JPH0442484A - tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cassette, and more particularly to a tape cassette suitable for a magnetic recording/reproducing device such as a video tape recorder.

Conventional technology Generally speaking, a tape cassette installed in a magnetic tape device such as a video tape recorder has a magnetic tape stretched on the front side of the case body, covered by a front cover provided on the front side of the case body. It consisted of three openings provided inside the tape, each of which had an asymmetrical shape (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-214488).

The above-mentioned conventional tape cassette will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1θ is a perspective view of a conventional tape cassette, FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a notch for opening the lid, and FIG. 12 is a plan view of a main part of a conventional tape cassette.

In FIGS. 1O to 12, the tape cassette has an upper cassette case 102a in which the tape reel 101 is housed.
and a lower cassette case 102b are fitted together to form a cassette case 102. The front of this cassette case 102 has three openings 103a and 103b.
, 103C are formed, and these openings 103a, 1
The magnetic tape 104 wound on the tape reel 101 is stretched along the lines 03b and 103c.

105 indicates these openings 103a, 103b, 103
This is a front cover rotatably provided on the side surface of the cassette case 102 to cover the front surface of the magnetic tape 104 located along the direction C.

The above tape cassettes can be used with a magnetic recording and reproducing device (hereinafter referred to as VTR).
), the cassette case 10
A lid opening/closing fitting 107 installed on the VTR side is located below the front notch 106 of the front M 105. When the tape cassette moves downward, the front M 105 first contacts the lid opening/closing fitting 107, and then This causes the front cover 105 to rotate about the fulcrum 108, opening the front surface of the cassette case 102 and making it possible to record and reproduce.

Thereafter, the discharge from the VTR is performed in exactly the opposite manner.

In a loading method such as U loading where multiple tape guide posts are wound around a cylinder, 1
By arranging each tape guide post on one ring, the number of parts can be reduced. However, since the entrance portions 103a, 103b, and 103c are all asymmetrical, a large number of tape guide posts provided on one ring are connected to the openings 103a, 103b, and 10.
3c, the magnetic tape 104 cannot be effectively pulled out through either of the two, and furthermore, the asymmetrical shape is not preferred from the aesthetic point of view.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, in a loading method such as U loading in which multiple tape guide posts are wound around a cylinder, the openings 103a, 103b, and 103C are Since each ring is asymmetrical, a large number of tape guide posts provided on one ring are connected to openings 103a and 103b.

103c, the magnetic tape 104 cannot be effectively pulled out no matter where it passes through.Furthermore, the asymmetrical shape is not preferred from the aesthetic point of view.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has an opening suitable for M loading, and even in a loading method such as U loading in which a large number of tape guide posts are wound around a cylinder, either opening can be used to Because it is symmetrical, the magnetic tape can be effectively pulled out through the symmetrical openings of the many tape guide posts provided on one ring, and it is also an excellent tape from an aesthetic point of view. It provides cassettes.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the tape cassette of the present invention includes:
A pair of tape reels that wind the tape and lock both ends of the tape, a cassette case with the tape stretched on the front and a built-in pair of tape reels, and a cassette case inside the tape stretched on the front. a first opening with a substantially symmetrical shape provided in the case; a second opening provided on either the left or right side of the first opening inside the tape stretched on the front surface; a partition separating the opening and the second opening; and a partition pivotally supported on the side of the cassette case;
Additionally, a front cover is provided which rotates to cover the front surface of the tape stretched over the front surface.

Effect of the Invention With the above-described configuration, the present invention has at least one opening having a substantially symmetrical shape, so that the magnetic tape can be effectively passed through the symmetrical opening through a large number of tape guide posts provided on one ring. The number of parts can be reduced.

On the other hand, since two openings are provided, it is possible to draw out the magnetic tape suitable for M loading. In addition, the partition part prevents tape damage due to manual contact.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide a tape cassette that is also excellent from the viewpoint of aesthetics.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, a tape cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention with the upper cassette case and front cover removed, FIG. 2 is a plan view with the back cover removed, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tape cassette. 4
Figures 5 and 5 are sectional views of the tape cassette in the X-X section with the lid closed and the lid open. Figures 6 and 7 are sectional views of the tape cassette in the Y-Y section with the lid closed and the lid open. The figure shows a plan view of the main part of the tape cassette for the M loading running system, and FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the main part of the tape cassette for the υ loading running system.

1 to 7, the tape cassette 1 has an upper cassette case 2 and a lower cassette case 3 that fit together to form a flat cassette case, as is clear from the figures. Two cassette reels 4a and 4b arranged on a plane
, and a magnetic tape 5.

The cassette reels 4a and 4b each have the starting end or the ending end of the magnetic tape 5 fixed, and the magnetic tape 5 is placed around them.
is being wound around.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a front cover that covers the top and front surface of the magnetic tape 5, and has a substantially U-shape as shown in FIGS. Furthermore, upper and lower cassette cases 2.
A pair of front cover rotation support shafts 6a, 6b provided on both left and right end side plates of the front M6 are supported on the front M6.
Rotate around b. Further, the front lid 6 is always biased in the closing direction by a front lid biasing spring 7 provided on the pivot shaft 6b. This biasing spring 7 is constituted by a torsion coil spring, and one end is supported by the upper cassette case 2, and the other end is supported by a pin 6C provided on the front cover rotation support shaft 6b.

8a and 8b are the magnetic tape 5 placed in the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3
This is a space into which a post (not shown) pulled out from the cassette case 3 enters, and is separated by a partition 3a protruding from the lower cassette case 3.

Furthermore, a slack prevention plate 3b is provided on the front side of the partition portion 3a to prevent the magnetic tape 5 stretched on the front side from loosening backward.
The partition portion 3a is further provided with a first positioning hole 3c for positioning the tape cassette l.

This partition is provided on the center line of the cassette reel 4a in the longitudinal direction, and is located at the position where the distance between the wall of the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3 and the magnetic tape 5 stretched over the entire surface is the shortest. , the areas of the openings 8a and 8b are made as wide as possible.

Further, the symmetrical opening 8b is provided approximately at the center of the tape cassette 1.

The magnetic tee 15 is guided by stainless steel guide bosses 9a and 9b located approximately at the left and right ends of the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3.
are projected on the front of the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3.

The stainless steel guide posts 9a and 9b are made of a non-magnetic material with high precision and a surface roughness of 0.4 μm or less.

IO is a back cover that covers the back side of the opening 8 of the magnetic tape 5. In the back cover 10, a pair of back cover rotation support shafts 10a and 10b that protrude left and right are supported by a bearing part 6e of a bracket part 6d integrally provided with the front cover 6. The back cover 10 is rotatable around pivot shafts 10a and 10b.

11a is a guide groove that guides the guide pin 10c at the left end of the back cover 10, and is provided at the left end of the opening 8a of the lower cassette case 3; The guide post 9a does not overlap with the direction A and is disposed substantially at the rear of the guide post 9a.

11b is a guide groove that guides the right guide pin 10c at the right end of the back cover 10, and the opening 8b of the lower cassette case 3.
As is clear from Figure 0 provided at the right end of the figure, the left and right guide grooves 11a and llb have different distances from the tape cassette front surface 1b, and lla and llb have different groove shapes.

Dotted lines 5a and 5b in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate tape path areas where the magnetic tape 5 can be pulled out from the left and right tape rolls 13a and 13b during normal running.

The tape path areas 5a and 5b are formed in such a range that they do not come into contact with the guide posts 9a and 9b inside the tape cassette 1.

Dot-dash lines 5c and 5d indicate the tape paths pulled out from the left and right tape rolls 13a and 13b during high-speed running, and are in contact with the guide posts 9a and 9b.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a notch in the lower cassette case 3 that is cut out because the guide post 9a is moved closer to the opening 8a in order to enlarge the left tape path area 5a during normal running.

10e is a left guide pin 10 provided at the left end of the back 1110.
d, and when the lid is closed, the notch 12
is covered by the bracket part 6d of the front 16 and the rib 10e of the back cover 10.

13a and 13b, the magnetic tape 5 is the cassette reel 4a,
It is a tape roll wound up in 4b.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a lighthouse consisting of a photodiode that emits light toward a light receiving element (not shown) in order to detect the start and end ends of the magnetic tape 5.

Reference numeral 15 designates an insertion hole provided on the bottom surface of the lower cassette case 3 through which the lighthouse 14 enters into the tape cassette 1.

When the lid is opened, the light from the lighthouse 14 inserted into the insertion hole 15 passes through the light receiving paths 16a and 16b from the inside of the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3 to the light receiving holes provided on the left and right sides of the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3. It passes through 17a and 17b and is guided to the outside.

18a and 18b are second cassette case positioning holes provided in the lower cassette case 3.

19 is connected to a long part (not shown) provided on the side plate of the front cover 6 to prevent the front M6 from inadvertently closing and damaging the magnetic tape 5 when not attached to a VTR (not shown). It is a locking member that locks the front lid 6, and always biases the locking member 19 in a direction to engage with the front lid locking portion by a locking member biasing spring 2o.

21a and 21b are the magnetic tapes 5 when the VTR is not installed.
This is a reel brake for preventing tape sagging due to careless rotation of the cassette reels 4a and 4b wound with the shafts 22a and 4b provided in the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3.
22b, and is constantly biased by a biasing spring (not shown) in a direction in which the tip engages with the cassette reels 4a, 4b.

23 is a notch groove provided in the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3, and a member (not shown) enters the lid opening provided on the VTR side to push up the front lid 6 in the opening direction. is a ditch.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a locking member rotation wheel on which the locking member 19 rotates.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a reel brake unlocking hole into which a brake release pin (not shown) on the VTR side is inserted to rotate the reel brakes 21a, 21b in the direction of detaching from the cassette reels 4a, 4b.

The configuration on the VTR side will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. 26 is a cylinder for recording and reproducing signals.

Reference numerals 27a and 27b are a vertical post and an inclined post of a supply side loading post that wraps the magnetic tape 5 around the left half of the cylinder 26, and both are the same moving member (not shown).
planted on top.

Reference numerals 27c and 27d are winding posts for winding approximately the right half, and both are mounted on the same moving member (not shown).

2 is a tension post that controls the tension of the magnetic tape 5 while it is running.

29 is a pinch roller, 30 is a drawer post on the winding side,
31 is a full erase head for erasing information on the magnetic tape 5; 32 is an A/C head for determining the running speed of the magnetic tape 5 and the rotational phase with the cylinder 26; 33 is a capstan that pinches the magnetic tape 5 with the pinch roller 29 and drives the tape.

34a, 34b, 34c, 34d are a group of loading posts installed on the only loading ring 35.

36 is the center line of the tape cassette 1, and the cylinder 26
approximately coincides with the center of

The operation of the tape cassette I constructed as described above will be explained below.

FIG. 4 shows the lid in the closed state, and the openings 8a and 8b are normally open.
The magnetic tape 5 that is stretched is covered by a front cover 6 and a back cover 10, respectively.

Even if you intentionally try to open the front I6 upward, the locking member 19 and the front lid locking part (not shown) of the front 16 will come into contact with each other.
It does not rotate in the direction of the arrow.

In this way, damage to the tape due to careless opening of the front cover 6 is prevented.

Next, when the tape cassette 1 is inserted into a VTR (not shown), the locking member 9 is rotated clockwise around the shaft 24, and becomes 19a shown by the broken line, before it is disengaged from the front cover locking part. The lid 6 can now be opened upward.

Next, by moving the tape cassette 1 in the direction of the arrow ■,
The lid opening member (not shown) provided on the VTR side is the front lid 6.
The lid opening of the upper and lower cassette cases 2.3 provided inside enters into the groove 23, and when the tape cassette 1 moves in the ■ direction, the front lid 6 is rotated around the front lid rotation support shafts 6a and 6b. A force is generated that tries to rotate it clockwise. Further arrow
When the front cover 6 is moved in the direction, the front cover 6 is opened upwardly against the front cover biasing spring 7 around the support shafts 6a and 6b.

Further, the back cover 10 has a left guide groove 11a provided in the lower cassette case 3 around the pair of left and right back cover support shafts 10a and 10b.
, while being regulated by the right guide groove 11b, rotates integrally with the front cover 6, and enters the state shown in FIGS. 4 to 7.

Here, the groove shapes of the left and right guide grooves 11a and llb are the same as those of a pair of left and right rotation support shafts 10a and 10 provided on the same straight line.
When the back cover 10 is rotated a certain amount around b, the left and right guide pins llc and ld, which are at different positions from the pivot shafts 10a and 10b, pass along the trajectory, and which guide groove 11a is the left or right. , Even if the back l110 is regulated in llb,
The tip 10f of the back 1110 draws the same trajectory (.

In this way, the back M10 opens and closes the notch 12 on the back surface of the magnetic tape 5 using the bracket part 6d of the front cover 6 and the rib 10e as the front M6 rotates.

Further, at the same time as the front cover 6 and back MIO are opened and closed, a reel brake release member (not shown) installed inside the VTR enters the reel brake release hole 25, and the cassette reels 4a, 4
Reel brakes 21a and 21b that stopped the rotation of b
is rotated in a direction to separate from the cassette reels 4a, 4b, and the restraint on the cassette reels 4a, 4b is released. Further, a reel stand (not shown) in the VTR is provided with each cassette reel 4a.

4b and becomes freely rotatable.

On the other hand, a lighthouse 14 provided in the VTR for detecting the beginning and end of the magnetic tape 5 enters into the insertion hole 15.

In this way, when the magnetic tape 5 is running at high speed or while being pulled out, the guide posts 9a,
Contact 9b. Therefore, the magnetic tape 5 is not damaged.
Alternatively, in order to ensure highly accurate tape running performance, the guide posts 9a and 9b may be
High precision is required for surface roughness.

Next, the loading operation in the M loading travel system shown in FIG. 8 will be explained.

Loading posts 27a, 27b on the supply side and tensilon post 28 for winding the magnetic tape 5 around the rotating cylinder 26 are located in the opening 8a of the tape cassette 1, loading posts 27c, 27d on the winding side and the pinch roller 2 are located in the opening 8a of the tape cassette 1.
9 and the winding side drawer post 30 are bilaterally symmetrical opening 8
Enter b.

In response to the loading command, the magnetic tape 5, which is projected from the position shown by the dotted line to the front, is pulled out within the tape path area 5a15b during normal running and moved to the position shown by the solid line.

As a result, the cylinder 26, the full erase head 31,
It is caused to wrap around the A/C head 32 by a predetermined amount.

As shown in the figure, in a format where the distance between the cylinder 26 and the A/C head is long, the cylinder 26 must be attached to the tape cassette 1 in order to achieve a compact arrangement of the running system.
is placed on the left side of

That is, the posts constituting the traveling system from the tape cassette 1 are arranged so that they do not protrude from the tape cassette 1 to a large extent in the width direction.

In loading in such a traveling system, the opening 8a on the left side is effective for inserting the loading post 27a527b and the tension post 28.

Furthermore, the loading operation in the U loading travel system shown in FIG. 9 will be explained.

The winding side opening posts 34a, 34b for winding the magnetic tape 5 around the rotary cylinder 26, the pinch roller 29, and the winding side drawer post 30 are located in the symmetrical opening 8b, and the tension post 28 is located in the left opening 8a. It enters the inside and becomes the state shown by the wavy line.

Next, by the loading command, loading ring 3
Posts 34a, 34b, 34c, 35d planted on 5
is caused by the rotation of the loading ring 35 in the direction of the half-hour hand.
The magnetic tape 5 is wound around the cylinder 26 to the position shown by the solid line. The tension post 28 and the winding side drawer post 30 also move from the state of the wavy line to the state of the solid line.

In this way, in the U loading method, a large number of loading posts 34a are provided approximately concentrically with the cylinder 26.
, 34b, 34c, and 34d are arranged. If each post were driven independently, the number of parts and cost would increase significantly.Therefore, conventionally, each post has been arranged on one loading ring 35 to simplify the process.

In order for each post installed on the loading ring 35 to pass through the opening 8b and pull out the magnetic tape 5 smoothly, it is better for the opening 8b to have a symmetrical shape to effectively fill the inside of the opening 8b. It is clear from the diagram that it can be used.

Although the mounting operation for mounting the tape cassette 1 into the cassette mounting position of the VTR has been described above, the operation for removing the tape cassette 1 from the VTR is performed in the complete opposite manner to the mounting operation.

In the present invention, since the magnetic tape 5 is sent from the cassette reel 4a to the cassette reel 4b in the M running system shown in FIG. It was provided on the left side of the opening 8b. However, when the running direction of the magnetic tape 5 is completely opposite, the opening 8a may be provided on the right side of the substantially symmetrical opening 8b.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention is a tape cassette having a substantially symmetrical first opening in the center of the tape cassette, and a second opening separated from the first opening. It is compatible with various loading methods while increasing reliability against tape damage caused by manual contact. Furthermore, it has the characteristic of being excellent in terms of aesthetics.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the upper cassette case of one embodiment of the present invention with the front cover removed, Fig. 2 is a plan view with the back cover removed, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tape cassette, and Fig. 4 , Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the tape cassette in the X-X section with the lid closed and the lid open, Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of the tape cassette in the Y-Y section with the lid closed and the lid open, and Fig. 8 9 is a plan view of the main part of the tape cassette for the M loading travel system, FIG. 9 is a plan view of the main part of the tape cassette for the U loading travel system,
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a conventional tape cassette, FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the portion with the lid open, and FIG. 12 is a plan view of the main part from the bottom of the tape cassette. 1...Tape cassette, 2...Upper cassette case, 3...Lower cassette case, 3a
・・・・・・Partition part, 5...Magnetic tape, 5
a, b...Tape bath area, 6...Front lid, 8a. b...Opening, 10...Back cover.

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) A pair of tape reels for winding a tape and locking both ends of the tape, a cassette case with the tape stretched on the front and housing the pair of tape reels; a substantially symmetrical first opening provided in the cassette case inside the tape; and a first opening provided on either the left or right side of the first opening inside the tape stretched on the front surface. a second opening, a partition separating the first opening and the second opening, and a front surface of the tape that is pivotally supported on the side surface of the cassette case and stretched on the front surface. A tape cassette characterized by comprising a front lid that is covered by movement. (2) The tape cassette according to claim (1), wherein the partition portion is provided with a positioning hole for positioning the cassette case. (3) The tape according to any one of claims (1) and (2), characterized in that a regulating plate is provided on the front surface of the partition portion to regulate rearward movement of the magnetic tape stretched on the front surface. cassette. (4) The cassette case consists of an upper cassette case that can be divided into approximately an upper half, and a lower cassette case that can be divided into approximately a lower half, and the partition portion is provided integrally with the lower cassette case. Claims (1) to (3)
) Tape cassettes listed in any of the above. (5) The tape cassette according to any one of claims (1) to (4), wherein the first opening is provided approximately at the center in the width direction of the cassette case. (6) The tape cassette according to any one of claims (1) to (5), characterized in that the partition is provided in a direction perpendicular to the center line connecting the pair of tape reels and on the center line of the left tape reel. . (7) A claim characterized in that the cassette case includes a back cover that is pivotally supported by the front cover and that rotates to cover the back surface of the tape, and a guide groove that is formed in the cassette case and restricts the rotation of the back cover. The tape cassette according to any one of (1) to (6).