JPH02260291A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure excellent rotational performance and surface smoothness by constituting a tape guide of an inner cylindrical member inserted, engaged and supported so as to be freely rotated around a supporting shaft and an outer cylindrical member externally engaged with the inner cylindrical member to guide the traveling of a tape. CONSTITUTION:The tape guide 4 is constituted of the inner cylindrical member 10 inserted, engaged and supported so as to be freely rotated around the supporting shaft 6 erected on the body case 1 and the outer cylindrical member 11 externally engaged with the member 10 to guide the traveling of the tape 2. When the member 10 is formed by a plastic material having excellent self- lubricity with low abrasion and a low friction factor, the traveling load of the tape can be suppressed. When the member 11 is formed by a metallic material capable of generating the face accuracy and vertical accuracy of a circular outer peripheral face, the generation of vertical oscillation at the time of traveling the tape 2 and the damage of a tape edge due to the vertical oscillation can be prevented. Thus, excellent rotational performance and surface smoothness can be secured.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a tape cartridge in which a tape guide for guiding the tape is rotatably disposed inside a main body case. It has a cylindrical structure to improve the tape running guiding characteristics.

[Conventional technology]

As this type of tape guide, it is known that a guide roller made of a self-lubricating plastic such as polyacetal is rotatably inserted and supported on a support shaft erected on the bottom wall of the main body case.

It is also known for video tape cartridges and the like to fix a metal cylindrical tape guide with a highly precisely finished outer circumferential surface between the upper and lower walls of the main body case.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

When the tape guide is composed of the above-mentioned rotating roller, the entire tape guide can be made of a self-lubricating plastic material, which has the advantage of minimizing the running load on the tape. On the other hand, the surface accuracy of the roller surface that comes into contact with the tape cannot be ensured, and when it is made into a vertically long cylindrical shape, there is also a punching taper during forming, so especially when trying to make the tape thinner, the tape moves up and down, causing the tape to move up and down. Problems include unstable running and damage to the tape edges.

This problem can be solved by using the aforementioned metal cylinder as the tape guide. However, in that case, the running load on the tape becomes excessive, leading to running troubles.

Even if the metal tube were rotated around the spindle, the sliding resistance against the spindle would be too large to provide a fundamental solution.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a rotary tape guide that dramatically improves tape running performance by taking the advantages of the conventional plastic rotary four rollers and metal tubes known as tape guides and eliminating their disadvantages. There is a way to get a tape cartridge with.

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a tape guide that has good rotational performance with respect to the support shaft on the main body case side, and also ensures surface smoothness (surface accuracy and vertical accuracy) of the circular outer peripheral surface that makes sliding contact with the tape. There is something to be gained.

[Means to solve the problem]

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in a tape cartridge in which a tape guide 4 for guiding a tape 2 is rotatably provided inside a main body case 1, the tape guide 4 is provided as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Consists of an inner cylindrical member 10 that is rotatably fitted and supported on a support shaft 6 erected on the main body case 1 side, and an outer cylindrical member 11 that is externally fitted onto the inner cylindrical member 10 and guides the tape 2. It is characterized by

The support shaft 6 on the main body case 1 side may be integrally implanted from the case bottom wall 5, but it may also be driven into the bottom wall 5 as a separate metal pin.

The inner cylindrical member 10 is molded from a self-lubricating plastic material, with a receiving flange 13 integrally formed on the outer periphery of the lower end of the cylindrical body 10a, and a retaining flange 15 integrally formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the cylindrical body 10a. A vertically divided groove 16 is provided in the groove 16 so that at least the upper end thereof can be elastically deformed in the diametrical direction. Examples of self-lubricating plastic materials include polyacetal resin and nylon resin.

In addition, the outer cylinder member 11 is such that the lower end of the cylinder body 11a receives the collar 1.
3, and the upper end of the cylindrical body 11a is prevented from coming off upward by a retaining collar 15, and the circular outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 11a is made of a metal material that has been smoothed. More specifically, the outer cylindrical member 11 is made by cutting a metal material such as stainless steel or brass into a perfect cylindrical shape, and the circular outer peripheral surface is polished or a hard plating layer 19 of nickel-chromium or the like is formed. Provides surface accuracy and at the same time ensures vertical accuracy of the circular outer peripheral surface. Regarding the surface accuracy, it is desirable that the surface roughness is set to 0.5 μm or less in ten-point average roughness R2 according to the measurement method of JIS BO610.

[Effect]

The tape guide 4 is obtained by fitting the outer cylinder member 11 onto the inner cylinder member 10. At this time, when the outer cylinder member 11 is press-fitted into the inner cylinder member 10 from above, the upper end of the inner cylinder member 10 is reduced in diameter via the vertical division 'a16', and the outer cylinder member 11 is inserted into the inner cylinder member 10. go over the retaining flange 15 at the upper end and fit together. When the outer cylindrical member 11 is completely fitted, its lower end is received by the receiving collar 13 at the lower end of the inner cylindrical member 10, and the upper end of the outer cylindrical member 11 wraps around below the stopper flange 15. In this way, the outer cylinder member 11 with respect to the inner cylinder member 10
The vertical movement is restricted by the upper and lower collars 1, 3 and 15, and the relative rotation between the members 10 and 11 is also restricted by the elastic restoring force of the inner cylinder member 10 due to the vertical division 'a16. .

The tape guide 4 that integrates the inner and outer cylinder members 10 and 11 is
It is rotatably inserted and supported on the support shaft 6 on the main body case 1 side through the shaft hole 12 of the inner cylinder member 10.

In this way, the rotation performance of the tape guide 4 with respect to the support shaft 6 is carried out by the inner cylinder member 10, and the running performance of the tape 2 is carried out by the circular outer circumferential surface of the outer cylinder member 11.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Therefore, according to the tape guide 4 of the present invention, the inner cylinder member 10
By molding the tape with a material with good sliding properties, low wear, and a low coefficient of friction, such as a self-lubricating plastic material such as polyacetal, good rotational performance around the support shaft 6 can be ensured, and the running of the tape 2 can be improved. Load can be reduced. In addition, since the circular outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 11 directly contacts the tape 2 to guide the running of the tape 2, the outer cylinder member 11 is made of a metal material that can achieve surface accuracy and vertical accuracy of the circular outer peripheral surface. By molding the tape with 100% of the tape, it is possible to effectively prevent vertical movement during running of the tape and damage to the tape edge caused by this movement. The outer cylindrical member 11 has a smooth circular outer circumferential surface, and its inherent wear coefficient is reduced by rotation through the inner cylindrical member 10, so that the stability of tape running can be maintained at low loads. It is suitable for guiding the running of the thin tape 2.

A vertical groove 16 is formed in the inner cylinder member 10, a receiving collar 13 is provided at the lower end, and a retaining collar 15 is provided at the upper end. It is easy to integrate the inner and outer cylindrical members 10 and 11 by fitting the inner and outer cylinder members 10 and 11 together. Moreover, the upper and lower flanges 13 and 15 effectively control the vertical movement and relative rotation of the outer cylinder member 11 with respect to the inner cylinder member 10, so by integrating them in advance, assembly workability can be ensured, and the tape guide 4 This is also effective in suppressing vibrations etc. during rotation of the inner and outer cylinder members 10 and 1.
Even though it is made up of 1, there is no difference between it and the whole thing.

[First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment in which a tape cartridge according to the present invention is applied to a VH5-C type.

In FIG. 2, the main case 1 is made up of upper and lower plastic cases 1a and 1b screwed together in a lid-like manner, and reels 3, on which tape 2 is wound on the left and right sides inside the main case 1, can be freely rotated. tape guides 4, 4 are arranged at least on the front left and right sides of the main body case 1, and the tape 2 is led out from one reel 3 to the front of the case through these tape guides 4, 4, and is guided to the other reel. It is wound up in 3.

In FIG. 3, at the location where each tape guide 4 is disposed, a support shaft 6 is vertically installed integrally from the inner surface of the bottom wall 5 of the lower case 1b, and the tape guide is mounted on this support shaft 6 from above. 4
It is rotatably inserted and supported. Upper wall 7 of upper case 1a
A short cylindrical boss 9 is protruded from the inner surface of the support shaft 6. By fitting the upper end of the support shaft 6 into the hole of the boss 9 and supporting it, the support shaft 6 can be prevented from tilting due to tape tension. This regulation is in place.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, each tape guide 4 consists of an inner tube member 10 made of polyacetal and an outer tube member 11 made of stainless steel.

The inner cylindrical member 10 has a vertically long true cylindrical body 10a having an axial hole 12 in the center, and a horizontal receiving flange 13 is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the lower end of the cylindrical body 10a, and a retaining flange 15 is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the cylindrical body 10a. The cylindrical body 10 is formed with an overhang.
A vertical groove 16 is inserted from the upper end to near the lower end so as to divide it into two. The retaining collar 15 has an outer surface formed as a downwardly inclined guide surface 15a, and a lower surface connected to the inclined lower end of the guide surface 15a formed as a horizontal engagement surface 15b.

The stainless steel outer cylinder member 11 includes a vertically elongated true cylindrical cylinder 11a having an insertion hole 17 in the center, and is cut into a single piece so that the circular outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 11a is seamless and vertical accuracy is ensured. After being molded, the outer surface is plated. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 19 indicates a nickel-chromium hard metal layer formed particularly on the circular outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 11a. This hard plating layer 19 allows the cylindrical body 1
The surface roughness of the circular outer surface of 1a is JIS B○61.
Ten-point average roughness R2 is 0.2 to 0.3 according to the measurement method of 0.
It was set to have an area degree of μm.

Before assembling the tape guide 4 to the main case 1,
The outer cylinder member 11 is fitted onto the inner cylinder member 10. The outer diameter of the inner cylinder member 10 and the diameter of the insertion hole 17 of the outer cylinder member 11 are as follows.
The dimensions are set so that the inner and outer cylindrical members 10 and 11 fit tightly together without play.

Now, when the outer cylinder member 11 is press-fitted into the inner cylinder member 10 from above, the lower end peripheral edge of the insertion hole 17 of the outer cylinder member 11 will be aligned with the inclined guide surface of the retaining collar 15 of the inner cylinder member 10. 15a
The upper end side of the inner cylindrical member 10 is elastically deformed in the diametrical direction via the vertically divided groove 16. In this state, the outer cylinder member 11
are press-fitted, and the retaining collar 1 is inserted through the inclined guide surface 15a.
5 from the lower end of the insertion hole 17 upwards in sequence, and when the lower end of the outer cylinder member 11 is received by the receiving collar 13 of the inner cylinder member 10, the retaining collar 15 is inserted into the outer cylinder member 11. The engagement surface 15b of the retaining collar 15 protrudes from the upper end and engages with the upper end of the outer cylinder member 11 due to the elastic restoring force of the inner cylinder member 10.

In this way, the outer cylinder member 11 is prevented from coming off relative to the inner cylinder member 10 in the vertical direction by the upper and lower flanges 13 and 15, and the elastic restoring force of the inner cylinder member 10 is also applied to prevent the outer cylinder member 11 from coming off. The relative rotation of 10 and 11 is also regulated by contact,
A tape guide 4 in which the inner cylinder member 10 and the outer cylinder member 11 are integrated is obtained.

The tape guide 4 that integrates the inner and outer cylinder members 10 and 11 is
The inner cylinder member 1 is attached to the support shaft 6 of the lower case 1b from above.
Rotatably supported by inserting the shaft hole 12 of 0,
Next, after wrapping the tape 2 around the outer periphery of the outer cylinder member 11 as shown in FIG. 1, the upper case 1a is placed on the lower case 1b, and the upper and lower cases 1a and 1b are engaged with the lids using tapping screws or the like. Complete the assembly.

In this assembly state, the protruding end surface of the post 9 on the upper case Ia side is brought close to and opposed to the upper end of the inner cylindrical member 10, and the vertical movement of the entire tape guide 4 is abutted and restricted. In such a case, as the tape 2 runs, the tape guide 4 smoothly rotates around the support shaft 6 via the inner cylinder member 10 made of polyacetal, which has low friction and excellent sliding characteristics. The tape 2 is attached to the outer periphery of the tape guide 4, that is, the outer cylindrical member 1.
It travels in contact with a circular outer peripheral surface whose surface accuracy is ensured by the hard plating layer 19 of No. 1.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention, in which the inner cylinder member 10 has a retaining collar 1.
5 and the vertical groove 16 were omitted, and the other configurations were substantially the same as in the first embodiment.

Also in this case, by tightly fitting and mounting the outer cylinder member 11 on the inner cylinder member 10, the relative rotation of both 10 and 11 can be restricted as much as possible. In addition, by arranging the protruding end surfaces of the boss 9 on the upper case la side to closely face each other across the upper ends of the inner cylinder member 10 and the outer cylinder member 11, the vertical movement of the two members 10 and 11 is prevented from coming into contact with each other. In this second embodiment, when assembling, the inner cylindrical member 10 and then the outer cylindrical member 11 may be sequentially inserted into the support shaft 6 on the main body case 1 side.

[Another embodiment example]

Instead of covering the circular outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 11 with the hard plating layer 19, it may be coated with a resin layer, or the surface of the metal material may simply be polished. In addition, the inner cylinder member 10 is made of different materials in order to ensure sliding properties, and the outer cylinder member 11 is made of different materials in order to ensure the degree of area of the circular outer circumferential surface, and to this extent, the outer cylinder member 11 is made of engineering plastic material or the like. It may also be molded from glass material or the like.

Although it is desired that the outer cylinder member 11 does not rotate relative to the inner cylinder member 10, in order to ensure this, the outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder member 10 and the insertion hole 17 of the outer cylinder member 11 have a rectangular cross section, for example. Shape and Fit Format % Type % The vertical groove 16 provided in the inner cylindrical member 10 only needs to be provided at one location at least at the upper end portion of the cylindrical body 10a.

The flanges 13 and 15 formed at the upper and lower ends of the inner cylindrical member 10 may be formed in divided shapes on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 10a instead of being formed in a circular shape.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts, FIG. 2 is an overall plan view, and FIG. 3 is a second embodiment of the tape cartridge. It is a sectional view taken along the line AA in the figure. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main parts of a second embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention. 1...Body case, 1a...Top case, 1b...Bottom case, 2...Tape, 4...Tape guide, 5...Body case 6... Support shaft, 7... Top wall of main body case, 9... Boss, 10... Inner cylinder member, tOa... Inner cylinder member. Cylindrical body, 11... Outer cylinder member, 11a... Cylindrical body of outer cylinder member, 12... Shaft hole, 13... Reception flange, 15... Retaining flange, 16. ... Vertical groove, 17 ... Insertion hole, 19 ... Hard plating layer. Diagram tape guide body case

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a tape cartridge in which a tape guide 4 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 6 erected on the main body case 1 side within the main body case 1, the tape guide 4 is rotatably inserted and supported by the support shaft 6. A tape cartridge comprising an inner cylinder member 10 and an outer cylinder member 11 that is fitted onto the inner cylinder member 10 and guides the tape 2. (2) The inner cylindrical member 10 is molded from a self-lubricating plastic material, with a receiving flange 13 integrally formed on the outer periphery of the lower end of the cylindrical body 10a, and a retaining flange 15 integrally formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the cylindrical body 10a. A vertically divided groove 16 is formed in the body 10a so that at least the upper end thereof can be elastically deformed in the diametrical direction. The upper end of the body 11a is prevented from coming off upward by a retaining collar 15,
2. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the circular outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 11a is made of a smoothed metal material.