JP2000182351A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arrange the layout so that the clamping force of a clamp is not deteriorated even when the outside diameter of the drum part of a hub is reduced. SOLUTION: The tape cartridge is constituted in such a manner that a pair of hubs 3 furnished with a drum part 3a for winding a tape-like medium thereon and an inner cylindrical part 3b, to which a driving shaft of a recording/ reproducing device is inserted, is rotatably supported in the main body of a case, and a recessed part for controlling the position of the hub 3 is formed by the entering of the downward part of the inner cylindrical part 3b of the hub 3 into the lower case of the case main body, and in this tape cartridge, a clamp housing part 3e for housing the clamp for fixing the tape-like medium of the hub 3, which is provided with notched parts 3j notched to the inner side than the outer peripheral surface of the outward part of the inner cylindrical part 3b, is formed in the area of the downward parts of the drum part 3a and the inner cylindrical part 3b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a DDS (Digital
The present invention relates to a tape cartridge for digital recording such as data storage (DAT) and DAT (Digital Audio Tape).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional tape cartridge of this type, a pair of hubs each having a tape-shaped medium wound thereon are rotatably supported in a case body. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional hub, where (a) is a plan view seen from the bottom,
(B) is a sectional view taken along the line DD in (a), and (c) is a plan view seen from above. The hub 103 includes an outermost drum portion 103a and an inner cylindrical portion 103b formed therein. Drum part 103a and inner cylinder part 103
A meat steal portion 103f is formed between the first and second members b. The drum portion 103a is a portion around which a tape-shaped medium is wound around its outer periphery. Further, a clamp storage portion 103e in which a part of the drum portion 103a is cut out is formed. By fitting a clamp (not shown) into the clamp accommodating portion 103e via a tape-shaped medium (leader tape), the tape-shaped medium is held by the hub 103.

[0003] A drive shaft of a recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted into the inner cylindrical portion 103b. Six convex portions 103c extending in the vertical direction are provided at equal intervals around the circumference on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 103b, and these convex portions 103c engage with the drive shaft of the recording / reproducing apparatus. . Around the outer periphery of the upper portion of the hub 103, a tooth portion 103d is formed for engagement with a claw portion of a hub brake. When the claw tip of the hub brake enters between the teeth 103d, the hub 1
Lock the rotation of 03.

[0004]

However, in recent years,
There is a demand for a tape cartridge having a larger storage capacity for data storage. Since the tape length must be increased in order to increase the storage capacity, the outer diameter of the drum portion 103a of the hub 103 needs to be smaller than before.

However, when the outer diameter of the drum portion 103a is reduced, the height of the clamp is reduced (the thickness in the radial direction is reduced), so that a sufficient clamping force for holding the tape cannot be obtained. is there. Therefore,
The problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the clamping force of the clamp from decreasing even when the outer diameter of the drum portion of the hub is reduced.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a drum section on which a tape-shaped medium is wound and an inner cylindrical section into which a drive shaft of a recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted. A pair of hubs provided are rotatably supported in a case body composed of an upper case and a lower case, and the lower part of the inner cylindrical portion of the hub enters the lower case of the case body to regulate the position of the hub. In the tape cartridge formed with the concave portion, the clamp accommodating portion for accommodating the clamp for fixing the tape-shaped medium of the hub has a cut-out portion cut out from the outer peripheral surface of a lower portion of the inner cylindrical portion, It is characterized in that it is formed in a range below the drum part and the inner cylinder part.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tape cartridge according to the first aspect, a part of an outer peripheral edge of the inner cylindrical portion is left in a formation area of the clamp storage portion below the inner cylindrical portion. It is characterized in that a remaining portion is provided. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the tape cartridge according to the first or second aspect, a support portion for supporting the stored clamp from inside is provided in the clamp storage portion.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when the outer diameter of the drum portion of the hub is reduced, the clamp accommodating portion has the notch portion cut inward from the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the inner cylinder portion. In addition, a certain size (thickness) of the clamp can be secured. Therefore, even if the outer diameter of the drum portion is reduced, a constant clamping force of the tape-shaped medium of the clamp can be maintained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when the clamp accommodating portion is formed below the inner cylindrical portion, the outer peripheral edge of the inner cylindrical portion is secured by the remaining portion. Therefore, the amount of play in the recess of the hub does not increase. According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the clamp is mounted in the clamp housing, the inside of the clamp is supported by the support. Therefore, even when the clamp is pressed from the outside, the clamp does not deform.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a tape cartridge according to the present invention in an exploded manner. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the hub 3 of FIG. 1 in detail, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view as viewed from the bottom, and FIG.
FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the arrow A, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where the clamp 13 is fitted to the hub 3 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where the hub 3 is mounted on the lower case 2 and the hub brake is engaged with the hub. 5 and 6
6A and 6B are cross-sectional views corresponding to the BB cross section and the CC cross section of FIG.

In FIG. 1, a case main body includes an upper case 1.
And the lower case 2. A pair of hubs 3
A tape-shaped medium (magnetic tape) 4 for recording information is wound thereon, and is rotatably supported in the case body.
The tape-shaped medium 4 is disposed so as to exit from one end on the front side of the lower case 2, pass through the front surface of the lower case 2, and return to the inside of the case main body from the other end. An upper sheet 5 and a lower sheet 6 are arranged on the upper and lower sides of a pair of hubs 3 around which the tape-shaped medium 4 is wound. Lower case 2
Is provided with a pair of drive shaft insertion holes 2a into which a tape drive shaft (not shown) of the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted, and the hub 3 is formed one step lower around the hole 2a. Is arranged in the recessed portion 2b.

A slider 7 is slidably mounted on the lower surface of the lower case 2. The slider 7 covers the hole 2a of the lower case 2 when the tape cartridge is not used, and slides when the tape cartridge is used so that the hole 7a formed in the slider 7 and the hole 2a of the lower case 2 coincide with each other. As a result, the hole 2a of the lower case 2 is opened so that the drive shaft of the recording / reproducing apparatus can be inserted.

The hub brake 8 is disposed between the upper seat 5 and the upper case 1 and is slidably mounted on the front and rear sides of the lower case 2. The hub brake 8 is urged toward the hub 3 by a spring 9. When the tape cartridge is not used, the claw 8 a of the hub brake 8 engages with the hub 3 to prevent the hub 3 from rotating freely. When the tape cartridge is used, the hub brake 8 is moved forward to release the engagement, and the hub 3 is made rotatable.

Further, a substantially U-shaped lid (front cover) 10 is attached to the front side of the case body so that the front side can be opened and closed. When the tape cartridge is not used, the slider 7 and the lid 10 cover and protect the tape-shaped medium 4 passing through the front surface of the lower case 2. On the other hand, when the tape cartridge is used, the slider 7 slides rearward, and the lid 10 is rotated and moved onto the upper case 1 to expose the tape-shaped medium 4 located on the front surface of the lower case 2. The lid 10 is urged in the closing direction by a spring 11.

The upper case 1 is formed with a window 1a opened in a substantially rectangular shape. A flat window member made of a transparent resin is provided on the inner surface side of the upper case 1 in a region including the window 1a. 12 is fixed. Thereby, the window 1 of the upper case 1
The tape-shaped medium 4 can be visually recognized from a.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hub 3 has an outermost drum portion 3a and an inner cylindrical portion 3b
And The drum portion 3a is a portion around which the tape-shaped medium 4 is wound. The drum portion 3a is formed with a meat steal portion 3f opened from above. The inner cylindrical portion 3b is a portion into which the drive shaft of the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted, and the inner peripheral surface thereof has a convex portion 3 extending vertically.
Six are provided at equal intervals around the circumference. Convex part 3c
Is a portion which engages with the drive shaft when the drive shaft of the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted into the inner cylindrical portion 3b. Further, the lower portion of the inner cylindrical portion 3b of the hub 3 is a portion that enters the concave portion 2b around the hole 2a of the lower case, and the inner cylindrical portion 3b is
By entering the inside, the position of the hub 3 is regulated.

A tooth portion 3d is formed around the outer periphery of the upper portion of the inner cylinder portion 3b for engaging the claw portion 8a of the hub brake 8 described above. Further, the bottom surface between the teeth 3d is formed so as to coincide with the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 3b, and a part (lower portion) of the teeth 3d extends into the meat stealing portion 3f. By forming in this manner, the outer diameter of the drum portion 3a can be made smaller than before, and the drum portion 3a can be formed to have an appropriate thickness to prevent sink of the drum portion 3a.

Further, a plurality of meat stealing portions 3f are provided at intervals, and a reinforcing rib 3h is provided between the meat stealing portions 3f. That is, the reinforcing rib 3h connects between the base (lower portion) of the tooth portion 3d and the inner peripheral surface of the drum portion 3a in the meat stealing portion 3f. In the present embodiment, the height of the reinforcing rib 3h is formed such that the drum portion 3a and the upper surface of the reinforcing rib 3h are flush with each other. The reinforcing rib 3h can prevent the drum portion 3a from falling inward even when the tape-shaped medium 4 is tightly tightened to the drum portion 3a. In addition, if the reinforcing rib 3h is arranged outside the area where the convex portion 3c on the inner peripheral surface side of the inner cylindrical portion 3b is provided, the reinforcing rib 3h and the convex portion 3c are continuous via the inner cylindrical portion 3b. Therefore, sink of the drum portion 3a can be prevented.

With the above configuration, the outer diameter of the drum portion 3a can be reduced, for example, by about 2 to 3 mm as compared with the related art. The outer diameter of the conventional hub 3 is, for example, about 15.0 mm, but can be set to about 12.5 mm in the present invention. When the tape-shaped medium 4 having a thickness of 8 μm is wound around the drum portion 3a, the tape length is set to about 6.
It can be lengthened by about 7 m.

Further, the clamp accommodating portion 3e of the hub 3 is for holding the leader tape provided at the end of the tape-shaped medium 4 to the hub 3, and the clamp 13 is connected to the hub 3 via the leader tape. The leader tape is fixed to the hub 3 by being fitted into the clamp storage portion 3e.

Here, in the conventional clamp storage portion 103e of the hub 103, only the drum portion 103a is cut out,
Although the lower part of the inner cylinder part 103b is not cut out, the clamp storage part 3e of the present invention has a notch part 3j cut inward from the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the inner cylinder part 3b and the drum part. It is formed in the range below 3a and the inner cylinder part 3b (that is, the range other than the range in which the tooth part 3d is formed in the height direction of the hub 3). Although the clamp housing 3e can be manufactured without notching the lower part of the inner cylinder part 3b, the lower part of the inner cylinder part 3b is notched due to the structure of the molding die of the hub 3. A storage section 3e is formed. Thus, the clamp housing 3e and the clamp 13 can be formed with high precision.

Therefore, since the clamp 13 can be arranged inside the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 3b, the clamp 13 can be formed without reducing the thickness (radial height) of the clamp 13, and the clamp 13 A certain clamping force of the leader tape can be secured. In the lower part of the inner cylinder part 3b, the entire formation range of the clamp storage part 3e is not notched, but a remaining part 3g is provided at the center part, which leaves a part of the outer peripheral edge of the inner cylinder part 3b. ing. Thereby, even if the formation range of the clamp storage portion 3e below the inner cylinder portion 3b is cut off, the same amount of play in the recess 2b of the hole 2a of the lower case 2 as in the related art can be ensured, It is possible to prevent the lower portion of the inner cylindrical portion 3b from falling into the hole 2a and prevent the hub 3 from tilting in the concave portion 2b.

Further, a support portion 3i is provided which protrudes outward at the position of the center drum portion 3a of the clamp storage portion 3e. As shown in FIG. 3, when the clamp 13 is fitted into the clamp housing 3e, the upper end of the support 3i abuts on the inner side (bottom side) of the clamp 13. Thereby, when the clamp 13 is pressed from the outer surface side or when the tape-shaped medium 4 is pressed.
Even when the winding force is strong, it is possible to prevent the clamp 13 from bending and deforming.

[0024]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when the outer diameter of the drum portion of the hub is reduced, the height of the clamp (thickness in the radial direction) is ensured to maintain a certain or more clamping force. can do. Further, sufficient accuracy of the hub can be ensured. Further, the hub can be molded without affecting the structure of the molding die.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, even if the formation range of the clamp housing portion below the inner cylindrical portion is notched, the amount of play in the concave portion in the case body is substantially the same as that of the conventional case. And the hub can be prevented from tilting. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the clamp from being bent and deformed even when the clamp is pressed from above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an exploded view of an embodiment of a tape cartridge according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are diagrams showing the hub of FIG. 1 in detail, wherein FIG. 2A is a plan view seen from the bottom, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is the top view seen from.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where a clamp is fitted to the hub of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where the hub is mounted on a lower case and a hub brake is engaged with the hub.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a cross section taken along line BB of FIG. 4 and including an upper case.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a cross section taken along line CC of FIG. 4 and including an upper case.

7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of a conventional hub, where FIG. 7A is a plan view as viewed from the bottom, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view as viewed in the direction of line DD in FIG. 7A, and FIG. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 upper case (case body) 2 lower case (case body) 2a (drive shaft insertion) hole 2b recess 3 hub 3a drum part 3b inner cylinder part 3c convex part 3d tooth part 3e clamp storage part 3f meat steal part 3g remaining part 3h Reinforcing rib 3i Support 3j Notch 4 Tape medium 7 Slider 8 Hub brake 8a Claw

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A pair of hubs including a drum for winding a tape-shaped medium and an inner cylinder into which a drive shaft of a recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted are rotatably supported in a case body including an upper case and a lower case. In a tape cartridge in which a lower portion of the inner cylindrical portion of the hub is inserted into the lower case of the case main body to form a concave portion that regulates a position of the hub, a clamp for fixing the tape-shaped medium of the hub is provided. The clamp accommodating portion for accommodating has a notch portion cut inward from an outer peripheral surface of a lower portion of the inner cylinder portion, and is formed in a range of a lower portion of the drum portion and the inner cylinder portion. Characterized tape cartridge. 2. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a remaining part of the outer peripheral edge of the inner cylindrical part is provided in a formation range of the clamp housing part below the inner cylindrical part. A tape cartridge characterized by the following. 3. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a support portion for supporting the accommodated clamp from inside is provided in the clamp accommodating portion.