Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record medium – In container
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-03
2003-01-21
Miller, Brian E. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record medium
In container
C360S099050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06510026
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an exchangeable storage apparatus with exchangeable recording medium to be used for computers, personal computers, and portable information terminals, and so on. More particularly, this invention relates to a Flexible Disk Drive, a recording medium drive actuator, a head drive actuator, and a recording medium cartridge to be used for the flexible disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Arts
FIG. 80
is part of a cross sectional view showing, for instance, a conventional flexible disk drive (hereinafter referred to as the FDD) disclosed in the Japan Patent Examination Hei 06-119699, of a storage for which a recording medium is exchangeable. Especially, the example given in the figure shows a 3.5 -inch FDD wherein a recording medium is housed in a so called recording medium cartridge which is consisting of a hard case with a shutter. Also,
FIG. 81
is a cross sectional view of the FDD, and
FIG. 82
is a top view of FIG.
81
.
FIGS. 81 and 82
show the relationship between the recording medium cartridge and a positioning means for positioning the recording medium cartridge.
In the figures, an FDD body
1
, a read/write head
2
, a carriage
3
supporting read/write head
2
, and a head arm
4
are shown. A head drive actuator
5
that drives read/write head
2
by driving carriage
3
is provided with a step motor
6
, a lead screw
7
, a needle
8
, and a guide rod (not shown). This needle
8
is engaged with lead screw
7
. A frame
10
, a mounting part
11
that mounts an external special slot
80
, a guide groove
12
, and a cover (shield)
13
are also shown. A circuit board
14
, a cartridge holder
15
, a cam follower
16
, a shutter opener
17
are shown. Cartridge holder
15
gets engaged with cam follower
16
and shutter opener
17
, and so on. A slide cam part
20
is made up of a cam groove
21
and an eject button
22
and engaged with an eject lever
23
.
A recording medium cartridge
30
is constructed by a recording medium
31
and a cartridge case
32
having an upper shell
32
a
and a lower shell
32
b.
Recording medium
31
is supported by a hub
33
, and cartridge case
32
is provided with a shutter
34
, a window
35
, and recording medium
31
. The cartridge case
32
has a protect hole
32
c
so that information would not be erased once it is written. Also in cartridge case
32
, a resin slide part material
36
is installed to make write protect when write-protect hole
32
c
is in open state and to write information in closed state.
A recording medium drive actuator
40
rotates recording medium
31
, and composed of a circuit board
14
, a stator
41
, rotor
42
, a drive pin
43
, a chucking magnet
44
, a housing
45
, bearing
46
, a stator yoke
47
, and a spindle shaft
48
. On one part of circumference of rotor
42
, an index magnet
39
a
is attached to detect the position of rotating recording medium
31
as the index signal. An index sensor
39
b
is installed on circuit board
14
to detect the index signal on the position opposite to index magnet
39
a.
A disk-in switch
37
to detect that recording medium
31
has been set to read/write position and write protect switch
38
to detect write protect in recording medium
31
are secured as well. For index sensor
39
b,
normally hole elements and so on are used, and is often mounted on a case (not shown) in which the position of the index sensor can be mechanically adjusted.
For write-protect switch
38
, a so-called push switch is often used. When information can be written, switch end
38
a
of write-protect switch
38
is pushed downward by slide part material
36
. Conversely, when data write is inhibited, switch end
38
a
is in free state and placed higher than when it is pushed down.
Most disk-in switch
37
and write protect switch
38
are of the same shape or uniform shape. When recording medium cartridge
30
is set to read/write position, in the so-called load state, end
37
a
of disk-in switch
37
is pushed down by lower shell
32
b
of cartridge case
32
or by slide part material
36
which opens or closes write-protect hole
32
c.
When recording medium
31
is in read/write disabled state, on the other hand, in the so-called unload state, switch end
37
a
is lifted up.
The relationship between stator
41
and rotor
42
is the so-called outer rotor type and stator
41
is positioned in the center and rotor
42
is positioned around it. An interface connector
70
, an external special slot
80
, a mounting screw
81
, an external cable
82
, an external connector
83
are also shown. Generally, FDD body
1
is secured with mounting screw
81
and so on, for instance, on special slot
80
of a personal computer or an information processing terminal, and so on. Interface connecter
70
is engaged with a connecter
83
connected with a flexible cable
82
from the external part.
Now, operation is explained with figures.
An explanation is given concerning the state transition from the so-called unload state in which data read or write on recording medium
31
is disabled, to the load status in which data read and write is enabled.
When recording medium cartridge
30
is inserted into FDD body
1
, it is held by cartridge holder
15
and lifted up by cam groove
21
and cam follower
16
of slide cam part
20
. Thus, it is inserted at the height higher than spindle shaft
48
in the center of recording medium drive actuator
40
. Next, when the center of recording medium cartridge
30
has come near spindle shaft
48
, shutter
34
is opened by shutter opener
17
. Further, eject lever
23
is rotated. The latch of slide cam part
20
is released. And cartridge holder
15
is lowered by cam groove
21
. At the same time, since head arm
4
having read/write head
2
is pressed on the frame side touching cartridge holder
15
, the head arm
4
rotates. When recording medium cartridge
30
is lowered to a certain position, two holes
33
a
and
33
b
made in hub
33
which is part of recording medium
31
, get engaged with spindle shaft
48
and drive pin
43
, thereby positioning of recording medium
31
is performed. The hole
33
a
that engages with spindle shaft
48
is square, and hole
33
b
that engages with drive pin
43
is partly extended in the radius direction, eccentricity works in the radius direction shown in the arrow H by the rotation of drive pin
43
to hub
33
, thereby eliminating backlash that generates in hole
33
a
which engages with spindle shaft
48
. Also, the hub
33
is made of magnetic material. It is sucked and retained (chucked) by chucking magnet
44
. The chucking magnet
44
is a means for transferring recording medium drive force, provided with the recording medium drive actuator
40
. After that, carriage
3
holding read/write head
2
is driven by head drive actuator
5
. When read/write head
2
is moved to the recording surface of recording medium
31
, reading or writing data on recording medium
31
is made possible, thereupon completing load state.
Then, the operation of load state to unload state of recording medium cartridge
30
is explained next.
By pushing eject button
22
down to the predetermined position, cartridge holder
15
lifts up along cam groove
21
. On its way upward, when cartridge holder
15
touches and rotates head arm
4
, upper and lower read/write head
2
separate from recording medium
31
. Together with lifted cartridge holder
15
, when recording medium cartridge
30
reaches the position at which it can jump over spindle shaft
48
, shutter
34
gets disengaged from shutter opener
17
. As shutter
34
is closed, cartridge holder
15
is ejected by shutter opener
17
. Cartridge holder
15
is kept from lowering by slide cam part
20
and the latch of eject lever
23
. As head arm
4
maintains the open state of both read/write heads
2
, unload state has made complete.
FIG. 83
is a cross sectional view showing inside of a conventional head drive actuator
5
of
FIG. 80. A
step motor
6
in the figure is referred to as t
Hashimoto Akira
Kawada Junji
Mizutani Yasutaka
Sugahara Takamitsu
Sugiura Hirohiko
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Miller Brian E.
LandOfFree
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