Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-11
2002-01-15
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06339514
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus for installing a box-shaped cassette into a video cassette recorder (VCR hereinafter) audio cassette recorder, or the like.
BACKGROUND ART
The recent market demands for a VCR integrally combined with a camera are diversified. Not only is reduction in size and weight demanded, but also digitization to prevent deterioration of signals is also demanded. By digitization, the quantity of information is greatly increased as compared with the conventional capacity, and the size of the cassette incorporating a tape is rapidly getting smaller due to the progress in the signal compression technology and high density recording technology. Also, the cassettes possessed by users are increasing year after year, and a VCR system capable of easily retrieving the type of cassette or retrieving the information recorded on the tape is being demanded.
As an example to satisfy such market needs, the household digital VCR (DVC hereinafter) conforming to the DV standard is known. In the DVC, a ferromagnetic metal material is applied or evaporated onto the tape, and the recording density is enhanced by short wavelength recording. A perspective view showing the appearance of a DVC cassette is given in FIG.
22
. At the back side of the DVC cassette, an ID board
102
a
is provided, and by the resistance value of the circuit board read through a contact type recognition switch (MIC-SW hereinafter) mentioned below, the tape thickness, tape material, and other information can be detected.
A conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus is described below while referring to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 16
is a plan view of a conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus in an unload position,
FIG. 17
is a magnified plan view of essential parts of
FIG. 16
,
FIG. 18
is a plan view in a loading completed position,
FIG. 19
is a right side view of
FIG. 16
in a cassette attaching and detaching position,
FIG. 20
is a right side view of
FIG. 16
of the cassette in a tape loading position, and
FIG. 21
is a right side view of FIG.
18
.
In FIG.
16
and
FIG. 20
, a rotary head cylinder
101
is installed in a main chassis
100
, and signals are exchanged with a tape (not shown) incorporated in a cassette
102
. A sub-chassis
104
is slidably placed on a sub-chassis guide pin
103
set up in the main chassis
100
. As shown in
FIG. 19
, one end of a main arm
106
rotatably supported on a main arm shaft
105
provided in the sub-chassis
104
is slidably engaged with a main arm pin
108
provided at the side of a cassette holder
107
for conveying the cassette
102
.
A a sub-arm shaft
110
is provided at the side of the cassette holder
107
to which an outer panel
109
is attached to the upper part thereof, and a sub-arm
111
is rotatably supported. The leading end of the sub-arm
111
is slidably engaged with a sub-arm pin
112
provided at the side of the sub-chassis
104
. The main arm
106
and sub-arm
111
are rotatably engaged with each other about an arm coupling pin
113
, and an up-spring
114
is stretched between them, so that the cassette holder
107
is always thrust to move in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
19
.
As shown in
FIG. 16
,
FIG. 18
, and
FIG. 20
, a light emitter
115
is disposed at a specified position on the sub-chassis
104
, and the light
116
emitted from the light emitter
115
is divided into two directions as indicated by the twin dot chain line, passes through the tape in the cassette
102
and a slot
110
a
in the sub-arm
111
, and reaches a photo detector
117
provided at the side of the sub-chassis
104
. Depending on whether or not this light
116
reaches the photo detector
117
, the tape starting or ending position can be detected.
Further, a lock rod
119
is slidably provided on a guide pin
118
formed at the side of the sub-chassis
104
, and it is thrust in the direction of arrow C in
FIG. 19
by a lock spring
120
. A lock pin
121
set up on the lock rod
119
is provided at a position to be engaged with a lock engaging portion
107
a
formed in the cassette holder
107
, and the cassette holder
107
is designed to have a slight play after locking so as to be movable somewhat in the direction of arrow B, so that the lock pin
121
can securely contact the stopping portion
107
b
of the engaging portion
107
a.
In addition, as shown in
FIG. 19
or
FIG. 20
, a contact type recognition switch (MIC-SW)
122
is provided at a position to be engaged with the ID board
102
a
at the back side of the cassette
102
. To insulate all but a contact terminal
122
a,
the housing
122
b
for holding the contact terminal
122
a
is generally made of a resin material. The contact terminal
122
a
is made of an elastic conductive material, and the resistance value of the ID board
102
a
can be read by applying a specified pressure.
In this conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, the operation is described below.
In
FIG. 19
, when the cassette
102
is put into the cassette holder
107
in the direction of arrow C, and the outer panel
109
is pressed in the direction of arrow B, the cassette holder
107
is lowered as being guided by the main arm
106
and sub-arm
111
. When the lock engaging portion
107
a
of the cassette holder
107
contacts with the lock pin
121
, the lock rod
119
slides in the direction of arrow D, and the moment the lock engaging portion
107
a
passes the lock pin
121
, the lock rod
119
returns to the position shown in
FIG. 20
due to the thrusting force of the lock spring
120
.
After locking the cassette holder
107
, when the outer panel
109
is pressed in the direction of arrow B in
FIG. 20
, the cassette holder
107
is pushed by virtue of the play mentioned above, but when the pushing force is released, it stops at the position shown in
FIG. 20
due to the restoring force of the up-spring
114
. When the cassette holder
107
descends, the optical path from the light emitter
115
to the photo detector
117
is temporarily shut off by the sub-arm
111
, but at the end of descending, the optical path is formed as shown in FIG.
16
and FIG.
20
. Thereafter, the sub-chassis
104
mounting the cassette holder
107
is guided by the sub-chassis guide pin
103
, and is moved to the rotary head cylinder
101
side, so that the tape can be recorded or reproduced.
The conventional construction; however, has the following three problems.
(1) Since the moving trajectory of the sub-arm intersects with the detection direction of the photo detector, the photo detector must be placed at the outside of the sub-arm, i.e. at the side of the sub-arm that is opposite to the cassette. Therefore, minimizing the width of this mechanism is restricted, and the entire apparatus cannot be reduced much in size.
(2) The MIC-SW is made of a resin material in order to assure its own rigidity and the reliability of operation, and hence a certain thickness is required; however, this thickness becomes a dominant factor for determining the depth of the recognition switch, and hence reducing the depth of the recognition swtich is limited. If an ultra-thin MIC-SW is made, the verticality of the MIC-SW to the chassis is not assured, and fluctuations of contact pressure of the contact terminal with the ID board increase, whereby the reliability of operation of the apparatus becomes inferior.
(3) Since the outer panel and the cassette holder are integrally composed, the external force acting on the outer panel directly propagates to internal mechanisms through the cassette holder. Therefore, in the case of the camera-VCR integrated unit, since the user directly touches the outer panel when operating the unit, the apparatus or the cassette may be distorted or deformed, and the reliability may be spoiled, and hence the quality of the product may be lowered.
The invention is intended to solve these problems of the prior art, and it is hence an object thereof to present a magnetic recording and reproduc
Hirabayashi Koichiro
Konishi Akio
Sakamoto Keiji
Ueda Shigeo
Chen Tianjie
Klimowicz William
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