Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-24
2001-06-12
Heinz, A. J. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246540
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording-medium recording/reproducing device, and, in particular, to a recording-medium recording/reproducing device having a head moving mechanism which causes a head to approach a recording medium in response to movement of the recording medium, which movement is performed by a recording-medium moving mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electronic apparatus such as a personal computer, a word processor or the like, a magnetic disk device, for example, is provided as means for recording information. In the magnetic disk device, when a disk cartridge as a recording-medium container is loaded, a magnetic disk contained in the disk cartridge is rotated, and a magnetic head slides on the magnetic disk so as to perform magnetic recording/reproducing.
The magnetic disk device has a recording-medium moving mechanism which includes a disk holder in which the disk cartridge is inserted, and a slider which performs a sliding operation in response to a disk-cartridge inserting operation and moves the disk holder from a cartridge insertion/ejection position to a cartridge loaded position.
Force is applied to the slider in one direction by a coil spring or the like. When the disk cartridge is inserted, a latch lever is pushed by an end of the disk cartridge so as to rotate, and, thereby, prevention of movement of the slider by the latch lever is released. As a result, the slider slides in the direction in which the force is applied thereto, and moves the disk holder to the cartridge loaded position. At this time, as a result of the disk holder falling from the cartridge insertion/ejection position to the cartridge loaded position, the disk in the disk cartridge is chucked onto a turntable.
In order to positively perform this loading operation performed by the disk holder, the force of the spring to be applied to the slider is set to be strong. The slider is accelerated by the spring force during a time starting when the disk cartridge is inserted into the disk holder and ending when the disk cartridge is loaded, and, then, the slider slides at an approximately fixed speed. Therefore, at a time when the slider reaches a sliding completion position, the magnetic head comes into contact with the magnetic disk so strongly that a magnetic film on the surface of the magnetic disk may be damaged.
In order to eliminate such a problem, in the device in the related art, a damper for decelerating the slider is provided. An oil damper is used as such a damper. The oil damper includes a gear engaging with a rack provided on the slider, a rotating body which rotates together with the gear, and a container which is filled with grease and contains the rotating body. In this oil damper, when the rotating body provided in the container rotates as a result of the slider sliding, the rotating body is decelerated due to viscosity resistance of the grease provided in the container, and the slider is decelerated.
However, in the above-described disk device in the related art, the viscosity of the grease provided in the container depends on the temperature. That is, when the temperature is low, the viscosity resistance of the grease is so large that it is not possible to positively perform the loading operation of the magnetic disk. Further, when the temperature is high, because the viscosity resistance of the grease is small, the loading operation is performed so strongly that the magnetic film of the magnetic disk may be damaged.
Further, in the magnetic disk device, achievement of high-density recording has been attempted as a result of the rotation speed of the magnetic disk being increased, and, thus, the storage capacity of the magnetic disk has been increased. In such a type of a magnetic disk device, buoyant force, caused by an air flow generated due to high-speed rotation of the magnetic disk, is applied to the magnetic head. Thereby, magnetic recording/reproducing can be performed in a condition in which the magnetic head slightly floats above the magnetic disk so that the surface of the magnetic disk is not damaged.
However, in a condition in which the magnetic disk rotates at low speed, no sufficient buoyant force is applied to the magnetic head. Therefore, when the magnetic head is caused to approach the magnetic disk in the condition in which the magnetic disk rotates at low speed, the magnetic head comes into contact with the magnetic disk, and, as a result, a possibility that the magnetic film formed on the surface of the magnetic disk is damaged is high.
Further, in the magnetic disk device in the related art, a force-applying member which applies force to a latch member to rotate the latch member to a position such that the slider is prevented from moving by the latch member, and a force-applying member which applies a force to the slider in the loading direction are provided separately. Therefore, time is required for mounting the force-applying members, and the number of components increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording-medium recording/reproducing device in which the above-mentioned problems are solved.
A recording-medium recording/reproducing device, according to the present invention, comprises:
a holder into which a recording-medium container is inserted;
a sliding member supported slidably in a recording-medium-container loading direction, the sliding member moving the holder from a recording-medium-container insertion/ejection position to a recording-medium-container loading position as a result of sliding in the recording-medium-container loading direction;
a latch member rotatably supported, the latch member having a to-be-pushed portion which is pushed by the recording-medium container which is being inserted into the holder, and having a movement-preventing portion which prevents the sliding member from moving in the recording-medium-container loading direction;
a first force-applying member, one end of the first force-applying member being connected with the latch member and the other end of the first force-applying member being connected with sliding member, the first force-applying member applying force such as to rotate the latch member to cause the latch member to be in a position such as to prevent the sliding member from moving, the first force-applying member applying force such as to move the sliding member in the recording-medium-container loading direction;
a rotating member rotatably provided within a sliding operation range of the sliding member; and
a second force-applying member provided within the sliding operation range of the sliding member, one end of the second force-applying member being connected with the sliding member, the other end of the second force-applying member being connected with the rotating member.
In this arrangement, one end of the second force-applying member is connected with the sliding member and the other end of the second force-applying member is connected with the rotating member. Thereby, without using the high-priced oil damper or the like, the sliding operation of the sliding member can be decelerated through a mechanical operation. As a result, an operation of the head is decelerated when the recording-medium container is loaded, the head is prevented from hitting the recording medium strongly, and the recording medium is prevented from being damaged when the head comes into contact with the recording medium. Further, when the recording-medium container reaches the recording-medium container loading position together with the holder, the direction in which the second force-applying member applies force to the sliding member is reversed due to a rotation operation of the rotating member, and, thereby, the second force-applying member applies the force to the sliding member in the recording-medium-container loading direction. As a result, the holder is maintained in the recording-medium-container loading position. Further, the setting space is reduced, and, also, the device ca
Anderson Kill & Olick P.C.
Heinz A. J.
Teac Corporation
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