JP2007012155A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape cartridge which is reliably mounted without allowing a reel spring to ride on a spring mounting member or a reel restricting projection, enables a tape reel to be stably traveled, and obtains high assembling efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: The single tape reel with a magnetic tape wound therearound and the reel spring 3 are stored inside a cartridge body having an upper shell 1 and a lower shell. The tape reel is freely rotatably supported by the biasing force of the reel spring 3 in the tape cartridge. The spring mounting member 22 having four inclined ribs 24, for example, inclined toward an outer peripheral side is arranged by projection on the inner surface of the upper shell 1. The reel restricting projection 23 having a taper part 26 inclined toward an inner peripheral side is arranged by projection at the outer peripheral part of the spring mounting member 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape cartridge for data storage used as a backup for a computer or the like, for example.

  Conventionally, a tape cartridge for data storage used as a backup for a computer or the like has been configured as shown in FIG. 9, for example. In FIG. 9, in a cartridge main body 103 composed of an upper shell 101 and a lower shell 102, a single tape reel 107 in which a magnetic tape 106 is wound between a disk-shaped upper flange 104 and a lower flange 105 is a reel. The spring 108 is housed so as to be constantly urged toward the lower shell 102 side.

  The tape reel 107 is configured to wind a magnetic tape 106 connected to a tape leader 109 on a hub (not shown) provided on the lower flange 105. The tape reel 107 has a ring-shaped disk (not shown) that is press-fitted and fixed in a circular recess formed at the center of the lower flange 105, and the bearing cap 110 is attached to the disk, whereby the bearing It is designed to rotate around the cap.

  The tape reel 107 is configured such that the upper flange 104 faces the inner surface 101a of the upper shell 101 and the lower flange 105 is constantly urged toward the lower shell 102 by a reel spring 108. The reel spring 108 is a compression coil spring having a cylindrical shape.

  In this tape cartridge, when not used in a recording and / or reproducing device (hereinafter simply referred to as a drive device), a pair of brake members 111 and 112 urged by two torsion coil springs (not shown) The tape reel 107 cannot be rotated. That is, the tape reel 107 cannot rotate because the gear portions 105 a formed on the outer periphery of the lower flange 105 mesh with the mesh portions 113 and 114 provided on the brake members 111 and 112. .

  When not in use, the magnetic tape 106 is completely wound around the tape reel 107, and the tape leader 109 is engaged with a leader block spring (not shown) provided at the corner of the lower shell 102. It has come to be stopped.

  On the other hand, when the tape cartridge is installed in the drive device, the tape reel 107 is lifted to the center position of the cartridge body 103 against the urging force of the reel spring 108 and the brake members 111 and 112 are locked. The tape reel 107 is released and released. Further, the magnetic tape 106 is pulled out from the cartridge main body 103 by the tape pulling means provided on the drive device side.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 10, a reel spring 108 for urging the tape reel 107 toward the lower shell 102 includes a cylindrical spring mounting member 116 provided on the inner surface 101a of the upper shell 101, and the member 116. Is mounted and held between the reel regulating protrusions 117 provided on the outer periphery. FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the spring mounting member 116 and the reel restricting protrusion 117. The spring mounting member 116 is for positioning the reel spring 108.

As another conventional example of the tape cartridge, a cartridge described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.
JP 2002-42440 A

  In the conventional tape cartridge, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the spring mounting member 116 and the reel restricting projection 117 have substantially the same height. There are horizontal flat surfaces 118, 119. Therefore, when the reel spring 108 is incorporated into the spring mounting member 116, the reel spring 108 may be mounted with the bottom of the reel spring 108 riding on the flat surface 118 or the flat surface 119. This can cause problems in the reel rotation operation.

  As described above, since the shell is opaque, in order to prevent this problem, the cartridge is lifted up to the line of sight and assembled while confirming that the reel spring is completely attached. However, even after performing this work, as long as a person assembles, after the tape cartridge is assembled, the reel spring may ride on the flat surface of the spring mounting member 116 or the reel regulating projection 117, and the occurrence of the failure is about 1 / 1000 is the current situation. Further, the above-described working method is very time-consuming and causes a problem in increasing the production number.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tape cartridge in which a reel spring is securely mounted without climbing on a spring mounting member or a reel restricting projection, enabling a tape reel to run stably and having high assembly efficiency. It is in.

  A tape cartridge according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is that a single tape reel and a spring wound with a magnetic tape are housed in a cartridge body composed of an upper shell and a lower shell, and the urging force of the spring is used. A tape cartridge configured to rotatably support the tape reel, and a spring mounting member that protrudes from the inner surface of the upper shell and has a first inclined portion inclined toward the outer peripheral side, and which mounts and holds the spring. And a reel restricting protrusion having a second inclined portion that is provided on the inner surface of the upper shell and is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the spring mounting member and is inclined toward the inner peripheral side.

  Further, it is characterized in that a groove formed on the inner surface of the upper shell is formed at a boundary portion between the first inclined portion of the spring mounting member and the second inclined portion of the reel restricting protrusion.

  One of the spring mounting member and the reel restricting protrusion is formed higher than the other.

  Further, the first inclined portion of the spring mounting member has three or more inclined ribs arranged at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the tape reel.

  Further, the second inclined portion of the reel restricting protrusion has three or more inclined ribs arranged at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the tape reel.

(1) According to the invention described in claims 1 to 8, when the spring is mounted on the spring mounting member, the spring is called by the first inclined portion of the spring mounting member and the second inclined portion of the reel restricting protrusion. Therefore, it is easily mounted and held at the normal position.

For example, even if the spring is incorporated to some extent, the spring bottom is guided along the first and second inclined portions without climbing on the tip end surfaces of the spring mounting member and the reel restricting projection, and inevitably The first and second inclined portions on the inner surface of the shell are mounted and held at the protruding base ends (hem end portions), that is, at normal positions. Therefore, the assembly efficiency is improved and the tape reel can be rotated normally.
(2) According to the invention described in claims 2 to 8, when the spring is mounted on the spring mounting member, the bottom portion of the spring is guided along the first and second inclined portions and then fitted into the groove. Thus, the spring is securely held in a normal position. For this reason, it is prevented that the spring rattles when the tape reel rotates, and no abnormal noise is generated.
(3) According to the invention described in claims 3 and 4, the inclination angle of the first inclined portion of the spring mounting member or the inclination angle of the second inclined portion of the reel restricting protrusion is increased (steeply inclined). This makes it easier to call in when the spring is mounted.
(4) According to the invention described in claims 5 to 8, the inclined portion is formed by three or more inclined ribs, so that the installation area is reduced as compared with the case where the inclined portion is formed over the entire circumferential direction. And lighter.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

  In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a tape cartridge used for data storage used as a backup for a computer. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the tape cartridge, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a part where a spring mounting member is provided, FIG. 3A is an enlarged plan view of a main part of a part where the spring mounting member is provided, and FIG. FIG. 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a portion where the spring mounting member is provided, and FIG. 3C is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part showing a state where the reel spring is mounted and held on the spring mounting member.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the tape cartridge of this embodiment, a magnetic tape 7 is wound between a disk-like upper flange 4 and lower flange 9 in a cartridge body 21 composed of an upper shell 1 and a lower shell 2. The single tape reel 13 is accommodated, and the bearing cap 6 biased by the reel spring 3 (spring; for example, a compression coil spring) is always pressed against the tape reel 13 so that the tape reel 13 is moved to the bearing. The cap 6 is configured to be rotatably supported.

  A first brake member 14 and a second brake member 15 for preventing rotation of the tape reel 13 when not in use when not mounted on the drive device are provided at two corners on the diagonal line of the upper shell 1. Each is provided.

  The first brake member 14 has a comb-shaped meshing portion 16 that meshes with a gear portion 12 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange 9, and a brake support (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the upper shell 1. It is rotatably attached to the shaft. The first brake member 14 is always urged by a first reel lock spring 18 formed of a torsion coil spring in a direction in which the meshing portion 16 meshes with the gear portion 12.

  Similarly, the second brake member 15 has a comb-shaped engagement portion 17 that meshes with the gear portion 12 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange 9, and is not shown provided on the inner surface of the upper shell 1. It is rotatably attached to the brake support shaft. The second brake member 15 is urged by a second reel lock spring 19 formed of a torsion coil spring in a direction in which the meshing portion 17 is meshed with the gear portion 12.

  A cylindrical hub 10 is formed integrally with the lower flange 9 at the center of the lower flange 9. A disc-shaped bearing 8 that functions as a bearing when the tape reel 13 rotates is press-fitted and fixed at the center of the recess 11 formed in the center of the hub 10. A tip (not shown) of the bearing cap 6 is press-fitted and fixed in a hole formed in the center of the bearing 8.

  On the other hand, the upper flange 4 is formed as a disk body having a circular fitting hole 5 that faces a circular protruding portion (not shown) formed on the top surface of the hub 10. The hub 10 is fixed to the hub 10 by being fitted into the circular protruding portion and ultrasonically welded. The tape reel 13 is accommodated between the upper shell 1 and the lower shell 2 fixed by screws 20.

  In the tape cartridge configured as described above, the tape reel 13 is urged toward the lower shell 2 by the reel spring 3 when not used in the drive device.

  On the other hand, at the time of use attached to the drive device, the tape reel 13 is lifted to the center position of the cartridge body 21 against the urging force of the reel spring 3, and the brake members 14 and 15 are unlocked. Thus, the tape reel 13 can be rotated. 1 and 2, 51 is an erroneous erasure prevention tab, 52 is an IC memory, 61 is a hole for a brake support shaft, and 62 is a hole for screwing.

  In the tape cartridge of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a spring mounting member 22 and a reel restricting projection 23 for mounting and holding the reel spring 3 project from the inner surface 1a of the upper shell 1. The spring mounting member 22 and the reel restricting projection 23 have a shape having an inclined rib or a taper.

  That is, the spring mounting member 22 is the inner surface 1a of the central portion of the upper shell 1, and is a reel restricting protrusion 23 formed as a ring-shaped protrusion that fits loosely into the recess 11 of the hub 10 of the tape reel 13. It protrudes from the inner periphery of the.

  The spring mounting member 22 includes a substantially cylindrical cylindrical portion having a circular hole 25 in the center, and four inclined ribs 24 (provided at predetermined intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and inclined from the cylindrical portion toward the outer peripheral side). First inclined portion).

  The reel restricting projection 23 projecting from the outer peripheral portion of the spring mounting member 22 has a cylindrical portion on the outer peripheral side and a tapered portion 26 (second inclined portion) that inclines from the cylindrical portion toward the inner peripheral side. .

  A groove 27 into which the bottom portion of the reel spring 3 is fitted is formed at a boundary portion between the inclined rib 24 and the tapered portion 26 (that is, a hem side end of each inclined portion). This groove 27 has an inner surface 1a of the upper shell 1 as a bottom surface, and prevents the reel spring 3 from rattling during rotation of the tape reel 13 and also keeps the reel spring 3 stable in the cartridge body 21. It is preferable that the length A is a spring diameter of the reel spring 3 × 1.5 to 2.0, and the groove width B is a spring diameter of the reel spring 3 × 1.5 to 2.0.

  Both the spring mounting member 22 and the reel restricting protrusion 23 protruding from the inner surface 1a of the upper shell 1 are opposed to the bearing cap 6 when the tape reel 13 is incorporated in the cartridge body 21. Is formed at such a height that it does not abut.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the spring mounting member 22 is formed higher than the reel restricting protrusion 23. As a result, the inclination angle of the inclined rib 24 can be increased, and the reel spring 3 can be more easily called when the reel spring 3 is mounted.

  The circular hole 25 formed at the center of the spring mounting member 22 acts to prevent the occurrence of sink marks on the surface of the upper shell 1. In order to prevent the occurrence of sink marks on the surface of the upper shell 1, although depending on the type of resin used, the thickness T1 of the spring mounting member 22 should be less than or equal to the thickness d × 0.7 of the upper shell 1. preferable.

  In the above configuration, when the reel spring 3 is mounted on the spring mounting member 22 as shown in FIG. 3C, the reel spring 3 is inclined by the inclined surfaces (inclined ribs 24 and 24) of both the spring mounting member 22 and the reel regulating projection 23. Since it is called in from the taper part 26), it is easily mounted and held in the normal position.

  That is, since the spring mounting member 22 and the reel restricting protrusion 23 are inclined, even if the reel spring 3 is assembled roughly to some extent, the bottom of the reel spring 3 remains on the inclined rib surface of the spring mounting member 22 or the reel restricting portion. The reel spring 3 is inevitably mounted and held at a normal position (groove 27) of the spring mounting member 22 along the tapered surface of the protrusion 23 and inevitably mounted to the base end portion 22b of the spring mounting member 22. It will be. Therefore, the tape reel 13 can be normally rotated, and the tape reel 13 can be prevented from coming into contact with the upper shell 1 or the lower shell 2 and generating abnormal noise.

  FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the tape cartridge according to this embodiment. FIG. 4A shows a non-use state that is not mounted on the drive device in a normal state, and the tape reel 13 is urged toward the lower shell 2 by the reel spring 3.

  FIG. 4B shows a state in which the drive device 30 is used, and the tape reel 13 is lifted to the center position of the cartridge main body 21 against the urging force of the reel spring 3, and a brake member (14 in FIG. 1). , 15) is unlocked and is in a rotatable state.

  FIG. 4C shows a state where the tape reel 13 hits the upper shell 1 for some reason when not in use, and the upper flange 4 of the tape reel 13 moves to a position where it hits the upper shell 1 in this way. However, the tip ends of the spring mounting member 22 and the reel restricting projection 23 do not come into contact with any other parts constituting the tape reel 13.

  The tape cartridge of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the formation height of the spring mounting member 22 and the reel restricting protrusion 23 is opposite to that shown in FIG. 3B (the reel restricting protrusion 23 is higher than the spring attaching member 22). May be.

  Also in the case of FIG. 5, the inclination angle of the taper portion 26 of the reel restricting protrusion 23 can be increased, and the reel spring 3 can be more easily called when the reel spring 3 is mounted.

  In the embodiment, the taper portion 26 that is inclined from the reel restricting protrusion 23 toward the inner peripheral side is formed. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an inclined rib 34 that is inclined toward the inner peripheral side may be provided as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6A shows an embodiment in which inclined ribs 34 are disposed between the inclined ribs 24 on the spring mounting member 22 side, and FIG. 6B shows a position facing the inclined ribs 24 on the spring mounting member 22 side. In this embodiment, the inclined ribs 34 are provided, and the grooves 27 are formed between the inclined ribs 24 and 34 as in FIG.

  3 to 6, the number of the inclined ribs 24 and 34 is three or more.

  If the reel spring 3 is mounted and held in a normal position, the base end portion 22b of the spring mounting member 22 shown in FIG.

  Further, the circular hole 25 of FIG. 3 may be deleted, and a cross-shaped spring mounting member 42 constituted by four inclined ribs 24 may be configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the number of the inclined ribs 24 is three or more (for example, three ribs 24 are formed at equal intervals of 120 ° in the circumferential direction).

  In the case of the spring mounting member 42 having a shape in which the circular hole at the center is removed as shown in FIG. 7, the inclined ribs 34 provided on the reel restricting protrusion 23 are arranged between the inclined ribs 24 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8B, it is disposed at a position facing the inclined rib 24.

  When the spring mounting member 42 of FIG. 7 is used, the tapered portion 26 described in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be used instead of the inclined rib 34.

  In the embodiment example of FIGS. 7 and 8 as well, even if the reel spring 3 is assembled to some extent roughly by the spring mounting member 42 and the inclined ribs 24 and 34 of the reel restricting projection 23 as in the above embodiment example, it is mounted in the normal position. Can be held.

  7 and 8, the thickness T2 of the spring mounting member 42 (inclined rib 24) is the thickness d × 0 of the upper shell 1 from the viewpoint of preventing the occurrence of sink marks on the surface of the upper shell 1. .7 or less is preferable.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a tape cartridge showing an embodiment of the present invention. The principal part expansion perspective view of the part in which the spring mounting member is provided in the tape cartridge of one embodiment of this invention. 1A and 1B show an essential part of a tape cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is an enlarged plan view of a portion where a spring mounting member is provided, FIG. ) Is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state where the reel spring is mounted and held on the spring mounting member. FIG. 2 illustrates an internal assembly state of a tape cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view when not used in the drive device, (b) is a cross-sectional view when used after being mounted on the drive device, c) A sectional view when the tape reel hits the upper shell when not in use. The principal part expanded sectional view which shows the other embodiment of this invention. The principal part enlarged plan view which shows the other embodiment of this invention. The principal part expansion perspective view which shows the other embodiment of this invention. The principal part enlarged plan view which shows the other embodiment of this invention. The exploded perspective view of the conventional tape cartridge. The principal part expansion perspective view of the part in which the spring mounting member is provided in the conventional tape cartridge. The principal part expanded sectional view of the part in which the spring mounting member is provided in the conventional tape cartridge.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Upper shell, 1a ... Inner surface, 2 ... Lower shell, 3 ... Reel spring, 4 ... Upper flange, 5 ... Fitting hole, 6 ... Bearing cap, 7 ... Magnetic tape, 8 ... Bearing, 9 ... Lower flange, 10 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Hub, 11 ... Recessed part, 13 ... Tape reel, 21 ... Cartridge body, 22, 42 ... Spring mounting member, 23 ... Reel restricting projection, 24, 34 ... Inclined rib, 25 ... Circular hole, 26 ... Tapered part, 27 ... groove.

Claims (8)

A tape cartridge in which a single tape reel wound with a magnetic tape and a spring are housed in a cartridge body comprising an upper shell and a lower shell, and the tape reel is rotatably supported by the biasing force of the spring. ,
A spring mounting member that protrudes from the inner surface of the upper shell and has a first inclined portion that is inclined to the outer peripheral side, and holds and holds the spring;
A tape cartridge comprising: a reel regulating protrusion having a second inclined portion that protrudes from an inner surface of the upper shell and an outer peripheral portion of the spring mounting member and is inclined toward an inner peripheral side.   2. The groove according to claim 1, further comprising: a groove formed on an inner surface of the upper shell at a boundary portion between the first inclined portion of the spring mounting member and the second inclined portion of the reel restricting protrusion. The tape cartridge as described.   The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein one of the spring mounting member and the reel restricting protrusion is formed higher than the other.   The tape cartridge according to claim 2, wherein one of the spring mounting member and the reel restricting protrusion is formed higher than the other.   2. The tape according to claim 1, wherein the first inclined portion of the spring mounting member includes three or more inclined ribs arranged at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the tape reel. cartridge.   3. The tape according to claim 2, wherein the first inclined portion of the spring mounting member includes three or more inclined ribs arranged at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the tape reel. cartridge.   2. The tape according to claim 1, wherein the second inclined portion of the reel restricting protrusion has three or more inclined ribs arranged at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the tape reel. cartridge. 3. The tape according to claim 2, wherein the second inclined portion of the reel restricting protrusion has three or more inclined ribs arranged at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the tape reel. cartridge.