JP2000057735A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape cartridge for preventing a tape reel from being rotated by exactly restraining the gear part of a tape reel even if receiving an impact or the like. SOLUTION: A brake part 9 equipped with engaged parts 14a and 14b to be engaged with a gear part 11 of a tape reel for preventing the rotation of the tape reel is provided with a pair of unit brake members 9a and 9b formed at a supporting shaft 18 so as to be independently rotatable which is provided with the engaged parts 14a and 14b at the opposite sides to the gear part 11, and a torsion spring 12 for biasing the unit brake members 9a and 9b in a direction in which each engaged part 14a and 14b of the pair of unit brake members 9a and 9b is made adjacent to each other. Thus, each engaged part 14a and 14b is engaged with the gear part 11 so as to be restrained by the biasing force of the torsion spring 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a tape cartridge for data storage used when backing up a computer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, in a tape cartridge such as a DLT, a tape reel 107 on which a magnetic tape is wound has a cartridge body. The brake members 112 and 113 provided at diagonal positions in the block 103 prevent the tape reel 107 from rotating when not in use.

The gear unit 1 provided on the tape reel 107
Meshing portions 115 and 116 that mesh with the gear portion 114 are provided on the side facing the gear portion 14. The meshing portions 115 and 116 are pressed against the gear portion 114 by the urging force of the reel lock springs 110 and 111 to engage with the gear portion 114. The brake members 112 and 113 lock and fix the tape reel 107 by the combination.

However, according to the above-described locking structure, each of the brake members 112 and 113 is constituted by a single member, and is engaged with the gear portion 114 by only one engagement portion 115 and 116. Therefore, there is no means provided to compensate for movement in a direction (Y direction) in which engagement with the gear portion 114 is released due to an impact or the like. As a result, the tape reel 107 may rotate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tape cartridge which can maintain the engaged state of the gear portion and the meshing portion and reliably prevent the tape reel from rotating even when an impact or the like is received. .

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
By a brake portion having a meshing portion that meshes with the gear portion,
In a tape cartridge in which rotation of a tape reel is prevented, the brake unit is a pair of unit brake members provided on the support shaft so as to be independently rotatable,
A pair of unit brake members each having the meshing portion on the side opposite to the gear portion, and an elastic member for urging the unit brake member in a direction in which the meshing portions of the pair of unit brake members approach each other. The above object has been achieved by providing a tape cartridge which engages and engages each meshing portion with the gear portion by the urging force of the elastic member.

[0007] The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the brake
The pair of unit brake members of the key portion each include a release projection that crosses each other and extends from the support shaft to the opposite side of the gear portion, and separates the pair of release projections against the biasing force of the torsion spring. The tape cartridge releases the engagement of the gear portion by the meshing portions.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the release projection has an inclined surface which narrows the interval between the release projections vertically and vertically, and inserts the lock release pin vertically downward or upward into the interval. The tape cartridge releases the engagement of the gear portion by the respective meshing portions by separating the pair of release protrusions.

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the release projection has an inclined surface that narrows a gap between the release projections toward the support shaft, and the lock release pin is moved toward the support shaft. The tape cartridge is configured to release the engagement of the gear portion by each of the meshing portions by inserting the pair of release protrusions at intervals to separate the pair of release protrusions.

According to the tape cartridge of the present invention, the engagement portion is brought into contact with the gear portion while the pair of unit brake members of the brake portion are urged in a direction to bring the engagement portion closer to each other. Because one of the unit brake members moves in a direction in which the engagement with the gear portion is disengaged, a force in a direction that meshes with the gear portion is applied to the other unit brake member via the elastic member. The locking force of the other unit brake member is strengthened, and the engagement state of the brake unit with the gear unit is reliably maintained. As the elastic member of the present invention, a leaf spring, a torsion spring or the like is used, but a torsion spring is preferable.

If a pair of unit brake members of the brake section are provided with release projections which cross each other and extend from the support shaft to the opposite side of the gear section, a lock provided in the drive device can be provided. By separating them by the release member, the engagement between each meshing portion and the gear portion is released, and the tape reel can be easily rotated.

Further, if the release protrusion is provided with an inclined surface which narrows the distance between the release protrusions vertically and vertically, the lock release pin provided on the drive device is vertically moved between the pair of release protrusions. Alternatively, by inserting from above, the release projections can be easily separated from each other to release the engagement between each meshing portion and the gear portion. Here, the vertical direction refers to a direction perpendicular to the upper half or lower half of the tape cartridge.

Further, if the release projection is provided with an inclined surface which narrows the interval between the release projections toward the support shaft, the lock release pin provided on the drive device is placed between the pair of release projections. By inserting toward the support shaft, the release projections can be easily separated from each other to release the engagement between each meshing portion and the gear portion.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a data storage used for computer backup, preferably a reel type tape cartridge. As shown in FIG. 1, the tape cartridge of the present embodiment has an upper flange 4 and a lower flange 5 in which a gear portion 11 is formed on the outer periphery in a cartridge main body 3 composed of an upper half 1 and a lower half 2. A single tape reel 7 around which a magnetic tape 6 is wound is always urged toward the lower half 2 by a coil spring 8 and housed therein. Such a basic configuration is the same as that of a conventional tape cartridge.

Next, FIG. 2 showing a characteristic portion of the tape cartridge of this embodiment will be described in detail. The upper half 1 has a first brake portion 9 and a second brake portion 9 arranged at diagonal positions of a tape cartridge for preventing rotation of the tape reel 7 when not used in a drive device.
A brake unit 10 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first brake unit 9
A pair of first unit brake members 9a and 9b, an elastic member,
In the present embodiment, the first unit brake members 9a and 9b are composed of a torsion spring 12, and each of the first unit brake members 9a and 9b is opposed to a gear portion 11 provided around the upper flange 4 of the tape reel 7.
a, 13b side, meshing portion 14a, which meshes with the gear portion 11,
14b, and the opposing surfaces 13a,
Spring locking portions 16a and 16b for extending and locking the arm portion 12b of the torsion spring 12 are formed on the back facing surfaces 15a and 15b opposite to the side 13b.

Each of the first unit brake members 9a, 9b
The pillar portions 17a, 17b are formed with through holes 19a, 19b which are inserted into a brake support shaft 18 (see FIG. 2) protruding from the inner surface 1a of the upper half 1 of the tape cartridge. 19a, 19b support shaft 1
8 so that each first unit brake member 9a,
By mounting 9b on the support shaft 18, the first unit brake members 9a and 9b are attached to the support shaft 18 so as to be independently rotatable.

Further, according to the present embodiment, each of the first unit brake members 9a, 9b is released from the support portions 17a, 17b in a direction different from the engaging portions 14a, 14b and the spring engaging portions 16a, 16b. The projections 20a and 20b are integrally provided, and the release projections 20a and 20b are
And as shown in FIG. 5, the first unit brake members 9a, 9
When b is attached to the support shaft 18, it is arranged so as to intersect with each other and extend on the opposite side to the gear portion 11 with the support shaft 18 interposed therebetween.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the release projections 20a, 20b of the first unit brake members 9a, 9b are provided.
The first unit brake members 9a, 9b
When mounted on the drive device, the device includes inclined surfaces 21a and 21b that are inclined vertically upward to reduce the distance between the pair of release protrusions 20a and 20b, and the lock release pin 50 ( 5) is inserted into the gap between the release projections 20a and 20b from below while making contact with the inclined surfaces 21a and 21b, so that the pair of release projections 20a and 20b can be separated from each other. Has become.

On the other hand, the torsion spring 12 has a central coil portion 12a and both ends straightly extended so that the coil portion 12a is located inside, so that the central portion has an inner angle smaller than 180 degrees. It comprises a pair of arms 12b protruding to both sides from the coil 12a, and these arms 12b are adapted to further expand their inner angles, so that an inward biasing force acts. .

According to the present embodiment, the column portions 17a, 17b of the first unit brake members 9a, 9b are arranged so as to overlap with each other, and both column portions 17a, 17b are arranged.
b, the coil portion 12 of the torsion spring 12
a is mounted around the column portions 17a, 17b, and each arm portion 12b of the torsion spring 12 is extended and locked along the spring locking portion 16a, 16b on the back surface of each first unit brake member 9a, 9b. Then, the first brake unit 9 is attached to the support shaft 28.

Here, according to the present embodiment, the inner angle of the pair of arm portions 12b of the torsion spring 12 is such that the pair of first unit brake members 9a, 9b attached to the support shaft 18 has the meshing portions 14a, 14b. The pair of first unit brake members 9a, 9b when abutted and locked to the gear portion 11
Is smaller than the interior angle formed by the rear facing surfaces 15a and 15b of the upper flange 4 by the first unit brake members 9a and 9b of the first brake portion 9.
1 is locked, the pair of arm portions 12b of the torsion spring 12 are in a spread state, and the meshing portions 14a, 14b of the first unit brake members 9a, 9b are moved to the gear portion 11 side. , The urging force in the direction of engagement with the first unit brake member 9 is exerted.
The a and 9b make it possible to stably lock and fix the gear portion 40.

Further, even if one of the unit brake members 9a tries to move in a direction (Y direction) to be disengaged from the gear portion 11 due to an impact or the like, such a movement is caused by the pair of arm portions of the torsion spring 12. 12b is further expanded, and the other unit brake member 9b is further pressed toward the gear portion 11 by the urging force of the torsion spring 12, so that a force in a direction meshing with the gear portion 11 is applied. The locking force of the other unit brake member 9b is strengthened, and the engagement state of the gear unit 11 by the first brake unit 9 can be reliably maintained.

When the tape reel 7 is mounted, the first brake unit 9 pushes and spreads the pair of first unit brake members 9a and 9b, and connects the first unit brake members 9a and 9b to the gear unit 11. Such a mounting operation can be easily performed by setting it in a state where it is retracted to a position where it does not come into contact with.

According to the tape cartridge of this embodiment, when the tape cartridge is inserted into the drive device, the lock release pin 50 provided in the drive device is moved from below through the opening provided in the lower half 2. By being inserted between the pair of release protrusions 20a, 20b, as shown in FIG.
a, 21b, which are separated from each other by pushing them apart. By inserting the lock release pin 50, the pair of first unit brake members 9a, 9b are pushed apart, and the respective meshing parts 14a, 14b are engaged. Gear part 11 by
Is released, and the first unit brake members 9a and 9b are retracted to a position where the first unit brake members 9a and 9b are not in contact with the gear portion 11, so that the tape reel 7 becomes rotatable.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show the second brake unit 10 disposed at a diagonal position of the first brake unit 9.
According to the second brake section 10, the second brake section 10 has substantially the same configuration as that of the first brake section 9, and includes a pair of second unit brake members 10a and 10b and a torsion spring 22, as shown in FIG. Each of the second unit brake members 10a and 10b has meshing portions 24a and 24b on the surfaces 23a and 23b of the upper flange 4 facing the gear portion 11, respectively. 25a, 25
b has spring locking portions 26a and 26b for locking the arm portion 22b of the torsion spring 22 in an extended state.

Further, each second unit brake member 10a, 1
The through-holes 29a and 29b into which the support shaft 28 is inserted are formed in the support portions 27a and 27b of the support shaft 0b, and the second unit brake members 10a and 10b are attached to the support shaft 28 so as to be independently rotatable. At the same time, the second unit brake members 10a and 10b cross each other and
The release projections 30a and 30b are disposed integrally on the opposite side of the gear portion 11 with respect to the gear 8.

According to this embodiment, the release projections 30a, 30b of the second unit brake members 10a, 10b are provided.
When the second unit brake members 10a and 10b are attached to the support shaft 28, the inclined surfaces 31a and 31b are inclined toward the support shaft 28 so as to reduce the distance between the pair of release protrusions 30a and 30b. And the supporting shaft 2
The lock release pin 51 is moved toward each of the inclined surfaces 31a, 3a.
Release projections 30a, 30
b, a pair of release projections 3
0a and 30b can be separated from each other.

On the other hand, the torsion spring 22 is substantially the same as the torsion spring 12 constituting the first brake section 9 described above.
A central coil portion 22a, and a pair of arm portions 22b protruding straight on both sides of the coil portion at a predetermined inner angle,
These arms 22b are configured to further expand their inner angles, so that an inward biasing force is applied.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the second brake unit 10 has a support shaft 2 similar to the first brake unit 9.
8, the gear portion 11 can be stably locked and fixed by the meshing portions 24a, 24b of the pair of second unit brake members 10a, 10b by the urging force of the torsion spring 22. By impact etc.
Even if one of the unit brake members 10a attempts to move in a direction (Y direction) in which the engagement with the gear portion 11 is released, such movement causes the other unit brake member 10b to move through the torsion spring 22 to the other gear portion 11b. Further, the locking force by the other unit brake member 10b is strengthened, and the engagement state of the gear unit 11 by the second brake unit 10 can be reliably maintained.

According to the second brake unit 10,
When the tape cartridge is inserted into the drive device, a lock release pin 51 provided on the drive device is turned into a pair of release protrusions 30a from the side toward the support shaft 28 through an opening provided on the side surface of the tape cartridge. , 30b
8, as shown in FIG. 8, it comes into contact with the inclined surfaces 31 a and 31 b of the release protrusions 30 a and 30 b,
As we push these gaps apart and separate them,
By such insertion, the pair of second unit brake members 10
a, 10b are spread out, the engagement of the meshing portions 24a, 24b with the gear portion 11 is released, and the second unit brake members 10a, 10b are brought into a position where they do not contact the gear portion 11. By retreating, the tape reel 7 becomes rotatable.

In this embodiment, the tape reel 7 provided with the gear 11 is locked and fixed by two sets of brake units, that is, a first brake unit 9 and a second brake unit 10 arranged at diagonal positions. Although the description has been given of the case in which the tape reel 7 can be fixed by only one of the brake portions, and in the present embodiment, the tape cartridge having the single tape reel 7 has been described. The present invention can be applied to a tape cartridge having a tape reel in order to fix each tape reel or release such a fixed state.

[0033]

According to the tape cartridge of the present invention, the brake portion is a pair of unit brake members provided on the support shaft so as to be rotatable independently of each other, and the engagement portion is provided on the side facing the gear portion. A unit brake member, and an elastic member that urges the unit brake member in a direction in which the meshing portions of the pair of unit brake members approach each other,
By the urging force of the elastic member, each meshing portion of each unit brake member meshes with and engages with the gear portion, so that even when an impact or the like is received, the engagement state between the gear portion and the meshing portion is maintained. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the tape reel from rotating.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tape cartridge according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tape cartridge as viewed from below, showing a situation where a lower half is removed and a brake unit and a gear unit are engaged.

FIG. 3 is an exploded plan view of a first brake unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a situation where a first brake unit is engaged with a gear unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which engagement of a first brake unit with a gear unit is released.

FIG. 6 is an exploded plan view of a second brake unit.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a situation where a second brake unit is engaged with a gear unit.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which the engagement of the second brake unit with the gear unit has been released.

9 (a) and 9 (b) are plan views showing how a tape reel is locked by a brake member in a conventional tape cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper half 2 Lower half 3 Cartridge main body 4 Upper flange 5 Lower flange 6 Magnetic tape 7 Tape reel 8 Reel spring 9 First brake part 9a, 9b First unit brake member 10 Second brake part 10a, 10b Second unit brake member 11 Gear portion 12, 22 Torsion spring 13a, 13b, 23a, 23b Opposing surface 14a, 14b, 24a, 24b Meshing portion 18, 28 Brake support shaft 20a, 20b, 30a, 30b Release projection 21a, 21b, 31a, 31b Inclined surface 50, 51 Lock release pin

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A tape cartridge in which rotation of a tape reel is prevented by a brake portion having a meshing portion that meshes with a gear portion, wherein the brake portion is provided on the support shaft so as to be rotatable independently of each other. A pair of unit brake members each having the meshing portion on the side facing the gear portion, and biasing the unit brake members in a direction in which the meshing portions of the pair of unit brake members approach each other. A tape cartridge comprising an elastic member that engages with each other and engages each meshing portion with the gear portion by the urging force of the elastic member. 2. A pair of unit brake members of the brake unit each include a release projection that crosses each other and extends from the support shaft to the opposite side of the gear unit, and the pair of release brakes is connected to the elastic member. 2. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the locking of the gear portion by the respective meshing portions is released by separating the gear portions from each other against the urging force. 3. The release projection has an inclined surface which narrows the interval between the release projections vertically upward or downward, and inserts a pair of release projections by inserting a lock release pin into the interval vertically downward or upward. By separating
The tape cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the engagement of the gear portion by each of the engagement portions is released. 4. The release projection has an inclined surface that narrows an interval between the release projections toward the support shaft, and a lock release pin is inserted at the interval toward the support shaft to form a pair of release projections. 3. The tape cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the locking of the gear portion by the respective meshing portions is released by separating the gear portions.