Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head moving during transducing – Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-18
2002-04-02
Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head moving during transducing
Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06366424
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic tape apparatus for recording, reproducing and erasing information with respect to a magnetic tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 61-137255 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 7-14250 describe the technology of magnetic tape apparatus of the type mentioned above and one example of the conventional magnetic tape apparatus will be described with reference to
FIGS. 12
to
15
hereinafter. A cradle
3
for supporting a tape cassette T is movably disposed on a chassis
1
between a pair of parallel guide plates
2
uprightly provided with a predetermined space held therebetween. Also provided is a cassette loading mechanism
7
for interlocking the cradle
3
with a driving means
4
via a moving rod
5
reciprocally moved by the driving means
4
and a cradle interlocking mechanism
6
, and a tape loading mechanism
8
for drawing a magnetic tape t out of the tape cassette T.
The cradle
3
has a bottom plate portion
3
a
, and a pair of side plate portions
3
b
uprightly provided on the respective side edges of the bottom plate portion
3
a
. Further, a support rod
3
c
projected from each side plate portion
3
b
is movably inserted in a substantially L-shaped guide groove
9
formed in each guide plate
2
, and a leaf spring
10
for pressing down the surface of the tape cassette T is also provided at the upper end of each side plate portion
3
b.
The driving means
4
has a worm gear
14
rotated by a driving motor
12
via a belt transmission mechanism
13
fixed via a coupling rod
11
a
to the chassis
1
over a board
1
, a circular cam plate
16
that is rotatably supported via a support shaft
15
over the chassis
1
, with a toothed portion
16
a
that is formed on the outer periphery of the cam plate
16
and engages with the worm gear
14
, and a rocking plate
19
whose one end is pivotally supported by a pivotal shaft
17
over the chassis
1
and whose cam pin
18
projected from the central portion of the rocking plate
19
is inserted in a spiral cam groove
16
b
of the cam plate
16
, the other end thereof being coupled to the moving rod
5
with a pin. The cam plate
16
is then rotated forward and backward in directions a and b by actuating the driving motor
12
to reciprocate the rocking plate
19
via the cam pin
18
around the pivotal shaft
17
whereby to reciprocate the moving rod
5
in directions c and d.
The cradle interlocking mechanism
6
has a pair of pinion portions
23
rotatably and pivotally supported by the guide plate
2
via a support shaft
21
, and projected portions
24
provided for the respective pinion portions
23
. Each of the support rods
3
c
is fitted in a slot
25
running through the projected portion
24
, and one of the pinion portions
23
is made to engage with a rack portion
22
formed on the moving rod
5
. Both the pinion portions
23
are interlocked and integrally coupled together by making a pair of fan-like gears
27
engage with the respective pinion portions
23
, the pair of fan-like gears
27
being secured to the respective ends of a rotary shaft
26
rotatably supported by both the guide plates
2
. Further, both the projected portions
24
are reciprocated around the support shaft
21
via the rack portion
22
and the pinion portions
23
by reciprocating the moving rod
5
in the directions c and d, whereby the cradle
3
can be reciprocated longitudinally in directions e and f.
The tape loading mechanism
8
has a pair of moving stands
32
each having guide posts
31
that are movable along a lateral pair of slots
30
formed with a head cylinder
29
held therebetween, a pair of fan-like gears
34
that are rotatably and pivotally supported by the chassis
1
via a pivotal shaft
33
and engage with each other, a pair of link mechanisms
35
for interlocking the fan-like gears
34
with the respective moving stands
32
, and an interlocking rod
36
whose rack portion
36
a
formed in its one end portion engages with a pinion portion
37
formed integrally with the one fan-like gear
34
. The other end portion of the interlocking rod
36
is interlocked with the cam plate
16
via a cam mechanism (not shown). The interlocking rod
36
is reciprocated in directions g and h by rotating the cam plate
16
forward and backward in the directions a and b, whereby each moving stand
32
can be reciprocated in directions i and j along the slot
30
via the rack portion
36
a
, the pinion portion
37
, the fan-like gear
34
and the link mechanism
35
.
In
FIG. 12
, reference numeral
39
denotes a full erase head;
40
, an audio erase head;
41
, an audio/control head;
42
, a fixed tape guide post;
43
, a capstan that is rotated by a capstan motor
43
a
;
44
, a pinch roller for pressing the magnetic tape t against the capstan
43
;
45
, a tension post for applying tension to the magnetic tape t at the time of tape loading; and
46
, pins for positioning the moving stands, pins
46
being projected from the chassis
1
opposite to the respective front ends of the slots
30
.
A loading procedure will now be described. As shown in
FIGS. 12 and 13
, the cradle
3
is slightly moved backward when the cradle
3
in a forward standby state is loaded with the tape cassette T and its slight backward movement is detected by a detector (not shown). A detection signal from the detector causes the driving motor
12
to be driven, so that the cam plate
16
is rotated forward in the direction a via the belt transmission mechanism
13
and the like. Thus, the rocking plate
19
is pivoted around the pivotal shaft
17
because of the cam action of the cam pin
18
and the cam groove
16
b
whereby to move the moving rod
5
forward in the direction c and the cradle
3
is moved horizontally along the guide groove
9
backward in the direction e via the cradle interlocking mechanism
6
before being moved down. Then the tape cassette T is set in position (see
FIG. 15
) and the cassette loading is completed. Further, the interlocking rod
36
is moved forward in the direction g and each of the moving stands
32
is also moved forward in the direction i along the slot
30
via the rack portion
36
a
and the like. The magnetic tape t is drawn out of the tape cassette T by each guide post
31
before being wound on the head cylinder
29
(see
FIG. 14
) whereby to terminate the tape loading. Then the operation is switched to a reproduction mode, for example, by operating a mode switching lever (not shown) so as to reproduce the information recorded on the magnetic tape t.
With the conventional arrangement described above, although the rocking plate
19
is used to extend the moving distance of the cam pin
18
and to increase the outer diameter D of the cam plate
16
in accordance with the ratio of the distance r from the pivotal shaft
17
up to the cam pin
18
to the distance R from the pivotal shaft
17
up to the moving rod
5
to ensure the cassette loading and tape loading by increasing the moving strokes of the moving rod
5
and interlocking rod
36
as shown in
FIG. 12
, this may result in increasing not only the number of parts but also the production cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention in view of the foregoing shortcomings is to provide a magnetic tape apparatus that can be produced less costly with a smaller number of parts.
In order to accomplish the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a magnetic tape apparatus comprising: a cradle movably disposed on a chassis and used for supporting a tape cassette; and a cassette loading mechanism for interlocking the cradle with driving means via a moving rod which is reciprocated by the driving means, the driving means including a first pinion which is rotated forward and backward and a first rack integrally formed with the moving rod and made to engage with the first pinion, wherein when the driving means makes the moving rod move for
Cao Allen
Funai Electric Co. Ltd.
Lackenbach Siegel Marzullo Aronson & Greenspan P.C.
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