JPH0450596Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The recording medium loading device of the present invention will be explained according to the following items.

A. Industrial field of application B. Overview of the invention C. Background art [Figure 8] D. Problem that the invention attempts to solve [Figure 8] E. Means for solving the problem F. Example a. Tape cassette [No. 1] Figures to Figures 3 and 6
Figures, Figure 7] b Overview of tape player [Figures 1 to 4
Figures, Figures 6 and 7] c Support body [Figures 3 to 6] d Reproducing section [Figures 1 and 3] e Tape cassette loading device [Figure 1
Figures, Figures 3 to 7] e-1 Cassette holder [Figures 1, 3 to 7] e-1-a Main part [Figures 1, 3 to 7] e- 1-b Support roller [Fig. 1, Fig. 3 to Fig. 6] e-1-c Cassette holder [Fig. 1, Fig. 3]
Figures to Figures 6] e-1-d Cassette feed roller [first
Figures, Figures 3, 5, and 6] e-1-e Support and movement by supports [Figures 1, 3, 4, and 7] e-2 Cassette holder of tape cassette Insertion into the cassette and rotation of the cassette holder [first
Figure] e-3 Function of support roller [Figure 1, Figure 6
Figure] e-4 Drive mechanism [Figure 3, Figure 5, Figure 7
e-4-a Motor, worm, drive gear e-4-b Rotating arm, swing gear e-4-c Intermediate gear, rack e-4-d Operation [Fig. 7] e-5 Cassette holder movement [Fig. 1,
[Fig. 4, Fig. 7] e-6 Retraction and delivery of tape cassette by cassette feed roller [Fig. 1 A] e-7 Other members [Fig. 1, Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, Fig. 7] e-7-a Stopper arm, slider [Figures 1, 3 to 5, 7
e-7-b Lock element [Fig. 1, Fig. 4] e-8 Loading and unloading operation of tape cassette e-8-a Loading operation e-8-b Unloading operation G Effect of the invention ( A. Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a novel recording medium loading device. In detail, for example, there is a cassette holder into which a recording medium cassette such as a tape cassette or a disk cassette is removably inserted, and a recording medium cassette is inserted into the cassette holder by elastic contact with the recording medium cassette. This relates to a cassette loading device equipped with a feed roller that moves a recording medium cassette by being pinched and rotated between the roller and the bottom plate of a cassette holder, and is used to reversely feed a recording medium cassette that has been inserted into the cassette holder. By providing a rotating member supported from the roller side, the sliding resistance of the recording medium cassette against the cassette holder can be significantly reduced, and the recording medium cassette can be smoothly moved by the feed roller. The present invention aims to provide a recording medium loading device.

(B Overview of the invention) The recording medium loading device of the present invention includes a cassette holder into which a recording medium cassette is removably inserted, and a recording medium cassette that is inserted into the cassette holder. In a cassette loading device equipped with a feed roller that moves the recording medium cassette by sandwiching the cassette with the bottom plate of a cassette holder and rotating the cassette, the roller that supports the recording medium cassette from the side opposite to the feed roller is attached to the cassette loading device. By rotatably providing the holder, the sliding resistance of the recording medium cassette with respect to the cassette holder can be significantly reduced, so that the recording medium cassette can be smoothly moved by the feed roller.

(C Background Art) [Figure 8] For example, a recording/reproducing device such as a tape player or a disk player usually includes a recording medium loading device for loading a recording medium such as a tape cassette or a disk cassette into the recording/reproducing section. It is provided.

There have been various types of recording medium loading devices in the past, but for example, in video tape players, video tape recorders, in-vehicle tape players, etc., recording medium loading is performed using the so-called front loading method. Many devices are used, and recording medium loading devices using this method are usually
The cassette holder is provided with a cassette holder in which a recording medium is removably inserted and moved between an eject position where the recording medium is inserted and removed and a loading completion position where the recording medium is mounted on a recording/reproducing section. The recording medium is inserted into the holder by inserting the recording medium through a recording medium insertion slot formed on the front surface of the outer casing.

Therefore, in such a front loading type recording medium loading device, a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as "insertion completion position") where the recording medium is to be inserted into the cassette holder is set.
However, in some cases, the recording medium must be inserted into the cassette holder manually up to the insertion completion position, and in other cases, the recording medium inserted into the cassette holder must be inserted into the insertion completion position. There are two methods: one in which the retraction is performed by the driving force of a motor; There is a method in which the above-mentioned retraction is performed by a cassette feeding roller provided on the cassette holder.

FIG. 8 schematically shows an example a of a conventional recording medium loading device equipped with such a cassette feed roller.

In the figure, b is a cassette holder;
The cassette holder b has a bottom plate c and two side plates d and d (only one type is shown in the drawing) raised from the left and right sides of the bottom plate c, and the front side,
That is, the tape cassette e is formed so as to form a substantially upside down U-shape when viewed from the side into which it is inserted.
As shown in the drawing, a support member (not shown) is moved between an eject position facing the cassette insertion opening h formed in the front plate g of the outer casing f and a loading completion position located below the eject position. is supported by

A positioning piece i bent upward is formed at the end of the bottom plate c on the side opposite to the cassette insertion opening h.

j is a cassette feed roller, and the cassette feed roller j is made of a material having rubber elasticity and is rotatably supported at the rotating end of a rotating member (not shown) that is rotatably supported by the cassette holder b. At the same time, the moving force that tends to move toward the bottom plate c side is always applied, and the cassette holder b
When the tape cassette e is not inserted into the cassette holder b, the tape cassette e is held at such a height that it makes relative contact with the upper surface of the tape cassette e inserted into the cassette holder b.

Therefore, when the tape cassette e is inserted into the cassette holder b, the front end of the upper surface of the tape cassette e, which is formed into an inclined surface, comes into contact with the cassette feed roller j, as shown by the solid line in the figure. As a result, the cassette feed roller j is pushed up against the moving force applied thereto, so that the cassette feed roller j comes into elastic contact with the upper surface of the tape cassette e. That will happen.

Then, from this state, the cassette feed roller j is rotated clockwise by a drive mechanism (not shown), thereby moving the tape cassette e toward the back of the cassette holder b, so that its front end surface comes into contact with the positioning piece i. By making contact, a predetermined insertion completion position is reached.

When the tape cassette e is taken out, the cassette feed roller j is rotated counterclockwise, so that a part of the tape cassette e is projected outward from the cassette insertion opening h.

(Problem to be solved by the invention D) [Figure 8] The tape cassette e is pulled in by the recording medium loading device a shown in Figure 8 as described above. Since the tape cassette e moves while being pressed against the bottom plate c of the cassette holder b by the cassette feed roller j, the sliding resistance of the tape cassette e against the cassette holder b becomes very large. There is a problem in that even if the cassette feed roller j rotates, it may stop midway and may not be drawn to the insertion completion position, or the cassette may not be sufficiently fed out from the cassette holder. Furthermore, if the sliding resistance of the tape cassette e against the bottom plate c of the cassette holder b is not equal on the left and right sides, the tape cassette e will slide against the bottom plate c of the cassette holder b.
It will be inserted in a tilted direction, and
When the direction of the tape cassette e is tilted in this way, the tape cassette e touches the side plates d, d of the cassette holder b.
Tape cassette e
The problem is that the movement of people becomes even more unstable and uncertain.

Therefore, in such a recording medium loading device, in order to minimize the sliding resistance between the tape cassette e and the tape cassette e, the upper surface of the bottom plate c of the cassette holder b is specially treated to improve sliding properties. There is.

However, since such processing is extremely expensive, it causes an increase in the cost of the recording medium loading device.Also, considering the high cost, it is difficult to reduce the sliding resistance as described above. The problem is that I can't.

(E. Means for Solving Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the recording medium loading device of the present invention has a support roller whose outer peripheral surface is partially located slightly above the top surface of the bottom plate of the cassette holder. Rotatably installed in the cassette holder,
The recording medium cassette is moved with its upper part in elastic contact with the two feed rollers and its lower part riding on the two supporting rollers.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the recording medium cassette being inserted into the cassette holder moves while being sandwiched between the feed roller and the support roller without the entire or most part coming into contact with the bottom plate of the cassette holder. As a result, the sliding resistance against the cassette holder when the recording medium cassette moves can be significantly reduced, and as a result, the recording medium cassette can be reliably pulled into a predetermined retracted position in the cassette holder or pulled out. The cassette can be reliably fed out of the cassette holder from the retracted position, and the load on the drive mechanism that rotates the feeding roller can be reduced.

(F. Embodiment) Details of the recording medium loading device of the present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

The embodiment shown in the drawings is an application of the present invention to a tape cassette loading device for a tape player.

First, an example of a tape cassette will be explained,
After that, the tape player will be explained.

(a Tape cassette) [Figures 1 to 3, Figures 6 and 7] Reference numeral 1 is a relatively small tape cassette.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a cassette case of the tape cassette 1, and the cassette case 2 is shaped in the left-right direction when viewed from above and below (the direction diagonally upward to the left in FIG. 2 is the left side, and the direction diagonally downward to the right is the right side. In addition, the direction diagonally downward to the left in the figure is the front, and the direction diagonally upward to the right is the rear.The front-rear direction of the tape cassette 1 is opposite to the above-mentioned front-rear direction.The following explanation When indicating the direction, refer to this direction. (see Figure 7), and the 2
A portion of the magnetic tape 4 wound on two tape reels 3, 3' (see FIG. 3) is passed through the extraction surface 2a.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a front cover for opening and closing the tape drawer surface 2a, and the front cover 5 is formed into a substantially U-shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from above, and both left and right ends of the U-shape are connected to the front end of the cassette case 2. It is rotatably supported on both the left and right sides of the tape, and a resilient member (not shown) always exerts a rotational force in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. When the tape cassette 1 is energized and is not in use, it is in a position where it closes the tape draw-out surface 2a (hereinafter referred to as the "closed position"), as shown in FIG. When the tape cassette 1 is installed in the recording/reproducing section of a tape player, the tape drawer surface 2 is opened as shown in FIG. 1B.
The position where a is opened (hereinafter referred to as the "open position")
It is starting to be moved to

Incidentally, when the tape cassette 1 is not inserted into the cassette holder of the tape player, the front lid 5 is locked in the closed position by a locking member (not shown) provided on the cassette case 2, so that the tape cassette 1 is not inserted into the cassette holder. The lock is released by inserting it into the holder.

The upper surface of the front end portion 2b of the cassette case 2 is formed into a slope sloping downward toward the front, as can be seen clearly in FIG. 5a is also formed on a slope that is located substantially on the same plane as the front end portion 2b in the closed position.

Also, the front edge of the bottom plate of the cassette case 2
As can be clearly seen from Figures B and 7, the left and right ends 6, 6 (hereinafter referred to as "pressing edges") are the most forwardly protruding parts, and the tape cassette 1 will be described later. Insertion into the cassette holder is performed at the position where these pressing edges 6, 6 of the cassette case 2 come into contact with the rear end surface of the cassette holder (the front surface of the positioning piece provided on the cassette holder, which will be described later) (hereinafter referred to as the "insertion completion position"). .) It is supposed to be completed by coming. For this reason, a notch that reaches the lower edge of the front cover 5 is formed in a portion of the front cover 5 that corresponds to the pressing edges 6, 6.

(b Overview of tape player) [Figures 1 to 4
Figures 6 and 7 ] 7 is a tape player.

8 is an outer casing of the tape player 7;
The tape cassette 1 is formed into a substantially box shape by a main part 9 having an open front end face and a front panel 10 attached to the front part of the main part 9. A cassette insertion opening 11 elongated in the left and right direction is formed for inserting and removing a cassette into a cassette holder, and various operation buttons 12, 12, . . . are provided at the bottom thereof.
...is placed.

The cassette insertion slot 11 has a bottom plate 11a extending rearward from the lower opening edge, side walls 11b, 11b projecting rearward from both left and right side edges, and an upper piece projecting rearward from the upper opening edge. 11
It has a certain depth because it is surrounded by c, and a door 13 is rotatably provided approximately in the middle in the depth direction.

14 is a circuit board attached to the inside of the front panel 10.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a cassette holder into which the tape cassette 1 is removably inserted. The position facing the insertion port 11, that is, the position shown in FIG. 1A (hereinafter referred to as "eject position") and the position shown in FIG. 1B (hereinafter referred to as (loading completion position)). The tape cassette 1 is inserted and removed when the cassette holder 15 is at the eject position.

Further, the cassette holder 15 rotatably supports a cassette presser 17 which is moved by the tape cassette 1 inserted into the cassette holder 15.
A cassette feed roller 18 is attached to the cassette presser 17,
18' is rotatably supported, and the support 16 supports an insertion detection switch 19 that outputs a predetermined signal when the cassette holder 17 is rotated. The motor 20 is rotated when a signal is output from the insertion detection switch 19, and when the motor 20 is rotated, a rotational force is applied in a direction corresponding to the rotational direction of the motor 20, and the cassette holder 15 is rotated. A drive mechanism 23 having a rotating arm 21 connected to the rotating arm 21, a swinging gear 22 rotatably supported by the rotating end of the rotating arm 21, and other gears is disposed.

Then, when the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 15, the cassette feed roller 1
8 and 18' come into contact with the upper surface of the cassette case 2, and the cassette holder 17 is rotated upward, whereby a predetermined signal is output from the insertion detection switch 19, which causes the motor 20 to rotate and the cassette to be inserted. The feed rollers 18, 18' are rotated by the swing gear 22 in a direction to draw the tape cassette 1 deep into the cassette holder 15, so that the tape cassette 1 is drawn to the insertion completion position. Furthermore, when the tape cassette 1 is pulled in to the insertion completion position, the rotating arm 21 is rotated downward, thereby moving the cassette holder 15 to the loading completion position and attaching the tape cassette 1 to the playback section. will be done.

Further, relatively small support rollers 24, 24' are provided in the cassette holder 15 at positions substantially facing the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' with the tape cassette 1 inserted therebetween.
The tape cassette 1 has cassette feed rollers 18,1
8' and support rollers 24, 24' to move within the cassette holder 15.

Note that the door 13 is biased with a rotational force in the direction of closing the cassette insertion opening 11 by an elastic member (not shown), and as the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette insertion opening 11, As the cassette holder 15 is pushed open and descends to the loading completion position, its rotational force returns the cassette insertion opening 11 to the closing position.
When the cassette holder 15 is raised to the eject position, it is moved to the position where the cassette insertion slot 11 is opened by a door opening/closing means (not shown).
When the tape cassette 1 is pulled out of the cassette insertion opening 11, it returns to the position where the cassette insertion opening 11 is closed.

(c Support) [Figs. 3 to 6] The support 16 includes left and right side plates 25, 26 facing each other substantially parallel to each other, three crosspieces 27 provided in a bridging manner between the side plates 25, 26, 28 and 29.

The side plates 25 and 26 are generally formed into a rectangular plate shape that is slightly elongated in the front-rear direction, and mounting pieces 30 and 30' bent outward are formed at the lower ends of the side plates 25 and 26, and the upper and lower front edges of the side plates 25 and 26 are formed at the lower ends of the side plates 25 and 26. Protruding pieces 31, 3 protruding forward at approximately the center in the direction
1' is formed, and a substantially round bar-shaped crosspiece 27 is provided in a spanning manner between the projecting pieces 31, 31', and the other 2
Of the two crosspieces 28 and 29, the front one 28 has its left and right ends fixed to the front ends of the upper ends of the side plates 25 and 26, and the rear crosspiece 29 has its left and right ends fixed to the side plates 25 and 26.
5, 26, and the mounting pieces 30, 30' are fixed to the outer casing 8.

Reference numerals 32 and 32' indicate arm support shafts that support support arms, which will be described later.
Reference numerals 32' denote projecting parts 33, 3 which are formed at positions near the front edges of the side plates 25, 26 slightly below the protrusions 31, 31' so as to protrude inwardly.
3' (shown only in FIG. 3).

The upper end of the left side plate 25 reaches the upper edge of the left side plate 25 and has a length of approximately three-quarters of the height of the left side plate 25 at approximately the center of the left side plate 25 in the front-rear direction. A relatively large notch 34 is formed in the shape of an inverted L, and an opening 35 in the shape of a rectangle is formed near the lower end of the left side plate 25.

36, 37, 36', 37' are support arms that support the cassette holder 15, and among these four support arms, the upper two are 36 and 36'.
The two lower support arms 37 and 37' have shapes that are substantially symmetrical to each other, and the front ends of the upper support arms 36 and 36' are rotated separately to the left and right ends of the round bar-shaped crosspiece 27, respectively. The lower two support arms 37 and 3 are movably supported.
The front ends of the arms 7' are rotatably supported by arm support shafts 32 and 32' that project from the side plates 25 and 26, respectively. These four support arms 36, 37 and 36', 37' all have approximately the same size, and holes 38, 38, . . . are formed at their rear ends, that is, at their rotating ends. has been done.

Reference numeral 39 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) is a lid lifting pin for moving the front lid 5 of the tape cassette 1 to the open position. It is provided so as to protrude substantially horizontally toward the right from the vertically intermediate portion of the portion near the rear end.

(d Playback section) [Figure 1, Figure 3] 40 is a reproduction section.

41 is a mechanical chassis (only the part near the rear end is shown in FIG. 3, and the remaining part is shown in FIG. 1), which is the base of the regeneration unit 40; Fixed to the housing 8,
A head drum 42 equipped with a rotating magnetic head (not shown) is provided near the rear end, and two reel stands 43, 43' located apart from each other in the left and right direction are provided near the front end of the head drum 42. . 43a, 43'a are each reel stand 43, 4
3' is the reel engagement shaft.

At the front of the mechanical chassis 41, there are four cassette positioning pins 44, 44' and 45, 4.
Of these four cassette positioning pins 44, 44' and 45, 45', the rear two located behind the reel stands 43, 43'
The book cassette positioning pins 44 and 44' and the two front cassette positioning pins 45 and 45' are located apart from each other in the left and right direction, and have approximately the same height. At the upper ends of the cassette positioning pins 44, 44', insertion portions 44a, 44'a whose upper portions are approximately conical are formed so as to protrude further upward.

In addition, tape cassette 1 is its cassette case 2.
are placed on the upper end surfaces of these cassette positioning pins 44, 44' and 45, 45', thereby defining the height relative to the playback section 40, and the cassette positioning pins (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the cassette case 2.
Insert the rear cassette positioning pin 4 into the two positioning holes.
By inserting the insertion portions 44a and 44'a of 4 and 44', the reproduction section 40 is positioned in the horizontal direction.

(e Tape cassette loading device) [1st
FIGS. 3 to 7 ] 46 is a tape cassette loading device; the tape cassette loading device 46 includes:
The cassette presser 17 and the cassette feed roller 1
8, 18' and support rollers 24, 24', a drive mechanism 23, and other members.

(e-1 Cassette holder) [Figures 1, 3 to 7] (e-1-a Main part) [Figures 1, 3 to 7]
Figure] 47 is the main part of the cassette holder 15, and the main part 47 is connected to the cassette mounting plate 48 and the side plates 49, 4.
9', it is formed so as to form a general shape when viewed from the front and rear directions.

The cassette mounting plate 48 is formed into a plate shape whose overall appearance is approximately the same size as the planar shape of the cassette case 2 of the tape cassette 1, and has both left and right ends near the rear end. A notch 50 is formed in the removed portion, and
Portions located on both left and right sides of the notch 50 (hereinafter referred to as
It's called a "projection." ) 51, 51', the tape cassette 1 placed on the cassette placement plate 48
Positioning pieces 52, 52' projecting upward are formed at positions facing the pressing edges 6, 6' of the cassette case 2 from the rear.

Note that the right side edge of the left protrusion 51 is bent so that a portion slightly closer to the rear end from the center in the front-rear direction forms a substantially crank shape, and the middle portion of the crank shape extending in the left-right direction will be described later. This serves as a stopper portion 53 for regulating the position of the slider.

The left and right corners of the front end of the cassette mounting plate 48 are cut out in a substantially L-shape, and the front edge of the portion located between the cutouts is bent diagonally downward toward the front. In addition, two reel stand insertion holes 54, 54' are formed at a portion between the bent portion and the notch portion 50 formed at the rear end portion, and are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. has been done.

In addition, notches 55 and 56 are formed at approximately the center in the front-rear direction of the upper edge of the left side plate 49 and at a portion near the rear end, and these cutouts 55 and 56 approximately correspond to the above-mentioned notches 55 and 56 at the upper edge of the right side plate 49'. A similar notch 5 is also provided at the position where
5' and 56' are formed.

Further, bearing holes 57, 57' are formed in the left and right side plates 49, 49' at positions close to the front notches 55, 55' from the rear side near the upper edges thereof, and bearing holes 57, 57' are formed in the respective outer sides. Connecting pins 58, 59 and 58', 59' are protrudingly provided at positions approaching the rear end portion of the lower end portion of the side surface and the rear side notches 56, 56' from diagonally downward from the front.

Reference numeral 60 denotes a projecting piece that projects downward from a position near the front end of the lower edge of the left side plate 49;
A locking pin 6 protrudes toward the right side from the lower end of the
1 is provided.

Reference numeral 62 denotes an insertion regulating piece that is formed to protrude from the front end of the upper edge of the right side plate 49' at a substantially right angle toward the left side. Further, 63 is a lock release protrusion.

(e-1-b Support Roller) [Figs. 1, 3 to 6] The support rollers 24, 24' are supported by the main portion 47 of the cassette holder 15, and a part of their outer peripheral surface is attached to the cassette. It is provided so as to be located slightly above the upper surface of the mounting plate 48.

That is, 64 and 64' are the left and right side plates 4 of the main portion 47.
9, 49' are roller support pieces which protrude downward from a position slightly forward from the center in the fore-and-aft direction on the lower edges of the cassette loading plate 48, and the roller support pieces 64, 64' are formed by cutting and raising downward a portion of the cassette loading plate 48 which corresponds to the above-mentioned position, and therefore, approximately rectangular holes 65, 65' are formed in the portions of the cassette loading plate 48 where the roller support pieces 64, 64' are cut and raised.

Further, the roller support pieces 64 and 64' are provided with holes 65 and 64' that protrude substantially horizontally toward each other inwardly.
Roller support pins 66, 66' located within 65' are provided, and these roller support pins 66, 6
6', as shown in FIG. 6, portions 66a, 66'a (hereinafter referred to as "small diameter portions") occupying approximately half of the tip end are the remaining portions 66b, 66'b.
(Hereinafter, referred to as the "large diameter part.") It is formed to have a smaller diameter.

The support rollers 24, 24' have short lengths in the axial direction relative to their outer diameters, and the large diameter portions 66b, 66b of the roller support pins 66, 66',
It has a slightly larger outer diameter than the diameter of the roller support pins 66, 66', and the small diameter parts 66a, 6 of the roller support pins 66, 66'.
It is rotatably supported by 6'a.

An annular groove (not shown) is formed in the portion of the roller support pins 66, 66' that protrudes from the support rollers 24, 24', and retaining washers 67, 67' are engaged with the annular groove. This prevents the support rollers 24, 24' from coming off the roller support pins 66, 66'.

Therefore, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the support rollers 24, 24' is located near both left and right ends of the upper surface of the cassette mounting plate 48, that is, the cassette case of the tape cassette 1 placed on the cassette mounting plate 48. It is located in a state slightly protruding upward from a position slightly toward the rear side from the front end of the portion corresponding to both the left and right ends of the lower surface of 2.

The functions of the support rollers 24, 24' will be explained in section e-3 below.

(e-1-c Cassette holder) [Figs. 1, 3 to 6] The cassette holder 17 is formed to have a substantially plate-like shape that is long in the left and right direction when viewed as a whole. Notches 68 and 69 and 68' and 69' are formed on both front and rear edges of the portion near both ends, and the notches 68 and 69 on the left side and the notch 68' on the right side,
Spring hook grooves 70, 70' whose rear ends are continuous with the rear notches 68, 68' are formed at both left and right end portions of the portion 17a (hereinafter referred to as the "main portion") between the spring hook 69' and the rear notch 68, 68'. ing.

71, 71' are pressed pieces formed to protrude substantially forward from both left and right ends of the main portion 17a, and the pressed pieces 71, 71' have a thickness that increases as the plate thickness increases toward the front end. It is formed to become gradually thinner.

Reference numeral 72 denotes a support shaft that serves as a pivot point for the cassette holder 17, and the left and right ends of the support shaft 72 are connected to the left and right side plates 4 of the main portion 47 of the cassette holder 15.
The cassette holder 17 is inserted into bearing holes 57, 57' formed in the cassette holders 9, 49', and the rear end of the cassette holder 17 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 72.

Thus, the cassette presser 17 is located approximately at the center in the front-back direction of the upper portion between the side plates 49 and 49' of the main portion 47 of the cassette holder 15, and is rotatably supported by the side plates 49, 49'. Ru.

73, 73' are torsion coil springs, and the coil portions 73a, 73'a of these torsion coil springs 73, 73' are located in the notches 69, 69' on the rear side of the cassette holder 17 of the support shaft 72. and one arm 73 of the
b, 73'b are engaged with spring hook grooves 70, 70' formed in the main portion 17a, and the other arms 73c, 7
3'c is in elastic contact with the upper edges of the left and right side plates 49, 49' of the main portion 47 of the cassette holder 15.

As a result, a rotating force is applied to the cassette holder 17 in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 1 and 4.

In addition, the cassette presser foot 17 is attached to the cassette holder 1.
When the tape cassette 1 is not inserted into the tape cassette 5, both left and right ends of a roller shaft (described later) supported by the cassette holder 17 are attached to the side plates 49, 4 of the main portion 47.
It is held in a predetermined position by abutting at the front notches 55, 55' formed in the front part 9'.

Thus, the cassette mounting plate 48 of the main part 47, the left and right side plates 49, 49', and the cassette holder 17 form a cassette storage space 74 in which the tape cassette 1 is placed, that is, a planar size of the tape cassette 1. A space is defined which is approximately the same size as the planar shape of the cassette case 2 and whose height is slightly higher than the thickness of the cassette case 2.

(e-1-d cassette feed roller) [Fig. 1,
3, 5, and 6] Reference numeral 75 is a roller shaft that supports the cassette feed rollers 18, 18'. Bearing groove 76 formed on the lower surface of main portion 17a
The cassette presser 17
It is rotatably supported on the front edge of the

The cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are fixed to portions of the roller shaft 75 located within the front notches 68, 68' formed in the cassette holder 17.

Further, as can be clearly seen in FIG. 3, the left end of the roller shaft 75 is positioned so as to protrude slightly to the left from the left side plate 49 of the cassette holder 15, and the roller gear 77 is fixed to the protruded portion. ing.

Since the cassette presser 17 is biased by the rotational force of the torsion coil springs 73, 73', the cassette feed rollers 18, 18'
A moving force in the same direction as the rotational force, that is, a moving force in the clockwise direction in FIG. When the tape cassette 1 is not inserted into the tape cassette 1, the portion of the roller shaft 75 between the left end surface of the cassette holder 17 and the roller gear 77 and the right end portion are attached to the side plate 4.
9, 49', a front notch 55 formed on the upper edge,
By coming into contact with the front portion of the cassette 55' from above, the cassette presser 17 and the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are prevented from moving downward.

The position of the cassette presser 17 in this state is hereinafter referred to as the "initial position", and the position of the cassette presser 17 is referred to as the "initial position".
7 is in this initial position, the front ends of the pressed pieces 71, 71' are in the cassette storage space 7.
The front cover 5 of the tape cassette 1 inserted into the tape cassette 4
It is held at a position approximately equal to or slightly higher than the front edge 5b of the upper surface, and the cassette feed rollers 18, 1
8' is held at a slightly lower position than the front ends of the pressed pieces 71, 71'.

Further, as can be clearly seen from FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are located at a position slightly rearward from the position directly above the support rollers 24, 24'. are located facing each other.

(e-1-e Support and movement by the support body) [Figures 1, 3, 4, and 7] Therefore, the cassette holder 15 configured as described above has the following structure on the support body 16. It will be supported.

That is, the cassette holder 15 has its left side plate 4
The connecting pins 58 and 59 provided at the left support arms 36 and 37 supported by the support body 16 are rotatably inserted into the holes 38 and 38 formed at the rotary ends of the left support arms 36 and 37, respectively. Connecting pins 58', 59' provided on the right side plate 49' are rotatably inserted into holes 38, 38 formed at the rotating ends of the right support arms 36', 37' of the support body 16. As a result, it is supported by the support body 16 so as to be movable substantially in the vertical direction.

Further, the cassette holder 15 is biased with a moving force to move upward by the elastic force of an elastic member (not shown), and the side plates 49,
The rear end of the upper edge of the support member 49' is held in the eject position by contacting the crosspiece 29 of the support member 16 from below.

(e-2 Insertion of the tape cassette into the cassette holder and rotation of the cassette holder) [Fig. 1] Then, the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 15 with its front surface facing toward the back of the cassette holder 15.

When the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 15, the front end 5a of the front cover 5 of the cassette case 2 first comes into contact with the tips of the pressed pieces 71, 71' of the cassette holder 17, and presses the pressed pieces 71. ，
71' is pressed diagonally upward toward the rear, thereby causing the cassette holder 17 to rotate about its support shaft 72 and against the elastic force of the torsion coil springs 73, 73'. As the cassette feed rollers 18 and 18' are rotated in the counterclockwise direction (hereinafter referred to as the "upward direction") in the figures and FIG. Become. Then, the tape cassette 1 is moved toward the back of the cassette holder 15 while pushing the cassette presser 17 substantially upward in this manner.

When the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 15 until the part of the flat top surface of the cassette case 2 that continues to the front end 2b comes into contact with the pressed pieces 71, 71' of the cassette holder 17, Front end 2b of the upper surface of the cassette case 2
The upper front end portion 5a of the front cover 5 then comes into contact with the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' and presses the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' substantially rearward and obliquely upward, and from this state the cassette presser The pressed pieces 71, 71' of the press 17 are separated from the cassette case 2, and the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are pressed by the cassette case 2 as described above, so that the pressed pieces 71, 71' are rotated in the upward direction.
When the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' come into contact with the flat surface of the upper surface of the cassette case 2, their upward rotation stops, and from this state, the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' press the tape cassette 1 downward. I will do it.

Note that the tape cassette 1 has a front end 2b on the upper surface of the cassette case that is connected to the cassette feed rollers 18 and 1.
Cassette holder 1 until it moves away from 8'.
5, the cassette feed roller 1
8 and 18' are the directions in which the tape cassette 1 is drawn into the depths of the cassette holder 15 by the drive mechanism 23, that is, the clockwise direction in FIG.
This is called the "rotation direction when retracting." ), so that even if the pressure on the tape cassette 1 toward the back of the cassette holder 15 is released, the tape cassette 1 is still pulled toward the back of the cassette holder 15 by the cassette feed rollers 18, 18'. I'm going to go there.

An operating piece 78 that is approximately L-shaped when viewed from above is attached to the left end of the cassette presser 17, and an operating piece 78 that is approximately linked to the movement of the operating piece 78 is attached to the upper end of the left side plate 25 of the support body 16. The insertion detection switch 19 is attached to the left side plate 25, and the actuator 80 of the insertion detection switch 19 is rotatably supported by the pressure rod 79.
Its position changes according to the movement of the When the cassette presser 17 is at the initial position described above, the actuator 80 of the insertion detection switch 19 is at the position shown in FIG.
That is, tape cassette 1 is placed in cassette holder 15.
However, when the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 15, the cassette presser 17 is rotated as described above. , the operating piece 78 and the pressing rod 79 are moved as shown in FIG.
9 outputs an on signal indicating that the tape cassette 1 has been inserted into the cassette holder 15.

(e-3 Functions of Support Rollers) [Figures 1 and 6] By the way, the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 15 as described above, and the cassette presser 17 and the cassette feed rollers 18, 1
8' is moved while the sliding resistance against the cassette mounting plate 48 is significantly reduced by the support rollers 24, 24'.

That is, the tape cassette 1 is connected to the cassette holder 1.
When the cassette storage space 74 of No. 5 is inserted,
At first, the cassette case 2 is placed directly on the upper surface of the cassette mounting plate 48, and then it passes over the upper surface. After the cassette case 2 has been inserted approximately 1 minute, the left and right ends of the bottom of the cassette case 2 ride on the support rollers 24, 24'.
That is, the cassette is moved in a state where it is slightly raised from the upper surface of the cassette mounting plate 48.

Therefore, the above-mentioned upward pressing of the cassette presser 17 by the tape cassette 1 is performed after the cassette case 2 is in the state of being moved in this manner, so that by pushing the cassette presser 17 upward, Even if the cassette case 2 is pressed diagonally downward and toward the front by the cassette presser 17, a part of the cassette case 2 contacts the cassette mounting plate 48 and the other part rides on the support rollers 24, 24'. Therefore, the bottom surface of the cassette case 2 will not be pressed against the top surface of the cassette mounting plate 48.

Therefore, the tape cassette 1 can be smoothly inserted into the cassette holder 15 even though the tape cassette 1 is pressed by the cassette holder 17.

Furthermore, when the tape cassette 1 is moved further into the cassette holder 15 and the cassette case 2 pushes up the cassette feed rollers 18, 18', the cassette case 2 is now pushed up by the cassette feed rollers 18, 18'. Although it will be relatively pressed, in this case as well, a part of the cassette case 2 is pressed against the support roller 2, as in the case described above.
By being supported from below by 4 and 24', the tape cassette 1 can continue to be smoothly inserted into the cassette holder 15.

(e-4 Drive mechanism [Figures 3, 5, and 7] (e-4-a Motor, worm, drive gear) 81 is a chassis that is the base of the drive mechanism 23, and the lower part of the front edge thereof is A bearing piece 82 that protrudes toward the right side is formed at a shifted position, and a motor mounting piece 83 that protrudes toward the right side is also formed at the rear end.
is formed.

The chassis 81 has a connecting pipe 85 fixed to the left side plate 25 of the support body 16 so that screws (not shown) inserted through the screw insertion holes 84, 84, 84 formed therein protrude leftward from the left side plate 25 of the support body 16. ,8
5 and 85 (shown only in FIG. 5), it is attached to the left side plate 25 at a slight distance from it and facing approximately parallel to it. ing.

Further, the motor 20 is fixed to the rear surface of a motor mounting piece 83 of the chassis 81.

Reference numeral 86 denotes a worm support shaft, to which a worm 87 is fixed at a position near its front end, and whose rear end is connected to the rotating shaft 20a of the motor 20, and whose front end is connected to a bearing piece of the chassis 81. It is rotatably supported by 82.

88 is a drive gear. The drive gear 88 includes a relatively large diameter wheel gear 88a and the wheel gear 8.
A small gear 88b located on the right side of the worm 8a is integrally formed with the worm 87.
It is rotatably supported by a gear support shaft 89 provided so as to protrude to the right from the front end of the right side surface.

Thus, when the motor 20 rotates, its rotational force is transmitted to the drive gear 88 through the transmission path of the rotating shaft 20a, the worm support shaft 86, and the worm 87.

Incidentally, when moving the cassette holder 15 downward, that is, when loading is performed, the motor 20 rotates the drive gear 88 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 (hereinafter referred to as the "loading rotation direction"). ), and also,
When the cassette holder 15 is moved upward, that is, when unloading is performed, the drive gear 88 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7 (hereinafter referred to as the "rotation direction during unloading"). ), and the rotation in the loading direction is performed by outputting an ON signal from the insertion detection switch 19.

(e-4-b Rotating Arm, Swinging Gear) The rotating arm 21 is formed into a plate shape that forms an approximately horizontal J-shape when viewed from the side, and extends to the right at the bending point of the J-shape. A relatively large-diameter connecting pin 90 protruding toward the
A relatively small diameter stopper pin 91 is provided slightly below the stopper pin 91, which also protrudes toward the right side, and a gear support shaft 92, which protrudes toward the left side, is provided at a position slightly closer to the connecting pin 90 at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. The front end thereof is connected to the gear support shaft 89.
The drive gear 88 is rotatably supported by a portion protruding to the right from the drive gear 88.

Further, the swing gear 22 includes a large diameter gear 22a having approximately the same size as the wheel gear 88a of the drive gear 88, and a diameter slightly smaller than the small gear 88b of the drive gear 88, which is located on the left side of the large diameter gear 22a. The large diameter gear 22a is integrally formed with a small gear 22b having a diameter, and is located approximately on the rear side of the drive gear 88, and the large diameter gear 22a is integrally formed with the small gear 22b of the drive gear 88.
It is rotatably supported by a gear support shaft 92 provided on the rotation arm 21 in a state in which it is always engaged with the gear support shaft 92 provided on the rotation arm 21.

The swing gear 22 and the swing arm 21 are in frictional contact with each other across a plate spring member (not shown). Therefore, when the drive gear 88 rotates, its rotational force is applied to the swing gear 22. Therefore, when the rotation of the rotation arm 21 is not prevented, the rotational force acts as a force that causes the swing gear 22 to rotate together with the rotation arm 21 about the gear support shaft 89. It turns out. That is,
When the drive gear 88 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 in the above state, the swing gear 22 and the rotating arm 21 rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 (hereinafter referred to as the "loading rotation direction"). The rotational force is applied to the drive gear 88, and the drive gear 88 is
When rotating in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, the swinging gear 22 and the rotating arm 21 are subjected to a rotational force in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7 (hereinafter referred to as the "rotation direction during unloading"). will be done.

(e-4-c intermediate gear, rack) 93 is an intermediate gear. The intermediate gear 93 is a gear for transmitting the rotational force of the swing gear 22 to the roller gear 77, and is located at a position approximately on the rotation locus of the center of the swing gear 22 in a portion near the upper edge of the chassis 81. The gear support shaft 94 is rotatably supported by a gear support shaft 94 provided so as to protrude toward the right side.

Therefore, when the rotating arm 21 is rotated in the rotation direction during unloading, the large diameter gear 22a of the swing gear 22 meshes with the intermediate gear 93, so that the rotating arm 21 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. In this state, the swing gear 22 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 7 by the drive gear 88, and thereby the intermediate gear 93 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. It will be rotated in the direction.

95 is easy. The rack 95 is a member for ensuring that the downward movement of the swing gear 22 is mainly performed by the rotational force of the swing gear 22 itself, and has rack teeth on its front surface extending in an arc shape. 95a, 95a, . . . are formed, and the surface on which the rack teeth 95a, 95a, . Chassis 8
It is attached to the right side of 1. And Ratsuku 9
5 is connected to the upper end of the swing gear 2 when the large diameter gear 22a of the swing gear 22 is in mesh with the intermediate gear 93.
It is located at a height close to the portion of the second small gear 22b on the opposite drive gear 88 side from below. The roller gear 77 described above is positioned slightly behind and diagonally downwardly spaced apart from the intermediate gear 93 when the cassette presser 17 is at the initial position.

(e-4-d Operation) [Fig. 7] Then, the motor 20 starts loading from the state where the large diameter gear 22a of the swing gear 22 is engaged with the intermediate gear 93, that is, from the state shown by the solid line in Fig. 7. When rotated in the time rotation direction, the drive gear 88 is rotated clockwise, so that a rotational force in the loading time rotation direction is applied to the rotation arm 21 and the swing gear 22. The swing gear 22 is rotated counterclockwise, and the swing arm 21
When the rotation in the loading direction is blocked, the intermediate gear 93 is thereby rotated clockwise. Further, when the rotation of the rotation arm 21 in the loading rotation direction is released from the above-described state, the rotation gear 22
The rotating arm 21 is rotated in the rotating direction during loading, and immediately after that, the small gear 22b of the swing gear 22 is turned into the rack teeth 95a, 95 of the rack 95.
a, ..., and from this state the swing gear 22
The small gear 22b has easy teeth 95a, 95a,
It will be moved in the direction of rotation during loading while engaging with...

Note that in a state where the swing gear 22 is engaged with the intermediate gear 93, if the tape cassette 1 is not inserted to the insertion completion position, the rotation of the rotation arm 21 in the rotation direction at the time of loading is caused by the stroke described later. blocked by a par arm, and
When the tape cassette 1 is inserted to the complete insertion position, the stopper arm releases the rotational arm 21 from being blocked.

Further, when the motor 20 rotates in the unloading rotation direction from the state where the cassette holder 15 is at the loading completion position, the drive gear 88
is rotated counterclockwise, so the swing gear 2
2 is rotated clockwise, and thereby the swing gear 22 and the swing arm 21 are rotated in the direction of rotation during unloading, and the small gear 22b of the swing gear 22 is rotated clockwise. Easy tooth 9
5a, 95a, . . ., the swing gear 22 rotates slightly in the unloading rotation direction, and the large diameter gear 22a meshes with the intermediate gear 93.
This causes the intermediate gear 93 to rotate counterclockwise.

(e-5 Moving the cassette holder) [Fig.
FIGS. 4 and 7] The cassette holder 15 is moved by the rotation of the rotating arm 21. FIG.

That is, among the four support arms 36, 37 and 36', 37' supported by the support body 16, the upper left one 36 is placed from the side at a position slightly closer to the rotation end from the center in the longitudinal direction. A connecting hole 96 is formed which is approximately daruma-shaped when viewed, and the tip of the connecting pin 90 provided on the rotating arm 21 passes through the notch 34 formed in the left side plate 25 of the support body 16. It is positioned within the connecting hole 96 with a slight margin.

Therefore, when the rotating arm 21 is rotated in the rotating direction during loading, the connecting pin 90 is connected to the support arm 3.
Since the lower edge of the connection hole 96 of No. 6 is pressed substantially downward, the support arm 36 is rotated clockwise in FIG. ie, toward the loading completion position. Conversely, when the rotation arm 21 is rotated in the rotation direction during unloading, the connection pin 90 presses the upper edge of the connection hole 96 of the support arm 36 substantially upward, so that the support arm 36 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 7, thereby moving the cassette holder 15 upward, that is, toward the eject position.

(e-6 Pulling in and feeding out the tape cassette by the cassette feed roller) [Fig. 1A] Furthermore, the drawing of the tape cassette 1 into the cassette holder 15 and the feeding from the cassette holder 15 by the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are as follows. It is done as follows.

That is, as described above, the cassette holder 16
is in the eject position, the swing gear 22
is meshed with the intermediate gear 93, and when the tape cassette 1 is not inserted into the cassette holder 15, the roller gear 77 is positioned slightly apart from the intermediate gear 93; When the cassette 1 is inserted, the cassette presser 17 is rotated in the upward direction, so that the roller gear 77 is moved substantially upward and engaged with the intermediate gear 93, and the insertion detection switch 19 outputs an on signal. As a result, the motor 20 is rotated in the loading direction.

As a result, the drive gear 88 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 7, and the swing gear 22 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 7, so that the intermediate gear 93 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Therefore, the roller gear 77 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG.

Since the roller shaft 75 and the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are rotated in the direction of rotation during retraction, the tape cassette 1 is moved backward by the cassette case 2 by the cassette feed rollers 18, 18'. , cassette holder 15
When the pressing edges 6, 6' of the cassette case 2 come into contact with the positioning pieces 52, 52' of the cassette mounting plate 48, the insertion completion position is reached.

The tape cassette 1 moved in this manner is partially in contact with the cassette mounting plate 48 because a portion of both left and right ends of the bottom surface of the cassette case 2 is supported from below by the support rollers 24, 24'. It will be moved in a state where it is not.

Note that when the cassette holder 15 is moved from this state toward the loading completion position, the roller gear 77 is also moved downward together with the cassette holder 15, so as the roller gear 77 moves away from the intermediate gear 93, , the swing gear also moves away from the intermediate gear 93. That is, the rotation of the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' ends approximately at the same time as the downward movement of the cassette holder 15 begins.

Further, when the motor 20 rotates in the unloading rotation direction from the state where the cassette holder 15 is at the loading completion position, the cassette holder 15 is returned to the eject position, and the swing gear 22 and the roller gear 77 are moved to the intermediate gear 93. In this case, the intermediate gear 9
3 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7, the roller gear 77 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. Therefore, the roller shaft 75 and the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are rotated in the direction of rotation during feeding.

Thus, the tape cassette 1 which has reached the insertion completion position is fed forward from the cassette holder 15 by the cassette case 2 being sent forward by the cassette feed rollers 18, 18'. Both left and right ends of the bottom of the cassette case 2 are supported by support rollers 24, 24'.
Since the tape cassette 1 is supported from below by the tape cassette 1, the tape cassette 1 is moved with almost no contact with the cassette mounting plate 48.

(e-7 Other parts) [Figures 1, 3 to 5, and 7] (e-7-a Stopper arm, slider)
[FIGS. 1, 3 to 5, 7] Reference numeral 97 denotes a stopper arm, and the stopper arm 97 is formed into a substantially plate-like shape that is elongated in the vertical direction, and is located approximately at the center of its front edge. The portion is formed in a substantially crank shape, and an intermediate portion (hereinafter referred to as an "engaging edge") 98 of the crank shape is positioned facing upward. Further, a pressed piece 99 protruding to the right is formed substantially at the upper part of the rear edge of the stopper arm 97, and the upper end of the pressed piece 99 is the upper end of the rest of the stopper arm 97. It is positioned so as to protrude further upward.

The stopper arm 97 is rotatably supported at its lower end by a pin 100 provided to protrude leftward from the left side plate 25 of the support body 16, and is always supported by a torsion spring 101. The rotational force in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 4 and 4 is applied.

102 is a slider for rotating the stopper arm 79 rearward at a predetermined timing.

The slider 102 includes a lower piece 103 located along the left end of the lower surface of the cassette mounting plate 48 of the cassette holder 15, and is raised from the left side of the front end of the lower piece 103.
5, a side piece 104 located between the left side plate 49 and the stopper arm 97, and a lower piece 103 thereof.
Long holes 105, 105 formed in (see Figure 5)
The guide pin 1 fixed to the cassette mounting plate 48
06 and 106 are slidably engaged with each other so that they are supported so as to be slidable in the front and rear directions within a certain range, and are constantly biased with forward moving force by the torsion spring 107. The pressed piece 108 raised from the rear end of the lower piece 103 abuts the stopper part 53 formed on the left protrusion 51 of the cassette mounting plate 48 from the rear, so that the pressed piece 108 is no longer pressed. Prevented from moving forward.

A pressing pin 109 is provided at the upper end of the side piece 104 of the slider 102 and projects toward the left side, and the pressed piece 99 of the stopper arm 97 always contacts this pressing pin 109 from behind. being touched.

Therefore, the slider 102 is pressed against the pressed piece 1.
08 is in the position where it contacts the stopper portion 53 of the cassette mounting plate 48 (hereinafter referred to as the "first position"), the stopper arm 97
As shown by the solid line in FIG. 1A, the engaging edge 98 is held at a position approximately below the connecting hole 96 formed in the support arm 36 (hereinafter referred to as the "stop position"). When the slider 102 reaches a position (hereinafter referred to as the "second position") where the pressed piece 108 is pressed from the front by the tape cassette and abuts the positioning piece 52 of the cassette mounting plate 48, The stopper arm 97 is the pressed piece 9
9 is pushed backward by the pressing pin 109 of the slider 102, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. position"
Say. ) will be moved to.

When the stopper arm 97 is at the stop position, the tip of the stopper pin 91 provided on the rotating arm 21 is in the first position.
As can be clearly seen from FIGS. A and 4, the stopper arm 97 is in contact with the engaging edge 98 of the stopper arm 97 from above or is located close to it, and therefore, in this state, the rotating arm 21 is Movement in the rotational direction during loading is prevented.

Furthermore, when the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 15 from this state and the slider 102 is moved to the second position, the stopper arm 97 is moved to the stop release position.
The engaging edge 98 escapes rearward from below the stopper pin 91 of the rotating arm 21, thereby allowing the rotating arm 21 to move in the rotating direction during loading.

(e-7-b Lock element) [Figures 1 and 4] Numeral 110 is a lock element for locking the cassette holder 15 at the loading completion position, and the lock element 110 is approximately U-shaped when viewed from the side. The rear end of the U-shaped lower piece is rotatably supported by a pin 111 provided on the left side plate 25 of the support body 16.

Then, when the cassette holder 15 is not at the loading completion position, the locking element 110 is held in a position where the tip of the claw 110a at the upper end thereof is located approximately directly below the locked pin 61 provided on the cassette holder 15. At the same time, when the cassette holder 15 descends to the loading completion position, the claw 110a engages with the locked pin 61 of the cassette holder 15 from above.

(e-8 Loading and unloading operations of tape cassette) Loading and unloading operations of the tape cassette 1 by the tape cassette loading device 46 configured as described above are performed as follows.

(e-8-a loading operation) First, the loading operation will be explained.

The loading operation of the tape cassette 1 is started by inserting the tape cassette 1 into the outer casing 8 through a cassette insertion opening 11 formed in the outer casing 8.

That is, insert the tape cassette 1 into the cassette insertion slot 11.
When inserted into the outer case 8, the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette storage space 74 of the cassette holder 15 while pushing open the door 13.
First, the left and right ends of the bottom of the cassette case 2 ride on the support rollers 24, 24', and the cassette presser 17 presses the pressed pieces 71, 7.
1' is pushed up from the oblique front side substantially downward by the front end 5a of the upper surface of the front cover 5 of the cassette case 2, and is rotated in the pushing up direction.Then, the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' It will come into relatively elastic contact with the top surface of.

As a result, the roller gear 77 is moved upward and meshed with the intermediate gear 93, and an on signal is output from the insertion detection switch 19, causing the motor 20 to rotate in the loading rotation direction. .

Therefore, since the drive gear 88 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7, a rotational force is applied to the rotation arm 21 and the swing gear 22 in the rotation direction during loading.

In this state, tape cassette 1
is not inserted into the cassette holder 15 to the complete insertion position, the slider 102 is not inserted into the first cassette holder 15.
As a result, the stopper arm 97 also remains in the stopper position.
The rotation arm 21 is prevented from moving in the rotation direction during loading.

Therefore, since the swing gear 22 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 7 while being engaged with the intermediate gear 93, the intermediate gear 93 is rotated clockwise in FIG. The roller gear 77 will be rotated counterclockwise in FIG.

As the cassette feed rollers 18, 18' are rotated in the direction of rotation during retraction, the tape cassette 1 is retracted to the insertion completion position.

Note that the tape cassette 1 is attached to the cassette holder 15.
When the cassette storage space 74 is moved rearward, the locking element that locks the front cover 5 in the closed position is relatively moved toward the opposite side of the front cover 5 by the lock release piece 63. Front lid 5
is now unlocked.
When the tape cassette 1 is pulled in to the insertion completion position, the left end of the front cover 5 is connected to the cover provided on the left side plate 25 of the support 16, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1A. It is positioned so as to substantially contact the tip of the raising pin 39 from above.

Then, when the tape cassette 1 reaches the insertion completion position, the slider 102 is moved back to the second position, so that the pressing pin 109 of the slider 102 presses the pressed piece 99 of the stopper arm 97 backward and stops the tape cassette 1. This will move the par arm 97 to the stop release position.

As a result, the engaging edge 9 of the stopper arm 97
8 escapes backward from below the stopper pin 91 of the rotating arm 21, the rotating arm 21 and the swing gear 24 are moved in the rotational direction during loading, and immediately after that, the small gear 22 of the swing gear 22
Rack teeth 95a, 95a, . . .
From this state, the swing gear 22 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7 while meshing with the rack teeth 95a, 95a, . . . , and thereby is surely moved downward. Become.

Therefore, since the rotating arm 21 is reliably moved downward, the connecting pin 90 is connected to the support arm 3.
The lower edge of the connecting hole 96 of No. 6 is pressed downward to rotate the support arm 36 downward, thereby moving the cassette holder 15 downward.

As the cassette holder 15 is moved downward, the left end of the front cover 5 of the tape cassette 1 is relatively rotated toward the open position by the cover raising pin 39.

Then, when the cassette holder 15 descends to a position just before reaching the loading completion position, the cassette case 2 of the tape cassette 1 is placed in the playback section 40.
Four cassette positioning pins 44 provided in
placed on the upper end surfaces of 44', 45, 45', and
A rear cassette positioning pin 44 is inserted into a positioning hole (not shown) formed on the bottom of the cassette case 2.
Insertion portions 44a and 44'a formed at 44' are inserted, thereby positioning the tape cassette 1 relative to the reproducing section 40 in the height direction and the horizontal direction.

Immediately after this, the cassette holder 15 reaches the loading completion position, and the claw 110a of the locking element 110 is engaged with the locked pin 61 to be held at the loading completion position.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the tape cassette 1 is installed in the reproducing section 40, and in this state, the front cover 5 reaches the open position, thereby opening the tape draw-out surface 2a of the cassette case 2. The reel stands 43, 4 are opened in a state facing the head drum 42, and the reel stands 43, 4 are inserted into the engagement holes of the tape reels 3, 3' housed in the cassette case 2.
The reel engaging shafts 43a and 43'a of 3' are inserted relative to each other.

(e-8-b unloading operation) Next, the unloading operation will be explained.

When the unloading operation is started from the above state, the locking element 110 locks the cassette holder 1.
At the same time, the motor 20 rotates in the unloading rotation direction, thereby causing the drive gear 88 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 7. At the same time, the swing gear 22 is moved upward while rotating clockwise in FIG.

As a result, the rotating arm 21 is rotated in the rotating direction during unloading, so that the connecting pin 9
0 presses the upper edge of the connecting hole 96 of the support arm 36 upward, causing the support arm 36 to rotate upward.

Therefore, the cassette holder 15 is moved upward.

As the cassette holder 15 is moved, the front cover 5 of the tape cassette 1 is rotated toward the closed position by the rotational force applied thereto.

Then, when the cassette holder 15 comes up to a position slightly before the eject position, the small gear 22b of the swing gear 22 engages the rack tooth 95 of the rack 95.
a, 95a, . will be done.

As a result, the intermediate gear 93 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 7, so the roller gear 77 is rotated clockwise in FIG. That will happen.

Thus, the tape cassette 1 is fed forward from the cassette storage space 74 of the cassette holder 15, and at the point when the cassette case 2 is separated from the cassette feed rollers 18, 18', the rear of the cassette case 2 is inserted into the cassette insertion slot 11. is positioned so as to protrude from the outer casing 8, and
At approximately the same time, the cassette presser 17 returns to its initial position, and as a result, the actuator 80 of the insertion detection switch 19 is returned to the off position, and the insertion detection switch 19 outputs an off signal.

Further, as the tape cassette 1 is fed forward from the insertion completion position, the slider 102 is returned to the first position by the elastic force of the torsion spring 107, so that the stopper arm 97 is moved forward by the elastic force of the torsion spring 101. The force will return it to the stop position.

(G. Effect of the invention) As is clear from the above description, the recording medium loading device of the present invention includes a cassette holder into which a recording medium cassette is removably inserted, and a recording medium cassette inserted into the cassette holder. A cassette loading device comprising two feed rollers that pinch the recording medium cassette between the bottom plate of the cassette holder by coming into elastic contact with the rollers, and move the recording medium cassette by being rotated. The cassette holder is rotatably provided with two support rollers whose outer circumferential surfaces are located slightly above the top surface of the bottom plate of the cassette holder, and the two feed rollers are located slightly above the top of the two support rollers. The recording medium cassettes are arranged so as to face each other at a rearward position, and the recording medium cassette is moved with its upper part elastically contacting the two feeding rollers and its lower part riding on the two supporting rollers. It is characterized by

Therefore, according to the present invention, the recording medium cassette being inserted into the cassette holder moves while being sandwiched between the feed roller and the support roller without the entire or most part coming into contact with the bottom plate of the cassette holder. Therefore, the sliding resistance against the cassette holder when the recording medium cassette is moved can be significantly reduced.

This makes it possible to reliably draw the recording medium cassette to a predetermined retracted position in the cassette holder or to reliably feed it out of the cassette holder from the retracted position, and to reduce the load on the drive mechanism that rotates the feed roller. It can be reduced.

Further, in the present invention, the two support rollers are provided at positions facing the two feed rollers, but by doing so, the recording medium cassette is hardly brought into contact with the bottom plate of the cassette holder. It can be moved in any state, and
Since the sliding resistance of the left and right ends of the recording medium against the cassette holder can be equalized, the recording medium cassette can be moved without tilting with respect to the cassette holder.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention was applied to a tape cassette loading device in a tape player, but the present invention is also applicable to a recording medium cassette such as a disk cassette containing a rotary recording medium. The cassette holder is detachably inserted into the cassette holder, and the recording medium cassette inserted into the cassette holder is held in elastic contact with the bottom plate of the cassette holder, and the cassette is rotated. The present invention can be applied to various types of recording medium loading devices equipped with a cassette feed roller that moves a recording medium cassette.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 7 show an example of an embodiment in which the recording medium loading device of the present invention is applied to a tape cassette loading device in a tape player, and FIG. 1 shows the loading operation of a tape cassette in order from A to B. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tape player, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the entire tape player with the outer casing cut away, and Fig. 4 shows the main parts of the tape player. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tape cassette loading device; FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing an enlarged main part of the tape cassette loading device; FIG. The figure is a right side view of the drive mechanism.
FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing an example of a conventional tape cassette loading device. Explanation of symbols, 1...Recording medium cassette, 15...
...Cassette holder, 18, 18'...Feed roller, 24, 24'...Support roller, 46...Recording medium loading device, 48...Bottom plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A cassette holder into which a recording medium cassette is removably inserted, and a bottom plate of the cassette holder that allows the recording medium cassette to be brought into elastic contact with the recording medium cassette inserted into the cassette holder. A cassette loading device equipped with two feed rollers that move a recording medium cassette by being pinched and rotated between the cassette holder and the cassette holder. Two support rollers are rotatably provided on the cassette holder, and the two feed rollers are arranged so as to face each other at a position slightly rearward from the position directly above the two support rollers, and the recording medium is A recording medium loading device characterized in that the cassette is moved with its upper part elastically contacting the two feeding rollers and its lower part riding on the two supporting rollers.