JPH03183077A - Optical tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To visually observe the used amount of an optical tape from an external part by forming an optical tape cartridge, which houses the optical tape, by a material to shield photosensitive wavelength light and forming one part of the cartridge as a filter part composed of a material to transmit the visible light of a wavelength area excepting for a visible wavelength. CONSTITUTION:An optical tape cartridge 1 is composed of the shield material such as resin colored in black, etc., and a housed optical tape 2 is prevented from being photosensed. At the almost central part of the front lid part of the cartridge 1, a rectangular window 13 is formed and as the filter part, a filter 14 is fitted and fixed to the window 13. The filter 14 shields the light of the sensitive wavelength from an optical recording layer 10 of the optical tape 2 and transmits the visible light excepting for the photosensitive wavelength. Thus, in the state of taking out the cartridge 1 from a recording and reproducing device, through the filter 14, the used amount of the optical tape 2 can be visually observed from the external part and easily confirmed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an optical tape cartridge containing an optical tape on which optical recording and/or reproduction is performed.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, various types of optical discs for optically recording and/or reproducing have been proposed, such as a read-only type, a write-once type that allows desired recording only once, and a rewritable type. In particular, in recent years, rewritable optical disks such as magneto-optical disks have been actively developed.

On the other hand, in parallel with the development of optical disks, research on optical recording media such as optical cards and optical tapes is also progressing. Among them,
An optical tape is basically formed by forming an optical recording layer on a long film-like base material to optically record information using magneto-optic effect or photochromic phenomenon.

The above-mentioned optical tape is stored in a cartridge and recorded/recorded in the same way as magnetic tape for a VTR (video tape recorder).
Alternatively, it is conceivable to draw out the vicinity of the reproducing area from the cartridge and to perform recording/reproduction by setting the track, which is the information recording path, in a direction inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the optical tape.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in a cartridge for magnetic tape, since it is necessary to check the amount of magnetic tape used, at least a portion of the cartridge is generally transparent. However, when a photochromic material or the like is used as the optical recording layer in an optical tape, if a transparent part is provided in the cartridge, the optical recording layer will be exposed to external light such as sunlight or various illumination lights when the cartridge is removed from the recording/reproducing device. may be easily exposed to light and the recorded information may be lost.

On the other hand, if the optical tape cartridge is colored black or otherwise provided with light-shielding properties, it is possible to prevent the optical tape from being exposed to external light, but the amount of optical tape used can be checked when the optical tape is removed from the recording/playback device. The problem arises that it is no longer possible to do so.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, an optical tape cartridge according to the present invention houses an optical tape having an optical recording medium therein, and is entirely formed of a material that blocks light at the wavelength sensitive to the optical recording medium. Additionally, at least a portion thereof is a filter portion made of a material that transmits visible light in a wavelength range other than the wavelength to which the optical recording medium is sensitive.

(Function) According to the above configuration, since the optical tape cartridge is made of a material that blocks light at the wavelength to which the optical recording medium is sensitive, sunlight or various types of illumination light, etc. The optical recording medium is prevented from being exposed to external light, and at least a portion of the optical recording medium is a filter section that transmits visible light in a wavelength range other than the wavelength at which the optical recording medium is sensitive. The amount of optical tape used can be easily checked visually.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below based on FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(b) and FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), an optical tape 2 is housed in an optical tape cartridge 1 according to this embodiment. The optical tape cartridge 1 is made of a light-shielding material such as a black colored resin, and is designed to prevent the optical tape 2 from being exposed to light.

Inside the optical tape cartridge 1, there is a pair of glue rules 3 and 4 on the left and right sides.
are arranged in symmetrical positions, and the reels 3 and 4 are each rotatably attached to the back cover portion of the optical tape cartridge l. Each longitudinal end of the optical tape 2 is fixed to the reels 3 and 4, and both reels 3 and 4 are connected to each other through a pair of guides 5 and 6 provided at two corresponding corners of the optical tape cartridge 1. In between, the optical tape 2 is unwound or wound up.

An opening/closing lid 7 is attached to the side of the optical tape cartridge 1 where the guides 5 and 6 are provided, so that the opening/closing lid 7 can be opened and closed. When the optical tape cartridge 1 is loaded into a recording/reproducing device (not shown), the opening/closing lid 7 is opened by a loading mechanism. The optical tape 2 is then pulled out.

As shown in FIG. 3, the optical tape 2 is in the form of a film (for example,
The base material 8 has a thickness of approximately several tens of μm. The base material 8 is
For example, it is made of a polymer resin having light transmittance and heat resistance, such as polyethylene terephthalate. On the base material 8, for example, a fulgide-based photochromic material (sensitivity wavelength: 4.94 nm) as shown in the following chemical structural formula M) is provided.
An optical recording layer 10 is provided as an optical recording medium including. However, Me is methyl W (cH3).

Further, the optical recording layer 10 may include a spiropyran-based photochromic material (sensitivity wavelength: 750 nm) as shown by the following chemical structural formula (IT).

A reflective layer 11 made of a metal film or the like is provided on the optical recording layer 10, and a protective layer N12 made of, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin is provided on the reflective layer 11. 11 is sealed by a base material 8 and a protective layer 12.

A rectangular window 13 is formed approximately at the center of the front cover of the optical tape cartridge 1, and a filter 14 as a filter section is fitted into the window 13 and fixed. The filter 4 has a property of blocking light at a wavelength to which the optical recording layer 10 of the optical tape 2 is sensitive, and transmitting visible light other than the wavelength to which the optical recording layer 10 is sensitive.

For example, the chemical structural formula (1) described above as the optical recording layer ■0
Fulgide-based photochromic material (sensitivity wavelength 4
94 nm), the filter 14 is:
For example, if you coat an acrylic plate with a yellow pigment,
A yellow acrylic plate that transmits visible light of about 0.00 nm or more can be used. Further, as the filter 14, a spiropyran-based photochromic material (sensitivity wavelength: 750 nm) represented by the above chemical structural formula (II) is used.
When using the filter 14, for example, a reddish acrylic plate that transmits visible light having a wavelength of about 780 nm or more can be used. Note that the filter 14 is arranged at a position where the amount of winding of the optical tape 2 on the reels 3 and 4 can be checked. Further, a scale I5 indicating the usage amount of the optical tape 2 may be provided by engraving or the like on a portion of the optical tape cartridge along one side of the filter 14.

In the above configuration, when the optical tape cartridge 1 is loaded into a recording/reproducing device (not shown), the opening/closing mechanism M7 is opened by the loading mechanism, the optical tape 2 is pulled out, and is loaded into a predetermined recording/reproducing section. Then, desired information is recorded on the optical recording layer 10 by, for example, irradiating a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength through the base material 8 shown in FIG.

Furthermore, during reproduction, information is detected based on the laser beam that passes through the optical recording layer 10 and is reflected by the reflective layer 11. Note that information is recorded and reproduced, for example, along tracks T--T that are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the optical tape 2, as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, since the optical tape cartridge 1 is made of a light-shielding material, even when the optical tape cartridge 1 is taken out from the recording/reproducing apparatus, the optical tape 1 remains unchanged.
The optical recording layer 10 will not be exposed to external light such as sunlight or various types of illumination light and information will not be erased. Moreover, since the optical tape cartridge 1 is provided with a filter 14 that transmits visible light in a wavelength range other than the wavelength to which the optical recording layer 10 of the optical tape 2 is sensitive, the optical tape cartridge 1 is removed from the recording/reproducing apparatus. and filter 1
4, the usage amount of the optical tape 2 can be easily confirmed visually from the outside.

Note that in the above embodiment, the window 13 having the filter I4
Although windows 13 are provided at only one location on the front cover of the optical tape cartridge L, it is possible to make changes such as providing windows 13 at two or more locations on the front cover, or providing windows 13 on the front and back lids of the optical tape cartridge 1. It is. Alternatively, the entire optical tape cartridge 1 can be formed from the material of the filter 14.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the optical tape cartridge according to the present invention has the following effects.
An optical tape having an optical recording medium is housed therein, and the whole is made of a material that blocks light at a wavelength to which the optical recording medium is sensitive, and at least a part of the tape is made of a material that blocks light at a wavelength to which the optical recording medium is sensitive. The structure is such that the filter section is made of a material that transmits visible light.

As the optical tape cartridge is made of a material that blocks light at the wavelength to which the optical recording medium is sensitive, it is possible to prevent the optical recording medium from being exposed to external light such as sunlight or various illumination lights when taken out from the recording/reproducing device. In addition to preventing exposure to light, at least a portion of the optical recording medium is a filter section that transmits visible light in a wavelength range other than the wavelength at which the optical recording medium is sensitive, so the amount of optical tape used can be visually checked from the outside through the filter section. This has the effect of making it easier to confirm.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 show one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(a) is a schematic plan view of the optical tape cartridge. Figure (b) is a schematic front view of the same. FIG. 2(a) is a schematic plan view of the optical tape cartridge in which the front cover portion and the opening/closing cover are omitted. Figure (C) is a schematic front view of the same. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the optical tape. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the optical recording layer. 1 is an optical tape cartridge, 2 is an optical tape, 10 is an optical recording layer (optical recording medium), and 14 is a filter (filter section).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical tape containing an optical recording medium is housed inside, and the whole is made of a material that blocks light at the wavelength to which the optical recording medium is sensitive, and at least a part of it is made of a material that blocks light at a wavelength to which the optical recording medium is sensitive. An optical tape cartridge characterized in that the filter part is made of a material that transmits visible light in the range.