GB2178887A - Cassette ejector mechanism for cassette tape player - Google Patents

Abstract

A cassette ejector mechanism for a cassette type tape player, including a cassette lever 2 and a cassette holder 3 which are rotatable between a playing position and a setting-rejecting position in a chassis 1, a head chassis 4 movable to and from a cassette C when in the playing position, and an actuating lever 5 5 for actuating the cassette lever 2 and the head chassis 4, said actuating lever 5 being rotatably provided on a fixed shaft O2 on the chassis 1, and a clutch mechanism which includes a clutch lever 8, gears 6, 9 and a cassette ejecting 12 button 11, which mechanism is arranged between the actuating lever 5 and a pulley 7 which in use is driven by a cassette motor M, said clutch mechanism being effective, upon actuation of the cassette ejection button 11, to effect connection between said pulley 7 and said actuating lever 5 whereby the motor M is used to effect actuation of the head chassis 4 and cassette lever 2. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cassette ejector mechanism for cassette tape player The present invention relates to a cassette ejector mechanism for a cassette tape playerofthetype particularlythough not exclusively for use in an automobile.

Certain cassette tape players have a cassette lever and a cassette holder which are pivotally rotatable in a chassis between a playing position and a settingejecting position. Also, a head chassis is provided which is movable to and from a cassette when in the playing position. An action causing the head chassis to recede and an action causing the cassette lever and the cassette holderto move from the playing position to the setting-ejecting position are required in order to remove a cassette from the playing position. The conventional method of performing these actions by hand has the disadvantage that a cassette ejection button must be pressed by 10 mm or more with a force of 2 kg or more.

Recent tape players use a system in which the cassette is ejected by utilizing the power of a motor, but these have the disadvantage of being of complicated structure and high manufacturing cost.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a socalled soft touch cassette ejection mechanism which requires a force of 100 g or less and a stroke of 3 mm or less on the cassette ejection button and uses the power of the cassette playing motor in a simple and rational mechanism.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cassette ejector mechanism for a cassette type tape player, including a cassette lever and a cassette holderwhich are rotatable between a playing position and a setting-ejecting position in a chassis, a head chassis movable to and from a cassette when in playing position, and an actuating leverforactuating the cassette lever and the head chassis, said actuating lever being rotatably provided on a fixed shaft on the chassis and a clutch mechanism which includes a clutch lever, gears and a cassette ejection leverwhich mechanism is arranged between the actuating lever and a pulley which in use is driven by a cassette motor, said clutch mechanism being effective, upon actuation of the cassette ejection lever, to effect connection between said pulley to said actuating lever whereby the motor is used to effect actuation ofthe head chassis and cassette lever.

In order that the invention may be more clearlyunderstood, the following description is given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a partial illustrative plan view of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a partial illustrative right side viewofthe present invention.

Figure 3 is a partial illustrative elevational view, in the state of cassette playing, of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a partial illustrative elevational view, in the state of cassette ejection, of the present invention.

Figure 5is an enlarged partial plan view showing an essential part of the present invention.

Figure 6is an enlarged partial elevational view showing an essential part of the invention.

Figures 7a, 7b and 7c are respectively further partial illustrative views, being a plan view, a left side view and an elevational view respectively, in the state of cassette playing of the present invention.

Figures 8a, 8b and 8carve respectivelyfurtherpar- tial illustrative views, being a plan view, a left side view and an elevational view respectively, in the state of cassette ejection.

A cassette holder 3 isfoldably connected to the front end 21 of a cassette lever 2 pivotally rotatably mounted around a fixed shaft 01 on a chassis 1. An actuating lever 5 which pivotally rotates with a fixed shaft 02 on the chassis 1 forms a part of a large arcuate gear 51. At its end it is to pull on the rear bottom end 22 of the cassette lever 2, for performing the action of vertically moving the cassette lever 2 and the cassette holder 3 from the playing positionto the settin g-ejection position for a cassette C. This action also allows a head chassis 4to recede from the cassette C. Afirst gearing 6 consisting of a small gear 62 engaged with the large gear 5, of the actuating lever 5, and a large gear 61 is provided on a fixed shaft 03 on the chassis 1.A pulley7 provided on afixed shaft 04 On the chassis 1 is arranged to be driven bya motor M via a beltV,togetherwith flywheels F1 and F2. A clutch lever 8 is pivotally rotatably provided on a shaft 0'4 extending from the fixed shaft 04~ A shaft 05 mounted on this clutch lever 8 is provided with a second gearing 9, and a large gear 91 of said gearing 9 is always engaged with a small gear 73 ofthe pulley 7.

Afixed shaft Oe on the chassis 1 is pivotally rotatably provided with a clutch lock lever 10, and its tip 101 supports the tip 81 of the clutch lever 8 almost at right angles to lock it. The other end 102 of the clutch lock lever 10 is connected by a link 31 to a cassette ejection button 11 provided outside the chassis 1, and the upper end 83 ofthe clutch lever 8 is connected by a tension spring 21 with the upper end 103 ofthe clutch lock lever 10.

A protrusion 52 is provided at an intermediate part ofthe actuating lever 5, and the head chassis 4 is provided with a horizontal face 41 to be contacted by the protrusion 52 successively with a sloped cam face 42 sloped in the moving direction of the protrusion 52.

The bottom left end 53 of the actuating lever 5 is connected by a link 32 to the rear bottom and 22 ofthe cassette lever 2 with play. In the illustrated example, the play is provided by a slot 54 provided in succession to the bottom left end 53 ofthe actuating lever 5.

A cassette ejection lever 12 and an upper ejection lever 13 pivotally rotating with said lever 12 are in tegrally provided around a long shaft 07 provided on the chassis 1. An ejeUl.- c !- lever 14, r- 'oclwinn the tip 1 2i of the casser #'r- 12 > 12 r~ ~cassette lock lever 15, for holding the cassette' 14r 2 in the setting-ejecting position, are provs d Jn fixed shafts 08 and 09 respectively on the chassis 1. On end 123 of said cassette ejection lever 12 is connected by a link 33 with the upper end 83 of the clutch lever8.

If the cassette ejection huron 11 provided outside the tape player s #fdSt#'#, .g., .' out3 mm with a force of about 100 g, againstthetension of the spring 21,the end 102 ofthe clutch lock lever is pressed by the link31 to unlockthetip 101 oftheclutch lock lever 10from thetip 81 ofthe clutch lever8. The clutch lever 8 is then pivotally rotated clockwise bythe tension of the spring 21, causing the small gear 92 of the second gearing 9to engage with the large gear 61 ofthefirst gearing 6 as shown in Figure 5.Accordinglytheactuating lever5 integrally provided with the largegear 51 and engaged with the small gear 62 ofthefirst gearing 6 begins counterclockwise pivotal rotation aroundthefulcrum 02 of said lever5,andtheprotru- sion 52 of said lever, while sliding on the horizontal face 41 of the head chassis 4, raises the head chassis 4 againstthetension of a spring (not shown in the drawing) to its uppermost lock position.Thereafter the protrusion 52 moves onto the sloped cam 42 ofthe head chassis 4, and since the tilt angle of this cam coincides with the pivotally rotating direction of the protrusion 52, the head chassis4 is little raised, while the play ofthe link 32 as described before also has been exhausted by this time as shown in Figure 5.

Thereafterthe rear bottom end 22 ofthe cassette lever2 is pulled by the link 32, causing the cassette lever 2 a nd therefore the cassette holder 3 to raisethe cassette C. When the cassestte reaches its uppermost position, the rear bottom end 22 of the cassette lever 2 kicks the tip 1 41 of the ejection lock lever 14, unlocking the tip 121 27 of the cassette ejection lever12, while a tension spring 22 connecting the bottom left end 53 of the actuating lever with an intermediate part 122 ofthe cassette ejection lever 12 has been pulled since the actuating lever 5 had begun pivotal rotation. Bytheenergyofthespring 22 thus accumu lated, the cassette ejection lever 12 is pivotally rotated counterclockwise against a snap-action mech anism (e.g. the mechanism formed by use of an overcenter spring orthetoggle spring, not shown in the drawing), and a pin 131 mounted atthetip ofthe upper ejection lever 13 integrally provided with the cassette ejection lever 12 causes the cassette C to be ejected rightward and causes the rear bottom end 22 of the cassette lever 2 to be locked to the tip 1 51 of a cassette lock lever 15. This causes the cassette lever 2 and the cassette holder 3 to be held in the setting ejecting position ofthe cassette C againstthetension of a spring 23 as shown in Figure7.

Simultaneously with the above, since one end 123 of the cassette ejection lever 12 pulls the upper end 83 of the clutch lever 8 by link 33 against the tension of the spring 21, the clutch lever 8 is pivotally rotated counterclockwise, to disengage the small gear 92 of the second gearing 9 from the large gear 61 of the first gearing 6, stopping the pivotal rotation of the actuat ing lever 5 as shown in Figure 1. In this position the powersupply (not shown in the drawing) is also dis connected, and thus the procedure ofthe cassette ejection is completed.

To start playing, if the cassette C inserted from the right into the cassette holder 3, the pin 131 at the tip of the upper ejection lever 13 is pressed to pivotally rotate clockwise the cassette injection lever 12 integr ally provided with said pin and the intermediate face 122 ofthe cassette ejection lever 12 kicks the tip 1 51 of the cassette lock lever 15, causing the cassette lever 2 and the cassette holder 3 to be pivotally rotated downward by the tension of the compression spring 23 provided between the chassis 1 and the rear bottom end 22 of the cassette lever 2. Thus the cassette C is brought into the playing position, while the actuating lever 5 is also brought into the initial position. Furthermore, the power is also turned on, and the head chassis 4 is unlocked and brought into the playing position by the tension of a spring not shown.

The present invention, as described above, allows the cassette to be ejected by a very simple and rational mechanism by utilizing the cassette playing motor, and has an effectthatthe cassette ejection button can be operated by a small force, for instance, 100g or less ata stroke of 3 mm or less. Furthermore, the present invention the effectthat since the cassette ejection is actuated in the region ofthefirstand second gearings, viz. at a position of high rotational speed, gears can be engaged and disengaged lightly without any difficulty.

Claims (8)

1. A cassette ejector mechanism for a cassette type tape player, including a cassette lever and a cassette holder which are rotatable between the playing position and a setting-ejecting position in a chassis, a head chassis movable to and from a cassette when in the playing position, and an actuating leverfor actuating the cassette lever and the head chassis, said actuating lever being rotatably provided on a fixed shaft on the chassis and a clutch mechanism which includes a clutch lever, gears and a cassestte ejection lever which mechanism is arranged between the actuating lever and a pulley which in use is driven by a cassette motor, said clutch mechanism being effective, upon actuation of the cassette ejection lever, to effect connection between said pulley to said actuating lever whereby the motor is used to effectactuation ofthe head chassis and cassette lever.

2. A cassette ejector mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the actuating lever carries are- latively large diameter arcuate gear on one side and remotefrom its pivot pointwhich gear is engageable by said clutch mechanism.

3. A cassette ejector mechanism according to claim 1 or 2 wherei n the pul ley and clutch lever a re pivoted on coaxial shafts, and wherein the clutch mechanism includes first and second gearings each including a large gear and a small gear rotatable together, the first gearing being mounted on a fixed shaft, the second gearing being provided on the shaft mounted on said clutch lever, the large gear of said second gearing being engaged with a small gear in tegrallywith the pulley being movable to and from positions in which the second gearing transmits motion to the first gearing and thence to the actuating lever.

4. A cassette ejector mechanism according to claim 3 wherein the clutch lever is urged in the direc- tion of said first gearing by a spring, and including a clutch lock lever normally preventint movement of the clutch lever in said direction and releasable from said normal position upon actuation of a cassette ejection button.

5. A cassette ejector mechanism according to claim 1,2,3 or4 including a protrusion provided on said actuating lever, the head chassis being provided with a horizontal face and a cam face with which said protrusion successively moves in contact to move said head chassis.

6. Acassetteejectormechanism accordingto claim 5 wherein a bottom tip of the actuating lever is connected with the rear bottom end ofthe cassette lever by a link with play, whereby in use the cassette lever is raised to the cassette setting-ejecting position afterthe head chassis has been raised to its uppermost position.

7. A cassette ejector mechanism according to any preceding claim including a cassette ejection lever pivoted on the chassis and actuating, upon rotation of the cassette lever, to eject the cassette and to pivotally rotate the clutch lever by a link connecting the tip of the clutch lever with one end of the cassette ejection lever.

8. A cassette ejector mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.