JPH087976B2 - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. 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 apparatus such as a video tape recorder.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a tape cassette mounted on a magnetic tape device such as a video tape recorder is covered with a front lid provided on the front surface of the case main body, and a tape stretched on the front surface against the careless opening of the front lid. A lock mechanism for the front lid is provided to prevent damage (for example, see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-34612).
(See the official gazette).

Hereinafter, a conventional tape cassette as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 11 is a conventional perspective view, FIG. 12 is a side view of a lid lock portion, FIG. 13 is a plan view of a main portion of a conventional tape cassette, FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the lid lock portion, and FIG. Is A
FIG.

In FIGS. 11 to 15, the tape cassette is a cassette case in which the upper cassette case 103a and the lower cassette case 103b are fitted to each other so as to incorporate the tape reels 101 and 102 therein.
Comprises 103. Three openings 104 are formed on the front surface of the cassette case 103, and the magnetic tape wound around the tape reels 101 and 102 along the openings 104.
105 is to be stretched.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a front lid rotatably provided on the side surface of the cassette case 103 so as to cover the front surface of the magnetic tape 105 located along the openings 104.

Reference numeral 107 is a lid lock member for preventing accidental opening of the front lid 106. 107a is a protrusion that is provided integrally with 107 and that protrudes from the side surface of the cassette case 103.
It is provided at a position where it does not overlap the front lid 106 even when the lid is closed. 107b is also provided integrally with the lid lock 107, and is a projection protruding from the side surface of the cassette case 103, and when the front lid 106 is closed, it engages with the cutout portion 106a of the front lid 106 to open the front lid 106. Prevents movement toward the lid.

Further, when the front lid 106 is closed, the lid lock member 107 is formed by the end portion 106c of the front lid 106 and the end portion 103c of the cassette case 103.
The protrusion 107a is sandwiched with a gap therebetween to prevent accidental release from the outside.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a rotating shaft of the lid lock member 107, and 109 denotes a torsion spring that biases the lid lock member 107 in a direction in which the protrusion 107a and the protrusion 107b always project from the side surface of the cassette case 103.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a lid lock releasing member provided on the VTR (not shown) side, and includes a leaf spring portion of 110a and a releasing portion of 110b.

The above tape cassette can be used as a magnetic recording / reproducing device (hereinafter VTR
, The lid lock release member 110 provided on the VTR side causes the release portion 110b to move the protrusion 107a to the inside of the cassette case 103 by inserting the cassette case 103. The engagement between the portion 107b and the cutout portion 106a of the front lid 106 is released, and the front lid 106 is opened.

Further, the operation of ejecting the cassette is also the reverse of this operation.

However, in such a configuration, the front surface of the front lid 106 and the release portion 110b come into contact with each other at the time of insertion, and the end portion 1 of the front lid 106 at the time of ejection.
The 06c and the releasing part 110b may come into contact with each other to impair the smooth operation of the cassette. A mechanism for pressing the releasing portion 110b against the protrusion 107a of the lid lock member 107 by detecting the insertion of the cassette 103 instead of the leaf spring for driving the releasing portion 110b is also conceivable, but there is a drawback that the configuration becomes complicated. It was

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the configuration as described above, since the release portion of the lid lock releasing member member is always pressed against the side surface of the cassette by the leaf spring, the front lid side surface is slid and the front lid is damaged. appear. Further, when inserting and ejecting the cassette, there is a problem that the releasing portion of the lid lock releasing member and the front lid come into contact with each other, and smooth operation cannot be performed.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a tape cassette capable of releasing a lid lock member with a simple structure including only a fixing member and smoothly inserting and ejecting a cassette because there is no sliding portion.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the problems, the tape cassette of the present invention has a tape stretched on the front surface, and a cassette case containing a tape reel, and is pivotally supported on the side surface of the cassette case.
A cassette for positioning the cassette case by abutting on a front lid that covers the front surface of the tape stretched over the front surface by rotation and a restricting portion provided on a mounting means that mounts the cassette case at a predetermined position of the recording / reproducing apparatus. A positioning contact portion provided on the front surface of the case, a cutout portion provided in the positioning contact portion of the cassette case, and a lock position for pivotally supporting the cassette case to lock the front lid in a closed state. A configuration in which a lock member that rotates between an unlocked and unlocked position and an urging step that urges the lock member in the lock direction are provided, and at least a portion of the lock member projects from the cutout portion. It was done.

With the above-described structure, the present invention can also release the lid lock member only with the cassette positioning member in the cassette holder, and the positioning member has a simple structure with only the fixing member integrally formed with the cassette holder. It is possible to provide a tape cassette which can be easily inserted and ejected smoothly because there is no sliding portion at all.

Embodiment A tape cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.

FIG. 1 is a plan view with an upper cassette case, a front lid and a back lid removed from one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a tape cassette, and FIGS. Sectional view of the tape cassette with the lid closed and the lid open in the X section, FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views of the tape cassette with the lid closed and the lid in the YY section, and FIG. 7 is the upper cassette of the lid lock section. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part with a case and a front lid removed, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line zz, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are side views of the main part for explaining a locked and unlocked state of a lid lock.

1 to 10, the tape cassette 1 has an upper cassette case 2 and a lower cassette case 3 which are fitted to each other as shown in FIGS.
Two cassette reels 4a, 4b arranged side by side on the same plane
And a cassette case accommodating the magnetic tape 5.

The cassette reels 4a and 4b fix the start end or the end of the magnetic tape 5, respectively, and surround the magnetic tape 5 with the magnetic tape 5.
Is wound.

6 is a front lid that covers the upper surface and the front surface of the magnetic tape 5,
As shown in FIG. 2, it has a substantially U-shape. Further, the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3 support a pair of front lid rotation support shafts 6a and 6b provided on both left and right side plates of the front lid 6, and the front lid 6 rotates about the rotation support shafts 6a and 6b. Move. 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. The biasing spring 7 is composed of a torsion coil spring, one end of which is supported by the upper cassette case 2 and the other end of which is supported by a pin 6c provided on the front lid rotation support shaft 6b.

Designated by 8a and 8b are openings which are spaces into which posts (not shown) for pulling out the magnetic tape 5 from the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3 are inserted, and which are projected from the lower cassette case 3.
Separated by 3a. Further, a slack prevention plate 3b for preventing the magnetic tape 5 stretched on the front surface from slackening backward is provided on the front surface of the partition portion 3a.

The partition portion 3a is provided on the center line 4c of the cassette reel 4a in the front-rear direction, and the upper and lower cassette cases 2, 3
The area where the openings 8a and 8b are as wide as possible is used by using the position where the distance between the wall and the magnetic tape 5 stretched over the entire surface is the shortest.

The symmetrical opening 8b is provided in the approximate center of the tape cassette 1.

The magnetic tape 5 is extended to the front surface of the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3 by being guided by the stainless steel guide posts 9a and 9b at the left and right ends in the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3.

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

Reference numeral 10 is a back cover that covers the back surface of the opening 8 of the magnetic tape 5. The back cover 10 is a bracket portion integrally provided on the front cover 6.
A pair of back lid rotation support shafts protruding left and right are provided on the bearing portion 6e of 6d.
10a, 10b are supported, and the back cover 10 is a pivot shaft 10a, 10b.
It is rotatable around.

Reference numeral 11a is a guide groove for guiding the guide pin 10c at the left end of the back lid 10, and is provided at the left end of the opening 8a of the lower cassette case 3. The guide groove 11a is different from the guide post 9a in the width of the tape cassette 1. It does not overlap the direction A and is arranged substantially behind the guide post 9a.

Reference numeral 11b is a guide groove for guiding the right guide pin 10c at the right end of the back cover 10, and is provided at the right end of the opening 8b of the lower cassette case 3. As is clear from the figure, the left and right guide grooves 11a and 11b are different in distance from the tape cassette front surface portion 1b, and further 11a and 11b are formed in different groove shapes.

Dashed lines 5a and 5b in FIG. 1 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 a range that does not contact the guide posts 9a and 9b in the tape cassette 1.

Dotted lines 5c and 5d are the left and right tape rolls 13a and 1 when running at high speed.
Shows tape path pulled out from 3b, guide post 9
It is in contact with a and 9b.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a thin portion of the lower cassette case 3 which is thin because the guide post 9a is brought close to the opening 8a in order to make the left tape pass area 5a large during normal traveling.

Reference numerals 13a and 13b are tape rolls in which the magnetic tape 5 is wound around the cassette reels 4a and 4b.

Reference numeral 14 is a lighthouse composed of a photodiode provided in a VTR (not shown) that emits light toward a light receiving element (not shown) for detecting the start and end of the magnetic tape 5.

Reference numeral 15 is an insertion hole provided on the bottom surface of the lower cassette case 3 for allowing the lighthouse 14 to enter the tape cassette 1.

The light from the lighthouse 14 inserted into the insertion hole 15 passes through the light receiving paths 16a and 16b when the lid is opened, and the light receiving holes are provided from the inside of the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3 to the left and right side surfaces of the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3. It is led to the outside through 17a and 17b.

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

7 to 10, 19 is provided on the side plate of the front lid 6 so that the VTR (not shown) does not open the front lid 6 carelessly when it is not in operation and does not damage the magnetic tape 5. It is a lock member that engages with the lock portion 6f and locks the front lid 6.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a lock member urging spring that always urges the lock member 19 in a direction (counterclockwise when viewed from the ZZ section) that engages with the front lid lock portion.

The lock member 19 is supported by the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3 so as to be rotatable around a rotation fulcrum 19a. Reference numeral 19b is a protrusion provided on one end of the lock member 19, and protrudes from a notch 21 provided on the right side surfaces of the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3.

When the front lid 6 is closed, the projection 19b contacts the contact portion 6g of the lock portion 6f to prevent the front lid 6 from opening in the I direction.

In FIGS. 1, 7, and 8, 22a and 22b are used for positioning the tape cassette 1 in a cassette holder (not shown) for mounting the tape cassette 1 on a VTR (not shown). Left and right restricting portions provided on the front surface of the lower cassette case 3.

Further, the contact portion 19c provided at the other end of the lock member 19 projects from the cutout portion 23 provided in the restriction portion 22b.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals 24a and 24b are reel brakes for preventing tape curling due to careless rotation of the cassette reels 4a and 4b wound with the magnetic tape 5 when the VTR is not in operation. Provided shafts 25a, 2
It rotates about 5b and is constantly urged by urging springs 26a, 26b in the direction in which the tip ends engage with the cassette reels 4a, 4b.

27 is a notch groove provided in the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3, and a lid opening member (not shown) provided on the VTR side.
Is a groove for opening the lid to push the front lid 6 upward in the opening direction.

28 is a lock member 19 shown in FIG. 7, a biasing spring 20, and tape rolls 13a, 1 built in the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3.
It is a partition wall to isolate it from 3b.

29 is a reel brake 24a, 24b cassette reel 4a, 4b
It is a reel brake release hole into which a brake release pin (not shown) on the VTR side, which is rotated in the direction to separate from, enters.

30 is a reel brake 24a, 24b cassette reel 4a, 4b
It is a release lever for separating from.

Reference numeral 31 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is a cassette holder (not shown).
It is a fixing member for positioning the tape cassette 1 provided therein, and is in a position where it abuts against the restricting portions 22a and 22b of the lower cassette case 3.

The operation of the tape cassette 1 configured as described above will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a closed state, and the magnetic tape 5 stretched over the openings 8a and 8b is normally covered with a front lid 6 and a back lid 10, respectively.

Even if the front lid 6 is intentionally opened upward, the contact portion 6 between the protrusion 19b of the lock member 19 and the front lid lock portion 6f of the front lid 6
It contacts with g and does not rotate in the direction of arrow I.

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

Next, put the cassette cassette 1 on the VTR (not shown) with arrow II.
In the direction, the positioning fixing member 31 in the cassette holder (not shown) comes into contact with the restricting portions 22a and 22b. At this time, the contact portion 19c of the lock member 19 projecting from the cutout portion 23 in the restriction portion 22b is driven by the fixing member 31 to rotate clockwise around the shaft 19a and engage with the front lid lock portion 6f. The front cover 6 is opened and the front cover 6 can be opened upward. In FIG. 10, the alternate long and short dash line 32 indicates the locus drawn by the lock portion 6f of the front lid 6 by the rotation of the front lid 6.

Next, by moving the tape cassette 1 in the direction of arrow III, the lid opening member (not shown) provided on the VTR side is inserted into the lid opening groove 23 of the upper and lower cassette cases 2 and 3 provided inside the front lid 6. When the tape cassette 1 enters and moves in the III direction of the tape cassette 1, a force is generated to rotate the front lid 6 clockwise around the front lid rotation support shafts 6a and 6b. Further arrow III
When it is moved in the direction, the front lid 6 is opened upward against the front lid biasing spring 7 around the support shafts 6a and 6b.

The back cover 10 rotates integrally with the front cover 6 while being restricted by the left guide groove 11a and the right guide groove 11b provided in the lower cassette case 3 around the pair of left and right back cover support shafts 10a and 10b. ,
The state shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 is obtained.

Here, the groove shape of the left and right guide grooves 11a and 11b is the rotation when the back cover 10 is rotated by a certain amount about the pair of left and right rotation support shafts 10a and 10b provided on the same straight line. The guide pins 10c and 10d on the left and right have different positions from the support shafts 10a and 10b, and the tip 10f of the back lid 10 is fixed even if the back lid is restricted by either the left or right guide groove 11a or 11b. Draw the same trajectory.

In this way, the back lid 10 opens and closes the notch 12 on the back surface of the magnetic tape 5 by the bracket portion 6d of the front lid 6 and the rib 10e as the front lid 6 rotates.

A reel brake release member (not shown) installed in the VTR at the same time when the front lid 6 and the back lid 10 are opened and closed enters the reel brake release hole 29, and the release lever 30 is located behind the tape cassette 1. Move in the direction of arrow IV, and cassette reel
The reel brakes 24a and 24b, which have stopped the rotation of the tape reels 4a and 4b, are rotated in a direction in which they are separated from the cassette reels 4a and 4b, and the brakes of the cassette reels 4a and 4b are released. Further, a reel stand (not shown) in the VTR is provided with respective cassette reels 4a and 4b.
It is in a state where it supports and is rotatable.

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

As described above, the magnetic tape 5 is guided by the guide posts 9a, while the magnetic tape 5 is running at high speed or while the magnetic tape 5 is being pulled out.
Contact 9b. Therefore, in order to prevent the magnetic tape 5 from being damaged or to ensure the tape running performance with high accuracy, the guide posts 9a and 9b are required to have high accuracy with respect to environment / aging, wear, and surface roughness. It

The mounting operation when the tape cassette 1 is mounted in the cassette mounting position of the VTR has been described above, but the operation of taking out the tape cassette 1 from the VTR is completely opposite to the mounting operation.

In the description of the present invention, from the front of the tape cassette 1,
Although the insertion / ejection to / from the VTR has been described, the insertion / ejection from the side surface of the tape cassette 1 is also possible, but the description thereof is omitted here.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, according to the present invention, the lid lock member can be released only by the cassette positioning member in the cassette holder, and the positioning member is a simple fixing member integrally formed with the cassette holder. Easy to configure,
In addition, since there is no sliding part, the cassette can be smoothly inserted and ejected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the upper cassette case, front lid, and
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tape cassette with the back cover removed, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tape cassette, FIG. 3 and FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the tape cassette with the lid closed and the lid in the Y-Y portion, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the upper cassette case of the lid lock portion and the front lid is removed, and FIG. FIGS. 9, 9 and 10 are side views of main parts for explaining the locked and unlocked states of the lid lock, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional example, FIG. 12 is a side view of the lid lock portion, and FIG. Is a plan view of a main part of a conventional tape cassette, FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a lid lock portion, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. 1 ... Tape cassette, 2 ... Upper cassette case, 3 ...
... Lower cassette case, 3a ... Partition, 5 ... Magnetic tape, 5a, b ... Tape path area, 6 ... Front lid, 8a, b
...... Aperture, 10 ...... Back cover, 19 ...... Lid lock member, 22
b …… Regulator, 23 …… Notch.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pair of tape reels for winding a tape and locking both ends of the tape, a cassette case in which the tape is stretched on the front surface, and the pair of tape reels are built in, and the cassette case. Of the tape, which is pivotally supported on the side surface of the tape and covers the front surface of the tape stretched on the front surface by rotation, and abuts against the regulation portion provided in the mounting means for mounting the cassette case at a predetermined position of the recording and reproducing apparatus. A positioning contact portion provided on the front surface of the cassette case for positioning the cassette case, a notch portion provided in the positioning contact portion of the cassette case, and pivotally supported by the cassette case. A lock member that rotates between a locked position that locks the front lid in a closed state and an unlocked position that does not lock the front lid, and a biasing member that biases the lock member in the locking direction. Tape cassette comprising a stage, at least a portion of said locking member, characterized in that projecting from the notch. 2. A pair of tape reels for winding a tape and locking both ends of the tape, a cassette case in which the tape is stretched on the front surface, and the pair of tape reels are built in, and the cassette case. Front cover that is pivotally supported on the side surface of the front cover and covers the front surface of the tape stretched over the front surface, and a first notch provided at the lower end portion of the front lid where the tape is not stretched Portion, a second cutout portion provided on the front surface of the cassette case and facing the cutout portion, and a side surface portion of the front lid closer to the first and second cutout portions. A protrusion provided on the inner side, a third notch provided on a side surface of the cassette case and a surface facing the protrusion, and a pivotally rotatably supported one end of the cassette case by the second portion. Protruding from the notch 1 and a second projecting portion projecting from the third notch at the other end, and the front lid is closed by contact between the second projecting portion and the projecting portion of the front lid. A tape cassette comprising: a lock member that locks in a lid state; and a biasing unit that biases the lock member in a direction in which the first protruding portion projects from the second cutout portion. 3. The cassette case is composed of an upper cassette case and a lower cassette case, which are divided at the upper and lower substantially central portions, and the third notch is formed by combining the upper cassette case and the lower cassette case. The tape cassette according to claim (2). 4. A lock member is provided inside a side surface of the cassette case, and a partition wall is provided to separate the magnetic tape and the lock member in the cassette case from each other, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The tape cassette described in Crab.