Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Carrier speed or tension control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-11
2001-09-11
Rivera, William A. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Carrier speed or tension control
C242S338000, C242S352500, C360S095000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286775
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 36
to
38
, a conventional magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus
300
will be described.
The magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus
300
includes a main chassis
308
and a sub-chassis
303
which can slide relative to the main chassis
308
in the direction indicated by arrow A. An S reel base
304
is swingably mounted on the sub-chassis
303
and adapted to engage with a reel hub (not shown) of a cassette
301
.
A tension arm
312
having a tension post
314
is swingably mounted on the sub-chassis
303
and swung by a driving source (not shown) to draw out a tape
302
. An S boat
339
having an S
1
post
345
and an S
2
post
344
extending therefrom is mounted on the main chassis
308
. The S boat
339
moves from a position inside a cassette mouth (the position shown in
FIG. 36
) to a position in the vicinity of a cylinder
338
, so that the tape
302
is drawn out from the cassette
301
and passes around the cylinder
338
for a predetermined arc.
A tape loading operation of the above conventional apparatus will be described.
FIG. 36
illustrates the state in which the cassette
301
can be placed on the sub-chassis
303
(UNLOADED state). In this state, the tension post
314
is located in the cassette mouth. From this state, members such as the sub-chassis
303
, the tension post
314
, and the S boat
339
move to the position shown in
FIG. 37
at which the tape
302
has been drawn out to pass around the cylinder
338
.
FIG. 37
illustrates the state in which the tape
302
runs in the forward direction (indicated by arrow A) during recording/reproduction and the like, while
FIG. 38
illustrates the state in which the tape
302
runs in the backward direction (indicated by arrow B) during reverse reproduction and the like.
The construction and operation of the tension control mechanism will be described.
The tension arm
312
is swingably mounted on the sub-chassis
303
, and driven by an tension arm regulating pin
313
, to move between the position shown in FIG.
37
and the position shown in
FIG. 38
, so that the tension post
314
extending from the top of the tension arm
312
guides the tape
302
and simultaneously controls the tension of the tape
302
.
One end
319
B of a tension band
319
is fixed to the sub-chassis
303
, while the other end
320
thereof is swingably attached to the tension arm
312
. The center portion of the tension band
319
is passed around a cylinder portion
326
formed around the circumferences of the S reel base
304
. A tension spring
327
extends between the tension arm
312
and the sub-chassis
303
.
In the above configuration, consider the case where the tape
302
runs in the forward direction for recording/reproduction in the state shown in FIG.
37
. Since the tension band
319
is tensioned around the cylinder portion
326
for a predetermined arc, a friction force is generated between the tension band
319
and the cylinder portion
326
. At this time, since the tape
302
is tensioned around the tension post
314
when it runs, the friction force is subjected to feedback, whereby the tape tension is kept stabilized.
In the case where the tape
302
runs in the backward direction, the tension arm regulating pin
313
is driven and positioned by a driving member (not shown), which in turn swings and positions the tension arm
312
to the position shown in FIG.
38
. At this time, the tension band
319
is loosened from the cylinder portion
326
as represented by the reference numeral
319
C, allowing the S reel base
304
to be released from load and thus the tape
302
to be released from tension. In this way, since the S reel base
304
becomes rotatable free from a force by the tension band
319
, the tape
302
which has run in the direction B can be wound onto a reel on the S reel base
304
. In
FIGS. 36
to
38
, a driving means for rotating the S reel base
304
is not shown.
In the unloaded position shown in
FIG. 36
, the tension post
314
is located inside the cassette mouth. In this state, since the end
320
of the tension band
319
is located in the vicinity of the S reel base
304
, the tension band
319
has loosened from the cylinder portion
326
as represented by the reference numeral
319
A. This loosening is greater than the loosening (
319
C) shown in FIG.
38
.
FIG. 39
is a side sectional view of the S reel base
304
and the tension band
319
in the state shown in FIG.
37
. In
FIG. 39
, the tension band
319
and the cylinder portion
326
are shown as if they are apart from each other for convenience.
In the above configuration, however, the following problem arises.
First, in the unloaded state shown in
FIG. 36
, the tension band
319
is loosened so much (as represented by
319
A) that it is too far away from the cylinder portion
326
of the S reel base
304
, as represented by the reference numerals
319
D and
319
E shown in FIG.
40
. When the apparatus is shifted from this state to the state shown in
FIG. 37
, the tension band
319
may sometimes fail to be passed around the cylinder portion
326
at a proper height (shown in
FIG. 39
) with respect to the cylinder portion
326
. If the running of the tape
302
is executed in this state, the tape
302
will not have a normal tension, which not only prevents recording/reproduction but also causes tape damage.
In order to avoid the above problem, a large flange as shown by the reference numeral
304
B in
FIG. 40
is formed on the S reel base
304
. Such a large flange can prevent the tension band
319
from displacing from the cylinder portion
326
. However, a large flange is required to keep the tension band
319
from displacing from the flange when the tension band
319
is loosened at a maximum. This blocks realization of a small-size mechanism.
Secondly, as shown in
FIG. 38
, when the tape
302
runs in the reverse direction, the tension post
314
moves from a position
314
A (normal position) to a position
314
B. The run path of the tape
302
is therefore displaced from the tape path established when the tape
302
runs in the forward direction. Since the tape path in the forward direction is designed as an ideal tape path, tape damage may possibly occur when the tape runs along the tape path displaced from the ideal tape path. In order to avoid this problem, it is required to finely control the tension applied to the tape during running and strictly ensure the tilt precision and the positional precision of the posts. This also blocks realization of a small-size mechanism.
Moreover, since the position of the tension post
314
moves in the wide range between the positions
314
A and
314
B among the states, other members are not allowed to be placed in this range. This again blocks realization of a small-size mechanism.
The object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus including a small and highly reliable mechanism in which the tension band
319
is prevented from slacking in the unloaded state and is passed around a cylinder portion
326
properly when the tape runs in the forward direction at a recording rate for recording/reproduction, so that a proper tension can be applied to the tape, and the position of the tension post
314
is not displaced from an ideal tape path when the tape
302
runs for operations other than the recording/reproduction or when the tape
302
does not run.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus of this invention has a first state in which a tape cassette is placed on a chassis by a user and a second state in which after the placing of the tape cassette a magnetic tape is drawn out from the tape cassette and allowed to pass around a rotary head cylinder, having a rotary head, for a predetermined arc to record/reproduce information on/from the magnetic tape. The apparatus includes: a reel base rotatably mounted
Hirabayashi Koichiro
Konishi Akio
Yanagihara Takefumi
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Renner , Otto, Boisselle & Sklar, LLP
Rivera William A.
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