US 6,297,923 B1Granted

Disk-cartridge detection system incorporating an angled light emitter/detector

AssigneeIomega Corporation

InventorsMichael C. Burnside, Dale E. Lee

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Abstract

A disk drive has an improved ability to detect the presence of a disk cartridge inserted into the drive. The improved disk drive comprises a source of irradiance and a detector of irradiance. When a disk cartridge is inserted into the drive, the detector is optically connected to the source of irradiance by a reflective marker on the cartridge. The emitting surface of the source is oriented such that the irradiance strikes the reflective marker at an angle substantially less than 90 degrees. The detector surface which receives the reflected irradiance is oriented in a manner similar to the emitting surface. This detection system exploits the relatively unique characteristic of certain reflective markers to reflect light in a direction opposite the incident path when the angle of incidence with the reflecting surface is substantially less than 90 degrees.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A data-storage system comprising:

(a) a disk drive of the type that receives a removable data-storage cartridge, comprising:
(1) a source of irradiance disposed within said disk drive, said source of irradiance comprising an emitting surface, said emitting surface being disposed in a first plane within said disk drive;
and
(2) a detector of irradiance disposed within said disk drive, said detector of irradiance comprising a receiving surface, said receiving surface being disposed in a second plane within said disk drive;
and
(b) said removable data-storage cartridge, said cartridge comprising an exterior surface and a retro-reflective marker comprising a plurality of reflective panels said reflective panels being disposed in planes that form a pitch angle with a back surface of said marker, said reflective marker being disposed along said exterior surface of said cartridge, said exterior surface of said cartridge being disposed in a third plane within said disk drive when said cartridge is inserted in said disk drive, said third plane being disposed at acute angles with said first plane and said second plane and said angle between said first plane and said third plane being about equal to said pitch angle of said reflective panels, said reflective marker being in optical communication with said source of irradiance and said detector when said cartridge is inserted in said disk drive.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.