Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-06
2004-02-03
Hudspeth, David (Department: 2651)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
active
06687075
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a recording-medium holder insertion detection apparatus, and more particularly to a recording-medium holder insertion detection apparatus which detects an insertion of a cassette holder into a housing of a magnetic recording/reproducing system, such as a digital audio tape (DAT) recorder system.
In recent years, there have been the demands for inexpensive, lightweight magnetic recording/reproducing systems, and there is the increasing demand for a cassette holder insertion detection apparatus having an inexpensive, lightweight structure that is appropriate for use in the magnetic recording/reproducing systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4
shows a conventional recording-medium-holder insertion detection apparatus. The conventional insertion detection apparatus is provided for use in a digital audio tape (DAT) recording/reproducing system.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, a cassette holder
104
includes a DAT cassette
110
provided therein. The cassette holder
104
is inserted into the recording/reproducing system so as to reproduce information recorded in the DAT of the cassette
110
. The conventional insertion detection apparatus is configured such that the cassette holder
104
, when inserted, is movable between an insert/eject position and a tape-loaded position in a housing
102
of the recording/reproducing system. With the cassette holder
104
being set at the tape-loaded position, the recording/reproducing system can reproduce information recorded in the DAT of the cassette
110
.
In the conventional insertion detection apparatus of
FIG. 4
, the cassette holder
104
is provided with a projection
112
, which is formed on the bottom of the cassette holder
104
so as to downwardly extend from the bottom of the cassette holder
104
. In the housing
102
of the recording/reproducing system, a position-sensing switch
106
is provided at a given position, and the position-sensing switch
106
includes a knob
114
, which upwardly extends from the top of the position-sensing switch
114
.
When the cassette holder
104
at the insert/eject position is manually pushed by an operator in the insertion direction indicated by the arrow “X1” in
FIG. 4
, to reach the given position where the position-sensing switch
106
is provided, the projection
112
on the bottom of the cassette holder
104
is brought into contact with the knob
114
on the top of the position-sensing switch
106
. The position-sensing switch
106
is turned ON by the contact of the projection
112
with the knob
114
, which outputs a detection signal, which indicates that the manual insertion of the cassette holder
104
into the housing
102
is detected, to a system control unit
108
.
When the detection signal output by the switch
106
is received at the system control unit
108
, the system control unit
108
supplies a drive signal to a motor driver (not shown). In response to the drive signal supplied by the system control unit
108
, the motor driver supplies a drive voltage to a loading motor (not shown) so that the loading motor is rotated by the drive voltage. The rotating force of the loading motor is transmitted to the cassette holder
104
through gears, so that the cassette holder
104
is further moved in the insertion direction to the tape-loaded position. With the cassette holder
104
being set at the tape-loaded position, the recording/reproducing system can reproduce information recorded in the DAT of the cassette
110
.
In the conventional insertion detection apparatus described above, the manual insertion of the cassette holder
104
into the housing
102
is detected by using the position-sensing switch
106
when the projection
112
on the bottom of the cassette holder
104
is brought into contact with the knob
114
on the top of the position-sensing switch
106
.
However, in the above conventional insertion detection apparatus, the misalignment of the projection
112
on the cassette holder
104
and/or the misalignment of the knob
114
on the position-sensing switch
106
are likely to occur, which will result in a poor contact between the projection
112
and the knob
114
. In such a case, even when the cassette holder
104
at the insert/eject position is manually inserted to reach the given position where the position-sensing switch
106
is provided, the position-sensing switch
106
is not turned ON due to the poor contact, and no detection signal is supplied from the position-sensing switch
106
to the system control unit
108
. As the system control unit
108
supplies no drive signal to the motor driver, the motor driver does not supply a drive voltage to the loading motor in order to generate a rotating force of the loading motor. Hence, the cassette holder
104
is not moved in the insertion direction to the tape-loaded position, and the recording/reproducing system cannot reproduce information recorded in the DAT of the cassette
110
.
In order to eliminate the above problem, in the conventional insertion detection apparatus, the alignment of the projection
112
on the cassette holder
104
and the alignment of the knob
114
on the switch
106
must be carried out with high accuracy. This will cause the manufacture of the conventional insertion detection apparatus to become costly and complicated. Hence, it is difficult for the conventional insertion detection apparatus to detect the manual insertion of the cassette holder in the recording/reproducing system by using a lightweight, low-cost structure. The conventional insertion detection apparatus employs the position-sensing switch
106
, and it requires the highly accurate alignment of the projection
112
and the knob
114
in order to provide a safe, reliable detection of the insertion of the cassette holder
104
in the recording/reproducing system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to overcome the above-described problems, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a recording-medium holder insertion detection apparatus that provides a safe, reliable detection of the insertion of the cassette holder in the recording/reproducing system by using a lightweight, inexpensive structure.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for detecting an insertion of a recording-medium holder in a recording/reproducing system, includes: a motor which is engaged with the recording-medium holder, placed at a first position within the recording/reproducing system, the motor moving the holder in an insertion direction from the first position when the motor is rotated by a drive voltage, and the motor generating an alternating voltage when the motor is rotated by a manual insertion of the holder so as to reach a second position; a detection circuit which outputs a pulsed signal in response to the alternating voltage generated by the motor; and a determination unit which calculates a distance of the holder away from the first position in the insertion direction based on the pulsed signal output by the detection circuit, and outputs a drive-start signal when the calculated distance has reached a predetermined distance between the first position and the second position.
The recording-medium holder insertion detection apparatus of the present invention is effective in providing a safe, reliable detection of the insertion of the cassette holder in the recording/reproducing system by using a lightweight, inexpensive structure.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4379313 (1983-04-01), Tsuchiya
patent: 4656544 (1987-04-01), Yamanouchi
patent: 4858042 (1989-08-01), Ito et al.
patent: 4965683 (1990-10-01), Otani
patent: 5396381 (1995-03-01), Yamano et al.
patent: 5420732 (1995-05-01), Scholz et al.
patent: 6023142 (2000-02-01), Inschlag
Nawa Ikuichiro
Saito Kenji
Hudspeth David
Ladas & Parry
Mitsumi Electronic Co., Ltd.
Tzeng Fred F.
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