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US 6,556,373 B1Granted
Disk apparatus, method of accessing head thereof to disk-like recording medium, and method of retracting the same
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsToshio Mamiya, Takashi Yamada, Kazuyuki Yamamoto, Kazuo Takahashi, Eiji Oshima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A disk storage apparatus has a magnetic head (8) that is completely retracted outside of a disk cartridge, except upon a reading/writing operation. The magnetic head (8) is inserted into the disk cartridge (16) only upon the reading/writing operation. The disk storage apparatus can completely retract a rotation actuator to an outside of a disk cartridge. The disk storage apparatus can be reliably and stably operated and has a reduced overall thickness.
Claims22
A disk apparatus comprising:
- a chassis;
- a loading means provided on said chassis for detachably loading a disk cartridge in which a recording medium is rotatably accommodated, said loading means comprising a cartridge holder having an opening portion and accommodating said disk cartridge inserted thereinto through said opening portion, and a rotating supporting means provided in said chassis for supporting an end portion of said cartridge holder opposed to said opening portion so that said cartridge holder can be rotated;
- a rotating means for rotating said recording medium in said loaded disk cartridge;
- a head means for accessing said rotated recording medium, said head means having first and second sliders;
- a head moving means supported by a rotating and supporting member provided on said chassis, said head means being mounted to said head moving means in the vicinity of one end portion of said head moving means;
- a ramp means which can be moved in a straight direction on said chassis, wherein when said ramp means is brought into contact with said head moving means a space between said two sliders is temporarily extended to keep said sliders out of contact with said recording medium;
- and
- a drive means for rotating said head moving means through said rotating and supporting member to move said head means to a desired position on said recording medium in said disk cartridge, wherein said drive means inserts said head means into said disk cartridge only when said head means accesses said recording medium and retracts said head means from said disk cartridge when said head means does not access said recording medium.
5 more elements
A disk apparatus, comprising:
- a chassis;
- a loading means provided on said chassis for detachably loading a disk cartridge in which a recording medium is rotatable accommodated;
- a rotating means for rotating said recording medium said loaded disk cartridge;
- a head means for accessing said rotated recording medium;
- a head moving means supported by a rotating and supporting member provided on said chassis, said head means being mounted to said head moving means in the vicinity of one end portion of said head moving means;
- and
- a drive means for rotating said head moving means through said rotating and supporting member to move said head means to a desired position on said recording medium in said disk cartridge, wherein said drive means inserts said head means into said disk cartridge only when said head means accesses said recording medium and retracts said head means from said disk cartridge when said head means does not access said recording medium;
- wherein said loading means comprises a cartridge holder having an opening portion and accommodating said disk cartridge inserted thereinto through said opening portion, a rotation on supporting means provided on said chassis for supporting an end portion of said cartridge holder opposed to said opening portion so that said cartridge holder can be rotated, a locking means provided on said chassis for locking said cartridge holder at a position where said opening portion of said cartridge holder is adjacent to said chassis, and a lock releasing means for releasing said locking means;
- further comprising a shutter opening means provided on a side surface of said cartridge holder and operated when being brought in contact with said disk cartridge inserted into said cartridge bolder;
- wherein said shutter opening means comprises a shutter arm having a bent portion, a first straight portion projected from said bent portion in a first direction, and a second straight portion projected from said bent portion in a second direction, a rotatably supporting means for rotatably supporting said bent portion of said shutter opening means at a side surface of said cartridge holder so that at least one of end portions of said first and second straight portions should be inserted into said cartridge holder, and a biasing means for biasing said shutter arm in a rotation direction in which the end portion of said first straight portion is inserted into said cartridge holder, wherein said disk cartridge inserted through said opening portion is brought in contact with the end portion of said first straight portion to rotate said shutter opening means, thereby the end portion of said second straight portion is inserted into said cartridge holder and wherein the end portion of said second straight portion is brought in contact with a shutter opening portion of said disk cartridge, thereby a shutter of said disk cartridge is opened.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.