CN1329912C - Disc Cartridges and Data Storage Media - Google Patents

Abstract

A disk cartridge comprising: the box body, first and second baffle and rotating member. The cartridge body includes a disk storage portion that stores a disk so as to be rotatable therein; a chucking hole is formed at the bottom of the disk storage portion to externally chuck the disk; a head access window is also formed at the bottom of the disk storage portion to allow a head, which reads and/or writes data from/on the disk, to access the disk. First and second shutters are provided in the disk storage portion to expose or cover the head access window by rotating in the disk storage portion. The rotating member is arranged to rotate also in the disk storage portion. The first and second shutters are interlocked with the rotating member so as to be rotatable in mutually opposite directions and at respectively different speeds.

Description

Disc Cartridges and Data Storage Media

technical field

The present invention relates to a disc case for rotatably storing a disc-shaped storage medium such as an optical disc or a magnetic disc.

Background technique

Various disc cases have been proposed as protective cases for disc-shaped data storage media (hereinafter simply referred to as "discs") having single or two data storage surfaces.

For example, Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 9-153264 discloses a disc case in which a disc is completely enclosed in a disc storage portion. The disk storage portion is defined inside the case body, which is composed of upper and lower halves. The cassette body includes clamping holes and a head access window. Clamping holes allow the turntable and gripper of the spindle motor to clamp an inserted disc, while head access windows allow the head to read and/or write data from or on the disc. The lower one of the clamping holes communicates with the head access window. Therefore, when the operator carries the disc cartridge, dust can easily enter the inside of the disc cartridge through the openings, and the disc is easily soiled by fingerprints. For this reason, the cartridge also includes a shutter to close these openings.

However, a disc cartridge having such a structure has disadvantages described below. First, such a cartridge cannot be very thin. This is because the disc storage space defined between the upper and lower halves should be sufficiently thick for the disc drive to accurately read and write signals from or to the discs stored in such disc cartridges (or information). Reasons why the disk storage space should be fairly thick also include expected chatter or warping of the rotating disk and possible errors in placing the disk cartridge in the intended position inside the disk drive.

Secondly, the cost of forming the baffles that simultaneously close the clamping holes and the head access windows cannot be low, thus increasing the overall manufacturing cost of the cartridge. The reasons are as follows. Specifically, the lower half of the cartridge is provided with holes for the turntable of the spindle motor and the head access window, while the upper half of the cartridge is provided with another hole for the gripper. Thus, in order to close the 3 holes at once, the baffle needs to be formed into a U shape with a rectangular bottom, which would not be cheap to manufacture.

Third, discs stored in such disc cartridges are not fixed in many cases, which may cause dust or fine particle deposition problems and scratching problems. Specifically, while discs with metal hubs, for example, can be attracted and held in place in a disc case against inadvertent movement using magnets, for example, optical discs without metal hubs, such as CDs or DVDs, generally cannot be secured, and such discs are not available here. There will be freedom of movement in the seed tray. Therefore, if the disk is frequently vibrated into contact with the inner wall of the cartridge, the data storage surface of the disk may be scratched, or fine particles may be stirred up and accumulated on the disk.

Furthermore, since the shutter is assumed to open or close linearly, the case needs to be much larger than the discs to be stored therein. If a disc case is to be used to store a small-sized disc such as for a mobile electronic device or a disc camcorder, the mobile electronic device or disc camcorder itself must be large enough to accommodate the disc case. Furthermore, the size of the head access window of a small-sized disc cartridge is generally different from the size of the head access window of a large-sized disc cartridge. Therefore, it is difficult to provide a disk drive that can accommodate both small-sized and large-sized disk cartridges. Or at least the construction of such a disk drive would have to be very complex to accommodate both types of disks.

Contents of the invention

In order to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a disc cartridge having a significantly reduced size.

A disk cartridge according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention preferably includes a cartridge body, first and second shutters, and a rotating member. The case preferably includes a disc storage portion, a clamping aperture and a head access window. Preferably, a disc is stored in said disc storage portion such that said disc is rotatable within the disc storage portion. Clamping holes are preferably formed at the bottom of the disc storage portion to clamp the disc from the outside. A head access window is preferably also formed at the bottom of the disk storage portion to allow a head that reads and/or writes data from or on the disk to access the disk. The first and second shutters are preferably disposed within the disk storage portion for exposing or covering the head access window by rotation within the disk storage portion. The pivoting member is preferably configured to pivot within the disk storage portion, and is preferably interlockable with the first and second shutters. The first and second shutters are preferably interlockable by engagement with the rotating member so as to be rotatable in opposite directions to each other and at respectively different speeds.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the disc case includes a disc holding portion preferably holding the disc such that the disc is secured to the case when the first and second shutters are closed. superior.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the disc holding portion is preferably interlocked with the first or second shutter to hold said disk when the first or second shutter is about to close.

In another preferred embodiment, the disc holding portion preferably releases said disc when either the first or the second shutter is about to open.

In the next preferred embodiment, the first baffle preferably includes an arc-shaped first raised portion surrounding the clamping hole, the second baffle preferably includes an arc-shaped second raised portion surrounding the clamping hole, and the disk The storage portion preferably includes an arcuate third raised portion surrounding the clamping aperture, and the first barrier preferably further includes a fourth raised portion along an outer edge thereof. The disk holding portion preferably holds the disk by bringing the second side of the disk into contact with the first, second, third and fourth raised portions.

In this particular preferred embodiment, when the first and second shutters are closed, the disc is preferably secured within the case so that the data storage area on the second side of the disc is positioned between the first, second and second sides. Between the third convex part and the fourth convex part.

More specifically, at least one of the first and second shutters preferably includes a cutout that aligns with the head access window when the first and second shutters are closed. The disk storage portion preferably includes a side wall along an outer periphery of the base. The disk clamping portion preferably clamps the disk thereon and preferably fixes the disk relative to the disk storage portion while offsetting the center of the disk from the center of the disk storage portion so that the first and second barriers The outer surface of the disc and the side wall of the disc storage portion contact each other at the location of the positioning cutout when closing.

More specifically, the disk holding portion preferably includes a first disk holding member and a second disk holding member. When the first and second shutters are closed, the first disk holding member preferably applies an outward force to the disk so that the outer surface of the disk contacts the side wall of the disk storage portion, and the second disk holds The member preferably applies a force to the disk towards the bottom of the disk storage portion.

In an alternative preferred embodiment, the first baffle preferably includes side walls around its outer edges, and the side walls of the first baffle are preferably provided with cutouts. The first disc holding member preferably applies force to the disc through the cutout when the first and second shutters are closed.

In this particular preferred embodiment, when the first and second shutters are about to be opened, the rotation of the first shutter is preferably such that the first disc holding member comes into contact with the side wall of the first shutter, whereby This stops applying force to the disc.

More specifically, the first barrier preferably includes guide ribs near the inner surface of the side wall. Preferably, the second disk holding part is arranged on the box body through the elastic member, so that the second disk holding part can protrude toward the disk window. When the first and second shutters are about to be opened, the second disk holding member preferably contacts the guide rib and is lifted by the guide rib so that the disk can be released.

In a next preferred embodiment, the disc clamping portion preferably comprises a plurality of disc clamping members, each disc clamping member having a downwardly tapering slope, each disc clamping member extending along the periphery of the disc Arrangement is made, and the disc is preferably clamped thereon, and the disc is preferably secured to the case by contacting said ramps with the outer surface of the disc.

In this particular preferred embodiment, it is preferred that the case is provided with a disc holding portion so as to protrude towards the disc window.

More specifically, the first baffle preferably includes side walls surrounding its outer edges and guide ribs adjacent the inner surface of said side walls. When the first and second shutters are about to be opened, the disk holding portion preferably contacts the guide rib and is lifted by the guide rib, thereby releasing the disk.

In a next preferred embodiment, the disc holding portion preferably forms an integral part of the case.

In a next preferred embodiment, preferably, the first and second shutters are provided in the disk storage portion such that the first and second shutters at least partially overlap each other.

In a next preferred embodiment, the rotating member is preferably a gear. The first and second fences preferably include a first rack and a second rack, respectively. The first rack and the second rack are preferably arcuate so that their centers coincide with the centers of rotation of the first and second baffles, and the first rack and the second rack preferably have radii different from each other. , and preferably engageable with rotating parts.

In this particular preferred embodiment, the first and second baffles preferably include first and second openings, respectively, for receiving the rotating member.

More specifically, the first rack of the first fence preferably defines a portion of the first opening, and the second rack of the second fence preferably defines a portion of the second opening.

In a next preferred embodiment, the rotating member preferably at least partially overlaps the first and second shutters when the first and second shutters are opened or closed.

In a next preferred embodiment, the first and second flaps are preferably engaged with the rotary member along a line connecting the centers of rotation of the first and second flaps with the center of rotation of the rotary member.

In the next preferred embodiment, the rotation angle required to open or close the second shutter is 1.2-3 times the rotation angle required to open or close the first shutter.

In a next preferred embodiment, the ends of the first and second shutters preferably overlap each other at a projection area of the head access window, thereby covering the head access window.

In a next preferred embodiment, the rotating member is preferably a gear having a thickness approximately equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the first and second baffles.

In the next preferred embodiment, it is assumed that the distance from the center of the disc to a first point on the second side of the disc is Rin, where the position of the first point is greater than the position of the disc storage area when the first and second shutters are closed. The inner boundary is closer to the center of the disk and is determined in the vicinity of said inner boundary; the distance from the center of the disk to a second point on the second side of the disk is Rout, wherein the second point is located between the first and second sides of the disk. When the second baffle plate is closed, it is closer to the outer edge of the disk than the outer boundary of the disk storage area and is determined near the outer boundary; a space with a height of S needs to be provided under the second side of the disk; Determining a radius on the second side is the first circle of Rout; Determining a radius is the second circle of (Rout-1.2S) on a plane that separates the distance of 0.3S from the second side and parallel to the second side; A third circle of radius (Rout-16.2S) is defined on a plane parallel to the second side by a distance S from the second side, and said space is preferably obtained by removing the base from the first and second frustums radius Rin (measured from the center of the disk) and height S to obtain a cylinder, where the base and top of the first truncated cone are determined by the first and second circles, respectively, and the second truncated cone The base and top of the cone are defined by the second and third circles, respectively.

In a particular preferred embodiment, S is preferably 1mm, Rin is preferably 20mm, and Rout is preferably 39mm or 59mm.

A data storage medium according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention preferably includes the disk cartridge according to any one of the above-mentioned preferred embodiments of the present invention and is stored in a disk storage portion of the disk cartridge and is ready to write data. disk.

A disk drive according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is preferably designed so that it can be loaded with any one of the disk cartridges according to the above-mentioned preferred embodiments of the present invention and can be loaded from a disk stored in the cartridge or Data is read and/or written on the disc.

A disk drive according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention preferably includes: drive means for rotating the disk; head for reading and/or writing data from or on the disk; support means for supporting According to the disk cartridge of one of the above preferred embodiments of the present invention, the disk cartridge stores the disk at a predetermined position relative to the drive means; and, a shutter opening/closing mechanism for opening the shutter of the disk cartridge And the disc is released from the disc holding portion so that the disc can be rotated within the disc storage portion of the disc case.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the disk drive preferably further includes a holder for mounting the disk on the drive.

In this particularly preferred embodiment, the support structure preferably includes locating pins for securing the cartridge in a predetermined position.

Other features, components, processes, steps, properties and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

1A and 1B are perspective views of a disc case according to a first specific preferred embodiment of the present invention, respectively showing a state where a disc is stored and a state where no disc is stored;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the back side of the disc cartridge shown in Figures 1A and 1B;

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the disk cartridge shown in Figures 1A and 1B;

Figures 4A and 4B are plan views showing the internal structure of the disc case shown in Figures 1A and 1B, with the upper cover of the disc case removed, and showing its baffle closed state and its baffle open state, respectively ;

5A and 5B are plan views showing the structure of a part of the disk case shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B near its opening means/closing means;

6A and 6B are cross-sectional views of the disc holding member taken along the radial direction of the disc when the shutter is closed and when the shutter is opened, respectively;

7 is a sectional view showing a space provided below a disc stored in a disc case according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the bending of the disc;

Figure 9 is a sectional view showing another typical space provided below the disc;

Figure 10 is a sectional view showing a next typical space provided below the disc;

Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a disc cartridge according to a second specific preferred embodiment of the present invention;

12A and 12B are plan views showing the internal structure of the disk case shown in FIG. 11, with the top cover of the disk case removed, and showing the closed state of its baffle and the open state of its baffle, respectively;

Fig. 13 is a plan view showing how the disk cartridge shown in Fig. 11 holds a disk;

14A and 14B are cross-sectional views of the disk holding member taken along the radial direction of the disk when the shutter is closed and when the shutter is open, respectively;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing an optical disk drive according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

first embodiment

Next, a disc cartridge according to a first specific preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1A and 1B are perspective views of an upper portion of a disc cartridge 101 according to a first specific preferred embodiment of the present invention, respectively showing a state in which a disc 100 is stored and a state in which no disc 100 is stored. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the back side of the disc cartridge 101 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the disk cartridge 101 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Figures 4A and 4B are plan views showing the internal structure of the disc case 101 shown in Figures 1A and 1B, with the disc case upper cover 12 removed and its first and second baffles 16, 15 closed, respectively The state and its baffle 16,15 open state. It should be noted that the entire disc cartridge 101 including the disc 100 is sometimes only referred to as a "disk" or a "data storage medium".

Tray 100 preferably includes a first side and a second side. In FIG. 1A a first side of the disc 100 is shown, on which is typically printed such as its logo; in FIGS. 2 and 3 a second side of the disc is shown as the back side, i.e. the data storage side 100A .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the disk case 101 preferably includes a lower cover 11 , an upper cover 12 , a gear 14 , a first baffle 16 , and a second baffle 15 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge lower cover 11 preferably includes a clamp hole 11c and a head access window 11h. The clamping hole 11c preferably allows a clamping member such as a spindle motor for rotating the disc 100 to enter the disc cartridge 101 from the outside. The head access window 11h preferably allows a head to enter the cartridge 101 and access a target location on the disc 100 for reading and/or writing from or on the data storage side 100A of the disc 100. data. The clamping hole 11c and the head access window 11h are preferably continuous with each other. Preferably, a third projected portion 11s is provided so as to surround the clamping hole 11c. The head access window 11h preferably reaches the side surface of the lower cover 11 of the cartridge.

The disc case lower cover 11 preferably includes two positioning holes 11w, which can be engaged with the disc case positioning pins 17 of the disc drive (not shown), thereby fixing the disc case 101 to a predetermined position in the disc drive. Location. Alternatively, the case body may include a pair of recessed portions 10c that serve as a pair of recessed portions 10c when the disc cartridge 101 is drawn or loaded in the disc drive, or when the disc cartridge 101 is stored in the disc changer. Pull into notches or positioning grooves. The cartridge lower cover 11 preferably faces the data storage side 100A of the disc 100 .

The disc case upper cover 12 preferably has a circular disc window 12w which extends over the entire projection area of the disc 100 so that the upper side of the disc 100 can be exposed. The upper and lower covers 12, 11 of the disc case are preferably bonded or welded together at their outer edges so that the case body 10 can be formed. As will be described in detail below, the disc holding member 12a is preferably pushed into the disc window 12w.

The disk storage portion 10d for storing the disk 100 is preferably defined by the inner side surface 11u of the cartridge lower cover 11 and the side wall 12i of the cartridge upper cover 12. The inside surface 11u is preferably opposite the data storage side 100A of the disc 100, and the sidewall 12i is preferably generally cylindrical and preferably internally defines the disc window. That is, the inside surface 11u becomes the bottom of the disk storage portion 10d.

In the disc storage portion 10d, it is preferable to provide a gap between the side wall 12i and the outer edge of the disc 100, which is wide enough to allow the disc 100 to rotate freely. That is, the diameter of the circle defined by the disc window 12w and the side wall 12i should be larger than the diameter of the disc 100 to be stored. Also, the upper half of the disk storage portion 10d preferably defines the disk window 12w, so that the disk 100 stored in the disk storage portion 10d can fully expose one of its two sides through the disk window 12w.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the disc cartridge 101 is preferably loaded into the disc drive in the direction shown by arrow 1A so that the side surface 10e having the head access window 11h faces the disc drive. In this preferred embodiment, side surface 10e is preferably convexly curved. Thus, the size of the disk cartridge is reduced when viewed from the disk window 12w, and the size of the disk drive loading such a disk cartridge 101 can also be reduced. Also, if the other side surfaces 10f, 10g, 10h are flat surfaces, the insertion direction 1A of the disk cartridge 101 can be easily known from the shape of the disk cartridge 101. Thus, even without checking the insertion direction indicated on the surface of the disc cartridge 101, the user can correctly insert this disc cartridge 101 into the disc drive.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the first and second baffles 16, 15 is preferably in the shape of a partially notched ring whose inner diameter is determined by the diameter of the clamping hole 11c. More specifically, the first shutter 16 preferably has a cutout 16f having almost the same size and shape as the head access window 11h of the lower cover 11 of the cartridge. In this preferred embodiment, the shape of the second baffle 15 is preferably slightly larger than a semi-circular shape. These barriers are preferably arranged between the data storage side 100A of the disc 100 and the inner surface 11u of the disc storage portion 10d such that the second barrier 15 is sandwiched between the first barrier 16 and the bottom of the disc storage portion 10d.

It is preferable to provide the arc-shaped first raised portion 16s and the arc-shaped second raised portion 15s along the inner edges of the first and second baffles 16, 15, respectively. It is also preferable to provide an arc-shaped fourth raised portion 16m along the outer edge of the first barrier 16 as well. The first protruding portion 16s and the second protruding portion 15s are preferably arc-shaped with a diameter larger than the radius of the third protruding portion 11s of the cartridge lower cover 11 so as not to interfere with the third protruding portion 11s. It is preferable to design this disk case 101 so that the first, second, third and fourth raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s and 16m all have the same height. Also, in this disc case 101, the raised portions are preferably positioned both inside and outside of the data storage area of the disc 100 to be stored in the disc storage portion 10d. Furthermore, preferably along the outer edge of the first barrier 16 is provided an upright wall 16i comprising opening means/closing means 16t. Also, it is preferable to provide a series of guide ribs 16c on the fourth raised portion 16m.

The first and second baffles 16, 15 are preferably slidable and rotatable around the rotation center 11q of the baffle (ie, the center of the clamping hole 11c), so that each of the first and second raised portions 16s, 15s Both overlap and contact the third protrusion portion 11s provided around the clamping hole 11c. As shown in FIG. 2, when the shutters are closed, the ends of the first and second shutters are preferably both positioned within the head access window 11h and preferably overlap each other, thereby covering the head access window 11h. Alternatively, the first and second shutters 16 , 15 may also slide and rotate while being in contact with side walls 11 i provided around the outer edges of the shutter 16 .

The gear 14 is preferably rotatably supported on a rotation shaft 11r provided on the lower cover 11 of the cartridge. Regardless of whether the first and second shutters 16, 15 are open or closed, the rotation shaft 11r is preferably always positioned in the raised area of the cartridge lower cover 11 where they overlap each other. Preferably, the gear 14 is designed so that its thickness is approximately equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the first and second flaps 16,15.

It is preferable to provide a first rack 16r and a second rack 15r for the first and second baffles 16, 15 respectively, and the circular arcs of the first rack 16r and the second rack 15r are also relative to the center of rotation 11q of the baffles. (ie, the center of the clamping hole 11c) is determined. In addition, it is preferable to provide the first window 16w and the second window 15w for the first and second flaps 16, 15, respectively, so that the rotation of the flaps does not interfere with the gear 14. The first and second racks 16r, 15r preferably define a portion of the first window 16w and a portion of the second window 15w, respectively. The first rack 16r and the second rack 15r are preferably engaged with the gear 14 on a straight line connecting the rotation center 11q of the shutter and the rotation center 11p of the gear 14 so as to slide and rotate in directions opposite to each other. That is to say, the gear 14 preferably acts as a rotating member and interlocks with the first and second flaps 16,15.

Next, how the first and second baffles 16, 15 work will be described. As shown in Figure 4, in the state that the head access window 11h is covered by the closed first and second shutters, one of the two edges 16x, 16y of the cutout 16f defining the first shutter 16 (16x) is preferably positioned Within the header access window 11h. Therefore, it is impossible for the head access window 11h to be completely covered only by the first shutter 16 because a part of the cutout 16f of the first shutter 16 is positioned within the head access window 11h. However, it is preferable that the second shutter 15 overlaps the first shutter 16 so that the cutout 16f of the first shutter 16 can be completely closed. In this way, the first and second shutters cooperate to cover the head access window 11h. At this point in time, one end 15y of the second shutter 15 is preferably positioned within the head access window 11h. As shown in FIG. 4A, the first and second shutters 16, 15 preferably overlap each other in a relatively wide area A1 within the head access window 11h, so as to prevent dust and other foreign particles when the shutters are closed. The data storage side of the disc 100 is accessed through the head access window 11h. Also, by overlapping the two shutters in an enlarged area within the head access window 11h, the rigidity of the entire disc cartridge 101 when the shutters are closed can be increased.

In this state, the first, second and third protruding portions 16s, 15s, 11s are arranged in a circle surrounding the clamping hole 11c so as to completely surround the clamping hole 11c. Also, the first, second and third raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s preferably overlap each other in a series of areas A2 in the radial direction.

As will be described in detail below, when the shutters are closed, the corresponding disc clamping member 12a preferably compresses the disc 100 towards the center of the disc and the bottom of the disc storage portion 10d. Therefore, in the disk storage portion 10d, it is preferable to hold the disk 100 when it is pressed against the first shutter 16 by the disk holding member 12a. The outer edge of the data storage side 100A of the disc 100 is preferably in contact with the fourth raised portion 16m, while its inner edge is preferably in contact with the first, second and third raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s. In this way, the data storage area of the disc 100 is preferably exposed to the space defined between the fourth raised portion 16m and the first, second, third raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s. As shown in FIG. 3, there is no fourth convex portion 16m in the cutout 16f. Therefore the space is not completely enclosed. However, very little dust from the label side can reach the data storage side 100A of the disc 100 held in the disc storage portion 10d through the cutout 16f. Also, the clamping hole 11c is completely surrounded by the first, second and third protrusions 16s, 15s, 11s, thereby preventing dust from reaching the data storage area of the disc 100 through the clamping hole 11c. Furthermore, the data storage area is not in contact with the first bezel 16 . Therefore, there will be no scratches on the data storage area.

When the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the disc drive in the direction indicated by the arrow A1, the opening/closing link (not shown) provided for the disc drive preferably moves the opening of the first shutter 16 in the direction indicated by the arrow 16A. Device/Closure 16t. Then, the first shutter 16 is rotated around the clamping hole 11c in the direction indicated by the arrow 16A. When the first flap 16 rotates, its rack 16r causes the gear 14 to rotate. As a result, the gear 14 meshes with the rack 15r, whereby the second flapper 15 is driven. Then, the second shutter 15 is rotated about the clamp hole 11c in the direction indicated by the arrow 15A, which is opposite to the rotation direction of the first shutter 16 . As the first and second shutters 16, 15 are rotated, the head access window 11h is gradually exposed. In this case, the first shutter 16 preferably continues to rotate until the cutout 16f is aligned with the head access window 11h of the lower cover 11 of the cartridge. On the other hand, the positions of both end portions 15y and 15x of the second shutter 15 are preferably positioned to sandwich the head access window 11h therebetween.

The first and second flaps 16, 15 do not rotate at the same rotational speed when opening or closing. Rather, the rotational speeds of the first and second flaps 16, 15 are inversely proportional to the distance between the flap rotation center 11q and the point 16p at which the rack 16r meshes with the gear 14, and the flap rotation center 11q and the rack 15r is the distance between the point 15p where the gear 14 meshes. Therefore, the rotation angle of the first shutter 16 when opening or closing is different from the rotation angle of the second shutter 15 when opening or closing. In this preferred embodiment, the rotation angle required to open or close the second shutter 15 is preferably 1.2-3 times the rotation angle required to open or close the first shutter 16 . Thus, by rotating the opening/closing means 16t exactly 40-60 degrees, the head access window 11h can be exposed or covered as desired.

As will be described below, when the two closed shutters begin to rotate and open, the disk holding member 12a preferably moves away from the disk 100 as the first shutter 16 rotates. In this way, the disc 100 is released from the clamping of the disc clamping member 12a, and is ready for rotation in the disc storage portion 10d. Nevertheless, since the disc holding member 12a protrudes from the disc window while moving, the disc 100 never falls out through the disc window 12w.

In this way, in the preferred embodiment described above, the two shutters rotate synchronously, preferably in mutually opposite directions. Thus, even turning one of the two flaps through a small angle produces a large opening. Such a structure makes the cartridge compatible with large-diameter disks. That is to say, this structure can be effectively applied to a cartridge designed to store small-diameter disks, but whose head access window is as wide as its counterpart in a large-diameter cartridge.

Furthermore, according to this preferred embodiment, it is preferable to provide gears for interlocking the two shutters together in the disc storage portion, which contributes to reducing the overall size of the disc cartridge. For this reason, the present invention can be particularly effectively applied to small-diameter disc cartridges requiring reduction in overall size.

Next, the opening device/closing device 16t is described. 5A and 5B are plan views showing on a larger scale the structure of a part of the disc cartridge 101 located near its opening/closing means 16t. As shown in FIG. 5A, the opening/closing means 16t is preferably attached to the vertical wall 16i of the first flap 16 by means of a resilient member 16e. Engagement projections 16g are preferably provided at the ends of the opening/closing means 16t. On the other hand, the cartridge lower cover 11 is preferably provided with a raised portion 11g. When the shutter is closed, the engaging protrusion 16g of the first shutter 16 is preferably engaged with the protrusion 11g of the cartridge lower cover 11 and locked. Thus, it is impossible for the first flap 16 to rotate in this state. Also, since the first flap 16 meshes with the gear 14, and the gear 14 meshes with the second flap 15, it is also impossible for the second flap 15 to rotate. That is, the flap can remain closed.

To open the shutter, it is necessary to extend the opening/closing means 16t downwards towards the center of the disc in the direction indicated by arrow 16B. Then, the raised portion 11g and the engaging raised portion 16g are disengaged from each other, thereby continuing to move the opening/closing means 16t in the direction indicated by the arrow 16B. Then, the first shutter 16 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 16A. The second flap 15 is also started to rotate by means of the gear 14 .

As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the opening/closing means 16t is preferably positioned within the head access window 11h when the shutter is closed. On the other hand, the opening/closing means 16t is preferably accommodated in the cutout 11k of the side wall 11i of the lower cover 11 of the cartridge when the shutter is opened. Therefore, even when the head of the disk drive accesses the head access window 11h, the opening means/closing means 16t never interferes with the access of the head.

Next, how the disk 100 is held by the plurality of disk holding members 12a dispersed around the disk 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B, 6A, and 6B. 6A is a sectional view of a disk holding member 12a when the first and second shutters 16, 15 cover the head access window 11h and hold the disk 100, the section being taken in the radial direction of the disk. On the other hand, FIG. 6B is when the first and second baffles 16, 15 expose the clamping hole 11c and the head access window 11h and release the disc 100 so that the disc 100 can rotate in the disc case 101. A cross-sectional view of the holding member 12a, the cross-section is taken in the radial direction of the disk.

Each of the disc holding parts 12a is preferably partly parted from the disc case upper cover 12 through a split, so that it can partly extend into the disc window 12w, and is preferably connected to the disc as a whole by means of an elastic portion 12e. Box top cover 12. A series of such disc holding members 12a are preferably arranged along the periphery of the disc. In this preferred embodiment, preferably three disc holding members 12a are provided. As shown in FIG. 6A, the end of each disc holding member 12a is preferably provided with a ramp 12b that is sloped so as to protrude above the raised area of the disc and the outer edge of the disc 100. The disc clamping member 12a preferably enables the ramp 12b to contact the outer edge 100c of the disc 100, or the outer boundary of the first side of the disc 100, thereby clamping the disc 100 thereon, along the direction indicated by the arrow 100t. The thickness direction of the disc 100 is pressed, and the data storage side 100A (ie, the second side) of the disc 100 is in planar contact with the first, second, third and fourth raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s, 16m, As shown in Figure 4A. As a result, the disc 100 is clamped and fixed to the inner and outer edges of the data storage side 100A other than the data storage area. Also, the data storage area of the data storage side 100A of the disc 100 is only roughly sealed, leaving a certain gap between the data storage area and the recessed portion 16b. Therefore, no dust enters or deposits on the data storage area of the data storage side 100A. In this state, the guide rib 16c indicated by oblique lines is separated from the disk holding member 12a, as shown in FIG. 4A.

When the shutter is closed and the disc 100 is held by the disc holding member 12a, the center of the disc 100 preferably coincides with the center 11q of the clamping hole 11c. The center of the clamping hole 11c is also the center of the disk storage portion 10d.

As shown in Figures 4B and 6B, when the two closed shutters start to rotate and open, the guide ribs 16c provided for the first shutter 16 are preferably aligned with the protrusions on the corresponding inner side surfaces of the disc holding member 12a. The portion 12c (indicated by oblique lines in FIG. 4B) contacts, thereby raising the disk holding member 12a. As a result, the disc 100 is released from the grip of the ramp 12b, ready for rotation. At this point in time, the disc clamping member 12a also protrudes into or over the disc window 12w and also overhangs a portion of the raised area of the disc (ie the outer edge of the disc). Therefore, even if the disc 100 is released in a disc drive designed to mount the disc 100 vertically, the disc 100 does not fall off the disc case 101 . That is, even if it is assumed that the disc drive is vertically loaded when the disc cartridge is used, the disc holding member 12a prevents the disc 100 from falling through the disc window 12w. Optionally, the disk holding part 12a may be connected to the lower cover 11 of the disk case as an integral part via elastic members.

As described above, by bringing the raised portion 12c of the disk holding member 12a into contact with the guide rib 16c, the disk holding member 12a can be raised and the disk 100 can be released. Therefore, if the position and circumference of the guide rib 16c are adjusted with respect to the disc clamping member 12a, the disc 100 can be released or clamped at an appropriate timing during the shutter opening or closing operation. It should be noted, however, that among the raised portions 12c of the three disk holding members 12a, not all of the raised portions must be in contact with the guide ribs 16c at the same time.

As described above, the disk holding member 12a also functions as a stopper member, preventing the shutter from falling through the disk window 12w when the shutter is about to be opened or closed. In the preferred embodiment described above, the disc holding member 12a is preferably formed as an integral part of the upper cover 13 of the disc cartridge. Therefore, it is difficult to insert any disc 100 through the disc window 12w after the disc case 101 has been assembled. For this reason, in this preferred embodiment, it is preferable to place the disc 100 into the disc storage portion during the assembly of the disc cartridge 101 .

Next, the structure of the recessed portion 16b of the first barrier 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7-10. According to any one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention described above, a disk is stored in the disk case, and one side of the disk is exposed, which is different from the conventional disk case. Thus, the disk cartridge of the present invention is thinner than conventional disk cartridges. Also, since the marked side of the disc is shown, the entire disc case can have a good design.

However, since one side of the disc is assumed to be exposed in this disc case, the user can touch the marked side of the disc. Thus, a careless user may press the marked side of the plate too hard. Thus, this type of disc case should hold the disc so that even in this case, the data storage side of the disc is prevented from being scratched, or the disc itself is prevented from being deformed. In view of these potential disadvantages, the present inventors conducted intensive research on what shape the first barrier should be formed in order to grip the disc without creating any scratches on the data storage side of the disc 16 of the recessed portion 16b.

7 shows a clamping structure 59 (consisting of first, second, third and fourth raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s and 16m) for clamping the disc 100, and the data storage area 100d of the disc 100. A space is provided below, so that the data storage area 100d will not be scratched by the clamping structure 59 even if the user compresses the disc 100 violently. It should be noted that in FIG. 7, the dimensions of some parts of the clamping structure 59 are not to scale, the purpose is to make the features of the clamping structure 59 defining the space clearly understood. Therefore, the aspect ratio shown in Fig. 7 is different from the actual situation.

Assuming sufficient space is allowed below the disc 100, the height of this space need only be slightly greater than the maximum curvature of the disc 100. This is because, in this case, the disc 100 never comes into contact with the clamping structure 59, no matter how much the disc 100 is deformed. However, a disc case with such ample space may be too thick. Therefore, in practice, the space below the disc 100 should be minimized. In order to minimize this space, the disc 100 should be clamped such that the disc 100 has as little curvature as possible. In order to reduce the degree of warpage, the portions of the disc 100 clamped by the clamping structure 59 are preferably as close as possible to the data storage area 100d of the disc 100. As shown in FIG. 7, portions of the gripping structure 59 for supporting the data storage side 100A of the disc 100 are preferably defined by an inner radius Rin and an outer radius Rout. That is to say, the disk 100 is supported not only by the inner part of the clamping structure 59 positioned inside the inner radius Rin, but also by the outer part of the clamping structure 59 positioned outside the outer radius Rout. It is assumed here that the "inner radius Rin" is the distance from the center of the disc 100 to a point closer to the center of the disc 100 than the inner boundary of the data storage area 100d, and this point is close to the inner boundary of the data storage area 100d. On the other hand, it is assumed here that "outer radius Rout" is the distance from the center of the disk 100 to a point closer to the outer edge of the disk 100 than the outer boundary of the data storage area 100d, and this point is close to the outside of the data storage area 100d boundary. As described above, the two points for determining the inner radius Rin and the outer radius Rout are as close as possible to the data storage area 100d. For example, if the disc 100 has a diameter of about 5 inches (ie, a radius of about 60mm), the inner radius Rin is preferably about 20mm and the outer radius Rout is preferably about 59mm. On the other hand, if the disc 100 has a diameter of about 80mm, the inner radius Rin is preferably about 20mm and the outer radius Rout is preferably about 39mm.

The space 69b provided under the disc 100 for preventing the data storage area 100d from being scratched is preferably determined in the manner described below. First, the height (or depth) S (mm) of the space 69b is determined. Next, three circles 69d, 69e, and 69f are determined. Specifically, the radius of circle 69d is equal to the outer radius Rout and is determined on the data storage side 100A; the radius of circle 69e is obtained by (Rout-1.2S) and is parallel to the data storage side 100A and at a distance The distance of the data storage side 100A is determined on a plane of 0.3Smm; the radius of the circle 69f is obtained by (Rout-16.2S), and is parallel to the data storage side 100A and the distance S from the data storage side 100A determined on a plane of mm. A truncated cone whose top and base are defined by circles 69d and 69e respectively has a side surface 59a; another truncated cone whose top and base are defined by circles 69e and 69f respectively has a side surface 59b.

Also define a cylinder having a circular base with a radius Rin from the center of the disc 100 and a side surface 59d with a height (or depth) from the data storage side 100A for S. The space 69b provided below the data storage area 100d is obtained by removing the cylinder defined by the side surface 59d from the two-stage truncated cone defined by the side surfaces 59a and 59b.

The value of S determines the height of the space 69b. Therefore, the larger the value of S, the less likely the data storage area 100d is scratched even if the disc 100 is deformed. However, as the S value increases, the disc case also increases its thickness. Thus, in order to obtain a thin disc cartridge, the value of S should be as small as possible. The present inventor has found and confirmed through experiments: if the diameter of the disk 100 is 5 inches, the S value of 0.8mm-1.0mm is large enough to protect the data storage area 100d of the disk 100 from being scratched, and the condition is that the disk 100 The bending is caused by the pressure manually applied by the user. The value of S is preferably 1.0 mm. We have also found that if the disc 100 has a diameter of 80mm, an S value of 0.5mm-0.8mm is large enough to protect the data storage area 100d of the disc 100 from scratches, provided that the disc 100 is bent manually by the user caused by the applied pressure.

FIG. 8 schematically shows how much the disk 100 deforms under the condition that a space 69b with an S value set to 1 mm is provided below the disk 100 and a pressure is applied to the space 69b on the disk 100 . The inventor has found and confirmed through experiments that the pressure manually applied to the disk 100 by the user will never exceed 3kg. The inventors have also found that even when a maximum pressure of 3 kg is applied, the bending of the disc 100 is completely within the space 69b and never touches the side surfaces 59a or 59b.

In this case, the space 69b thus defined has the minimum size necessary to prevent the data storage area d of the disc 100 from being scratched. Therefore, a large space can be provided under the data storage area 100d of the disc 100. Referring to FIG. That is, the space 69b may be provided beyond the side surfaces 59a and 59b, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 . However, in this case, in order to sufficiently increase the mechanical strength of the outer portion of the clamping structure 59 to hold the outer edge of the disk 100, it is preferable to provide the reinforcing portion 59' or 59" in the vicinity of said outer portion. It may The side surfaces 59a and 59b are effectively used to determine the allowable shape of these reinforcement portions 59' or 59".

These results show that by designing the first and second baffles 16 and 15 so that the first, second, third and fourth convex portions 16s, 15s, 11s and 16m and the concave portions formed by these convex portions 16b defines a space 69b below the disc 100 as shown in FIG. 7, which protects the data storage area of the disc 100 in the disc case 101 even under some pressure applied by the user.

In the preferred embodiment described above, a plurality of disc holding members 12a are provided extending towards the disc window 12w and forming an integral part of the case body 10. As shown in FIG. However, the disk holding part may have any other shape and be arranged at any other position as long as the disk holding part can prevent the disk from falling out through the disk window 12w and can hold the disk when the shutter is closed. . Even so, the disk holding member preferably holds or releases the disk when the shutter is about to be opened or closed. For example, a disc cartridge according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention may include an annular disc holding portion that may extend toward the disc window 12w and interlock with the first or second shutter so that it may be held within the disc storage portion 10d. Moving up and down.

second embodiment

A disc cartridge according to a second specific preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a disc cartridge 102 according to this second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 12A and 12B are plan views showing the internal structure of the disc case 102 with the disc case top cover 12 removed, respectively showing the closed state of the first and second baffles 16 and 15 and the opening of the first and second baffles 16 and 15 status. In FIGS. 11, 12A, 12B, the same reference numerals as used in FIG. 3 are used to denote any parts of the disc cartridge 102 that have the same function as the corresponding parts of the disc cartridge 101 of the first preferred embodiment described above.

In the disc case 101 of the first preferred embodiment described above, the disc holding member 12a preferably clamps the disc 100 such that the center of the disc 100 coincides with the center of the disc storage portion 10d. However, in this preferred embodiment, when the disc 100 is clamped, the disc 100 is preferably offset from the center of the disc storage portion 10d. To this end, the disk case 102 preferably includes a disk holding member 18, and the vertical wall 16i of the first shutter 16 is preferably provided with a cutout 16k.

As shown in FIG. 12A, the disc holding member 18 is preferably a leaf spring made of metal, resin or any other suitable material, and one end thereof is preferably fixed to the lower cover 11 of the disc case. When the shutter was closed, the disk holding member 18 preferably entered the disk storage portion 10d through the slit 16k of the first shutter 16, so that elastic force could be applied to the disk 100 stored in the disk storage portion 10d in the direction indicated by arrow 1C. . As shown in FIG. 12A, the radius r1 of curvature of the side wall 12i of the disk storage portion 10d is preferably equal to the radius of the circular disk storage portion 10d whose center is defined by the point 11q. On the other hand, the radius r2 of curvature of the region 10r where the cutout 16f of the first barrier 16 is positioned is preferably equal to the radius of the outer edge of the disk 100. The center of this area 10r is preferably defined by point 100q.

As shown in FIG. 13, it is preferable to apply elastic force to the disk 100 in the disk storage portion 10d from the disk holding member 18 along the direction indicated by the arrow 1C, and the disk 100 is preferably clamped so that its center is along the direction 1C. The center of the disk storage portion 10d is offset so that the outer edge of the disk 100 is in contact with the side wall 12i of the disk storage portion 10d within the region 10r. In this case, the disc holding member 18 preferably only presses the disc 100 in the direction 1C and cannot press the disc 100 against the first shutter 16 . Instead, the disk 100 can be pressed against the first barrier 16 by other disk holding members 12a' (which will be described below).

Among the opening flaps, the flap is preferably rotated by moving the opening/closing means 16t in the direction indicated by arrow 16A as shown in Figure 12B. When the first flap 16 is rotated in the direction 16A, the cutout 16k of the vertical wall 16i is also moved in the same direction. The upright wall 16i quickly comes into contact with the disk holding member 18, thereby pressing the disk holding member 18 in a direction opposite to the direction 1C. As a result, the disc holding member 18 is detached from the disc 100, stopping the application of elastic force to the disc 100 in the disc storage portion 10d in the direction 1C.

When the shutter is closed in this manner, the disk holding member 18 preferably holds the disk 100 and offsets the disk 100 relative to the center of the disk storage portion 10d so that the outer edge of the disk 100 is positioned at the location of the first shutter. 16 in the region of the cutout 16f is in contact with the side wall 12i. That is, when the shutter is closed, the disk holding member 18 is preferably used to hold and fix the disk 100 at a predetermined position on a plane parallel to the disk 100 .

How the disk holding member 12a' holds the disk 100 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B. 14A is a sectional view of one of the disk holding members 12a' taken in the disk radial direction when the first and second shutters 16, 15 cover the head access window 11h and hold the disk 100. On the other hand, FIG. 14B is along the radial direction of the disk when the first and second baffles 16, 15 expose the clamping hole 11c and the head access window 11h and release the disk 100 so that it can be rotated in the disk case 102. A sectional view of the disc holding member 12a' taken.

Each disc holding member 12a' preferably includes a contact portion 12m located near the end of the disc holding member 12a' and on the surface opposite the disc 100. The contact portion 12m preferably protrudes above the raised area of the disc as well as the outer edge of the disc 100 . The disk holding member 12a' preferably can make the contact portion 12m contact the outer edge of the label side of the disk 100, thereby pressing the disk 100 in the thickness direction indicated by the arrow 100t, and making the data storage side 100A of the disk 100 (i.e. , the second side surface) are in surface contact with the first, second, third and fourth raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s and 16m, as shown in FIG. 14A. In this way, the disk holding member 12a' holds and fixes the disk 100 at a predetermined position in the thickness direction. In this preferred embodiment, the contact portion 12m preferably has a circular protrusion shape so as to achieve point contact or line contact with the disk 100 . In addition, the contact portion 12m may also be designed so as to make surface contact with the disc 100 .

As shown in FIG. 14B, when the two closed shutters start to rotate and open, the guide ribs 16c provided for the first shutter 16 are preferably in contact with the raised portions 12c on the corresponding inner surfaces of the disc holding member 12a'. , thereby raising the disc holding member 12a'. As a result, the disk 100 is released from the clamping of the contact portion 12m. At this point in time, the disc holding member 12a' also protrudes over a part of the protruding area of the disc, ie its outer edge. Therefore, even if the disc 100 is released, the disc 100 does not fall out of the disc case 101, as has been described for the first preferred embodiment.

As described above, in this preferred embodiment, when the shutter is closed, the disc holding member 18 fixes the disc 100 in a direction parallel to the two main surfaces of the disc 100, and the disc holding member 12a' in its thickness direction Fixed disk 100 . In this way, the disk 100 can be held and fixed at a predetermined position within the disk storage section.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 12A, a ring-shaped series of raised portions composed of first, second, and third raised portions 16s, 15s, 11s is preferably located on the inner side of the data storage area of the disc in contact with the third raised portion. The data storage side of the disc 100 contacts, and the fourth raised portion 16m contacts the data storage side of the disc 100 preferably outside the data storage area of the disc. Furthermore, in the region of the positioning cutout 16f, the outer edge of the disk 100 is preferably in contact with the side wall 12i of the disk storage portion 10d. Through these contacts, the space exposing the data storage area of the disc can be closed completely airtight, so that dust can be prevented from entering this space and depositing on the data storage sides.

In the preferred embodiment described above, in order to be able to clamp and fix the disc 100 when the disc deviates slightly from the center of the disc storage portion 10d, the disc clamping member 18 preferably fixes the disc 100 in the horizontal direction, and the disc clamping member 12a 'It is preferable to fix the disc 100 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the disk 100 can also be clamped, fixed, or deviated from the center of the disk storage portion 10d using the disk holding member 12a with the slope 12b for the first preferred embodiment. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 13, two of the three disk holding parts 12a' of the disk cartridge 102 may be replaced by a disk holding part 12a having a slope 12b, as indicated by arrow M. Also, preferably, the two disc holding members 12a are arranged so that their ramps 12b come into contact with the disc 100 at the same time when the shutter is about to close. In addition, the slope 12b is preferably angled such that when in contact with the disk 100, a resultant force of the respective forces pressing the disk 100 can be generated in the direction 1C. Then, when the shutter is closed, the two disc holding members 12a indicated by the arrow M preferably bring the disc 100 into contact with the side wall 12i of the disc storage portion 10d in the region 10r, whereby the disc 100 can be fixed in the horizontal direction. At the same time, it is also possible to fix the disk 100 in the vertical direction by the disk holding members 12a' and 12a.

third embodiment

A disk drive according to a specific preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below. Fig. 15 is a perspective view schematically showing the main part of a disk drive 900 according to this preferred embodiment. This disk drive 900 can be loaded regardless of whether it is the disk cartridge 101 of the above-mentioned first preferred embodiment or the disk cartridge 102 of the above-mentioned second preferred embodiment. In the specific example shown in FIG. 15, loaded into the disk drive 900 is the disk cartridge 101 of the first preferred embodiment. In FIG. 15, the disc 100 is not shown, but its outline is shown only with dashed lines so that the inner structure of the disc drive is fully visible.

As shown in FIG. 15, the disc drive 900 preferably includes a drive mechanism 902 for rotating a disc 100 stored in a disc cartridge 101 and a head for reading and/or writing data from and/or on the disc 100. 908.

The drive mechanism 902 preferably includes a spindle motor 904 and a turntable 906 assembled with the shaft of the spindle motor 904 . Spindle motor 904 is preferably supported on base 910 . Head 908 is preferably moved along guide axis 912 by a drive mechanism (not shown).

Disk drive 900 also preferably includes clamper 916 supported by arm 914 . Each of the turntable 906 and holder 916 preferably includes, for example, magnets and magnets. As will be described below, the disc 100 is clamped and held between the clamper 916 and the turntable 906, and thereby mounted to the turntable 906, preferably using the attractive force between the magnets. In this way, the driving force of the spindle motor 904 can be transmitted to the disc 100 as needed, and the disc 100 can be rotated without chattering.

The disk drive 900 also includes a shutter opening/closing mechanism 918 that engages with the opening/closing device 16t of the first shutter 16 to open and close the first and second shutters 16 and 15 . The shutter opening/closing mechanism 918 needs to be positioned next to the disk cartridge opening/closing device 16t for insertion into this disk drive 900. The shutter opening/closing mechanism 918 preferably includes an engaging portion 918a for engaging the opening/closing device 16t.

A plurality of posts 920 are preferably provided on the base 910 so as to determine the vertical height of the disc cartridge 101 relative to the base 910 . That is, the disc cartridge 101 is preferably supported on top of the pillar 920. Also, positioning pins 922 are preferably also provided on the base 910 so as to engage with the positioning holes 11w of the disc cartridge 101. As shown in FIG.

These posts 920 and positioning pins 922 are preferably used as a support structure for setting the disc cartridge 101 at a predetermined position relative to the drive mechanism 902 . Alternatively, a tray may be provided as an alternative support structure for the disk drive 900 if the posts 920 and alignment pins 922 are not used. In this case, the tray can be extracted to install the disc cartridge 101 on the tray, and then the tray is inserted into the disc drive 900 to load the disc 100 into the disc drive 900, and the disc cartridge 101 is placed relative to the drive mechanism 902 and the head. 908 predetermined position. As another alternative support structure, trays and dowel pins 922 may be used in combination.

How this disk drive 900 operates is described below.

First, it is preferable to load the disc cartridge 101 storing the disc 100 into the disc drive 900 . The loading of the disc cartridge 101 is performed either manually by a user, or automatically by a loading mechanism (not shown). In the latter case, the loading mechanism can transport the cartridge 101 from the cartridge insertion slot (not shown) of the disk drive 900 to the position shown in FIG. 15 . Then, the disc cartridge may be provided with a recessed portion 10c as shown in FIG. 2 to be engaged with the loading mechanism. Alternatively, trays as described above can be used. In any of these methods, it is preferable to set the disc cartridge 101 at a predetermined position relative to the drive mechanism 902 and the head 908 .

When the disk case 101 is placed in the position shown in Figure 15, the shutter opening/closing mechanism 918 is preferably engaged with the opening device/closing device 16t, whereby the opening device/closing device 16t is slid in the direction indicated by the arrow 20B . As a result, the first and second shutters 16, 15 start to open and finally expose the head access window 11h and the clamping hole 11c. Also, the shutter opening/closing mechanism 918 preferably causes the disk holding member 12a to release the disk 100 by means of the first shutter 16, as already described for the first preferred embodiment. Then, the disk 100 is released from the disk holding member 12a. Subsequently, the arm 914 preferably holding the clamper 916 is lowered, thereby clamping the disc 100 between the clamper 916 and the turntable 906 and holding the disc 100 . Therefore, the disc 100 is mounted on the turntable 906 so that it can be rotated in the disc storage portion of the disc cartridge 101 .

Next, head 908 preferably accesses the data storage area of disk 100 to read or write data from or on disk 100 while spindle motor 904 is spinning disk 100 .

In order to remove the disc cartridge 101 from the disc drive 900, first, the arm 914 is preferably lifted up, thereby detaching the clamper 916 from the disc 100. The shutter opening/closing mechanism 918 is then preferably moved in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow 20B to slide the opening/closing device 16t. As a result, the first and second shutters 16 and 15 are closed. When the first and second shutters 16 and 15 are about to be closed, the disc clamping member 12a preferably clamps the disc 100 thereon. Also, the disk holding member 12a preferably holds the disk 100 when the first and second shutters 16, 15 are fully closed. After this, a removal mechanism (not shown) preferably ejects the cartridge 101 from the disk drive 900.

In the disk drive 900 shown in FIG. 15, it is assumed that the disk cartridge 101 is loaded horizontally. Alternatively, the disc drive 900 can also be installed vertically, so that the disc cartridge is loaded vertically. This is because, even when the disk cartridge is vertically loaded into the disk drive 900, the disk holding member 12a protrudes into the disk window 12w, thereby preventing the disk 100 from falling through the disk window 12w.

In any one of the disc cases according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention described above, the projection area of the disc case is almost equal to the projection area of the disc to be stored. Preferably, the two shutters are engaged with the rotating member so as to rotate in opposite directions to each other, and one of the two shutters is preferably opened or closed at an increased speed, whereby, even in a small disc case, the The relatively large head access window opens and closes the bezel smoothly. That is, the header access window of the small cartridge may be as large as the header access window of the large cartridge, thus increasing compatibility between small and large cartridges. Also, the disc cartridge according to any one of the various preferred embodiments of the present invention can be effectively used for storing single-sided discs. Its case body is designed so that it only covers the data storage side of the disc and exposes the other side of the disc, so that the overall thickness of the disc case can be reduced.

Furthermore, by designing the shape of the baffle to cover only one side of the cartridge, it is possible to simplify the structure of the baffle and reduce its manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the disk holding part can hold the disk either by pressing the disk to the shutter or to the case. Therefore, the disk will not move randomly within the case, nor will any dust be deposited on the data storage sides of the disk. Furthermore, the label side of the disc can be exposed through the disc window, so the disc case looks generous and beautiful.

Thus, according to the various preferred embodiments of the present invention described above, the cartridge can be designed to have a relatively large head access window for the small raised area of the cartridge, thus ensuring extended cartridge compatibility . As a result, it is possible to provide a thin, highly dustproof disc case with an elegant appearance and thus suitable for use in any disc drive of various types, including disc-type camcorders.

Industrial Applicability

The disc cartridges according to the various preferred embodiments of the present invention described above can be effectively used to hold disc-shaped storage media complying with various recording formats. Also, the disc case is dustproof, so high-density storage media can be safely stored. Furthermore, it is easy to reduce the size of the disc cartridge. Thus, such a disc cartridge can be used particularly effectively in a small-sized disc drive such as a disc-type camcorder.

It should be understood that the above description is only an example of the present invention. Various alternatives and improvements can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, improvements and changes that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (27)

1. A disc box, comprising: A case body comprising a disc storage portion in which a disc is stored such that the disc can rotate within the disc storage portion, a clamping hole at the bottom of the disc storage portion, and a head access window formed to grip the disc from the outside; a head access window is also formed at the bottom of the disc storage portion to allow access to the disc by a head which reads and/or writes data from and/or on the disc; first and second shutters disposed within the disk storage portion to expose or cover the head access window by rotation within the disk storage portion; and a rotating member configured to rotate within the disk storage portion and interlocked with the first and second shutters, Wherein, the first and second baffles and the rotating member are interlocked by engagement so as to rotate in opposite directions and at respectively different speeds. 2. The disk cartridge of claim 1, further comprising: a disk holding portion for holding the disk so that the disk is fixed on the case when the first and second shutters are closed. 3. The disk cartridge of claim 2, wherein the disk holding portion is interlocked with the first or second shutter to hold the disk thereon when the first or second shutter is about to be closed. 4. The disc cartridge of claim 2, wherein the disc holding portion releases the disc when the first or second shutter is about to be opened. 5. The disc cartridge of claim 2, wherein: the first barrier includes an arc-shaped first protrusion portion surrounding the clamping hole, the second barrier plate includes an arc-shaped second protrusion portion surrounding the clamping hole, the disk storage portion includes an arcuate third raised portion surrounding the clamping hole, the first bezel further includes a fourth raised portion along an outer edge thereof, and Wherein, the disk holding portion holds the disk thereon by bringing the second side of the disk into contact with the first, second, third and fourth protrusions. 6. The disc case of claim 5, wherein: when the first and second shutters are closed, the disc is secured within the case so that the data storage area on the second side of the disc is positioned between the first, second, Between the third raised portion and the fourth raised portion. 7. The disc cartridge of claim 6, wherein: at least one of the first and second shutters includes a cutout, said cutout being aligned with the head access window when the first and second shutters are closed, and wherein the disk storage portion includes side walls along an outer periphery of the bottom, Wherein, the disk clamping portion clamps the disk thereon and fixes the disk relative to the disk storage portion while displacing the center of the disk from the center of the disk storage portion so that when the first and second shutters are closed, the disk The outer surface of the contact with the side wall of the disk storage part at the location of the positioning cutout. 8. The disk cartridge of claim 7, wherein: the disk holding portion includes a first disk holding member and a second disk holding member, and Wherein: when the first and second baffles are closed, the first disk clamping member exerts an outward force on the disk so that the outer surface of the disk contacts the side wall of the disk storage portion, and the second disk clamps The member applies a force to the disk towards the bottom of the disk storage portion. 9. The disk cartridge of claim 7, wherein: the first barrier includes side walls around its outer edges, the side walls of the first barrier are provided with cutouts, and Wherein: when the first and second baffles are closed, the first disk clamping part applies force to the disk through the cutout. 10. The disk cartridge of claim 9, wherein: when the first and second shutters are about to be opened, the rotation of the first shutter brings the first disk holding member into contact with the side wall of the first shutter, whereby This stops applying force to the disc. 11. The disk cartridge of claim 10, wherein: the first shutter includes guide ribs near inner surfaces of the side walls, and Wherein: the second disk holding part is provided for the box body through the elastic member, so that the second disk holding part protrudes toward the disk window, and Wherein: when the first and second baffles are about to be opened, the second disc holding member contacts the guide rib and is lifted by the guide rib, thereby releasing the disc. 12. The disk cartridge of claim 2, wherein: the disk holding portion includes a plurality of disk holding members each having a downwardly tapering slope arranged along the periphery of the disk, and The disk is clamped thereon and the disk is secured to the case by bringing the ramp into contact with the outside surface of the disk. 13. The disk cartridge of claim 12, wherein: the cartridge body is provided with a disk holding portion so as to protrude toward the disk window. 14. The disk cartridge as claimed in claim 13, wherein: the first barrier includes a side wall surrounding an outer edge thereof and a guide rib adjacent an inner surface of said side wall, and Wherein: when the first and second shutters are about to be opened, the disk clamping portion contacts the guide rib and is lifted by the guide rib, thereby releasing the disk. 15. The disc case of claim 2, wherein the disc holding portion forms an integral part of the case body. 16. The disk cartridge of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second shutters are provided in the disk storage portion such that the first and second shutters at least partially overlap each other. 17. The disc cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: said rotating member is a gear, and Wherein: the first and second baffle plates respectively comprise a first tooth rack and a second tooth rack, and the first tooth rack and the second tooth rack form an arc so that their centers are aligned with the rotation centers of the first and second baffle plates Consistently, the first rack and the second rack have mutually different radii and mesh with the rotating member. 18. The disk cartridge of claim 17, wherein the first and second shutters respectively include a first opening and a second opening to receive the rotating member. 19. The disk cartridge of claim 18, wherein the first rack of the first shutter defines a portion of the first opening, and the second rack of the second shutter defines a portion of the second opening. 20. The disk cartridge of claim 17, wherein the rotating member at least partially overlaps the first and second shutters when the first and second shutters are opened or closed. 21. The disk cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second shutters are engaged with the rotary member along a line connecting the rotation centers of the first and second shutters with the rotation center of the rotary member. 22. The disk cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation angle required to open or close the second shutter is 1.2-3 times the rotation angle required to open or close the first shutter. 23. The disc cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein end portions of the first and second shutters overlap each other at a protruding area of the head access window, thereby covering the head access window. 24. The disk cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: said rotating member is a gear, and said gear has a thickness approximately equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the first and second shutters. 25. The disc case of claim 2, wherein it is assumed that the distance from the center of the disc to a first point on the second side of the disc is Rin, where the position of the first point is when the first and second shutters are closed is closer to the center of the disc than the inner boundary of the disk storage area and is determined in the vicinity of said inner boundary; The distance Rout is from the center of the disk to a second point on the second side of the disk, where the second point is located closer to the outer edge of the disk than the outer boundary of the disk storage area when the first and second shutters are closed and is determined in the vicinity of said outer boundary; A space of height S needs to be provided under the second side of the disc; defining a first circle with a radius of Rout on the second side of the disc; defining a second circle with a radius of (Rout-1.2S) on a plane parallel to the second side at a distance of 0.3S from the second side; and define a third circle with a radius of (Rout-16.2S) on a plane separated by a distance S from the second side and parallel to the second side, Said space is obtained by removing from the first and second frustocones a cylinder of base radius Rin and height S measured from the center of the disc, here the base and top of the first frustum are respectively defined by the first circle and the second circle, and the bottom and the top of the second frustum are respectively determined by the second circle and the third circle. 26. The disk cartridge of claim 25, wherein: S is 1mm, Rin is 20mm, and Rout is 39mm or 59mm. 27. A data storage medium, comprising: A disc cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, and A disc stored in the disc storage portion of the disc case and ready to write data to.

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