JP3506569B2 - Magnetic disk cartridge and magnetic disk drive - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic disk cartridge in which a large-capacity magnetic disk medium is housed in a case, and the magnetic disk medium is rotated and used for magnetic recording and reproduction. The present invention relates to a magnetic disk cartridge which is prevented from being erroneously loaded into a recording / reproducing apparatus for another small capacity type magnetic disk cartridge, and a magnetic disk drive apparatus in which this large capacity type magnetic disk cartridge can be loaded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a magnetic disk in which magnetic layers are formed on both sides of a disk-shaped base made of a flexible polyester sheet, and magnetic recording is performed on the magnetic layers by a magnetic head while being rotated (so-called floppy disk). A disk) is provided and is mainly used as a recording medium for a computer because of its advantages such as easy handling and low cost.

Recently, this type of magnetic disk is rotatably housed in a small hard case and is used as a magnetic disk cartridge, as represented by a so-called 3.5-inch type magnetic disk. Is increasing.

In the magnetic disk cartridge of the type using this hard case, an opening for inserting a magnetic head is provided in the case, and this opening is always closed by a shutter urged in one direction except when in use,
From there, consideration is given to prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering the case.

By the way, such a magnetic disk cartridge is always required to have a large capacity.
5-inch type with a storage capacity of 1 MB (megabyte) or 2
MB has already been put into practical use, and now has a storage capacity of 100M.
More than B have been provided.

[0006]

When a magnetic disk cartridge having a recording capacity higher than that of a conventional product is provided, a disk drive device for driving the large capacity type magnetic disk cartridge is newly provided. May be provided to This new disk drive device can drive a new large-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge, and in many cases, it is a so-called "backward compatible" function for the convenience of the user, that is, a lower level in terms of recording capacity. The conventional magnetic disk cartridge is often formed to have a driving function.

In order to realize this backward-compatible function, the new large-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge is formed such that the outer shape of the case and the like are substantially the same as those of the conventional small-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge. Therefore, a new large-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge, which looks similar to the conventional small-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge, may be erroneously loaded into the disk drive device for the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge.

Conventional disk drive devices for small-capacity magnetic disk cartridges often do not have sufficient protection function for new large-capacity magnetic disk cartridges, and such disk drive devices have large-capacity magnetic disk cartridges. When the disk cartridge is erroneously loaded and the disk drive device is activated, the information recorded in the magnetic disk cartridge may be destroyed.

In the above situation, it is possible to prevent erroneous recording / erasing by installing a capacity identification hole or the like, but a large capacity magnetic disk cartridge loaded in a small capacity type magnetic disk drive is There is a possibility that the lower magnetic head may come into contact with the magnetic disk medium by being inserted into the regular loading position and opening the shutter member. Then, there is a possibility that foreign matter, dust, and the like adhering to the vicinity of the magnetic head at the time of this contact may adhere to the large-capacity magnetic disk medium.

In this large-capacity magnetic disk medium, the increase in capacity is obtained by increasing the density, and the recording wavelength is shortened and the recording track width is narrowed accordingly. Adhesion may cause a read error of recorded data.

Therefore, although the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge has the same planar shape as the conventional small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge, the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge is driven by increasing the thickness thereof. A device that can be physically inserted into the device to prevent erroneous loading is conceivable, but a so-called backward compatible device that enables the use of a small capacity magnetic disk cartridge in a large capacity type magnetic disk drive device. In order to have a function, it is necessary to enable stable insertion and ejection even for a small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge having a small thickness.

That is, when the thickness of the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge is increased, the cartridge insertion opening in the large-capacity type magnetic disk drive is correspondingly formed, and the height of the cartridge holder is also increased. On the other hand, when a small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge with a small thickness is inserted, it may be obliquely inserted or lifted up due to the insertion into the large insertion port, so that a magnetic disk cartridge with a different thickness may be reliably specified. It may be difficult to lead to the set position of.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to prevent a large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge from being undesirably loaded into a disk drive device for a lower magnetic disk cartridge in terms of capacity. Is intended to be provided.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic disk drive device in which a large capacity type magnetic disk cartridge as described above can be loaded and a backward compatible function can be secured.

[0015]

A magnetic disk cartridge according to the present invention, which has solved the above-mentioned problems, accommodates a disk-shaped large-capacity magnetic disk medium rotatably in a case, and an opening for inserting a magnetic head is provided in the case. And a shutter member for opening and closing this opening, and the planar shape of the case is the same as that of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge, and the thickness direction dimension of the case is about the same as that of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge. 1.3-2.
It has a thickness of 0 times, and is parallel to the insertion direction so that at least one side edge portion of the case is equal to or larger than the thickness of the small capacity magnetic disk cartridge and less than the thickness of the large capacity magnetic disk cartridge. It is characterized in that a step portion extending to is provided.

The step portion is formed excluding at least the moving range of the shutter member of the large capacity magnetic disk cartridge.

When the magnetic disk cartridge as described above is to be inserted into a drive unit for a small capacity magnetic disk cartridge, it has a large thickness so that it can be physically inserted from the insertion port of the small capacity magnetic disk drive unit. It is impossible to prevent erroneous loading without opening the shutter member.

The magnetic disk drive of the present invention is
The magnetic disk cartridge includes a stepped guide portion having an insertion space corresponding to the thickness of the stepped portion and guiding the stepped portion.

When the magnetic disk cartridge is inserted into this large-capacity magnetic disk drive, the stepped portion is stabilized by the stepped guide portion provided in the cartridge insertion port or cartridge holder on the magnetic disk drive side. And is held by the cartridge holder, and at the same time the shutter member is opened to open the magnetic head insertion opening, and the magnetic head is inserted through this opening to perform magnetic recording and reproduction on the magnetic disk medium. Done.

When a small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge with a small thickness is inserted into the above-mentioned large-capacity magnetic disk drive, the insertion opening is large, but it guides the step portion of the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge. The stepped guide part of the cartridge insertion port or cartridge holder guides the magnetic disk cartridge in a state corresponding to its thickness, and the magnetic disk cartridge of this lower level has the same planar outer shape, so it can be set stably at the same position. Similarly, stable ejection is possible, and the magnetic head can be brought close to the magnetic disk medium in the same manner. By using a multi-track head for the magnetic head, it is possible to cope with each recording density, and magnetic recording and reproduction can be performed. Possible and backward compatible function is obtained.

Further, the large-capacity magnetic disk medium is set such that the position of the lower surface of the case from the reference surface is the same as that of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge, and the thickness of the case at the stepped portion is from the reference surface of the lower surface of the case to the above-mentioned value. It is desirable to set the thickness to be the same as the thickness of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge because the backward compatibility is further improved.

Further, it is preferable that the step portion is partially provided from the front end portion in the inserting direction of the case, because the difference in the step portion form can prevent the wrong insertion.

[0023]

According to the present invention as described above, the planar outer shape of the case for rotatably accommodating the large-capacity magnetic disk medium is the same as that of the case for the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge, and the thickness direction of the case is the same. About 1.3 ~
By making it 2.0 times thicker, it is possible to physically prevent erroneous loading in a small-capacity magnetic disk drive device, to prevent damage to recorded data, and to avoid contact with the magnetic head to prevent dust and the like. It can prevent the adhesion of foreign matter,
It is also possible to suppress the occurrence of read errors and the like. Further, since the step portion extending in the inserting direction is provided, stable insertion and eject operation can be obtained for the small capacity type magnetic disk cartridge by the guide corresponding to the step portion. In this way, magnetic disk cartridges of different thickness can be stably held in the same cartridge holder, so there is no need for a complicated cartridge holder that operates according to the thickness of the case. The simple shape of the cartridge holder can stably hold two types of magnetic disk cartridges, large capacity type and small capacity type. Furthermore, the shutter opening / closing mechanism is commonly used, and many parts are large capacity type and small capacity type. Since it can be shared with other types, it is possible to obtain an inexpensive and highly reliable drive device.

Further, the built-in large-capacity magnetic disk medium is set so that the position of the lower surface of the case from the reference plane is the same as that of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge, and the thickness of the case at the stepped portion is the thickness of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge. If it is provided in the same manner as described above, the magnetic head can be brought close to the magnetic disk medium as in the case of the small capacity magnetic disk cartridge, and the easier backward compatibility function can be secured. Further, since the magnetic disk medium is accommodated in an asymmetrical dimensional relationship that is offset to the lower surface side with respect to the upper and lower inner walls of the case, the negative pressure on the lower surface side is large due to the Bernoulli effect when the magnetic disk medium rotates. Since the magnetic disk medium is always regulated in the direction of the lower inner wall, the rotating surface is stable, a good head touch effect can be obtained with the magnetic head even at high speed rotation, and high reliability of magnetic recording / reproducing performance can be obtained.

On the other hand, when the step portion formed on the magnetic disk cartridge is partially provided from the front end portion in the insertion direction of the case, the magnetic disk cartridge is inserted in the wrong direction with the front and back reversed, and the wrong direction with the front and back directions reversed. Insertion can be prevented and reliability can be improved.

Further, by increasing the size of the case in the thickness direction, it is possible to increase the thickness of the necessary portion of the case,
By improving rigidity, reliability during transportation etc. can be improved,
It is possible to provide a magnetic disk cartridge which is convenient for the user.

[0027]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of a large-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge, FIG. 2 is a front view of the magnetic disk cartridge with a shutter member opened, FIG. 3 is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view.
In addition, in each drawing, in order to clarify the structure, the thickness and the like of each portion are shown at a ratio different from the actual size.

The magnetic disk cartridge 1 is held by being attached to the center core member 5 in the center thereof in a case 2 (hard case) formed of a synthetic resin such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer. A disk-shaped magnetic disk medium 6 is rotatably housed. The center core member 5 magnetically engages with a rotary spindle of a magnetic disk drive (not shown) to transmit a rotational force to the magnetic disk medium 6. The magnetic disk medium 6 is a disk-shaped base made of a flexible polyester sheet or the like, on which magnetic layers are formed.

The case 2 is formed by fixing two shell halves, an upper case 21 forming the upper surface 2a and a lower case 22 forming the lower surface 2b, in a lid-like manner.
The planar outer shape of the case 2 is a small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50 (a 3.5-inch magnetic disk cartridge having a recording capacity of 1 to 2 MB), a part of which is shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B. and a common shape, the thickness direction dimension H ₁ of the case 2 of the present invention, compared to the thickness H ₀ of the casing 52 of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50,
It has a thickness of about 1.3 to 2.0 times.

Further, on both side edges of the upper surface 2a of the case 2, stepped portions 25 and 26 extending in the front-rear direction are parallel to the inserting direction.
Are formed. The steps 25 and 26 are the upper case 21.
Is provided by cutting out in a groove shape from the upper surface 2a.
As shown in (A), this step portion 2 with respect to the entire thickness H _1.
The thickness of the case 2 in Nos. 5 and 26 is the same as the thickness H ₀ of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50 as shown in FIGS. 7 (B) and 8 (B).

A pair of the step portions 25 and 26 are provided symmetrically on both side edges of the case 2, but are formed in different shapes having different lengths on both sides. The step 25 on the right side in FIG.
Although it is formed entirely from the insertion front end to the rear end, the left step 26 is partially formed from the front end to the middle of the rear end, and the rear end is formed by extending the upper surface 2a of the case 2. The stepped portion 26 is provided so as to be closed.

The position of the large-capacity magnetic disk medium 6 contained in the case 2 in the rotationally driven state is such that the height h above the lower surface 2b (reference surface) of the case 2 is the magnetic field in the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50. The height h from the lower surface (reference surface) of the disk medium 56 is set to be the same (see FIG. 8). In other words, the large-capacity magnetic disk medium 6 is held at a position offset to the inner surface of the lower case 22 below the center of the thick case 2, and is inserted between the inner surface of the upper case 21 and the inner surface of the upper case 21 for magnetic head insertion. A large space is formed.

The lower surface 2b of the case 2 is provided with a lower surface magnetic head insertion opening 11 extending in a rectangular shape from the front end to the center thereof, and the lower surface magnetic head insertion opening 11 is formed.
A front end face 2c of the case 2 is provided with an end face magnetic head insertion opening 12 that is open to the upper portion and has the same width and communicates with the front end of the case 2.

A hub hole 23, through which the center core member 5 is exposed, is formed in the center of the lower case 22 in a circular shape. A liner 7 made of a non-woven fabric fixed to the lower case 22 is interposed between the lower surface of the magnetic disk medium 6 and the inner surface of the lower case 22. A liner may be provided also on the upper surface side of the magnetic disk medium 6.

Further, a shutter member 3 which is slidable in the left and right direction in the drawing is attached to the case 2 in order to open and close the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12, and the case 2 in the sliding range is attached. Shallow sliding groove 24 on the surface of
Are formed. The shutter member 3 is made of, for example, a stainless steel plate or an aluminum plate, or a plastic such as polyacetal resin, and is a state in which a perspective view from the upper surface side in FIG. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1, the upper surface plate portion 31 that covers the front upper surface 2a of the case 2 and has a short length in the direction orthogonal to the opening / closing direction, and the lower surface plate 31 that covers the case lower surface 2b and has a long length in the direction orthogonal to the opening / closing direction. The face plate portion 32 and the case front end surface 2
They are connected by a connecting plate portion 33 that covers c. Also,
A window portion 34 is provided which is open from the lower surface plate portion 32 of the shutter member 3 to the connecting plate portion 33 and can communicate with the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12 of the case 2.

Further, the upper surface plate portion 31 is provided with a linear ridge 35 projecting to the inner surface side, and the ridge 35 extends along the shutter opening / closing direction to form the window portion 3 of the shutter member 3.
It is formed longer than the width of 4. Corresponding to the formation of the protrusion 35, a guide groove 27 extending in the shutter opening / closing direction is provided on the upper surface 2a of the case 2, and the protrusion 35 slides while engaging. Further, guide claws 37 are formed on both sides of the lower surface plate portion 32 of the shutter member 3 to prevent slipping off, and correspondingly, the guide claws 37 are formed on the lower surface 2b of the case 2. A guide groove 28 for sliding is provided in parallel with the front edge portion.

The shutter member 3 is biased by a torsion spring (not shown) and normally maintains the closed state (the state shown in FIG. 1). The window portion 34 of the shutter member 3 is provided at a position away from the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12 when the shutter member 3 is in the closed state. Therefore, the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12 are normally closed by the shutter member 3, and foreign matter such as dust is prevented from entering the case 2 from there.

A magnetic disk drive unit 40 for loading the large capacity magnetic disk cartridge 1 as described above.
As shown in FIG. 9, a part of the front panel 41
The cartridge insertion opening 42 opened in the opening is provided such that the height dimension of the opening corresponds to a large thickness of the magnetic disk cartridge 1, and the opening shape has a corner portion protruding to a portion corresponding to the step portion 25 on the right side. It is provided in a shape having 42a. The cartridge insertion opening 42 may be opened in a rectangular shape. Cartridge insertion port 4
An opening / closing cover 43 is provided inward of 2.

Inside the drive unit 40, a cartridge holder 45 for holding the magnetic disk cartridge 1 on the chassis 44 and setting it at a predetermined position with respect to the magnetic head 9 and the like is arranged so as to be movable up and down. Four
5, stepped guide portions 45a and 45b that engage with the stepped portions 25 and 26 of the inserted magnetic disk cartridge 1 are provided on both sides of the insertion passage.
b, steps 25 and 2 of the magnetic disk cartridge 1
Guide 6 The cartridge holder 45 is supported by the chassis 44 so that pins 46 provided upright on both sides are engaged with the inclined grooves 47 and moved up and down with the forward and backward movement.

The left side step portion 26 of the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is closed at the rear end, and the left side step guide portion 45b of the cartridge holder 45 has a portion on the insertion port 42 side. Removed, locking projection 4 on the inner part
5c is provided, and the locking protrusion 4 is provided at the regular set position.
5c is provided so as not to contact the rear end of the stepped portion 26. When the magnetic disk cartridge 1 is inserted in the reverse direction, the rear end of the stepped portion 26 comes into contact with the corner portion 42a of the insertion opening 42 and cannot be inserted. The corners 42a are magnetic disk cartridges 1, 5
It constitutes an auxiliary step guide part for guiding the insertion of 0.

When the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50 is inserted into the magnetic disk drive device 40 as described above, the upper width of the cartridge insertion port 42 is the corner portion 4.
The width 2a is narrower than the width of the cartridge 50 and can be inserted below the corner portion 42a, and the left and right stepped guide portions 4 of the cartridge holder 45 inside.
It is inserted and guided below by 5a and 45b, and is stably held in a state in which the vertical movable amount is small.

Further, inside the disk drive device 40, the magnetic head 9 which is close to the magnetic disk medium 6 for magnetic recording and reproduction is arranged, and below the cartridge holder 45, a rotary drive unit not shown. Is installed. Further, it has a mechanism for opening the shutter member 3 in response to the insertion of the magnetic disk cartridge 1.

In the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50 shown in FIG. 7B, magnetic head insertion openings 52a and 52b are formed in a rectangular shape on the upper and lower surfaces of the case 52, and the upper and lower openings 52a and 52b are formed. Then, the magnetic head 9 is inserted. This magnetic head 9 has a case 52.
Open the wall 52c of the front end face of the
They are closed at the positions of a and 52b and are brought into close proximity.

On the other hand, in the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 1 of FIG. 7A, the magnetic head insertion openings 11 and 12 are formed so as to communicate from the front end surface 2c of the case 2 to the lower surface 2b. The head 9 can be inserted into the magnetic disk medium 6 with a small opening, and the magnetic head 9 can be inserted from the front end side even if it is a fixed type that does not open and close.

In the above embodiment, the top plate portion 31 of the shutter member 3 is formed to have a short length in the direction orthogonal to the opening / closing direction, but this is formed to be long as shown by the chain line in FIG. However, in this case, the protrusion 35 may not be formed.

In addition, in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Three identification holes 15 for identifying the recording capacity are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the left portion after the insertion of, and an erroneous erasure prevention display portion 16 is provided on the right portion.

The large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 1 as described above is so-called "backward compatible" as described above.
When it is inserted into the disk drive device 40 having the function of, the shutter member 3 is opened and the cartridge holder 45 is moved to be set at a predetermined position as it is inserted into the cartridge holder 45 from the cartridge insertion port 42. The magnetic head 9 is the opening 1 for inserting the magnetic head.
The magnetic disk 9 is approached from the magnetic disk media 1 and 12, and the rotary spindle magnetically engages the center core member 5 to rotate the magnetic disk media 6 at a predetermined rotational speed, while the magnetic head 9 performs magnetic recording / reproduction. Is done. When the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50 is inserted into the disk drive device 40, the cartridge holder 4
5 is set in the lower part of the stepped guide portions 45a and 45b of the magnetic disk 5 in the same manner as above, and magnetic recording and reproduction can be performed on the magnetic disk medium 6 by the magnetic head 9.

When the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 1 is to be loaded in the small-capacity type disk drive device, the large-capacity magnetic disk cartridge 1 has a large thickness due to the small size of the cartridge insertion port. It cannot be inserted and cannot be inserted inside the drive unit.

In the magnetic disk cartridge 1 according to the above embodiment, the magnetic head insertion openings 11, 1 are provided.
Although 2 is opened to the lower surface 2b and the front end surface 2c of the case 2, this magnetic head insertion opening may be provided so as to be opened to the upper surface, the lower surface and the front end surface of the case.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a magnetic disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front end view of the magnetic disk cartridge with a shutter member opened.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the magnetic disk cartridge with the shutter member opened.

FIG. 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the magnetic disk cartridge with a shutter member removed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shutter member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the shutter member is turned upside down.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of essential parts showing the form of a magnetic head insertion portion in comparison with a small-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a main portion showing the form of the side edge portion of the case in comparison with a small-capacity type magnetic disk cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a main part of a magnetic disk drive device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Large capacity magnetic disk cartridge 50 small capacity magnetic disk cartridge 2 cases 2a top surface 2b bottom surface 2c front end face 3 Shutter member 5 Center core member 6 magnetic disk media 9 magnetic head 11, 12 Magnetic head insertion opening 25, 26 steps 40 magnetic disk drive 42 Cartridge insertion slot 45 cartridge holder 45a, 45b Stepped guide section

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A magnetic disk cartridge in which a disk-shaped large-capacity magnetic disk medium is rotatably housed in a case, and a magnetic head insertion opening and a shutter member for opening and closing the opening are provided in the case. The planar shape of the case is the same as that of the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge, and the dimension of the case in the thickness direction is about 1.3 to 1 mm as compared with the small-capacity magnetic disk cartridge.
It has a thickness of 2.0 times, and is parallel to the insertion direction on at least one side edge of the case so that the thickness is not less than the thickness of the small capacity magnetic disk cartridge and less than the thickness of the large capacity magnetic disk cartridge. A magnetic disk cartridge characterized in that a step portion extending to the inside is provided. 2. A magnetic disk drive device in which the magnetic disk cartridge according to claim 1 can be loaded, wherein the magnetic disk cartridge has an insertion space corresponding to the thickness of the step portion and guides the step portion. A magnetic disk drive comprising a stepped guide portion.