GB1584670A - Means for driving recording media - Google Patents
Means for driving recording media Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB1584670A GB1584670A GB5398877A GB5398877A GB1584670A GB 1584670 A GB1584670 A GB 1584670A GB 5398877 A GB5398877 A GB 5398877A GB 5398877 A GB5398877 A GB 5398877A GB 1584670 A GB1584670 A GB 1584670A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- wheel
- section
- capstan
- recording medium
- pinch
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 37
- 229920001971 elastomer Polymers 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000012858 resilient material Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920001084 poly(chloroprene) Polymers 0.000 claims description 2
- 229920002994 synthetic fiber Polymers 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B15/00—Driving, starting or stopping record carriers of filamentary or web form; Driving both such record carriers and heads; Guiding such record carriers or containers therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function
- G11B15/18—Driving; Starting; Stopping; Arrangements for control or regulation thereof
- G11B15/26—Driving record carriers by members acting directly or indirectly thereon
- G11B15/28—Driving record carriers by members acting directly or indirectly thereon through rollers driving by frictional contact with the record carrier, e.g. capstan; Multiple arrangements of capstans or drums coupled to means for controlling the speed of the drive; Multiple capstan systems alternately engageable with record carrier to provide reversal
- G11B15/29—Driving record carriers by members acting directly or indirectly thereon through rollers driving by frictional contact with the record carrier, e.g. capstan; Multiple arrangements of capstans or drums coupled to means for controlling the speed of the drive; Multiple capstan systems alternately engageable with record carrier to provide reversal through pinch-rollers or tape rolls
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B23/00—Record carriers not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Accessories, e.g. containers, specially adapted for co-operation with the recording or reproducing apparatus ; Intermediate mediums; Apparatus or processes specially adapted for their manufacture
- G11B23/02—Containers; Storing means both adapted to cooperate with the recording or reproducing means
- G11B23/04—Magazines; Cassettes for webs or filaments
- G11B23/06—Magazines; Cassettes for webs or filaments for housing endless webs or filaments
- G11B23/07—Magazines; Cassettes for webs or filaments for housing endless webs or filaments using a single reel or core
Landscapes
- Registering, Tensioning, Guiding Webs, And Rollers Therefor (AREA)
Description
(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO MEANS FOR
DRIVING RECORDING MEDIA
(71) We, ANSAFONE LIMITED, a British company, of Lyon Way, Frimley Road,
Camberley, Surrey GU16 5EY, England, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:
This invention relates to pinch wheels for driving recording media.
Known tape storage devices include means for storing an endless loop of tape, guides defining an extended path for tape from the store, and driving means comprising a capstan which co-operates with a pinch wheel in drawing tape from the store and driving the tape along the extended path. In many storage devices there are no means for positively driving tape back to the store.
Instead, tape is returned to the store by a slight tension exerted on the tape by any one of a variety of means, such as air pressure, vacuum, gravity or a driven reel.
In practice it is found that the tension exerted on tape returning to the store is insufficient to prevent the tape from "billowing out" of the extended path between the pinch wheel and the store. If the storage device includes a cartridge this billowing out may take place outside the cartridge.
The present invention includes a pinch wheel for use in co-operation with a driving capstan in driving a recording medium which, in use, is gnpped between the wheel and the capstan, along an extended path, wherein a section of the pinch wheel which has an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of the wheel has a radius greater than the radius of the remainder of the wheel, and the peripheral parts of the section and the remainder of the wheel are resilient, whereby the peripheral part of the section is compressed and the effective radius thereof is reduced over that portion of its angular movement wherein the recording medium is gripped between the section and the capstan.
The present invention also includes a storage device for an endless recording medium comprising a spool for an endless recording medium, guide means defining an extended path along which the recording medium can be withdrawn from the spool and returned thereto, and driving means comprising a pinch wheel for use in cooperation with a driving capstan, the capstan and the wheel being biased towards one another when the device is in use and recording medium being gripped between the wheel and the capstan and driven along the extended path as the capstan rotates, wherein a section of the pinch wheel which has an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of the wheel has a radius greater than the radius of the remainder of the wheel, and the peripheral parts of the section and of the remainder of the wheel are resilient, whereby the peripheral part of the section is compressed and the effective radius thereof is reduced over that portion of its angular movement wherein the recording medium is gripped between the section and the capstan, the peripheral speed of the section then being equal or substantially equal to the speed of the recording medium, and the peripheral part of the section expands and the effective radius thereof increases upon angular movement away from the capstan, the peripheral speed of the section then being greater than the speed of the recording medium in contact therewith so that the section exerts a frictional driving force which urges the recording medium towards the spool.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure lisa plan view of an endless tape cartridge including a pinch wheel according to the invention;
Figure 2 is an axial section of the pinch wheel in the cartridge of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a plan view of the pinch wheel of Figures 1 and 2, a capstan, and a tape engaged between the capstan and the pinch wheel.
The cartridge shown in Figure 1 is an endless tape cartridge for use in a telephone answering machine.
In this cartridge a spool 1 for supporting an endless tape 3 is rotatably mounted on a pin 5 which extends between a bottom wall and a transparent top wall of a housing 7.
The spool 1 is formed of a circular supporting plate 9 and a hub 11 which is frustoconical in section. The end of the hub 11 which is smaller in diameter is adjacent the plate 9. Coaxially of the spool 1 there is a generally circular surround 13 which depends from the top wall of the housing.
An extended path along which the tape 3 can travel from the centre of the spool 1 and then return to the periphery of the spool is defined within the housing 7. A first section of this path extends from the spool 1 through an aperture 15 in the surround 13 to an upstanding guide 17 at a front corner of the housing 7. From the guide 17 the path extends alongside a front wall of the housing to a pinch wheel 19 at an adjacent corner.
Finally, there is a section of path which extends from the pinch wheel 19 to the spool 1, via an inlet channel 21 and a further aperture 23 in the circular surround 13.
The front wall of the housing is formed with an aperture which provides access to a section 24 for a tape position sensing device and with a pair of apertures 25 which allow access to the tape 3 by a recording and reproducing head not shown) and an erase head (not shown). Rearwardly of each aperture 25 is a pressure pad 27, against which the tape 3 is urged when the device is in use and a head is inserted into the associated aperture. A third aperture 29 is formed in the front wall of the housing 7, adjacent to the pinch wheel 19. This third aperture 29 allows access of a capstan (not shown in
Figure 1) which co-operates with the pinch wheel 1 in driving the tape 3 along the extended path.
The pinch wheel 19 is rotatably supported on a spring loaded arm 31 by a second pin 33. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, a peripheral part 35 of the wheel 19 is made of a soft rubber formed with a central bore.
A bearing sleeve 37 which receives the second pin 33 is fitted into the bore in the rubber.
The present pinch wheel 19 includes a short central section 39 whose peripheral part is formed integrally with the peripheral part of the remainder of the wheel but whose radius is greater than the radius of the remainder of the wheel. This section 39 has a dimension of 0.015 inches in an axial direction, compared with an axial dimension of 0.35 inches for the whole wheel 19. The diameter of the central section 39 is 0.655 inches compared with an external diameter of 0.625 inches for the remainder of the wheel 19 and an external diameter of 0.35 inches for the sleeve 37.
In use, the endless loop of tape 3 is arranged in the cartridge, there being a few turns on the hub 11 of the spool 1 and the remainder extending from an inner turn, along the extended path described above, and then back to an outer turn on the hub.
When the cartridge is introduced into a telephone answering machine a recording and reproducing head (not shown), an erase head (not shown) and a capstan 41, shown in Figure 3, enter the housing via respective apertures 25 and 29, described above. The capstan has a diameter of 0.125 inches. The pinch wheel 19 is strongly biased towards the capstan 41 so that the tape 3 engaging the wheel is gripped between the wheel and the capstan. In addition, the biasing force compresses the rubber in the abovementioned central section 39 of the pinch wheel 19, as indicated in Figure 3. The amount of this compression is sufficient to reduce the effective radius of that portion of the section 39 adjacent the capstan 41 to a radius equal or substantially equal to the radius of the remainder of the wheel 19.
When the capstan 41 is driven, the tape 3 is drawn along that part of the extended path which extends from the inner turn on the hub 11 to the upstanding guide 17 at a front corner of the housing. From the guide 17, the tape travels to the co-operating capstan 41 and the pinch wheel 19.
The speed of travel of the tape 3 is substantially equal to the peripheral speed of the capstan 41 and the compressed part of the central section 39 of the pinch wheel 19 engaging the capstan. As the central section 39 of the wheel 19 moves in an angular direction away from the capstan 41, the effective radius of the section increases, as does its peripheral speed. This means that over a short angular distance where the tape 3 is still contacting the section 39 the peripheral speed of the section is greater than the speed of the tape. The section 39 therefore exerts frictional forces on the tape 3, tending to urge the tape back along the final part of the extended path to the hub 11 of the spool 1. This reduces the probability of the tape 3 adhering to the main part of the pinch wheel 19, i.e. the part other than the central section 39, and following an incorrect path after leaving the capstan 41.
It will be appreciated that as the tape 3 is withdrawn from the inner turn on the hub 11, the spool 1 and the turns thereon are rotated. The outer turn has a slightly larger radius than the inner turn so that there is a slight tension exerted on tape returning to the spool. This slight tension helps to keep the tape 3 in contact with the pinch wheel 19 over a larger angular distance than would otherwise be the case, thus ensuring that the tape is subjected to the above-mentioned frictional driving forces.
In an alternative embodiment suitable for use with wider tapes, a plurality of sections of increased radius are provided on the pinch wheel 19.
The peripheral part of the pinch wheel 19 can of course be made from a soft synthetic material such as neoprene rather than rubber.
The peripheral part of the section 39 of the pinch wheel 19 can be made separately from and of a different material from the remainder of the pinch wheel.
A pinch wheel according to the invention can be used in driving tape or film upon which sound or any analogue or digital signals are recorded.
A pinch wheel according to the invention can also be used for drawing a recording medium from a spool through a recording/reproducing device and then discharging the medium to a temporary storage bin rather than returning the medium to a more permanent store.
It is found that the most suitable axial and radial dimensions for the central section 39 depend upon the axial and radial dimensions of the wheel 19 and the diameter of the capstan 41. For a capstan of 0.125 to 0.25 inches in diameter the axial dimension of the central section is most suitable between 2.5 and 10% of the axial dimension of the wheel. The radial thickness of the resilient part of the section, i.e. the difference between its internal and external radii, is between 5 and 15% greater than the radial thickness of the resilient part of the remainder of the wheel.
WHAT WE CLAIM IS:
1. A pinch wheel for use in co-operation with a driving capstan in driving a recording medium which, in use, is gripped between the wheel and the capstan, along an extended path, wherein a section of the pinch wheel which has an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of the wheel has a radius greater than the radius of the remainder of the wheel, and the peripheral parts of the section and of the remainder of the wheel are resilient, whereby the peripheral part of the section is compressed and the effective radius thereof is reduced over that portion of its angular movement wherein the recording medium is gripped between the section and the capstan.
2. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the section has an axial dimension which is between 2.5 and 10% of the axial dimension of the wheel.
3. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the radial thickness of the resilient part of the section is between 5 and 15% greater than the radial thickness of the resilient part of the remainder of the wheel.
4. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the peripheral part of the section is formed integrally with a peripheral part of the remainder of the wheel.
5. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the peripheral parts of the section and the remainder of the wheel are formed of a resilient material and a bearing sleeve is fitted into an axial bore in the resilient material.
6. A pinch wheel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the section is located centrally of the wheel in an axial direction.
7. A pinch wheel as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of the said sections are spaced apart in an axial direction.
8. A storage device for an endless recording medium comprising a spool for an endless recording medium, guide means defining an extended path along which the recording medium can be withdrawn from the spool and returned thereto, and driving means comprising a pinch wheel for use in co-operation with a driving capstan, the capstan and the wheel being biased towards one another when the device is in use and recording medium being gripped between the wheel and the capstan and driven along the extended path as the capstan rotates, wherein a section of the pinch wheel which has an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of the wheel has a radius greater than the radius of the remainder of the wheel and the peripheral parts of the section and of the remainder of the wheel are resilient, whereby the peripheral part of the section is compressed and the effective radius thereof is reduced over that portion of its angular movement wherein the recording medium is gripped between the section and the capstan, the peripheral speed of the section then being equal or substantially equal to the speed of the recording medium, and the peripheral part of the section expands and the effective radius thereof increases upon angular movement away from the capstan, the peripheral speed of the section then being greater than the speed of the recording medium in contact therewith so that the section exerts a frictional driving force which urges the recording medium towards the spool.
9. A pinch wheel constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.
10. A storage device for an endless recording medium, the device being constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.
Claims (10)
1. A pinch wheel for use in co-operation with a driving capstan in driving a recording medium which, in use, is gripped between the wheel and the capstan, along an extended path, wherein a section of the pinch wheel which has an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of the wheel has a radius greater than the radius of the remainder of the wheel, and the peripheral parts of the section and of the remainder of the wheel are resilient, whereby the peripheral part of the section is compressed and the effective radius thereof is reduced over that portion of its angular movement wherein the recording medium is gripped between the section and the capstan.
2. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the section has an axial dimension which is between 2.5 and 10% of the axial dimension of the wheel.
3. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the radial thickness of the resilient part of the section is between 5 and 15% greater than the radial thickness of the resilient part of the remainder of the wheel.
4. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the peripheral part of the section is formed integrally with a peripheral part of the remainder of the wheel.
5. A pinch wheel as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the peripheral parts of the section and the remainder of the wheel are formed of a resilient material and a bearing sleeve is fitted into an axial bore in the resilient material.
6. A pinch wheel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the section is located centrally of the wheel in an axial direction.
7. A pinch wheel as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of the said sections are spaced apart in an axial direction.
8. A storage device for an endless recording medium comprising a spool for an endless recording medium, guide means defining an extended path along which the recording medium can be withdrawn from the spool and returned thereto, and driving means comprising a pinch wheel for use in co-operation with a driving capstan, the capstan and the wheel being biased towards one another when the device is in use and recording medium being gripped between the wheel and the capstan and driven along the extended path as the capstan rotates, wherein a section of the pinch wheel which has an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of the wheel has a radius greater than the radius of the remainder of the wheel and the peripheral parts of the section and of the remainder of the wheel are resilient, whereby the peripheral part of the section is compressed and the effective radius thereof is reduced over that portion of its angular movement wherein the recording medium is gripped between the section and the capstan, the peripheral speed of the section then being equal or substantially equal to the speed of the recording medium, and the peripheral part of the section expands and the effective radius thereof increases upon angular movement away from the capstan, the peripheral speed of the section then being greater than the speed of the recording medium in contact therewith so that the section exerts a frictional driving force which urges the recording medium towards the spool.
9. A pinch wheel constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.
10. A storage device for an endless recording medium, the device being constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB5398877A GB1584670A (en) | 1978-05-31 | 1978-05-31 | Means for driving recording media |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB5398877A GB1584670A (en) | 1978-05-31 | 1978-05-31 | Means for driving recording media |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB1584670A true GB1584670A (en) | 1981-02-18 |
Family
ID=10469604
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB5398877A Expired GB1584670A (en) | 1978-05-31 | 1978-05-31 | Means for driving recording media |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB1584670A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1984004846A1 (en) * | 1983-05-26 | 1984-12-06 | Sinclair Res Ltd | Improved continuous loop tape cassette |
-
1978
- 1978-05-31 GB GB5398877A patent/GB1584670A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1984004846A1 (en) * | 1983-05-26 | 1984-12-06 | Sinclair Res Ltd | Improved continuous loop tape cassette |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS | Patent sealed | ||
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |