JP3105026B2 - Disc cartridge shutter opening and closing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disk cartridge shutter opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a shutter of a disk cartridge containing a disk-shaped recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a recording / reproducing apparatus for a disk-shaped recording medium (hereinafter, simply referred to as a disk) is provided with a spindle motor for rotating the disk, and is provided behind the spindle motor to record / reproduce information on the disk. And a performing head. When the disc cartridge is inserted into the recording / reproducing apparatus, the shutter of the cartridge is automatically opened in conjunction with the insertion ("opening" means displacing the shutter to expose the medium surface of the disc). Various shutter opening / closing mechanisms for disk cartridges are known.

As this type of mechanism, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
One disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 119952 is known. This shutter opening / closing mechanism is a disk cartridge 1
When the disc cartridge 1 is inserted into a holder (consisting of the holder lower plate 42, the holder side plate 50, the holder upper plate 52, and the like) for holding the disc cartridge 1, the disc cartridge 1 is fixed to the arm 115 displaceably disposed in the holder. The pin 119 presses the shutter 24 to change the shutter 24 from closed to open. A tension coil spring 120 is connected between the arm 115 and the holder. However, since the tension coil spring 120 of the device disclosed in the above publication has a substantially cylindrical outer shape and linearly occupies a relatively long space, the shutter opening / closing device of the disk cartridge is downsized (for example, downsizing in the thickness direction of the device). Have disadvantages that are disadvantageous for An apparatus disclosed in FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-95760 discloses a solution to this disadvantage. This publication describes a configuration in which the case 1 is inserted into a case holder 10 for holding the case 1.
In addition, an engagement pin 12 is described which, when the case 1 is inserted into the case holder 10, presses the shutter 3 arranged in the case 1 to change the shutter 3 from the closed state to the open state. A torsion coil spring 13 that is supported by the holder 10 and deforms is disposed between the engagement pin 12 and the holder 10. The device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-95760 is advantageous in that the torsion coil spring 13 is used and the size is reduced as compared with the case where the coil spring 120 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-119952 is used. Becomes However, in the device disclosed in JP-A-3-95760, since the coil portion 13b of the torsion coil spring 13 moves along the guide groove 16, the shutter 3 is opened and the case 1 reaches a predetermined position. In this state (see FIG. 4c), the coil portion 13b is disposed forward of the front end of the case 1. Such a configuration is disadvantageous for downsizing the device. In the apparatus disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 3 of JP-A-4-337559, when the cartridge 1 is moved in the first direction (from the bottom to the top in the drawing) and inserted into the cartridge holder 2, the cartridge 1 is The opening / closing pin 17 which is arranged so as to be able to move in a direction inclined toward the upper right of FIG. The shutter 4 changes from a closed state to an open state.

[0004]

However, in the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-337559,
The guide groove 16 is formed only by the guide groove 16 which is arranged to be inclined with respect to the insertion direction of the cartridge 1, so that the guide groove 16 is located at the back side of the cartridge holder 2 (the cartridge holder of FIG. 2). In such a configuration, when the size of the apparatus is required to be reduced, the return spring 19, which is a torsion coil spring connected to the opening / closing pin 17, must be disposed by using a limited narrow space. There is a disadvantage that it is troublesome to realize a shutter opening / closing mechanism having high reliability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk cartridge shutter opening / closing mechanism which solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

[0006]

A shutter opening / closing mechanism for a disk cartridge according to the present invention moves a cartridge containing a disk-shaped recording medium in a first direction and inserts the cartridge into a holder for holding the cartridge. A pin movably disposed on the holder presses a shutter disposed on the cartridge to move the shutter in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and the pin is a displacement member ( The “displacement member” refers to a member in which the position of at least a part of the member is changed), and the other end of the displacement member is supported by the holder. A torsion coil spring (a "torsion coil spring" is a machine in which a moment of force acts around a virtual axis when a virtual axis is considered. And a shutter opening / closing mechanism for a disk cartridge in which the shutter changes from a closed state to an open state when the cartridge moves in the first direction. In the above, the holder is formed with a groove composed of a first groove and a second groove, and the first groove is formed at an angle inclined with respect to the first direction (“the second groove”). "Is formed at an angle inclined with respect to the first direction" means that a form in which the angle is 0 degree and 90 degrees with respect to the first direction is excluded), and the second groove portion is formed in the first direction. The pin is guided substantially by the first groove and the second groove, and moves from the first groove to the second groove. The torsion coil spring Is the coil part A first imaginary plane perpendicular to the second direction and intersecting the second groove, the first imaginary plane having three portions of a first linear portion and a second linear portion extending from the first portion; Is assumed, the coil portion is disposed at a position not in contact with the first imaginary plane, and a second portion perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the coil portion is provided.
When the pin reaches the second groove from the first groove, the second virtual plane includes the first linear member and the second linear member when the pin reaches the second groove. Wherein the torsion coil spring is arranged so as to be present between the torsion coil springs.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a first embodiment of a disk cartridge shutter opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, a disk cartridge used in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This disk cartridge (hereinafter simply referred to as a cartridge) 2 has a case 5 made of a relatively flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped hard plastic or the like, in which a disk-shaped recording medium, for example, an optical disk 4 is housed. Things.

The optical disk 4 in this embodiment is of a so-called single-sided type. The lower surface of the optical disk 4 is provided with a hub 6 fixed so as to cover the central portion thereof. A through-hole is formed at the center of the hub 6, and when the cartridge 2 is completely mounted in the recording / reproducing apparatus and can perform a predetermined recording / reproducing operation, the spindle shaft of the spindle motor serving as the disk rotating means is rotated. It is configured to be inserted into the through hole.

An upper wall 5a and a lower wall 5b of the case 5,
The center of the front end wall between the upper wall 5a and the lower wall 5b is notched so that a part of the optical disk 4 is exposed. That is, the upper wall 5a of the case 5 is cut out from the outer periphery of the optical disc 4 to immediately before reaching the center, and the lower wall 5b is cut out from the outer periphery of the optical disc 4 to a region including the center. At the front end of the case 5, a U-shaped shutter 8 that can move in the direction of an arrow indicated by reference numeral 3 is attached so as to cover the notch.

The width of the shutter 8 is set slightly wider than the width of the notch, and completely covers the notch at the open position shown in the figure. The upper wall 5a and the lower wall 5b of the area where the shutter 8 can move (that is, the left side)
A recess 5c substantially equal to the thickness of the shutter 8 is formed, and the surface of the shutter 8 and the upper and lower surfaces of the case 5 are at the same level. The right side of the recess 5c restricts the movement of the shutter 8 from the center of the case 5 to the right. The shutter 8 is constantly urged to the right by a filigree spring 10 installed inside the left end of the front end of the case 5, and as long as no leftward force is applied, the shutter 8 maintains the illustrated open state. .

At the right side of the front end face of the shutter 8, a left end portion of a long and narrow rectangular contact piece 12 having a protruding portion 12a projecting upward at the right end and extending left and right is attached. On the right side of the front end of the case 5, an opening pin 28 described later and an opening groove 14 having an inclined surface for guiding a contact piece 12 (shown in FIG. 2) so as to be able to contact the right end of the contact piece 12 are formed.

A recess for accommodating the contact piece 12 is formed on the right side of the front end face of the case 5 where the contact piece 12 is located, and the front face of the contact piece 12 and the left front end face of the case 5 are the same. It is set to be a surface. On the right side of the front end face of the case 5, a maintenance groove 16 for maintaining the open state of the shutter 8 is formed.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, a cartridge holder (hereinafter simply referred to as a holder) which is installed inside the insertion opening of the recording / reproducing apparatus and is capable of holding the cartridge 2 at the driving position.
18 will be described.

The holder 18 is formed of a substantially square thin plate, and both sides thereof are bent vertically downward to form a cartridge guide wall (not shown) for guiding the cartridge 2 therebetween. Substantially at the center of the holder 18, more specifically, slightly ahead of the center, is disk rotating means that is mounted on the hub 6 of the optical disk 4 and rotates the optical disk 4 when the cartridge 2 is completely inserted into the holder 18. A spindle motor 19 is provided. The spindle motor 19 has a spindle shaft 40 that is a rotating shaft as a center.

On the upper surface of the holder 18, a direction defined by the direction of insertion of the cartridge 2 (direction of arrow A in the drawing) and the opening direction of the shutter (right direction in the drawing), that is, the direction of arrow A
First groove 2 extending in a direction at an angle of about 45 degrees with the direction
0 is formed. The first groove 20 functions as a guide groove for opening the shutter. This first groove 20
The spindle shaft 40 extends from the front left side in the drawing to a position substantially the same as the position of the spindle shaft 40 in the left-right direction in the drawing. That is, the first groove 20 extends to just before the spindle motor 19. The end of the first groove 20 is
Is connected to the starting end of the second groove 22 formed on the upper surface of the holder 18 so as to extend in the insertion direction of
The first groove 20 and the second groove 22 communicate with each other. The second groove 22 extends in the insertion direction, and the terminal end thereof is
It is formed so as to have a substantially L-shaped lock portion 22a that draws a slightly arc.

The first and second grooves 20 and 22 include:
The lower part of a vertically extending cylindrical guide pin 24 is movably inserted along these grooves with slight play. The guide pin 24 is vertically inserted so as to pass through one end of a substantially plate-like lever 26 extending in the horizontal direction. One end of a first torsion spring 33 is wound and fixed to an upper portion of the guide pin 24 projecting above the lever 26.

The other end of the first torsion spring 33 is
The right side of the lever 26 is engaged, and as a result, the lever 2
6 is energized in the direction B around the guide pin 24. An opening pin 28 is fixed to the other end of the lever 26 so as to be parallel to the guide pin 24.

The lower portion of the opening pin 28 is inserted into the third groove 30 movably along a third groove 30 formed on the upper surface of the holder 18. The third groove 30 includes an arc portion 30a located on the front left side in the figure and the arc portion 30a.
And a parallel portion 30b following the same. This arc portion 30a is
The lever 26 is formed in an arc shape having a radius of curvature equal to the substantially entire length of the lever 26 (the pitch between the pins 24 and 28).
When the lever 26 is rotated clockwise (in the direction opposite to the arrow B) about the guide pin 24 against the urging force of the first torsion spring 33, the lever 26 can move along the arc portion 30a. Has become. The lever 26 is connected to the first groove 2
When it is rotated so as to form an angle of 90 degrees with 0, the arc portion 30 is formed.
a is over. The parallel portion 30b connected to the arc portion 30a extends in parallel with the first groove 20, and has the same length as the groove 20. The parallel portion 30b is
8 extends in the direction of arrow A almost to the rear end, and communicates with a fourth groove 32 formed on the upper surface of the holder 18. The communicating portion between the parallel portion 30b and the fourth groove 32 is set to be substantially the same as the position of the outer peripheral end in front of the spindle motor 19 in the left-right direction. That is, the communication portion and the front end of the spindle motor 19 are located at substantially the same distance from the front end of the holder 18. The position of the fourth groove 32 in the left-right direction is set so as to overlap the maintenance groove 16 when the cartridge 2 is inserted into the holder 18.

An upper right side surface of the guide pin 24 is in contact with a distal end of a second torsion spring 34 as an urging means. A coil portion of the second torsion spring 34 (not shown; in FIG. 2, a coil-shaped portion wound around a central axis of a coil base 36 drawn in a circular diagram). The coil-shaped central portion is supported by the moving table 36. The movable table 36 is composed of a disk-shaped thin plate installed in parallel with the upper surface of the holder 18 and pins protruding below the thin plate. The pin of the movable base 36 is inserted with a slight play into a movable groove 38 extending in the direction of arrow A on the upper left side of the holder 18 so that the movable base 36 moves along the movable groove 38. It is possible.

The other end of the second torsion spring 34 is fixed to the rear end of the holder 18 and slidably abuts on the front surface of the rear wall 18a schematically indicated by a dashed line.
The second torsion spring 34 has a higher spring coefficient than the first torsion spring 33. The operation of the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the disk cartridge of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, referring to FIG.
Inserting in the direction, the upper part of the opening pin 28
4 and contacts the bottom surface thereof and the left end of the contact piece 12 in the drawing. Due to the force for inserting the cartridge 2, the lower portion of the opening pin 28 is moved to the arc portion 30 a of the third groove 30.
And the lever 26 is moved along the first torsion spring 3.
Rotate clockwise against the urging force of No. 3. By this movement, the left end of the contact piece 12 is pushed, and the shutter 8 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the lower portion of the opening pin 28 reaches the end of the arc portion 30a,
6 rotates 90 degrees with respect to the first groove 20, the lever 2
6 cannot be rotated. As you continue inserting further,
The lever 26 resists the urging force of the second torsion spring 34 along the first groove 20 and the parallel portion 30b of the second groove 30 while maintaining an angle of 90 degrees with the first groove 20. Then go and go. During this time, the opening operation of the shutter 8 is
The operation is continued by the contact between the upper portion of the opening pin 28 and the contact piece 12.

Then, when the cartridge 2 is inserted until the lever 26 reaches the end of the first groove 20 and the parallel portion 30b while maintaining the angle, as shown in FIG. The shutter 8 opens, and the opening pin 28 fits into the retaining groove 16. As a result,
The movement of the guide pin 24 in the left-right direction is prevented, and the contact piece 12 abuts on the opening pin 28, whereby the fully opened state of the shutter 8 is maintained. The angle of the lever 26 is
The guide pin 24 is held until it reaches the lock portion 22a of the second groove 22.

When the cartridge 2 is further inserted and the guide pin 24 reaches the lock 22a, the lock 2
The guide pin 24 moves along the curvature of the lever 2a.
6 rotates clockwise. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the guide pin 24 reaches the rightward extending portion which is the end of the lock portion 22a, the front surface of the end and the guide pin 24
Are pressed by the urging force of the second torsion spring 34 to engage with each other to lock the holding of the cartridge 2 to the holder 18 and complete the insertion operation.

In the insertion operation, during the transition from the state shown in FIG. 3 to the state shown in FIG. 5, the second torsion spring 34 is compressed in a direction for urging the guide pin 24 in the discharging direction, and 36 moves along the movement groove 38. In this way, the second torsion spring 34 is
8 allows the spring 34 to move the cartridge 2 even when the stroke of the lever 26 increases.
This is effective as an urging means for discharging the gas.

In order to eject the cartridge 2 locked in the holder 18 after the insertion operation is completed, the guide pin 24 is pushed in the ejection direction by automatically or manually pushing the opening pin 28 in the ejection direction. The lock is released by disengaging from the end of 22a. Then, the cartridge 2 is ejected from the holder 18 by the urging force of the second torsion spring 34.

As described above, the shutter 8 is completely opened so as not to hit the spindle motor 19 during the shutter opening operation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the distance L1 between the lower surface of the hub 6 of the optical disk 4 and the upper surface of the spindle motor 19 can be made smaller than the distance L2 in the configuration of the prior art, so that the recording / reproducing apparatus is considerably thinned. Can be promoted up to the range. The position indicated by the chain line in the drawing is the position of the upper surface of the spindle shaft in the configuration of the related art.

Next, a second embodiment of the shutter opening / closing mechanism for a disk cartridge according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified.

The shutter opening / closing mechanism of the second embodiment eliminates the third and fourth grooves for the opening pin in the first embodiment and the engaging portions of these grooves with the opening pin 28. Things.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first groove 42 has an inclined portion 42a that forms an angle of about 45 degrees with the direction of arrow A, and a connecting portion 42b that connects the inclined portion 42a and the second groove 22. Consists of The connection position in the left-right direction between the inclined portion 42a and the connection portion 42b is set to be the same as the position in the left-right direction of the maintenance groove 16 of the cartridge 2. The first torsion spring 44 fixed to the guide pin 24 urges the lever 26 in a direction opposite to that of the first embodiment, that is, in the direction of arrow C in the figure.

The moving groove 46 of the moving table 36 is formed to be slightly longer than that of the first embodiment, and extends to a position in the vertical direction of the spindle shaft 40 of the spindle motor. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. The operation of the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the second embodiment configured as described above will be described below. It should be noted that the operation that is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment will be simplified.

First, in FIG. 7, when the cartridge 2 is inserted in the direction of arrow A, the opening pin 28
And comes into contact with the left end of the contact piece 12. When the cartridge 2 is further inserted, as shown in FIG. 8, the lever 26 rotates counterclockwise against the urging force of the spring 44, and the opening pin 28 pushes the left end of the contact piece 12 to open the shutter 8. Go. And as shown, the lever 26
Is parallel to the insertion direction of the cartridge 2, the lever 2
The rotation of 6 stops.

When the cartridge 2 is further inserted from this state, the guide pin 24 moves along the inclined portion 42 a of the first groove 42 by the force of the front end face of the cartridge 2 pressing the opening pin 28. With the movement of the guide pin 24, the opening pin 28 slides on the front end face of the cartridge 2 and pushes the left end of the contact piece 12 rightward in the drawing to open the shutter 8.

As shown in FIG. 9, the guide pin 24 is
When the connecting point between the inclined portion 42a of the groove 42 and the connecting portion 42b is reached, the opening pin 28 is fitted into the maintaining groove 16, and the shutter 8 reaches a completely open state, and this state is maintained.
When the shutter 8 is further inserted, the insertion force
The guide pin 24 moves along the connecting portion 42 b and the second groove 22 while maintaining the open state of the opening and the fitting of the opening pin 28 into the maintenance groove 16.

The guide pin 24 is connected to the second groove 22
When the lock pin 22a reaches the lock portion 22a, the guide pin 24 fits into the end portion of the lock portion 22a, locking of the cartridge 2 in the holder 18 is performed, and the insertion operation ends. Other operations are the same as those of the first embodiment. When the shutter opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention is configured as in the present embodiment, only one lever groove is required, so that the configuration is simpler than in the first embodiment.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described two embodiments, and many embodiments and modifications are possible. For example, the first groove and the second groove may be formed in a triangular shape instead of being elongated, and the opening pin may be arranged along one inner surface thereof.

[0038]

According to the present invention, the shutter opening / closing mechanism for a disk cartridge is a disk-shaped recording medium (for example, as shown in FIG. 1).
When the cartridge containing the optical disk 4) is moved in a first direction (for example, the direction of arrow A in FIGS. 2 and 7) and inserted into a holder for holding the cartridge, the cartridge is movably disposed on the holder. The opened pin (for example, the opening pin 28) presses a shutter disposed in the cartridge, and the shutter is moved in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction (for example, in the case of FIGS. The pin is a displacement member (for example, the lever 26, the first torsion spring 33, and the guide pin 2 in the case of FIG. 2).
7, the lever 26, the first torsion spring 44, the guide pin 24, and the second torsion spring 34 in the case of FIG.
One end of the displacement member is connected to one end of the displacement member, and the other end of the displacement member is supported by the holder. In the case of 7, the second torsion spring 3
4) is used at least, and the shutter is changed from the closed state to the open state by the movement of the cartridge in the first direction. 2 (for example, the third groove 30 in the case of FIG. 2 and the first groove 42 in the case of FIG. 7) and a second groove (for example,
In the case of FIG. 2, a groove composed of a fourth groove 32 and in the case of FIG. 7, a second groove 22) is formed, and the first groove portion has an angle inclined with respect to the first direction. Wherein the second groove is formed substantially parallel to the first direction, and the pin is guided by the first groove and the second groove so that the first groove is formed. The torsion coil spring moves from the coil portion to a first linear portion extending from the coil portion (for example, the second torsion spring in the case of FIGS. 2 and 7). 3
4 extending from the coil portion toward the guide pin 24.
And a second linear portion (for example, the second torsion spring 3 in the case of FIGS. 2 and 7).
And a first member perpendicular to the second direction and intersecting with the second groove portion.
When the virtual plane is assumed, the coil unit is arranged at a position not in contact with the first virtual plane,
Assuming a second imaginary plane perpendicular to the direction of and intersecting the coil portion, the pin is moved from the first groove to the second virtual plane.
The torsion coil spring is so positioned that the second imaginary plane exists between the first linear member and the second linear member at the point of time when the groove reaches the groove portion (for example, the state of FIG. 4). The present invention has the following effects because it is arranged. Compared with the above-described prior art, the present invention has an advantage that it is possible to provide a shutter opening / closing mechanism that can be realized with a simple configuration, can be reduced in size, and has high reliability.

[0039]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially broken perspective view showing a disk cartridge used for a shutter opening / closing mechanism of a disk cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing a state before a cartridge is inserted into a holder in the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing a state where a cartridge is inserted into a holder from the state shown in FIG. 2 and a shutter starts to open.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a state where the cartridge is further inserted into the holder from the state shown in FIG. 3 and the shutter is completely opened.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing a state where insertion of the cartridge into the holder is completed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a positional relationship between a cartridge and a spindle shaft.

FIG. 7 is a top view illustrating a shutter opening / closing mechanism according to a second embodiment, showing a state before a cartridge is inserted into a holder.

8 is a top view showing a state where the cartridge is inserted into the holder from the state shown in FIG. 7 and the shutter starts to open.

9 is a top view showing a state where the cartridge is further inserted into the holder from the state shown in FIG. 8 and the shutter is completely opened.

FIG. 10 is a top view showing a state where insertion of the cartridge into the holder is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... cartridge, 4 ... optical disk, 8 ... shutter, 1
2 ... Contact piece, 18 ... Holder, 19 ... Spindle motor,
20: first groove, 24: guide pin, 26: lever, 2
8 ... opening pin, 34 ... second torsion spring, 38 ... movement groove, 40 ... spindle shaft.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] When a cartridge containing a disk-shaped recording medium is moved in a first direction and inserted into a holder for holding the cartridge, a pin movably arranged on the holder is arranged on the cartridge. Pressing the shutter, the shutter moves in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, the pin is connected to one end of a displacement member, and the other end of the displacement member is A torsion coil spring is used at least as a member that is supported by the holder and constitutes the displacement member, and the shutter changes from a closed state to an open state when the cartridge moves in the first direction. In the shutter opening / closing mechanism for a disk cartridge according to (1), a groove including a first groove and a second groove is formed in the holder, The first groove portion is formed at an angle inclined with respect to the first direction, the second groove portion is formed substantially parallel to the first direction, and the pin is The torsion coil spring moves from the first groove to the second groove by being guided by the groove and the second groove, and the torsion coil spring includes a coil and a first linear part extending from the coil. And a second linear portion, and assuming a first virtual plane perpendicular to the second direction and intersecting the second groove, the coil portion is A second virtual plane which is arranged in a non-contact position with the first virtual plane and intersects the coil section perpendicularly to the first direction;
When the pin reaches the second groove from the first groove, the second virtual plane includes the first linear member and the second linear member when the pin reaches the second groove. A shutter opening / closing mechanism for a disc cartridge, wherein the torsion coil spring is disposed so as to be present between the shutter coil springs.