JPH0424785B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a tape cassette (hereinafter referred to as a first tape cassette) which is a conventional tape cassette (hereinafter referred to as a first tape cassette) with a smaller external shape by narrowing the distance between the reels.
The present invention relates to a cassette adapter for making it possible to use a second tape cassette (referred to as a second tape cassette) in a device in which a first tape cassette is used.

Compared to compact tape cassettes for audio, tape cassettes used in video tape recorders and the like are considerably larger due to standards such as tape width and distance between reels, and even in portable equipment. Since the tape cassette is large, there is a limit to miniaturization, which is a major problem.

Also, with the current technology, there are problems with image quality.
It is also difficult to make small tape cassettes with narrow tape widths.

For this reason, as a means to downsize tape cassettes and equipment, the tape width is the same as that of the conventional first tape cassette, and the distance between the reels is set to approximately the same as that of the first tape cassette. In addition to reducing the amount to about 1/2, the amount of tape is also reduced to 1/2 compared to the full size of the first tape cassette.
A small second tape cassette with a capacity of about 4 to 1/6 has started to be considered.

With such a small second tape cassette, it is possible to obtain the same image quality as the current first tape cassette, and not only can the tape cassette itself be made smaller, but also the equipment that uses the tape cassette can be made smaller. However, since the amount of tape will be reduced, the recording time will be shorter than that of the current first tape cassette. When considering recording time and miniaturization, it is desirable to change the tape cassette used depending on the application, etc., and it is desirable to use a small second tape cassette that is compatible with the first tape cassette. In other words, it is required that the first tape cassette can also be used in equipment that uses the first tape cassette, and a cassette adapter that satisfies this requirement becomes necessary.

The present invention provides such a cassette adapter for use when the second tape cassette is stored in the cassette storage section and the opening/closing lid of the cassette storage section is closed, i.e., the second tape cassette is removed from the first tape cassette. The purpose of this invention is to prevent the magnetic tape from being used in a state where the magnetic tape is not pulled out to the tape guide position of the tape cassette.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the cassette adapter of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a cassette adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and in the figures, 1 is a second tape cassette, and this second tape cassette 1 has a magnetic cassette in a half case 2. tape 3
The magnetic tape 3 is constructed by rotatably supporting and storing the reels 4 and 5 wound with the magnetic tape 3, and by forming a predetermined running path such that the magnetic tape 3 is exposed to the outside on the front side. In this second tape cassette 1, one reel 4 can be operated from the bottom side of the half case 2 through a window (not shown) provided at the bottom of the half case 2, so that the tip of the reel stand of the device is inside the half case 2. Fits into the hollow part and locks,
The other reel 5 is rotatably supported by a reel shaft (not shown) installed in the half case 2, and has a gear portion 5a formed on its outer periphery. It is rotated by a gear on the drive source side that meshes with the gear portion 5a.

6 is a main body case of the adapter, and this main body case 6 has the same external dimensions as the first tape cassette, and the second tape cassette 1 is loaded into the cassette storage section 6a of this main body case 6. . The cassette storage section 6a of the main body case 6 is provided with an opening/closing lid 7 whose one end is rotatably supported at the open end of the cassette storage section 6a.
Further, a locking mechanism for the opening/closing lid 7 is provided at an end of the cassette storage section 6a opposite to the end to which the opening/closing lid 7 is attached. Reference numeral 8 designates an operating lever for this locking mechanism. Further, in this main body case 6, a reel gear 9 which can be attached to the tip of one of the reel stands is rotatably supported and disposed at a position corresponding to the reel stand of the video tape recorder, and a reel gear 9 is rotatably supported and disposed at a position corresponding to the reel stand of the video tape recorder. A window (not shown) is provided at the tip of the stand to allow the reel 4 of the second tape cassette 1 to be attached thereto. An idler gear 10 meshes with the reel gear 9, a gear 5a of the reel 5 of the second tape cassette 1 meshes with the idler gear 10, and the rotation of the reel gear 9 causes the second tape cassette 1 to move.
The reel 5 rotates to run the magnetic tape 3.

A take-up side pull-out arm 11 in the shape of a fishing needle is arranged in the main body case 6 so as to rotate around a shaft 11a, and a second tape cassette is attached to one end of the take-up side pull-out arm 11. A guide roller 12 is attached for hooking one magnetic tape 3 and pulling it out to a predetermined position. Further, a supply side pullout arm 13 is arranged at a position facing the take-up side pullout arm 11 of the main body case 6 so as to rotate around a shaft 13a, and also at one end of this supply side pullout arm 13. Similar to the take-up side pull-out arm 11, a guide roller 14 is attached for hooking the magnetic tape 3 of the second tape cassette 1 and pulling it out to a predetermined position. A knob 13b is provided at the other end of this supply side drawer arm 13,
The knob 13b is fitted into a square hole 15b of a dogleg-shaped connecting arm 15 arranged to rotate about a shaft 15a. Further, a knob 15c is provided at the other end of the connecting arm 15, and the knob 15c is fitted into a square hole 16b of the connecting arm 16, which is arranged to rotate about a shaft 16a. The other end of this connecting arm 14 is connected to a knob 1 provided at the other end of the take-up side pull-out arm 11.
1b. A drive rack 17 is engaged with a pinion gear 19 rotated by a motor 18, and a cam groove 17a into which the knob 11b of the take-up side pull-out arm 11 is fitted is provided on the lower surface of the drive rack 17.

A worm gear 2 is attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 18.
0 is fixed, and the rotation of this motor 18 is
It is transmitted to the pinion gear 19 through a transmission mechanism including gears 21 to 24, and thereby the drive rack 1
7 moves in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2, and the cam groove 17a of the drive rack 17 moves the drive rack 17 to the left in FIG.
When the magnetic tape 3 moves outward and the magnetic tape 3 is pulled out from the second tape cassette 1, and conversely, when the drive rack 17 moves to the right in FIG. The arm 11 and the supply-side pull-out arm 13 move inward, and the magnetic tape 3 that has been pulled out to the tape guide position of the first tape cassette is housed in the second tape cassette 1.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a switch device for controlling operation/stop and rotational direction of the motor 18, and this switch device 25 is located on the drive rack 17 of the main body case 6, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. A limit switch 27 consisting of a normally closed contact for regulating the amount of leftward movement of the drive rack 17 is provided on one side of the switch board 26 disposed in an upright state, and a limit switch 27 consisting of a normally closed contact for regulating the amount of leftward movement of the drive rack 17 is provided on the opposite side. A limit switch 28 consisting of a normally closed contact for regulating the amount of movement in the direction, and a rotation direction changeover switch 2 for switching the direction of the current flowing through the motor 18.
9, and an operating portion 29a of the rotation direction changeover switch 29 protrudes into the cassette storage portion 6a so as to be operable by a protruding piece 7a at the end of the opening/closing lid 7. . Further, the limit switches 27 and 28 are
Cam body 30 provided on the upper surface of the drive rack 17
When the operation parts 27a and 28a are pressed by the contacts a and 30b, the contacts open, thereby cutting off the power to the motor 18. That is, the limit switch 27 stops the motor 18 when the tape drawing operation is completed, and the limit switch 27 stops the motor 18 when the tape drawing operation is completed.
8 is the motor 1 when the tape storage operation is completed.
8 is stopped.

FIG. 5 shows a circuit between the switch device 25 and the motor 18. In FIG. 5, the solid line indicates the tape storage operation, and the two-dot chain line indicates the tape withdrawal operation.

Note that 31 is a guard panel attached to the front opening of the main body case 6 so as to be openable and closable.

In such a configuration, by storing the second tape cassette 1 in the cassette storage part 6a of the main body case 6 of the adapter and closing the opening/closing lid 7,
The protruding piece 7a of the opening/closing lid 7 presses the operating part 29a of the rotation direction changeover switch 29 of the switch device 25, and a closed circuit of the DC power supply consisting of the motor 18, the limit switch 27, the rotation direction changeover switch 29, and the dry battery is configured, and the motor 18 is activated. Rotating and driving rack 17
moves to the left and a tape drawing operation is performed.
At this time, when the drive rack 17 has moved to the position where the tape drawing operation is completed, the limit switch 27 contacts the cam body 30a, opening the contact, cutting off the power to the motor 18, and stopping the motor 18.

On the other hand, by opening the opening/closing lid 7, the contacts of the rotation direction changeover switch 29 are switched from the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5 to the state shown by the solid line in FIG. The switch 29 configures a closed circuit of the DC power supply, and the motor 18 rotates in the opposite direction to the above, and the drive rack 1
7 moves to the right to perform a tape storage operation. At this time, when the drive rack 17 has moved to the position where the tape storage operation is completed, the limit switch 28 contacts the cam body 30b, opening the contact point, cutting off the power to the motor 18, and stopping the motor 18.

In this way, the cassette storage section 6 of the main body case 6
In conjunction with the loading and unloading operations of the second tape cassette 1 into and out of the tape cassette 1, the tape pulling out operation and the tape storage operation can be performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation of pulling out the magnetic tape starts from the time when the second tape cassette is stored in the cassette storage section and the opening/closing lid of the cassette storage section is closed. The magnetic tape is never used without being pulled out from the first tape cassette to the tape guide position of the first tape cassette, and damage to the magnetic tape due to forgetting to pull it out can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a cassette adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are a perspective view and a plan view showing the internal structure of the cassette adapter, respectively, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cassette adapter. FIG. 5 is an electrical circuit diagram of the cassette adapter. 1... Second tape cassette, 2... Half case, 3... Magnetic tape, 4, 5... Reel, 6
...Body case, 6a...Cassette storage section, 7...
...Opening/closing lid, 9...Reel gear, 10...Idler gear, 11...Take-up side drawer arm, 1
2, 14... Guide roller, 13... Supply side pull-out arm, 15, 16... Connection arm, 17...
... Drive rack, 18 ... Motor, 19 ... Pinion gear, 20 ... Worm gear, 21, 22, 2
3, 24... Gear, 25... Switch device, 29
...Rotation direction changeover switch, 29a...Operation unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A main body case 6 having a cassette storage part 6a for storing a second tape cassette 1 having a shorter reel distance than the first tape cassette and having the same dimensions as the first tape cassette, and this main case 6.
The magnetic tape 3 is placed in the second tape cassette 1 by a pulling operation of pulling out the magnetic tape 3 from the second tape cassette 1 to the tape guide position of the first tape cassette, and vice versa.
Tape drawer storage means 1 that performs a storage operation to store
1, 13, and this tape drawer storage means 11, 13
A driving means 17 comprising a motor 18 for driving the
and a reel driving means 19 disposed within the main body case and driving the reel 5 of the second tape cassette 1 housed within the main body case in conjunction with the drive means 17. A switch device 25 for controlling energization is installed in the main body case 6.
An opening/closing lid 7 is provided for opening and closing the cassette storage section 6a of the main body case 6, and by closing the opening/closing lid 7, the switch device 2 can be opened and closed.
5 is operated and the tape drawer storage means 11,1
3. A cassette adapter characterized in that a pulling operation of the magnetic tape 3 is started by the magnetic tape 3.