JPH11144431A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the occurrence of incorrect detection surely when a light source is entered into a tape cartridge and a tape end is detected by a photo-detector on the device side. SOLUTION: In the tape cartridge 40, in which tape-shaped media 43, in which leader tapes are connected at start ends and terminals, are housed rotatably into a case body 41 consisting of an upper case 41a and a lower case 41b and the tape-shaped media 43 are made to travel so as to cross an optical path P tying a light source S2 entered into a recessed section 44 formed on the lower side of the front of the case body 41 and used for detecting a tape on the device side and an outgoing hole 52b formed on the side face side of the case body 41, light-shielding ribs 53a and 53b are juxtaposed at places where the optical paths P of the upper case 41a are not shielded, and at the upper-side places of the optical paths P.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for optically detecting a tape end in a tape cartridge such as a DAT.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a tape cartridge such as a DAT or a video tape cassette, an optical detection method is employed for detecting a tape end. FIG. 7 shows a first example of a tape end detection unit in a conventional tape cartridge of this type.
It is a figure showing an example (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-69887).
The tape cartridge 10 detects a tape end using a prism 16.

[0003] On the side surface of the tape cartridge 10, an entrance hole 13 and an exit hole 14 are provided side by side. Further, a prism 16 is provided inside the tape cartridge 10 so as to correspond to the entrance hole 13 and the exit hole 14. Further, the tape-shaped medium 15 is arranged so as to pass through the inside of the emission hole 14. When the tape end is detected, the light emitting element 1 and the light receiving element 2 on the device side are arranged outside the entrance hole 13 and the exit hole 14, respectively.
The detection light emitted from the light enters the tape cartridge 10 through the incident hole 13, refracted and transmitted through the prism 16, exits from the exit hole 14, and enters the light receiving element 2.

When the tape-shaped medium 15 is a magnetic tape, the exit hole 14 is shielded from light by the tape-shaped medium 15, and the detection light does not exit from the exit hole 14. On the other hand, when the tape-shaped medium 15 is a translucent leader tape connected to the start end and the end of the tape-shaped medium 15, the detection light passes through the tape-shaped medium 15 and enters the light receiving element 2. As a result, the detection light is detected by the light receiving element 2 and is determined to be the tape end.

FIG. 8 shows a second example of a tape end detecting section in a conventional tape cartridge (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-1920).
No. 95). In the center of the tape cartridge 20, an insertion hole 21 into which the light source 5 on the apparatus side enters is formed. In addition, tape cartridge 2
Emission holes 22 for emitting detection light from the light source 5 are formed on both side surfaces of the zero. Then, the tape-shaped medium 23 runs so as to cross the optical path connecting the light source 5 and the emission hole 22 with a straight line.

At the time of tape end detection, the light receiving element 4 on the device side is arranged outside the emission hole 22, and the light source 5 on the device side enters the insertion hole 21. Then, when the detection light is emitted from the light source 5 and the detection light passes through the emission hole 22 and enters the light receiving element 4, the tape end is detected.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a third example of the tape end detecting section in the conventional tape cartridge. In the third example, the method is substantially the same as that in the second example, but erroneous detection of the tape end is prevented. Upper case 3
In FIG. 1, a light shielding rib 32 is formed at a position inside the running position of the tape-shaped medium 36. Further, a concave portion 35 into which the light source 6 on the apparatus side enters is formed at the lower center of the tape cartridge 30. An emission hole 34 is formed on a side surface of the tape cartridge 30. Then, the tape-shaped medium 36 runs so as to cross the optical path connecting the light source 6 and the emission hole 34 with a straight line.

At the time of detecting the tape end, the light source 6 on the device side enters into the concave portion 35 of the tape cartridge 30, and the light receiving element 7 on the device side is arranged outside the emission hole 34. When the detection light is emitted from the light source 6 and the detection light passes through the emission hole 34 and enters the light receiving element 7, the tape end is detected.

Here, the detection light from the light source 6 may be one that goes straight toward the tape-shaped medium 36 as shown in FIG. 9 or one that is reflected by the upper case 31 as shown in FIG. Then, the detection light reflected on the upper case 31 is blocked by the light-shielding ribs 32 from traveling to the emission hole 34 side. This prevents erroneous detection of the tape end. In the case where there is no light-blocking rib 32, as shown in FIG. 11, the detection light reflected on the upper case 31 passes through the emission hole 34 and reaches the light receiving element 7, thereby causing erroneous detection (see above). Second
In an example, such a problem may occur).

[0010]

However, when the light source 6 enters the center position with respect to the tape cartridge 30 in the above-described third example of the tape cartridge 30 of the prior art, as shown in FIG. When the insertion position of the light source 6 is deviated from the center position, the light passes through the space between the light-shielding rib 32 and the tape-like medium 36 and exits from the emission hole 34. There is a problem that erroneous detection of the end may occur. Therefore, the tape end is erroneously detected during the recording / reproduction of information,
There is a problem that recording / reproduction of information is stopped.

On the other hand, in order to prevent this, it is conceivable to increase the length of the light shielding rib 32.
Since a member such as a spring is provided on the lower side of 2, the light-shielding rib 32 cannot be lengthened to prevent interference with the member. Further, if the light-blocking rib 32 is long, an optical path connecting the light source 6 and the emission hole 34 with a straight line is blocked.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reliably prevent erroneous detection when a light source enters the tape cartridge and the end of the tape is detected by the light receiving element on the apparatus side.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape medium having a leader tape connected to a start end and an end thereof in a case body including an upper case and a lower case. Stored rotatably and crossing the optical path connecting the light source for tape detection on the device side entering the recess provided in the lower front part of the case body and the emission hole provided on the side surface of the case body in a straight line. In the tape cartridge on which the tape-shaped medium travels, a plurality of light-shielding ribs are arranged in parallel at a position not blocking the optical path of the upper case and above the optical path.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tape cartridge according to the first aspect, the light-shielding rib is located at a position outside the concave portion and inside a drawer opening of the tape-shaped medium. It is characterized by being arranged side by side on the left and right sides.

[0015]

According to the present invention, of the detection light emitted from the tape detection light source on the apparatus side, the detection light which is reflected by the upper case and tries to pass through the gap between the upper case and the tape-shaped medium is The light is always shielded by any one of the plurality of light shielding ribs provided on the upper case, and does not pass through the emission hole.

[0016]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a tape cartridge according to the present invention. The tape cartridge in the present embodiment is exemplified by DAT. The tape cartridge 40 includes the upper case 4
A tape-shaped medium 43 (leader tape 43a and magnetic tape 43b) wound around a pair of hubs 42 is rotatably housed in a case main body 41 composed of a lower case 41a and a lower case 41b. At the time of storage, the tape-shaped medium 4
A pair of upper sheets 55a and a lower sheet 55b are arranged on the upper and lower sides of 3.

Further, at the left and right ends on the front side of the lower case 41b, there are formed openings 54 for drawing out the tape-shaped medium 43. Then, the tape-shaped medium 43 is arranged so as to exit from one opening 54, pass through the concave portion 44 provided on the front surface of the lower case 41b, and return to the inside of the case main body 41 from the other opening 54. You. Tape medium 43
Are provided with a leader tape 43a at the beginning and end. The leader tape 43a is adhered to the magnetic tape 43b by a splicing tape (adhesive tape) 43c. The leader tape 43a is connected to the hub 42. In the tape-shaped medium 43, the magnetic tape 43b and the leader tape 43a have different light transmittances, and the tape end is detected based on the difference in light transmittance.

A slider 45 is slidably attached to the lower surface of the lower case 41b. Further, on the front side of the case body 41, a substantially U-shaped front lid 46 that can open and close the front side is attached. Tape cartridge 4
When 0 is not used, the slider 45 and the front lid 46 cover and protect the tape-shaped medium 43 disposed on the front surface of the concave portion 44.

When the tape cartridge 40 is used, the front lid 46 is rotated and moved to the upper side of the upper case 41a.
The tape-shaped medium 43 passing through the front surface of the concave portion 44 is exposed. Further, the hub brake 47 is mounted on the tape cartridge 4.
When the tape cartridge 40 is not used, the engagement with the hub 42 is released with the rotation of the front lid 46 when the tape cartridge 40 is used. The hub 42 is made rotatable.

A window 48 is formed in the upper case 41a, and the window 48 is closed by a plate-shaped transparent resin material 49 attached to the lower surface of the upper case 41a. Thus, the tape medium 43 and the like in the tape cartridge 40 can be observed from the window 48 of the tape cartridge 40. Further, prisms 50 for detecting the tape-shaped medium 43 are formed at the front ends on both the left and right sides of the transparent resin material 49.

FIG. 2 is a view showing in detail the main part of the side surface of the case body 41. On the side surface of the case body 41, the same entrance hole 51 and exit hole 5 as those shown in the conventional example (FIG. 7) are provided.
2 are formed. The entrance hole 51 is formed in the upper case 41a. The exit hole 52 is provided in the upper case 41a.
It is formed by fitting notches formed in both the lower case 41b and the lower case 41b. Further, the incident hole 51
Is a hole having a substantially square shape, while the emission hole 52 is a hole having a substantially rectangular shape. Then, the above-described prism 50
Are arranged on the right half side of the entrance hole 51 and the exit hole 52 in FIG. 2 (hereinafter, referred to as “first exit hole 52a”). Note that the tape-shaped medium 43 is
Drive across the inside of 2.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, showing the positional relationship between the light emitting element S1 and the light receiving element R1 on the device side. In an apparatus adopting a method of detecting the tape end using the prism 50, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting element S1 and the light receiving element R1 on the apparatus side are located near the outside of the entrance hole 51 and the first exit hole 52a, respectively. By irradiating detection light from the light emitting element S1 and passing the detection light refracted and transmitted through the prism 50 through the first emission hole 52a, it is detected whether the light receiving element R1 has detected the detection light. Then, the tape end of the tape-shaped medium 43 is determined.

That is, when the magnetic tape 43b of the tape-shaped medium 43 is disposed between the prism 50 and the first exit hole 52a, the detection light is transmitted to the light receiving element R1 because the light transmittance of the magnetic tape 43b is low. And it is determined that there is a tape. On the other hand, when the leader tape 43a is disposed, the detection light sufficiently reaches the light receiving element R1 because the light transmittance of the leader tape 43a is high, and the tape end is determined.

On the other hand, the tape cartridge 40 of the present invention
In the case where the light source on the apparatus side enters the tape cartridge 40 as in the second and third examples of the related art, the tape end can be reliably detected without erroneous detection. In this case, the exit hole 52
2, the tape end is detected using the left half side (hereinafter, referred to as “second exit hole 52b”).

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the inner surface of the upper case 41a in detail. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the optical path P of the detection light from the light source S2 on the device side and the light shielding rib 53. Two light-shielding ribs 53 (53a and 53b) are provided side by side near the prism 50 of the upper case 41a. These light-shielding ribs 53 are provided on the tape-shaped medium 43.
And a length that does not interfere with other members. Further, the light shielding rib 53 is provided between the light source S2 and the second
It is a position that does not block the optical path P that connects the exit hole 52b with a straight line, and is provided above the optical path P. Further, two light shielding ribs 53 are arranged side by side at positions outside the concave portion 44 of the lower case 41b and inside the opening 54 (see FIG. 1).

At the time of tape end detection, the lower case 41b
The light source S2 on the device side enters the recess 44 of the light source S2.
Detecting light passing through the second exit hole 52b is detected by the light receiving element R2 on the apparatus side, thereby determining whether or not the end of the tape is reached. Tape medium 43
When the magnetic tape 43b is disposed in the optical path P,
The transmittance of the detection light from the light source S2 decreases, and the light receiving element R
2, the detection light does not sufficiently reach, and in this case, it is determined that the tape is present. On the other hand, when the leader tape 43a of the tape-shaped medium 43 is disposed in the optical path P, the transmittance of the detection light from the light source S2 increases, and the detection light sufficiently reaches the light receiving element R2. Is determined to be the tape end.

By the way, the position of the light source S2 with respect to the tape cartridge 40 varies for each device. Therefore, in addition to the case where the light source S2 is arranged at the center of the tape cartridge 40, the light source S2 may be arranged at a position shifted from the center of the tape cartridge 40 as shown in FIG.

Here, in the case of the present invention, the light shielding rib 53 is used.
(In the case of the present embodiment, two light shielding ribs 5
3a and 53b) are provided, as shown in FIG.
No matter where the light source S2 is located, the upper case 41
The detection light that is reflected by a and is going to pass through the gap between the tape-shaped medium 43 and the upper case 41a is always shielded by any of the light shielding ribs 53a or 53b. After passing through the exit hole 52b, the light receiving element R
2 will not reach. Therefore, when the magnetic tape 43b of the tape-shaped medium 43 is disposed between the light source S2 and the second emission hole 52b, the tape end is not erroneously detected. Thereby, the reliability of the tape end can be improved.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the following various modifications are possible. (1) The tape-shaped medium 43 is not limited to the magnetic tape 43b, but may be a head cleaning tape for cleaning the head of the apparatus. (2) In the present embodiment, the transparent resin material 49 and the prism 50
Are integrally formed, but may be formed separately. Further, the transparent resin material 49 and the prism 50 may be formed integrally with the upper case 41a.

(3) Although two light-blocking ribs 53 are provided in the present embodiment, the same effect can be obtained by providing three or more light-blocking ribs. (4) In the present embodiment, the example of the DAT is given as the tape cartridge 40, but the present invention can be applied to a video tape cassette.

[0031]

According to the present invention, even if the position of the light source for tape detection on the apparatus side that enters the recess is shifted, the light is reflected on the upper case and tries to pass through the gap between the tape-shaped medium and the upper case. The detected light is always shielded by one of the light-shielding ribs and does not exit from the emission hole. Therefore, erroneous detection of the tape end can be prevented, and the reliability of the tape end detection can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a tape cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing in detail a main part of a side surface of the case main body in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, showing a positional relationship between a light emitting element and a light receiving element on the device side.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the inner surface of the upper case in FIG. 1 in detail.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a positional relationship between an optical path of detection light from a light source on the apparatus side and a light shielding rib in the tape cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which detection light from a light source is reflected on an upper case in the tape cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a tape end detection unit in a conventional tape cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second example of the tape end detection unit in the conventional tape cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a third example of a tape end detection unit in a conventional tape cartridge.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which detection light from a light source on the device side is reflected on an upper case in a third conventional tape cartridge.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which detection light from a light source on the apparatus side is reflected on an upper case in a conventional tape cartridge having no light shielding rib.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 40 Tape cartridge 41 Case main body 41a Upper case 41b Lower case 43 Tape-shaped medium 43a Leader tape 43b Magnetic tape 44 Depression 45 Slider 46 Front cover 47 Hub brake 49 Transparent resin material 50 Prism 51 Incident hole 52 Exit hole 52a First exit hole 52b Second exit hole 53 (53a, 53b) Light-blocking rib 54 (for pulling out tape-like medium 43) Opening 55a Upper sheet 55b Lower sheet P Optical paths R1, R2 connecting linearly between light source S2 and second exit hole 52b (Device side) S1 Light emitting element (device side) S2 Light source (device side)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for rotatably storing a tape-shaped medium having a leader tape connected to a start end and an end thereof in a case body composed of an upper case and a lower case, and entering a concave portion provided on a lower front side of the case body. The tape cartridge in which the tape-shaped medium travels so as to cross an optical path connecting a light source for detecting the tape on the side and an emission hole provided on the side surface of the case body in a straight line, does not block the optical path of the upper case. A tape cartridge, wherein a plurality of light-blocking ribs are arranged at a position above the optical path. 2. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding rib is located outside the concave portion and inside a pull-out opening of the tape-shaped medium.
A tape cartridge characterized by being arranged side by side on two sides each.