Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Disk Cartridge
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disk cartridges, and
particularly to a disk cartridge which is installed in a disk
reproducing apparatus with a disk-like recording medium
' accommodated therein and the record is read and written in that
state such as the optical disk cartridge, the photo-magnetic
J disk cartridge and the magnetic disk cartridge.
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~ Description of the Background Art~
;~ As such disk cartridges which can be installed in a disk
apparatus with the disk-like recording medium accommodated
' therein, Japanese Utility Model Publication No.3-48780
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(conventional art 1), Japanese Patent Laying-Open No.3-122880
(conventional art 2), Japanese Utility Model Publication No.4-
16309 (conventional art 3), and Japanese Patent Laying-Open ;
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No,64-67781 (conventional art 4) are known. Note that the
reference numeralsenclosedin parentheses in the description of
the background art below are those used in the gazettes cited
above.
In the conventional art 1, as illustrated in detail in Fig.3
which is an exploded perspective view in the gazette, the lid (1)
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is attached to the magazine frame (2) rotatably and oI?enably, the
disk (21) is accommodated in the disk install hole (25) of the
~: magazine frame (2), and the shutter (3) is provided pivotably
being abutting on one surface of the disk (Z1).
In the conventional art 2, the shutter with its sectional
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shape being U-shaped is slidably provided out of the case so that
the shutter and the disk are not directly in contact with each
other.
In the conventional art 3, the circuit board (4) having
electronic parts packaged therein is incorporated in the concave
portion (20) surrounded with the upper and lower shells (2a, 2b).
The ROM (5) having previously written information and the
connecter (6a) connected to the pin tel in;ll of the ROM through
the print interconnection are provided on the circuit board (4).
Programs for protecting data recorded in the information
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recording medium such as the magnetic disk is recorded in the ROM
(5), for example. The contact (7) of the connecter (6a) is
formed being exposed from the edge surface of the cassette (2)
to make connection to the disk drive apparatus. The single
shutter (3) having a large U-like sectional shape is slidably
provided on the exterior bf the cassette (2) to prevent inferior
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contact due to foreign matters or dusts attached on the contact
(7). In order to protect the contact point (7), this shutter (3)
covers the head insert hole (16) and the contact point (7) of the
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~, connecter (6a) when the cassette (2) is not used, and exposes the
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, head insert hole (16) and the connecter (6a) when it is used.
In the conven-tional art 4, the outer teL ;n~l such as a
connecter is provided in a different position, where the outer
tel in~l (36)is providedbetweenthe head insertwindow(33) and
' the side edge of the disk cartridge.
In the conventional art 1, since the shutter (3) is provided
just under the disk (21), the shutter (3) may come in contact
with the recording surface of the disk (21) to hurt the recording
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surface when the shutter (3)is opened or closed or when carrying
the disk cartridge, possibly resulting in errors in recording
and reproducing.
On the other hand, the conventional art 2 dose not have such
a problem as that of the conventional art 1, but it has a
different problem as described bellow. That is to say, because
the shutter is exposed to the outside, the edge thereof may hurt
hands or the like especially if it is made of metal. If the
shutter is exposed, a user can easily open the shutter even not
in original use, so that he/she may touch the recording surface
of the disk with fingers from the head insert hole, which may
cause errors. Furthermore, it also has a problem that the U-
shaped shutter may slightly open to form a gap between the
shutter and the case, from where dusts may come in to attach on
the recording surface of the disk, possibly resulting in errors.
In the conventional art 3, since the contact (7) of the
co~neater(6a)isprovided alongside ofthehead inserthole(16)
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along the sliding direction of the shutter (3) and the single
shutter (3) opens and closes both the head insert hole and the
connector (6a) simultaneously, its lateral width is inevitably
large. Further, an area corresponding to the lateral width of
the connector (6a) must be provided on both sides of the window
hole (13) of the shutter (3), so that the lateral width of the
shutter (3) becomes larger as the lateral width of the connector
(6a) becomes larger. Similarly, the interval between the head
insert hole (16) of the cassette (2) and the connector (6a) must
become large~ corresponding to the lateral width of the
connector (6a), with the result that the lateral width of the
cassette (2) must be further larger. Besides, the electronic
circuit part must be provided in the vicinity of the head insert
hole, and the connecting member in the disk drive apparatus must
also be provided in the vicinity of the head insert hole, which
'~ results in limitations in the location and shapes of the
co~necting member and the head. As shown in Fig. 5, when a print
~:'')! circuit board (10) and the co~nector (6a) are arranged 1n a
,. r-nner that they are lying on top of a disk (1) in the direction
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of a thickness of the cassette (2), the lateral width of the
''! cassette (2) does not become large, but the thickness of thè
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cassette (2) must be considerably larger. In this case, since
it has such problems as that a rigidity of the cassette (2) may
become smaller, the rigidity of the cassette (2) must be
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strengthened in practical use. Furthermore, the user may touch
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the disk or the contacterroneously because he/she can pinch the
shutter (3) to easily open it, which will result in a decrease in
reliability because of contamination. Also, the shutter
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opening/closing mechanism ofthe disk drive apparatusiscomplex
because it is opened and closed in the direction perpendicular
to the direction of the insertion of the shutter, resulting in
an increase of cost.
According to the conventional art 4, the lateral width
covering the head insert window (33) is enough for the shutter
(34), but the latitudinal width of the accommodation body (32)
must be inevitably larger corresponding to the longitudinal
width of the outer terminal (36).
SUMMA~Y OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk
cartridge having the high operational reliability and the high
dust-proof effect in which a shutter dose not come in contact
with a recording surface of a disk to damage it and a shutter is
not easily opened to allow fingers to touch the recording disk
so that damage or contamination of the recording surface of the
disk can be prevented, and a gap is not formed between the
shutter and a case to allow dusts to come in therefrom and attach
on the recording surface, thereby to prevent reading errors in
reproducing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a
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small size disk cartridge, which accommodates a disk-like
recording medium and an electronic circuit part, having high
reliability and high freedom in positioning of the electronic
circuit part, and in which the shape (width) of the shutter and
the case is not large.
It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a disk cartridge, which has two shutters, having single
energizing means which can close both of the shutters and having
a small number of parts.
It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a disk cartridge having high operational reliability in
which a shutter is not easily opened and closed to prevent a user
from erroneously opening the shutter to contaminate the disk
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recording medium and the electronic circuit part when it is not
installed in the disk drive appara-tus.
'According to the present invention, in order to achieve the
objects described above, a disk cartridge acoommodating a disk-
11ke recording medium therein and used being installed in a disk
drive apparatus includes: a flat tray having an accommodation
concave portion for rotatably accommodating the disk-like
recording medium formed on its one plane, and a tray side!head
insert hole and a tray side driving shaft insert hole formed in
predete, in~d positions on the other plane; a case with a size
selected to be able to accommodate the tray, having atray insert
r-~hole for inserting the tray formed on one side and a case side
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head insert hole and a case side driving shaft insert hole formed
in positions which correspond to the tray side head insert hole
and the tray side driving shaft insert hole; and a shutter
slidably provided between a plane on a side opposite to the
accommodation concave portion of the tray and the case.
The shutter slides to simultaneously open and close the tray
side head insert hole, the tray side driving shaft insert hole,
the case side head insert hole and the case side driving shaft
insert hole.
In the present invention, the shutter is slidably provided
between the tray and the case on the opposite side to the
accommodation concave portion of the tray as described above.
In other words, the tray is interposed between the disk-like
recording medium (referred to as "a recording disk",
hereinafter)and the shutter. Accordingly, the shutter dose not
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directly contact with the recording disk as in the conventional
art. Therefore the occurrence ofscratcheson therecording disk
caused by the shutter is prevented to decrease occurrence of
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; errors.
Also, the shutter is not exposed to the outside, so that the
shutter is not accidentaIly opened to allow a'user to touch or
contaminate the recording-disk with fingers or the like.
-- Furthermore, even if the shutter is to be transformed inward or
outward, thetransformation isprevented by the caseor the tray,
where high dust-preventing effect is produced.
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These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of
the present invention will become more apparent from the
following detailed description of the present invention when
taken in conjunc-tion with the accompanying drawings.
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~ BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
- Fig.1 is a perspective view of a disk cartridge 100 of one
embodiment of the present invention;
-l Fig.2 is a perspective view seen from the bottom of the
embodiment of Fig.1;
Fig.3 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of
' Fig.1;
Fig.4 is a partial section view of a recording disk 150
before clamping in the embodiment of Fig.1;
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F1g.5 is apartial sectional view showing the recording disk
150 being clamped in the embodiment of Fig.1;
' Fig.6 is a partial section view showing a second shutter 161
being supported in the embodiment of Fig.1;
Fig.7 is a longitudinal section view of the embodiment of
Fig.1;
' Fig.8 is an enlarged section view for illustrating the
opening operation of the shutter in the embodiment of Fig.1;
Fig.9 is a partial perspective view of a rear part of the
embodiment of Fig.1;
Fig.10 is a diagram showing a first shutter and a second
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shutter in the closed positions;
Fig.11 is a diagram showing the first shutter immediately
before moving;
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~ Fig.12 is a diagram showing the second shutter immediately
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before moving;
Fig.13 is a diagram showing the first shutter and the second
shutter in the opened positions;
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Fig.14 is a diagram showing-the first shutter and the second
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shutter in the middle of the closing operation;
Fig.15 is a perspective view of a disk cartridge 200 of
another embodiment of the present invention;
Fig.16 is a perspective view seen from the bottom of the
embodiment of Fig.15;
Fig.17 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of
Fig.15; and
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~' Fig.18 is an enlarged perspective view of a shutter 260 in
,~ the embodiment of Fig.15.
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~ DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
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Fig.1 and Fig.2 are diagrams showing the outline of a disk
cartridge 100 according to an embodiment of the present
invention, where Fig.1 is a perspective view seen from above and
Fig.2 is a perspective view seen from the bottom.
Next, referring to Fig.1 and Fig.2, the outline of the disk
cartridge 100 will be described. In Fig.1, the disk cartridge
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100 according to the present invention includes a case 101. In
the case 101, its sectional shape is formed nearly U-shaped and
a tray insert hole 102 is formed on its one side. The case 101
includes an upper half 110 and a lower half 120 made of the
,
synthetic resin. In the upper half llO, its plane shape is
selected to be nearly square and an insert direction display
portion lll including an arrow indicating a direction of the
insertion of the disk cartridge into a recording/reproducing
apparatus and alphabets "IN" is formed on its upper surface.
Furthermore, traylocking holes112 for locking are formed in two
separated positions along a side in the vicinity of the tray
insert hole 102. In the lower half 120, as shown in Fig.2, a case
side driving shaft insert hole 121 and a case side head insert
hole 122 are continuously formed. A printed board 140 provided
with external memory elements (not shown) and the like is also
attached to the lower half 120, and a contact tel in~l 141 is
provided in a certain position on the under surface of the
printed board 140.
A tray 130 to be inserted and extracted in and from the case
101 is made of a synthetic resin material, for example, where a
circular accommodation concave portion 131 for accommodating à
recording disk is formed nearly at its center on the upper
surface, and a tray side driving shaft insert hole 132 and a tray
side head insert hole 133 (refer to Fig.3) are continuously
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formed in positions corresponding to the case side driving shaft
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insert hole 121 and the case side head insert hole 133. Elastic
members 134 which correspond to the tray locking holes 112 are
provided in two positions separated on the right and left in this
side on the upper surface of the tray 130. Slits 135 are formed
around the elastic members 134 so that they are displaced to have
the elastic force when being pressed. Locking projections 136
for engaging with the tray locking holes 112 are provided on the
upper surfaces of the elastic members 134, respectively. A
recording disk 150 such as an optical disk is insertably and
dischargeablyaccommodated in the accommodation concave portion
131 in the tray 130.
The disk cartridge 100 can be installed in the drive
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apparatus with the recording disk 160 being accommodated in the
tray 130 and which tray 130 being inserted and locked in the case
101. Or, depending on the structure of the drive apparatus, the
recording disk 160 can be installed in the drive apparatus by
itself after extracting the tray 130 from the case 101 after
releasing the locking to the case 101 by pressing the elastic
i
members 134 and then taking out the recording disk 160 from the
tray 130.
Fig.3 through Fig.9 are diagrams illustrating the disk
cartridge 100 of the present invention in detail, where Fig.3 is
an exploded perspective view of the disk cartridge, Fig.4 is a
partial sectional view showing the recording disk before
clamping, Fig.5 is a partial section view showing the recording
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disk being clamped, Fig.6 is a partial sectional view showing a
second shutter being supported, Fig.7 is a longitudinal section
view of the disk cartridge, Fig.8 is an enlarged section view for
illustrating the opening operation of the shutter in the disk
cartridge, and Fig.9 is a partial perspective view of a rear part
of the disk cartridge.
Next, referring to Fig.3 through Fig.9, the specific
structure of the disk cartridge 100 according to the present
invention will be described. In Fig.3, a circular opening 113
which is larger than the driving shaft insert hole 151 of the
recording disk 150 is formed at an approximately center position
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in the upper half 110. A step portion 114 is formed in the
opening 113 (refer to Fig.4), in which a clamper 115 is rotatably
supported. A cover plate 116 is fixed to the opening 113 by
means of appropriate means such as welding so that the clamper
115 dose not fall off. The clamper 115 is supported on the step
- portion 114 by means of its self-weight when it is not used
(refer to Fig.4), and it cooperates with a driving shaft 171 of
the drive apparatus to elastically sandwich the recording disk
150 in use (refer to Fig.5).
' A concave portion'123 for permitting the first shutter 160
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~- to slide is formed in an area including the case side driving
shaft insert hole 121 and the case side head insert hole 122
r inside the lower half 120. A cut portion 124 is formed on the
upstream side of the direction of the insertion of the disk
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~; cartridge on the rear wall of the lower half 120. Furth~rmore,
a guide wall 125 which is lower than the rear wall is formed
S continuously from one side wall to the other side wall in some
nearer side of the rear wall. A similar cut portion 117 and a
" guide wall 118 (ref~r to Fig.7 and Fig.8) are also formed in the
upper half 110.
A spring stopper 126 and a stopper 127 are provided on both
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ends of the guide wall 125. Furthermore, a quadrilateral
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tel ;n~l hole (or a tel ~n~l insert hole) 142 and a projection
143 for positioning are formed in this side of the stopper 127.
This projection 143 is used to position the printed board 140
having a memory in which information can be electrically erased,
i.e., EEROM. A plurality of contact ter~;n~ls 141 are provided
on the lower surface of the printed board 140. These contact
tel ;n~ls 141 are exposed from the tel ;n~l hole 142 (refer to
, . .
Fig.2).
The tel ; n~l hole 142 is opened and closed by a second
shutter 161. The second shutter 161 and a first shutter 160 can
slide in the same direction on the guide wall 125 (refer to
Fig.4, Fig.6 and Fig.8). Both of the shutters 160 and 161 are
energized by a single spring 162 in the closing direction. In
the description, in Fig.2, the second shutter 161 is shown being
slid to open the tel ;n~l hole 142. That is to say, when the disk
cartridge 100 is not used, the teL ;n~l hole 142 is closed by the
second shutter 161. -~
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;, A cell holder 144 is inserted together with a cell 145 into
a frame 146 provided on the printed board 140 by pushing in from
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the side of the lower half 120 with the button type cell 145
accommodated therein.
A tray side driving shaft insert hole 132 and a tray side
head insert hole 133 are continuously formed nearly at the center
of the tray 130. An accommodation concave portion 131 which is
nearly C-shaped is formed in the area excepting the -tray side
driving shaft insert hole 132 and the tray side head insert hole
133.
A cont;nll; n!J or discont; "11; ng disk support portion 137 is
formed on the periphery of the accommodation concave portion 131
except the tray side head insert hole 133 so that the bottom
surface of the recording disk 150 dose not in direat contact with
the bottom surface of the accommodation concave portion 131 when
it is ;~_r~ ~dated in the accommodation concave portion 131
(re.fer to Fig.7).
The first shutter 160 includes a shutter plate 163 and a
slider 164. The shutter plate 163 is continuously struck from
a thin sheet-like material, which has a shape or an area
certainly covering the case side driving shaft insert hole 121
and the case side head insert hole 122. The slider 164 has its
sectional shape being almost H-shaped, and which is connected to
the shatter plate 163 by means of appropriate means such as
ultrasonic welding or adhesion, for example.
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The second shutter 161 also includes a shutter plate 165 and
a slider 166 like the first shutter 160. The shutter plate 165
has an area certainly covering the terminal hole 142, which is
connected with the slider 166 having its sectional shape being
almost h-shaped by means of appropriate means such as ultrasonic
welding or adhesion, for example.
Although separated shutter plates 163 and 165, and sliders
164 and 166 are prepared and integrated in the embodiment
described above, theshutter plates 163, 165 and the sliders 164,
166 can be integrally formed if the thickness of the shutter
plates 163 and 165 can be made relatively large in designing.
The first shutter 160 and the second shutter 161 slide on the
same path along the guide walls 118 and 125. With a spring 162
provided between one end of the slider 164 and the spring stopper
126, the spring 162 elastically energizes the first shutter 160
to the home position side (the closing position side) and the ;
other end ~f the slider 164 abuts on one end of the slider 166 to
energize the second shutter 161 to the home position side. The
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other end of the slider 166 abuts on the stopper 127. As
described above, by positioningthe shutters 160 and161 with the
other end of the slider 164 abutting on one end of the slider 166 ;
and the other end of the slider 166 abutting on the stopper 127,
the case side driving shaft insert hole 121, the case side head
insert hole 122 and the terminal hole 142 in the lower half 120
can be closed without causing the edges of the thin shutter
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plates 163 and 165 to directly abut on the end portion of the
concave portion 123 in the lower half 120.
Now, if the first shutter 160 and the second shutter 161 are
positioned by making the edges of the shutter plates 163 and 165
directly abut on the end portion of tha concave portion 123, the
edges of the thin shutter plates 163 and 165 tend to curl inward
to possibly form a gap while repeatedly opening and closing the
shutters 160 and 161. If the shutters 160 and 161 are positioned
by making the edges of the shut-ter plates 163 and 165 abut on the
end portion of the concave portion 123 with the slider 164 being
pushed by the spring 162, the shearing stress is produced at the
connection portions of the shutter plates 163 and 165 and the
sliders 164 and 166, so that the shutter plates 163 and 165 may
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' come off from the sliders 164 and 166.
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~Accordingly, in this embodiment, in order to solve the
~~ problems described above, the other end of the slider164 is made
to abut on one end of the slider 166 and the other end of the
slider 166 is made to abut on the s-topper 127 of the lower half
120 not to cause the edges of the shutter plates 163 and 165 to
directly abut on part of the lower half 120.
Next, the assembly of the disk cartridge 100 of the present
;, invention will be described.
. First, with the lower grooves of the sliders 164 and 166 put
on the guide wall 125 of the lower half 120, the first shutter
. 160 and the second shutter 161 are provided on the concave
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portion 123 and the spring 162 is provided between the spring
stopper 126 and one end of the slider 164.
;~ Subsequently, the printed board 140 is positioned to the
projection 143 and the contact terminal 141 is exposed outward
from the tel ;n~l hole 142 as shown in Fig.2.
Then, the upper half 110 is provided on the lower half 120 so
that the guide wall 118 is inserted in the upper grooves of the
sllders 164 and 166 (refer to Fig.8), and the side walls and the
;~ rear walls are joined through appropriate means such as the
'~ ultrasonic welding. Thus, the sliders 164 and 166 are surely
i engaged with the upper half 110 and the lower half 120.
By joining the upper half 110 and the lower half 120, the
case 101 is formed having its sectional shape being U-shaped.
' Also, as shown in Fig.9, the cut portions 117 and 124 of the rear
walls of the upper half 110 and the lower half 120 fit to each
other to form a shutter opening groove 103 which is opened in one
wall surface.
The recording disk 150 is inserted in the accommodation
conoave portion131 and supported on thedisk supportportion 137
(refer to Fig.1), and then the tray 130 is inserted from the tray
insert hole 102 with a relatively strong force. When the tray
130 is completely inserted in the case 101, the locking
projections 136 fit in the tray locking holes 112 and locked,
where theinsertioncompleteposition of the tray130is secured.
Also, the tray insert hole 102 is closed by the handle portion
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138 of the tray 130 (refer to Fig.2). Thus, the assembly of thedisk cartridge has been completed.
Next, the operation in use of the disk cartridge 100 of the
present invention will be described.
When the disk cartridge 100 with the recording disk 150
accommodated therein is installed in the recording-reproducing
apparatus (not shown), the disk cartridge is inserted in the
recording reproducing apparatus in the direction of the insert
direction display portion 111 (refer to Fig.l) with the surface
of the upper half 110 facing upward.
A first shutter opening pin 170 and a second shutter opening
pin 172 are provided in a projecting manner on a cartridge insert
path in the recording-reproducing apparatus (refer to Fig.8).
The second shutter opening pin 172 is longer than the first
shutter opening pin 170, and whlch is formed in the deeper part
in the direction of insertion of the disk cartridge. When the
disk cartridge 100 is inserted, the first shutter opening ping
170 relatively comes in the shutter opening groove 103 to abut
on the end of the slider 164. At this time because the slider 166
has its sectional shape of h-shape, the shorter first shutter
opening pin 170 dose not abut on the slider 166.
When the disk cartridge 100 is further inserted, the slider
164 and the shutter plate 163 slide in the concave 123 against
the elastic force of the spring 162 to simultaneously open the
case side driving shaft insert hole 121, the case side head
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insert hole 122, the tray side driving shaft insert hole 132 and
the tray side head insert hole 133. When the first shutter 160
is half opened, the second shutter opening pin 172 comes in the
shutter opening groove 103 to abut on the end of the slider 166.
Subsequently, the first shutter 160 and the second shutter 161
simultaneously continue opening, andwhen thedisk cartridge 100
is completely inserted in the recording-reproducing apparatus,
the firstshutter 160and the second shutter161 completely open.
In this condition, the information is recorded in or reproduced
from the recording disk 150.
Now, the first and second shutters 160 and 161 are
accommodated in the concave portion 123 so that some gap is
formed between the tray 130 and them (refer to Fig.7), therefore
they do not come in contact with the tray 130 when sliding. -~
When the disk cartridge 100 is extracted from the
.:.
recording-reproducing apparatus, by pressing an inject lever
(not shown), theshutteropening pins170 and 172relatively come
out of the shutter opening groove 103 and the first and second
-,shutters 160 and 161 are returned to the home position by the
''elastic force of the spring 162 accordingly to simultaneously
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close the driving shaft insert holes 121, 132, the head insert
holes 122, 133, and the tel ;n~l hole 142. In this condition,
the disk cartridge 100 is taken out.
~Now, when the recording disk is changed, the tray 130 is
;pulled out from the tray insert hole 102 while pressing the
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locking projections 136. At this time the shutters 160 and 161
are always engaging with the upper and lower guide walls 118 and
125 as shown in Fig.7, so that they are left in the case lO1 even
when the tray 130 is extracted, and the driving shaft insert hole
132 is opened without being hindered by the shutters 160 and 161.
Accordingly, a user can take out the recording disk 150 easily
from the tray 130 by inserting a finger in the driving shaft
insert aperture 151 and the driving shaft insert hole 132.
Fig.10 through Fig.14 are diagrams for illustrating the
opening/closing operation of the first shutter 160 and the
second shut-ter 161, and particularly, Fig.lO shows the opening
and closing of the first shutter 160 and the second shutter 161,
Fig.11 shows the first shutter 160 ; -~iately before moving,
Fig.12 shows the second shutter 161 1 ~;ately before moving,
Fig.13 shows the first shutter 160 and the second shutter 161 at
the opened position and Fig.14 shows the first shutter 160 and
the second shutter 161 closed. Refexring to these Figs.lO
through 14, the opening and closing operation of the first
shutter 160 and the second shutter 161 will be described below
in more detail.
First, referring to Fig.10 through Fig.13, the operation
when the first shutter 160 and the second shutter 161 are opened
will be described. Before the disk cartridge 100 is inserted in
the drive apparatus (refer to Fig.10), the first shutter 160
closes the case side driving shaft insert hole 121 and the case
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side head insert hole 122 and the second shutter 161 closes the
teL ; n~l hole 142. The spring 162 is interposed between the
first shutter 160 and the side wall of the case 101. The first
shutter 160 and the second shutter 161 are energized in the
closing direction by the elastic force of the spring 162. In the
closed position, the firstshutter 160 and thesecondshutter 161
abut on each other and are held be-tween the spring 162 and the
stopper 127 projectingly provided in the lower half 120. A nail
portion 163a formed on the lower surface of the free end of the
shutter plate 163 is slidably inserted in a guide groove 128
formed on the lower half 120, and positioned below the shutter
holder 129.
In the drive apparatus, the first shutter opening pin 170
which is relatively short for pushing the first shu-tter 160 open
and the second shutter opening pin 172 which is relatively long
: :-
for pushing the second shutter 161 open are provided. The first
shutter opening pin 170 and the second shutter opening pin 172
are formed at a certain interval on the same line along the
cartridge insert direction X, and which project in the direction
.. .
perpendicular to the cartridge insert direction X. As shown in
Fig.10 through Fig.14, the first shutter opening pin 170 is
' arranged nearer to the cartridge insert hole (not shown) of the
drive apparatus, and the second shutter opening pin 172 is
arranged in the inner side than the first shutter opening pin
170.
21
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2110~
When the disk cartridge 100 is inserted in the drive
apparatus, the tip portion of the first shutter opening pin 170
is first inserted in the shutter opening groove 103. Since the
fir~t shutter opening pin 170 is short, it passes by the slider
166 without abutting thereon and abuts on a pin abut projection
164a of the first shutter 160 as shown in Fig.ll.
' When the disk cartridge 100 is further inserted, the firs-t
shutter 160 is moved in the direction for opening the case side
' driving shaft insert hole 121 and the case side head insert hole
122 by the first shutter opening pin 170. The spring 162 is
elastically transformed bythe first shutter 160as thecase side
driving shaft insert hole 121 and the case side head insert hole
122 open. The second shutter opening pin 172 is inserted in the
shutter opening groove 103 when the case side driving shaft
insert hole 121 and the case side head insert hole 122 half open.
The second shutter opaningpin 172 projectslonger thanthe first
shutter opening pin 170, so that it abuts on a pin abut
projection 166a of the slider 166 of the second shutter 161. The
':
J second shutter 161 stays still abutting on the stopper 127 until
the second shutter opening pin 172 abuts on the pin abut
projection 166a.
When the disk cartridge 100 is continuously inserted, as
shown in Fig.12, the first shutter opening pin 170 opens the
first shutter 160 and the second shutter opening pin 172 opens
the second shutter 161. When the disk cartridge 100 is inserted
22 ~-~
. . .
2 ~
to a predeteL ;n~d position, the case side driving shaft insert
hole 121, the case side head insert hole 122 and the te, ;n~
hole 142 are completely opened as shown in fig.13. In this
condition, the case side driving shaft insert hole 121 and the
case side head insert hole 122 expose the disk 150 and the
teL ;n~l hole 142 exposes the contact teL ;n~l 141. When the
l second shutter 161 is at the opened position, one end of the
; slider 166 abuts on a step formed in the middle of the guide
walls 118 and 125 so that the second shutter 161 is prevented
from moving further toward the case side driving shaft insert
hole 121 and the case side head insert hole 122. Accordingly, at
each opened position, the second shutter 161 is held between the
step and the second shutter opening pin 172 and the first shutter
160 is held between the elastically transformed spring 162 and
~t
" the first shutter opening pin 170. The second shutter 161 is
; located in a position where it dose not close the case side head
insert hole 122, that is, between the case side head insert hole
122 and the teL ln~l hole 142.
Now, since the first shutter 160 is longer than the second
shutter 161, its free end may rise. If the free end side rises,
it may cause a problem that the tray 130 may be caught or thè
first shutter 160 may be transformed when the tray 130 is
inserted in the direction of the arrow Y (refer to Fig.3 and
Fig.10). In order to prevent such a problem, part of the first
shutter 160 always engages with the shutter holder 129 wherever
23
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2~1~2~
.,
the first shut~er 160 may be located in the structure.
Specifically, when the first shutter 160 is at the closed
, position or half opened, its free end is positioned below the
.:
;' shutter holder 129. Also at the opened position, with the
~ projection 163b, the first shutter 160 is maintained being
.
'~ engaged with the shutter holder 129.
Furthermore, because the first shutter 160 always engages
- with the shutter holder 129, the first shutter 160 dose not
interfere with the shutter holder 129 when returning to the
:;
closed position, resulting in smooth operation.
When the second shutter161 opens to expose the terminal hole
142, the external tel ;n~l of the drive apparatus is inserted
from the te~ ; n~l hole 142. The external terminal comes in
contact with the contact tel in~l 141 to transmit and receive
data between the drive apparatus and the electronic circuit (a
CPU, for example) on the printed board 140. The data may be game
data about a game, or may be lndex data of the disk 150, for
example.
When discharging the disk cartridge 100 from the drive
apparatus, as the disk cartridge 100 is pulled, from the opened
state shown in Fig.13, the first shutter 160, being interposed
., .
'~ between the spring 162 and the first shutter opening pin 170,
~~ gradually closes the case side driving shaft insert hole 121 and
~.
the case side head insert hole 122 with the recovering force of
~
the spring 162. The second shutter opening pin 172 separates
24
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2110~
.. . .
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away from tha second shutter 161 as the disk cartridge 100 is
pulled out. The second shutter 161 remains at the opened
position, being abutting on the step formed on the guide walls
118 and 125.
When the disk cartridge is further pulled, the end of the
slider 164 abuts on the end of the slider 166 as shown in Fig.14.
As the disk cartridge 100 is continuously pulled out, the second
shutter 161 is pushed back by the recovering force of the spring
162 together with the first shutter 160. -
The second shutter 161 is completely closed simultaneously
with the first shutter 160, and is held in the closed sta-te
together with the first shutter 160 between the spring 162 and
the stopper 127. When the disk cartridge 100 is further pulled,
the first shutter opening pin 170 passes by the slider 166 to ~-~
return to the state shown in Fig.10. As described above, the
first shutter 160 covers the case side driving shaft insert hole
:
121 and the case side head insert hole 122 and the second shutter
161 covers the tel ;n~l hole 142 being related to the operation
:.
of pulling out the disk cartridge 100.
Fig.15 through Fig.18 are diagrams showing another
embodiment of the present invention, where Fig.15 is a
perspective view seen from above, Fig.16 is a perspective view
seen from the bottom, Fig.17 is an exploded perspective view of
the disk cartridge and Fig.18 is an enlarged perspective vlew of
the shutter.
;' 25
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,.
The embodiment of Fig.15 is different from the embodiment of
Fig.1 in that the locking mechanism of the tray 130 is changed so
that the lock can be released with a single hand. That is to say,
a disk cartridge 200 according to this embodiment includes an
upper half 210, a lower half 220, a tray 230, a printed board
240, a shutter 260, a recording disk 150 and the like as in the
embodiment of Fig.1.
More specifically, a circular case side driving shaft insert
hole 221 is formed at the center on the lower half 220, and a
nearly rectangular case side head insert hole 222 is formed
connected therewith. A handle portion 238 is formed on the end
portion (in this side in the figure), and elastic members 234 are
integrally formed on both ends thereof, respectively. The
elastic members 234 are displaced when pressed inward to each
other through slits 235 to have the elastic force. Locking
projections 236 are formed on both sides of the elastic members
234 and projections 239 are formed on both rear sides of the tray
230.
,~ :
' As shown in Fig.17, a concave portion 223 for permitting the
~; shutter 260 to slide is formed in the area including the case
;:~
side driving shaft insert hole 221 and the case side head insert
hole 222 inside the lower half 220. In the nearer side than the
driving shaft insert hole 221, a pair of reference holes 228
~ .
including a circular hole and an oval hole are formed at a
. ~ . .
predetel ;necl interval.
26
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Cut portions 219 and 229 are provided in this side on the
lower ends of both side walls in the upper half 210 and in this
side on the upper ends of the both side walls in the lower half
220, respectively tfour in all). Whenjoining the upper half 210
and the lower half 220 to form the case 201, the cut portions 219
and 229 face to each other to form tray locking holes 212 on both
sides of the case 201 (refer to Fig.15 and Fig.16).
A cut portion 224 is formed in the upstream of the direction
of the insertion of the disk cartridge on the rear wall of the
lower half 220. A guide wall 225 which is lower in height than
the rear wall is continuously formed from one side wall to the
other side wall in some nearer side than the rear wall. A same
cut portion 217 and a guide wall 218 are formed in the upper half
210.
' A spring holding pin 226 and a stopper 227 are projectingly
., .
'formed in this side of the guide wall 225. A step portion 243
surrounding the quadrilateral terminal hole 242 and the
periphery thereof is formed in this side of the spring holding
pin 226. A printed board 240 provided with a memory in which the
information is electrically erasable (so called EEROM) is
provided in the step portion 243. A pluràlity of contact
tel in~ls 241 are provided on the under surface of this printed
board 240, which are exposed from the tel ;n~l hole 242 (refer
to Fig.16).
~ A circular tray side driving shaft insert hole 232 is formed
'~ 27
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nearly at the center on the tray 230, and an almost rectangular
tray side head insert hole 233 is provided continuously to it.
An accommodation concave portion 231 which is almost C-shaped is
formed inthe areasurrounding the tray side driving shaft insert
hole 232 and excepting the tray side head insert hole 233.
A continuous or discontinuous support portion 237 is
provided being projecting on the periphery of the tray side
driving shaft insert hole 232 excepting the portion connected to
.,
the tray side head insert hole 233 and the periphery of the
accommodation concave portion 231 (in the embodiment, the inner
support portion 237 is continuous and the outer support portion
237 is not continuous), so that the under surface of the
recording disk 150 dose not in direct contact with the bottom
surface of the accommodation concave portion 231 when it is
accommodated in the accommodation concave portion 231.
A shutter 260 includes a shutter plate 263 and a slider 26
as in the embodiment of Fig.l. As shown in Fig.18, the slider
264 includes a slidlng portion 265 and a plate attach portion 266
which is integrally formed on the inner side thereof. The
sliding portion 265 has its width considerably longer than the
} width of the shutter plate 263 and its sectionàl shape selected
to be almost H-shaped. One end of the shutter late 263 is
connected to the lower surface of the plate attach portion 266
by means of appropriate means such as the ultrasonic welding or
the adhesion.
28
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A step portion 267 is formed on the upper surface of the
plate attach portion 266 and a spring hanging pin 268 is formed
on the upper surface thereof. A spring 262 is tensionaly hung
between the spring h~n~;ng pin 268 and the spring hanging pin 226
(refer to Fig.17), and the shutter 260 is energized to the home
position side (the closed position side) by the tensile force
thereof. Thus, the end surface of the plate attach portion 266
abuts on the stopper 227 of the lower half 220. With the end
surface of the plate attach portion 26~ abutting on the stopper
227, the shutter 260 closes the case side driving shaft insert
hole 221 and the case side head insert hola 222 without the edge
of the thin shutter plate 263 directly abutting on the edge of
the concave portion 223 as has been described in the embodiment
of Fig.1.
The assembly of the disk cartridge 200 is accomplished
similarly to the embodiment of Fig.1. When joining the upper
;- half 210 and the lower half 220, the cut portions 219 and 229 fit
,: :
to form tray locking holes 212 on both of the right and left
' sides (refer to Fig.15 and Fig.16), which is different from the
embodiment of Fig.1. When inserting the tray 230 into the case
- 201, the projections 239 are put in the tray locking holes 212 to
secure thepositionwherethe tray 230 hasbeen completely pulled
out. The recording disk 150 is put in the accommodation concave
portion 231 in this condition and installed on the disk support
portion 237 (refer to Fig.15).
i: 29
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When the tray 230 is further inserted in the case 201, the
locking projections 236 fit in the tray locking holes 212 and
locked to secure the insertion completed position of the tray
230. Also, the tray insert hole 202 is closed by the handle
portion 238 of the tray 230 (refer to Fig.16). Thus, the
assembly of the disk cartridge 200 finishes.
In this embodiment, the slider 264 which is relatively
longer than the width of the shutter plate 263 slides along the
upper and lower guide walls 218 and 225 so that the shutter 260
, smoothly moves without rattling. Furthermore, the locking
r' projections 236 fit in the tray locking holes 212 and the
projections 239 elastically abut on the side walls of the case
201 so that the tray 230 is held with respect to the case 201,
therefore the tray 230 dose not rattle even if the reoording disk
150 rotates at a high speed in recording and reproducing.
When taking out the recording disk 150 from the case 201, the
elastic members 234 are pressed inward with respect to each
other. Then, the locking projections 236 are displaced to the
inner side of the tray locking holes 212 to release the lock.
The tray 230 is then pulled in this side and the projections 239
are fit in the tray locking holes 212 as shown in Fig.15. In this
condition, the tray 230 is prevented from getting out of the case
201 and the recording disk 150 is completely exposed from the
case 201.
According to the present invention, the shutter is slidably
<~ 30
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211020~
provided between the tray and the case on the opposite side to
the accommodation concave portion of the tray. In other words,
the tray is interposed between the recording disk and the
shutter, so that the shutter dose not come in direct contact with
the recording disk, with the result that the recording disk is
prevented from being hurt when opening and closing the shutter.
As a result, occurrence of the data reading errors due to
scratches can be decreased.
Also, the shutter isnot exposed outside, so thatthe shutter
is not accidentally opened when it is not used, therefore the
recording disk is not contaminated. Furthermore, the
. ~ .
transformation of the shutter inward or outward can be prevented
by the case or the tray to produce high dust-proof effect.
As a result, a disk cartridge with high operation
reliability and high dust-proof property can be obtainedO
Also, accordIng to the present invention, when the s~cond
shutter for opening and closing the terminal insert hole is
provided separately from the first shutter for opening and
closing the head opening portion, a useless area dose not exist
in the shutter and the case even if the terminal insert hole and
the head opening portion are different in the width dimension,
and the lateral width dimension and th~ longitudinal width
:.
, . .
dimension are not large as in the conventional art even if the
tel in~l insert hole (recording portion) is provided. As a
result, a compact disk cartridge having the lateral width
31
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,
, . . .. .. . .. . .
: i
n 2 0 4
dimension and the longitudinal width dimension the same as those
ofthecartridge case having no teL ;n~l inserthole provided can
~:,
'be obtained. Furthermore, if the disk cartridge is constituted
;as in the present invention, the shutter opening/closing system
of the disk drive apparatus can be simplified to decrease the
cost.
; . :
,Furthermore, in the present invention, since the shutter
accommodation concave portion is provided inside the cartridge
case and the shutter is ~ccl- ~dated therein as described above,
~the shutter dose not project out of the cartridge case as in the
'!'conventional art. Therefore the space efficiency is excellent,
~which needs no increase in dimension and enables down-sizing of
~i:
the disk cartridge.
Now, withtheshutteraccommodationconcaveportionprovided
in the cartridge case, the part where the concave portion is
;$ formed in the case is thinner to decrease the mechanical
., .
strength, but the shutter provided in the accommodation concave
portion has the relnforcing effect. Accordingly, the cartridge
.
'case is not transformed by the outer force.
Furthermore, the shutter is provided between the cartridge ~
. .
case and the printed board and the upper and lower surfaces of
the shutter are regulated by the cartridge case and the printed
board, therefore the shutter dose not tend to slightly open as
., .
~in the conventional art. Accordingly, it has an advantage that
-the functions of the shutter such as the dust-proof function and
32
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2~102~
; pro-tection from the electrostatic breakdown are certainly
effected.
While the invention has been shown and described in detail,
, the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and not
restrictive. It is therefore understood that numerous
modifications and variations can be devised without departing
from the scope of the invention.
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~' 33
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