JP2002025218A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adequately record and reproduce information signals by lessening the influence by various external factors and clamper shapers and preventing the deterioration or the like of electrical characteristics to a tape-like recording medium. SOLUTION: The outer peripheral surface of a hub part 13 of a tape reel 4 is provided with a buffer part 14 consisting of elastomer and one end of a leader tape 1 subjected to easy adhesion treatment at this buffer part is bonded by using an adhesive 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to the technical field of tape cassettes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technical field of a tape cassette in which a tape reel having a tape-shaped recording medium wound inside a cassette shell is rotatably supported.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a tape cassette, a pair of tape reels is usually rotatably supported in a cassette shell. In such a tape cassette, a tape-shaped recording medium is formed on a tape reel by using a clamper. It is wound.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a tape reel a is composed of an upper reel b and a lower reel c connected to each other. The lower reel c is formed by integrally forming a hub d and a flange e provided at a lower end of the hub d with a resin material, and a central portion of the upper reel b is attached to an upper surface of the hub d. . A fitting recess f is formed in the lower reel c.

The clamper g has a main portion h having an outer surface formed in a substantially arcuate surface and locking leg pieces i, i protruding from a side edge of an inner surface of the main portion h, which are integrally formed of a resin material. Become.

At both ends of the tape-shaped recording medium, there are provided leader tapes j, j, respectively. One end of the leader tapes j, j is located in the fitting recess f of the hub d, and the clamper g Are fixed to the hub d by fitting the locking leg pieces i, i into the fitting recess f.

[0006]

However, when the tape-shaped recording medium is fixed to the hub d using the clamper g as in the above-mentioned tape cassette a, the portion k of the leader tape j protruding from the hub d, Since k protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the hub portion d, gaps 1 and 1 are generated between the k and the outer peripheral surface of the hub d (see FIG. 9). In particular, since the leader tape j generally has a large thickness in order to maintain mechanical strength, the portions k, k are easily formed as protrusions.

The protrusion is called a so-called run-out. If the run-out is large, the diameter of the tape-shaped recording medium wound around the hub d changes greatly, and the running speed of the tape-shaped recording medium changes. And the recording or reproduction on the tape-shaped recording medium may not be properly performed.

The hub portion d is generally made of ABS (acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer resin) or P
It is formed of OM (polyacetal resin) or the like, and may be deformed due to various factors such as a change over time, a winding pressure of the tape-shaped recording medium, a temperature change, and the like. In some cases, the medium is damaged and the image quality and the sound quality are reduced due to the deterioration of the electrical characteristics.

Therefore, the tape cassette of the present invention overcomes the above-mentioned problems, reduces the influence of various external factors and the shape of the clamper, and prevents the deterioration of the electrical characteristics of the tape-shaped recording medium and the like so that the information signal can be properly adjusted. It is an object of the present invention to achieve efficient recording and reproduction.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the tape cassette of the present invention is provided with a buffer portion made of an elastomer on the outer peripheral surface of a hub portion of the tape reel, and the buffer portion is subjected to an easy adhesion treatment. One end of the leader tape thus obtained is joined using an adhesive.

Therefore, in the tape cassette of the present invention, it is not necessary to use a clamper for fixing the tape-shaped recording medium to the tape reel, and the damage to the tape-shaped recording medium is reduced.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the tape cassette of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The tape cassette 1 has a pair of tape reels 4 and 4 around which a tape-shaped recording medium 3 is wound, which is rotatably housed in a cassette shell 2 having a thin box shape (FIG. 1).
reference).

The cassette shell 2 is composed of an upper shell 5 and a lower shell 6 which are vertically connected. A front end of the cassette shell 2 has a front surface of the tape-shaped recording medium 3 located along the front surface of the cassette shell 2. A front lid 7 covering the side is rotatably supported (see FIGS. 1 and 2). A slider 8 is supported on the cassette shell 2 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The slider 8 is integrally provided with a back lid 9 covering the rear side of the tape-shaped recording medium 3 located along the front surface of the cassette shell 2. (See FIG. 2).

In the cassette shell 2, for example, ABS
And a pair of tape reels 4 and 4 formed of a resin material such as POM and POM are rotatably supported.
1 and 11 are connected vertically (see FIGS. 3 to 5).

The upper reel 10 is formed in a substantially disk shape, and has a projection insertion hole 10a formed in the center (see FIG. 4).
The boss insertion holes 10b, 10b, and 10b are formed in the portion near the center of the upper reel 10 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 4).

The lower reel 11 comprises a flange portion 12 and a hub portion 13 projecting from the center of the flange portion 12, and a gear-shaped restricted portion 12a is formed on the outer periphery of the flange portion 12. In a predetermined state, the regulated portion 12
The rotation of the tape reel 4 is restricted by engaging a with a stopper (not shown) arranged on the cassette shell 2.

The hub portion 13 is opened downward, and is provided with engaging projections 13a, 13a,... Spaced apart in the circumferential direction inside (see FIG. 5). The engagement projections 13a, 1
When the tape cassette 1 is mounted on a mounting portion of a tape recording / reproducing device (not shown), 3a,... Are engaged with an engagement shaft provided on the mounting portion. At the center of the upper surface of the hub 13, a pressed projection 13b projecting upward is provided. In addition, caulking bosses 13c, 13c, 13c are provided on the upper surface of the hub 13 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.
(See FIG. 4).

A cylindrical buffer portion 14 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the hub portion 13 so as to be fitted externally (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The buffer portion 14 is formed of, for example, a polyester elastomer. I have.

In the tape reel 4, the caulking bosses 13c, 13c, 13c of the lower reel 11 are inserted through the boss insertion holes 10b, 10b, 10b of the upper reel 10.
The hub 13 and the upper reel 10 are connected to each other by caulking c, 13c, 13c (see FIG. 3). When the tape reel 4 is configured, the pressed protrusion 13b of the lower reel 11 is projected upward from the insertion hole 10a of the upper reel 10, and the pressed protrusion 13b is connected to the upper shell 5 of the cassette shell 2. The tape reel 4 is prevented from rattling in the vertical direction in the cassette shell 2 by being pressed by a pressing spring (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the tape reel 4.

The tape-shaped recording medium 3 has PE at both ends.
It has leader tapes 15 and 15 made of T (polyethylene terephthalate) material.
The tips of 5 and 15 are subjected to an easy adhesion treatment. This easy adhesion treatment is performed, for example, by providing a layer made of an ester urethane material or a layer made of an ultraviolet curable material on the leader tapes 15, 15.

The tape-shaped recording medium 3 includes a leader tape 1
5 and 15 are lower reels 11 and 1 using adhesives 16 and 16.
The first and second buffer portions 14 and 14 are bonded to each other by bonding (see FIGS. 4 and 6). The adhesive 16 has, for example, a rectangular film shape, and a polyester hot melt adhesive is used. Thus, the film-like adhesive 16
By using, it is easy to handle and the bonding operation is extremely easy, and the workability in the bonding operation can be improved.

At the tip of the leader tape 15,
As described above, an appropriate easy-adhesion treatment is performed, thereby improving the adhesive strength with the adhesive 16.

The leader tape 15 is adhered to the buffer portion 14 of the hub portion 13 with an adhesive 16. At this time, a predetermined pressure is applied by an adhesive iron 17 from the side opposite to the side of the leader tape 15 in contact with the adhesive 16 to adhere. The agent 16 is melted, and the leader tape 15 is bonded to the buffer section 14 (see FIG. 6). The adhesive iron 17 has a surface in contact with the leader tape 15 formed in an arc shape substantially similar to the curvature of the buffer portion 14. When bonding is performed using the bonding iron 17, heat of 60 ° C. to 160 ° C. is applied to melt the adhesive 16.

The hardness of the adhesive 16 is almost the same as the hardness of the buffer portion 14 (elastomer), for example, JIS-A5
It is desirable to use a material of about 0 to JIS-A80. By making the hardness of the adhesive 16 and the hardness of the buffer portion 14 approximately the same, the tape-shaped recording medium 3 due to the occurrence of a step in the state in which the tape-shaped recording medium 3 is wound around the hub portion 13.
The damage to the can be reduced.

FIG. 7 is experimental data showing the adhesive strength between the leader tape 15 and the adhesive 16 using two kinds of adhesives.

As the adhesive, a polyester-based hot melt adhesive was used in all cases. The adhesive A was PES-111EE manufactured by Toagosei Chemical Industry, and the adhesive B was PES-111 manufactured by Toagosei Chemical Industry. 1C2E2. When a polyester-based adhesive is used as the adhesive 16, the buffer section 14 is formed of a polyester-based elastomer, and both are made of the same material, so that the adhesive 16 and the buffer section 14 are used. Is very high.

In FIG. 7, "Conventional" indicates a leader tape which has been subjected to an antistatic treatment which has been conventionally used. In addition, “easy adhesion processing A”, “easy adhesion processing B”,
"Easy Adhesion Treatment C" includes a layer of Unitika UC-12 (ester urethane-based material) on a leader tape,
Unitika UC-12B (ester urethane-based material)
And a layer of UV-25 (ultraviolet curable material) made by Unitika, for which an easy adhesion treatment was performed. UC-12 and UC-12B are both ester urethane-based materials, but UC-12 is a material having a smaller molecular weight than UC-12B.

Each of the adhesive A and the adhesive B is in the form of a film and has a thickness of 50 μm before bonding. The thickness of the conventional leader tape, the leader tape subjected to the easy-adhesion treatment A, and the leader tape subjected to the easy-adhesion treatment B are all 12 μm in thickness.
m, leader tape with easy-adhesion treatment C
μm.

The experiments were conducted at “normal temperature”, “−5 ° C.”, “−2”.
0 ° C ”and“ 60 ° C ”, and“ 60 ° C ”was also performed under the condition of 90% humidity. Note that, in FIG. 7, the temperatures for which the humidity is not described in the temperature column are all under normal humidity (normal humidity) in the laboratory.

If the adhesive strength is at least 100 gf or more, the possibility of causing troubles such as peeling of the leader tape during use of the tape cassette 1 is extremely low, and the tape cassette 1 can be used properly.

As is clear from FIG.
In the leader tape which has been subjected to the easy-adhesion treatment B and the easy-adhesion treatment C and adhered using the adhesive A or the adhesive B, an adhesive strength of 100 gf or more can be obtained in each condition (temperature and humidity). Was. On the other hand, in the conventional leader tape, under the conditions of “−5 ° C.” and “−20 ° C.”, a remarkable decrease in adhesive strength (0 gf in adhesive strength) was observed.

In addition, particularly good adhesive strength was obtained in the combination of the adhesive A + the easy adhesion treatment B, the adhesive B + the easy adhesion treatment A, and the adhesive B + the easy adhesion treatment B.
In the combination of the above, blocking (bonding between the leader tapes) occurred when the leader tape was wound a plurality of times during the experiment. In this case, an appropriate blocking measure, for example, a slight decrease in the adhesive strength was observed. For the purpose of reduction, it is possible to cope with such measures as applying a surfactant to the easily-adhesive treated surface.

As described above, in the tape cassette 1, the buffer portion 14 made of an elastomer is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the hub portion 13 of the tape reel 4, and the buffer portion 14 is subjected to the easy adhesion process. Since one end of the tape 15 is joined using the adhesive 16, the provision of the buffer 14 absorbs the deformation of the hub 13 due to various factors such as aging, temperature change, etc., and reduces tape damage. In addition, good adhesion strength can be obtained by performing the easy adhesion treatment, whereby deterioration of image quality and sound quality due to deterioration of electrical characteristics of the tape-shaped recording medium 3 and the like can be prevented, and Recording and reproduction can be performed properly.

Further, since no clamper is required for coupling the tape-shaped recording medium 3 to the hub 13, unevenness can be suppressed to a minimum when the tape-shaped recording medium 3 is wound around the hub 13. In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an error when recording or reproducing an information signal with an extremely high probability.

Further, a layer made of an ester urethane-based material or a UV-curable material is provided on the leader tape 15 as an easy adhesion treatment, whereby an extremely good adhesive strength between the leader tape 15 and the adhesive 16 is provided. Can be obtained.

As the easy adhesion treatment, a layer made of an ester urethane-based material or an ultraviolet-curable material is provided on the leader tape 15, and for example, a corona treatment is applied to the tip of the leader tape 15. You may.

The specific shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment of the present invention, and the technical features of the present invention are not limited thereto. The scope should not be construed as limiting.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, in the tape cassette of the present invention, a tape reel is rotatably supported inside a cassette shell, and a tape-shaped recording medium is wound around a hub portion of the tape reel. A tape cassette made of an elastomer provided on an outer peripheral surface of a hub portion, and one end portion of a leader tape having been subjected to an easy-adhesion treatment is connected to the buffer portion using an adhesive. I do.

Therefore, the provision of the cushioning portion can absorb deformation caused in the hub portion due to various factors such as aging, temperature change, and the like, and can reduce tape damage. Thus, good adhesive strength can be obtained, thereby preventing deterioration of image quality and sound quality due to deterioration of electrical characteristics of the tape-shaped recording medium and the like, and proper recording and reproduction of information signals can be performed.

Further, since a clamper for coupling the tape-shaped recording medium to the hub is not required, unevenness can be suppressed to a minimum when the tape-shaped recording medium is wound around the hub, and information signals can be transmitted. The occurrence of an error during recording or reproduction can be prevented with an extremely high probability.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since a layer made of an ester urethane-based material is provided at one end of the leader tape and an easy-adhesion treatment is performed, an extremely small gap between the leader tape and the adhesive can be obtained. Good adhesive strength can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a layer made of a UV-curable material is provided at one end of the leader tape and an easy-adhesion treatment is performed, an extremely small gap between the leader tape and the adhesive is obtained. Good adhesive strength can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the polyester-based elastomer is used as the buffer portion and the polyester-based hot melt adhesive is used as the adhesive, the extremely good contact between the buffer portion and the adhesive is obtained. Adhesive strength can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the tape cassette of the present invention together with FIGS. 2 to 7, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tape cassette.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tape cassette showing a state where a front lid is rotated.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a tape reel around which a tape-shaped recording medium is wound.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view showing a state in which a leader tape and a tape reel are separated.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a lower reel.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a leader tape is adhered to a buffer.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing experimental data on adhesive strength.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a conventional tape reel.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view showing a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... tape cassette, 2 ... cassette shell, 3 ... tape-shaped recording medium, 4 ... tape reel, 13 ... hub part, 14 ...
Buffer, 15: Leader tape, 16: Adhesive

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A tape cassette in which a tape reel is rotatably supported inside a cassette shell and a tape-shaped recording medium is wound around a hub portion of the tape reel, and the outer peripheral surface of the hub portion is made of an elastomer. A tape cassette comprising: a buffer portion; and one end portion of a leader tape having an easy-adhesion treatment applied to the buffer portion, which is connected with an adhesive. 2. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein a layer made of an ester urethane material is provided at one end of the leader tape and subjected to an easy adhesion treatment. 3. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein a layer made of a UV-curable material is provided at one end of the leader tape and subjected to an easy adhesion treatment. 4. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein a polyester elastomer is used as the buffer portion, and a polyester hot melt adhesive is used as the adhesive.