74 is not dependent on the rotational position between the closed position and the open position of the first shutter 64, and is in the shape of an arc that contacts the contact end surface 74A with almost no gap. It can rotate in the direction of arrow E or arrow F without interfering with the first shutter 64.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, at least the range from the virtual straight line L2 to the arrow F side in the contact end surface 74A is an arc shape around the axis of the support shaft 52, so that the second shutter 74 is closed. Interference with the first shutter 64 located at the position is reliably prevented. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, even if the first shutter 64 (inner rotor 60) is slightly rotated in the direction of arrow D and the second shutter 74 is relatively rotated in the direction of arrow E, the first shutter 64 is also configured. And the second shutter 74 can smoothly open and close the head opening 16 without interfering with each other.

  In addition, since the contact end surface 64A of the first shutter 64 and the contact end surface 74A of the second shutter 74 have an arc shape as described above, it is possible to reduce the size of the second shutter 74. Here, the virtual straight line L3 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the contact end faces 108A and 110A in the conventional closed state shown in FIG. Therefore, an angle formed by an arbitrary point on the virtual straight line L3 and a straight line connecting the rotation axis of the second shutter becomes an obtuse angle over the entire length of the virtual straight line L3. As can be seen from this figure, in the prior art, in order to prevent the second shutter from interfering with the first shutter, the head opening portion 16 of the first shutter is compared with the configuration in which the contact end surface of the first shutter coincides with the virtual straight line L1. The blockage range was narrowed, and that portion was blocked by the second shutter. For this reason, the conventional second shutter whose abutting end face coincides with the virtual straight line L3 not only increases in length, but also has a large width that is important for accommodating in the case 14 in the opened state of the head opening 16. turn into. In addition, the head opening 16 cannot be completely opened with the first shutter that uses a virtual straight line (not shown) parallel to the virtual straight line L3 and positioned closer to the support shaft 52 than the virtual straight line L3. .

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the contact end surfaces 64A and 74A are formed in the above-mentioned arc shape, so that the second shutter 74 is slightly convex with respect to the virtual straight line L1, and the enlargement is prevented. In particular, by making the contact end faces 64A and 74A have an arc shape over the entire length, both longitudinal ends of the contact end faces 64A and 74A coincide with the ends of the imaginary straight line L1, respectively. Is not enlarged at all. Thereby, in this embodiment, the 2nd shutter 74 is reduced in size significantly compared with the conventional structure which uses the virtual straight line L3 as a contact end surface.

  Therefore, the second shutter 74 absorbs a processing error, an assembly error, and the like in a region on the left side of the head opening 16 which is a limited space in the case 14 in a state where the head opening 16 shown in FIG. Arranged with sufficient margin. Further, the width of the head opening 16 in the left-right direction can be widened to allow access to a large recording head.

  As described above, in the disk cartridge 10 according to this embodiment, the head opening 16 can be smoothly opened and closed without increasing the size of the second shutter 74.

  In the above-described embodiment, the contact end surfaces 64A and 74A have a preferable arcuate shape over the entire length. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least the portion on the arrow F side from the virtual straight line L2 is the arc. Any shape is acceptable.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the edge part on the contact end face 64A side of the notch part 65A of the first shutter 64 located at the open position is configured to substantially coincide with the right edge 16A of the head opening part 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the edge portion on the contact end face 64A side of the cutout portion 65A of the first shutter 64 located in the open position may be inserted into the case 14.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the first shutter 64 has the notch 65A corresponding to the head opening 16, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first shutter 64 is located at the closed position. A shape that can close a required part of the head opening 16 (for example, the shape surrounded by the left and right edges of the head opening 16, the outer periphery of the first shutter 64, the contact end face 64A, etc. in FIG. 3). Trapezoidal shape). Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the second shutter 74 is disposed on the lower side of the first shutter 64 (the lower side of the thin portion) and the plate thicknesses of the contact end surfaces 64A and 74A are different, and the same thickness. The first shutter 64 and the second shutter may be arranged along the same plane so that the contact end faces 64A and 74A abut against the entire plate thickness.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the disk opening 20 is provided in the case 14 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the top plate 28 may not have an opening. The head opening 16 or the access opening 44 may be provided on the top plate 28 instead of the disk opening 20. In the latter case, the shutter mechanism 18 or another shutter mechanism can be provided between the top plate 28 and the disk medium 12.

  In the above-described embodiment, the contact end surface 64A of the first shutter 64 and the contact end surface 74A of the second shutter 74 are simply plate thickness portions along the vertical direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the contact end surface 64A and the second shutter 74 may have a tapered surface or a stepped structure overlapping each other in the vertical direction.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the diameter of the disk medium 12 is approximately 120 mm. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to the disk cartridge 10 including the disk medium 12 of any size. Needless to say. Further, for example, the disk medium 12 may be a double-sided recording type as well as a single-sided recording type, and may be a reproduction-only disk medium that makes it impossible for the user to record information. Therefore, the recording / reproducing head of the drive device described above may have only a recording function or only a reproducing function.

1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a disc cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a closed state of a head opening by a shutter mechanism constituting a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a process of closing or opening a head opening of a shutter mechanism constituting a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a state different from FIG. 4 in the process of closing or opening the head opening of the shutter mechanism constituting the disk cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an open state of a head opening by a shutter mechanism that constitutes a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a conventional disk cartridge, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a closed state of a head opening by a shutter mechanism, and FIG. 2B is a plan view showing an opened state of a head opening by a shutter mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Disc cartridge 12 Disc media 14 Case 16 Head opening part 18 Shutter mechanism 50 Disc accommodating part (accommodating part)
52 Support shaft (rotating shaft of the second shutter)
64 First shutter 64A Contact end surface 74 Second shutter 74A Contact end surface L1 Virtual straight line

Claims (4)

An accommodating portion for rotatably accommodating a disk-shaped disc medium; and a head opening portion provided on the recording surface side of the disc medium in the accommodating portion for a head of a drive device to access the recording surface; A case having
The case includes a first shutter provided coaxially with the disk medium so as to be rotatable, and a second shutter rotatable about an axis different from the first shutter, and the first shutter and the first shutter The two shutters abut against each other to close the head opening, and the first shutter and the second shutter rotate in opposite directions with respect to the head opening to open the head opening. A shutter mechanism;
Each of the butted ends of the first shutter and the second shutter in the closed state of the head opening has an arc-shaped portion centered on the rotational axis of the second shutter.
A disc cartridge characterized by that. The abutting ends of the first shutter and the second shutter are
When it is assumed that the abutting end is a virtual straight line, a range in which an angle formed by the virtual straight line and a straight line connecting the virtual straight line and the rotation axis of the second shutter is an acute angle,
2. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disk cartridge is formed in an arc shape centering on a rotation axis of the second shutter. The abutting ends of the first shutter and the second shutter are
When it is assumed that the abutting end of the first shutter is a virtual straight line along the edge of the head opening with the head opening open, the virtual straight line, the virtual straight line, and the second shutter The range where the angle formed by the straight line connecting the rotation axis is an acute angle,
2. The disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disk cartridge is formed in an arc shape centering on a rotation axis of the second shutter. 2. The abutting end of each of the first shutter and the second shutter is formed in an arc shape centering on a rotation axis of the second shutter over the entire length. Disc cartridge.

Images