JP2810139B2 - Recording and playback device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus for performing tape running control suitable for preventing edge damage of a tape as an information recording medium.

[Conventional technology]

In a tape recorder, maintenance of a tape as an information recording medium is one of important issues. Above all,
For commercial equipment, this issue will become even more prominent.

On the other hand, in the development of tape recorders, there is a problem of long-time recording, and tapes are being made thinner in response. As a result, the rigidity of the tape is reduced, and buckling of the tape in the width direction is apt to occur. Therefore, damage to the tape edge has become a problem.

Furthermore, in order to realize a high search speed in a tape having a long overall length due to the thinning of the tape, a search function of running the tape at a high speed has become indispensable. It is a factor that increases the danger.

Here, in a recording / reproducing apparatus using a tape, track tracing must be performed stably and with high linearity in order to ensure originally good reproducing characteristics and compatibility. Must be minimized. For this reason, for example, a flange portion is provided on the tape guide, and the tape regulates the tape by sandwiching the tape from both sides in the width direction. At this time, if the force for regulating the tape in the width direction is excessive, the problem of tape edge damage easily occurs as described above.

As a countermeasure, a method of managing the setting conditions of the tape guide with extremely high accuracy is generally used, and an example for improving the accuracy is described in JP-A-63-191355.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, a mechanism capable of finely adjusting the set position of the tape guide is added. As a result, the setting accuracy of the tape guide can be adjusted and managed extremely high, and the edge damage of the tape can be considerably reduced. However, the reliability of the commercial equipment as described above is not yet sufficient, and a measure for further increasing the reliability is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus for performing more reliable tape running control with respect to tape edge damage.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means.

A head for recording information on or reproducing information from the tape; and a tape guide means for guiding the tape wound on the reel and forming a tape traveling path so that the head can record or reproduce information. A floating amount detecting means for detecting a floating amount of the tape floating from a guide surface of the tape guiding means; and a restriction for detecting a restricting force in a width direction during the running of the tape based on information from the floating amount detecting means. A recording / reproducing system comprising: a force detecting unit; a variable unit that changes the regulating force; and a control unit that operates the variable unit in accordance with information from the regulating force detecting unit to control the regulating force. The configuration of the device.

A head that records information on or reproduces information from the tape, guides the tape wound on the reel, forms a tape traveling path so that the head can record or reproduce information, and forms a rotating unit. A tape guide unit including at least one rotation guide having: a regulation force detection unit configured to detect a regulation force in a width direction during running of the tape; and forcibly stopping a rotating unit of the rotation guide. A rotation stopping unit that controls the rotation of the rotation stopping unit according to information from the regulating force detection unit, and a control unit that can control the regulating force.
The configuration of a recording / reproducing apparatus comprising:

[Action]

The regulation force applied to the tape is constantly monitored, and if the regulation force becomes excessive, the regulation force can be reduced and kept within the appropriate value, so that the tape edge can be reliably damaged. Can be avoided.

Here, if the tape receives an excessive restricting force, the tension distribution in the width direction of the tape becomes non-uniform, the tape rises above the tape guide surface, and furthermore, buckling occurs to cause damage.

On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the regulating force is reduced when the tape floats from the guide surface by a predetermined amount or more immediately before the tape is damaged, and the buckling or damage can be prevented beforehand. .

Further, as a factor that damages the tape, there is a deviation in the angle of approach to the guide having the flange. This will be described with reference to FIG. The tape guide 80 shown in FIG. 4 is a rotating guide roller. In principle, the upper end and the lower end of the tape are regulated alternately. However, in the guide 80, the tape 6 is regulated in the width direction by the upper flange 80a.

A case where the tape 6 enters the tape guide from a direction orthogonal to the axis 76 is shown by a dotted line 74 in the figure.
Now, let us consider a case where the tape 6 enters this 74 as shown by a solid line at 75 from above by an angle θ as shown in the figure. Point 8 where tape 6 now contacts upper flange 80a
Consider the force acting at 0b. Although the tape 6 advances in the direction along the tape entering direction, the tape feeding force 72 due to the rotation of the roller 80c in the direction orthogonal to the guide roller shaft 76 acts without the angle θ, and as a result,
The tape 73 has a force 73 pressed against the upper flange 80a during running.
Will work.

This force 73 now acts in the direction of the lower flange in the drawing, considering that the tape 6 has entered from the lower side 77 from the direction of the above 74, so that as described above, this tape guide 80 When the tape is regulated by the upper flange, the regulating force is reduced, and a problem such as running instability occurs. Therefore, it can be said that an appropriate amount is indispensable for securing the regulating force on the upper flange. However, if the angle θ is too large or the tension applied to the tape 6 is too large, the force 73 will be too large and the tape may be damaged.

Therefore, if the roller is stopped when the tape regulating force is excessively large or in an operation mode in which the tape regulating force is likely to be excessive, the force 73 is not generated, and the tape is easily prevented from being damaged.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment in which a recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a video tape recorder. First, the outline will be described. 1 and 2 are guide rollers as width regulation guides, 3 and 4 are guide rollers, 5 is a cylinder, 6 is a magnetic tape, 7 and 8 are inclined guides, 9 and 10 are impedance rollers, and 11 is AC (voice and control). Head, 12 is a pinch roller, 13 is a capstan, 14 is a tension pin,
15 and 16 are guide plates, 17 and 20 are guide grooves, 21 and 22 are loading rings, 23 and 26 are catchers, 27 is a loading motor, 28 is a capstan motor, 29 and 32 are guide bases,
33 is a tension lever, 34 is a pinch roller arm, 35 is a pin, 36 is a worm wheel, 37 is a pinch roller drive motor, 38 is a tape cassette, 39 is an opening, 40 is a supply reel, 41 is a take-up reel, 42 is Supply reel stand, 43 is take-up reel stand, 44 is chassis, 45 is tension plate, 46
Is a pin.

In FIG. 1, a cylinder 5 is provided on a chassis 44 at a predetermined angle and is further inclined.
A guide plate 15 is provided on one side, and a guide plate 16 is provided on the other side. These guide plates 16 and 17 are partially located in the opening 39 of the tape cassette 38 to which one end thereof is mounted, and are arranged so as to wrap around the cylinder 5 from this position. The other end is slightly wider than the end on the tape cassette 38 side. Guide plate 17
The other end of the guide plate 16 is on the side where the magnetic tape 6 is wound around the cylinder 5 in the forward direction, that is, on the upstream side of the cylinder 5, and the other end of the guide plate 16 is the side on which the magnetic tape 6 is also separated from the cylinder 5. That is, it is on the downstream side of the cylinder 5.

The guide plate 15 has two guide grooves 1 extending from the end on the opening 39 side of the tape cassette 38 to the upstream end of the cylinder 5.
The guide groove 18 is disposed closer to the cylinder 5 than the guide groove 17, and one end of the guide groove 18 is located near the cylinder 5. Catches 23 and 25 are provided at the upstream end of the cylinder 5 in the guide grooves 17 and 18, respectively. Guide roller 3 and guide roller 1 as width regulating guide, respectively
Are mounted on the guide plate 15 so as to be movable along the guide grooves 17, 18, respectively.
One end of each of the tape cassettes 17 and 18 is located in the opening 39 of the tape cassette 38, and the other end is positioned by the catchers 23 and 25, respectively.

Similarly, a tape cassette is also provided for the guide plate 16.
Two guide grooves 19 and 20 are provided extending from the end on the opening side of 38 to the downstream end of the cylinder 5, and the guide portion 19 is disposed closer to the cylinder 5 than the guide groove 20 and has one end. Is located near the cylinder 5. Catches 26 and 24 are provided at the downstream end of the cylinder 5 in the guide grooves 19 and 20, respectively. The guide bases 31 and 32 on which the guide rollers 2 and 4 are mounted as guide members are mounted on the guide plate 16 so as to be movable along the guide grooves 19 and 20, respectively. Is located in the opening 39 of the tape cassette 38 at the end, and is positioned by the catchers 26 and 24 at the other end.

In FIG. 1, each of the guide bases 29, 30, 31, and 32 is a guide groove 1
The state at both ends of 7,18,19,20 is shown.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the guide plates 15 and 16 and parts related thereto. Reference numeral 47 denotes a tape lead portion, and portions corresponding to those in FIG.

In the figure, the portion of the guide plate 15 where the guide groove 17 is provided is parallel to the chassis 44 (FIG. 1), but in the portion where the guide groove 18 is provided, the chassis 44 is located upstream of the cylinder 5. There is provided an inclined portion 15a which is inclined upward with respect to the chassis 44 from a portion parallel to the upper portion to the upstream side. Therefore, the guide groove 17 extends in parallel with the chassis 44, but the guide groove 18 extends in parallel with the chassis 44 from the end of the tape cassette 38 (FIG. 1), and rises from the middle at the inclined portion 15a. It extends to the upstream side.

In the guide plate 16, the portion where the guide groove 20 is provided is parallel to the chassis 44, but the portion where the guide groove 19 is provided is located downstream of the cylinder 5 from the portion parallel to the chassis 44. An inclined portion 16a which is inclined downward with respect to the chassis 44 is provided at the bottom. Therefore, the guide groove 20 extends in parallel with the chassis 44, but the guide groove 19 is parallel to the chassis 44 from the end on the tape cassette 38 side and is inclined from the middle.
It extends to the downstream side of the cylinder 5 while descending at 16a.

Since the guide grooves 17 to 20 are formed as described above, when the guide bases 29 to 32 are moved from the tape cassette 38 side, the guide bases 29 and 32 are parallel to the chassis 44 along the guide grooves 17 and 20, respectively. Move, but guide base 30 is chassis
After moving parallel to 44, the guide base 31 moves upward, moves to the chassis 44, and then moves down to reach positions determined by the catchers 25 and 26 near the cylinder 5, respectively.

Fig. 2 shows guide bases 29, 30, 31, and 32 each of which is a catcher 2.
3, 25, 26, 24 show the state of positioning, in such a state, the guide rollers on the guide bases 29, 30
The inclined guide 7 and the impedance roller 9 are provided on the guide plate 15 from the side of the guide roller 3 so as to be located between the guide rollers 3 and 1, and are located between the guide rollers 2 and 4 on the guide bases 31 and 32. From the guide roller 2 side, an impedance roller 10, an AC head 11, and an inclined guide 8 are provided on a guide plate 16.

Returning to FIG. 1, two loading rings 21 and 22 are provided on the chassis 45 so as to go around the cylinder 5.
Is arranged. These loading rings 21 and 22 are arranged vertically and both pass under the guide plates 15 and 16. The loading rings 21 and 22 are coupled to a loading motor 27 mounted on the upper surface of the chassis 44 via a gear portion, and are rotated in opposite directions by the loading motor 27. The rotation of the loading ring 21 causes the guide bases 29 and 30 to rotate. However, the rotation of the loading ring 22 moves the guide bases 31, 32, respectively. Here, the rotation angle of the loading ring 21 with respect to the rotation center is
The rotation angle of the loading ring 22 is set to 120 °. For this reason, the rotation speeds of the loading rings 21 and 22 are different. A small magnet is provided on the lower surface of the loading ring 22, and a sensor such as a Hall element is provided on the chassis 44. When the small magnet is detected by the sensor, the timing of stopping the loading rings 21 and 22 can be obtained.

On the supply reel 40 side of the tape cassette 38, a tension lever 33 is rotatably supported around a pin 46 on a tension plate 45, and the tension pin 14 is implanted at the tip of the tension lever 33.

Further, a worm wheel 36 is provided on the take-up reel 41 side of the tape cassette 38 by a pinch roller drive motor 37, and a pinch roller arm 34 is provided on a pin 35 on an axis to which the worm wheel 36 is attached. Is provided. The pinch roller 12 is provided at the tip of the pinch roller arm 34, and the pinch roller arm 34 is rotated clockwise about the pin 35 by the pinch roller drive motor 37, so that the pinch roller arm 12 is moved to the capstan motor 28. Can contact the rotating capstan 13.

 Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

Now, it is assumed that the tape cassette 38 is in the unloading state while being mounted. At this time, the supply reel 40 of the tape cassette 38 is mounted on the supply-side reel table 42 rotatably provided on the chassis 44, and the take-up reel 41 is mounted on the take-up reel table 43.
In 38, it is stretched between the supply reel 40 and the take-up reel 41. At this time, the guide rollers 3, 1, 2, and 4 mounted on the guide bases 29, 30, 31, and 32, the tension pins on the tension lever 33, and the pinch rollers of the pinch roller arm 34.
Reference numerals 12 and the like are located at the back of the magnetic tape 6 in the opening 39 of the tape cassette 38.

When the loading operation is started in this state, the loading ring 27 rotates clockwise by the loading motor 27, the guide bases 29 and 30 move along the guide grooves 17 and 18, respectively, and the loading ring 22 moves counterclockwise. By rotation, the guide bases 31, 32 rotate along the guide grooves 19, 20.

Further, with the rotation of the loading ring 22 in the counterclockwise direction, the tension lever 33 rotates counterclockwise with play with respect to the loading ring 22, and the pinch roller arm 34 is rotated clockwise by the rotation of the pinch roller drive motor 37. Rotate in the direction.

As the guide bases 29, 30, 31, and 32 move, the guide rollers 3, 1, 2, and 4 mounted on the guide bases hook the magnetic tape 6 in the tape cassette 38 and pull out the magnetic tape 6 from the tape cassette 38. At this time, the tension pin 14 and the pinch roller 12
Are in contact with the magnetic tape 6 to be pulled out, but they do not contribute to pulling out the magnetic tape 6 from the tape cassette 38.

After that, the guide bases 29, 30, 31, 32 are catchers 23, 2
The magnetic tape 6 is wound around the spiral tape lead portion 47 over a predetermined angular range around the outer circumference of the cylinder 5 to complete the loading operation.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the tape running path in the loaded state obtained in this manner, wherein 48 and 49 are tension guide rollers, 50 is a full width erasing head, and 52 is a guide roller, and corresponds to FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the portions to be performed.

In the figure, the magnetic tape 6 contacts the tension guide roller 48, the tension pin 14, and the tension guide roller 49 from the supply reel 40, and then contacts the full-width erasing head 50. Is changed to The direction of the magnetic tape 6 whose direction has been changed is inclined by the inclination guide 7 according to the inclination of the cylinder 5, comes into contact with the impedance roller 9, and then comes into contact with the cylinder 5 by the guide roller 1, which is a width regulating guide. .

On the downstream side of the cylinder 5, the magnetic tape 6 from the cylinder 5 contacts the guide roller 2, which is a width regulating guide, and contacts the impedance roller 10 and the AC head 12.
The tape surface is perpendicular to the chassis 44 (FIG. 1) by the inclined guide 8, and the tape running direction is changed to the tape cassette 38 by the guide roller 4. Reoriented magnetic tape 6
After being brought into contact with the guide roller 51, it passes between the pinch roller 12 and the capstan 13, further comes into contact with the guide roller 52, and is wound on the take-up reel 41 of the tape cassette 38.

When the above-described tape running path is formed, and the magnetic tape 6 is held between the pinch roller 12 and the capstan 13 and the capstan 13 is rotated by the capstan motor 28, the magnetic tape 6 runs along this running path. At this time, the tape tension is detected by the tension pin 14,
A load corresponding to the detection is applied to the supply reel 40, and the tape tension is kept constant.

Next, the tape running control system according to the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 shows a tape regulating force detecting means according to the present invention, and shows a method of detecting a tape regulating force by a force applied to a tape from a flange portion in a tape guide having a flange.
1 shows a configuration applied to the tape guides 9 and 10 in FIG. 1 to enable control on the inlet and outlet sides of the cylinder 5, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side sectional view. It is.

Each of the tape guides 9 and 10 is a guide roller and regulates the lower end of the tape on the lower flange side.

In FIG. 5, reference numerals 9 and 10 denote guide rollers, 90 denotes a leaf spring integrated with a lower flange, and 91 denotes a strain gauge.

Guide rollers 9 and 10 and leaf spring 90 are both guide plates 15 and 16.
It is fixed to. Reference numeral 6 denotes a tape. With this structure, if a restricting force is generated at the tip of the leaf spring 90, which is also a flange portion, in the direction of the arrow in the drawing while the tape 6 is running, the leaf spring 90 is deformed as shown by 90b in the drawing. This is detected by the strain gauge 91. Here, if the amount of deformation of the leaf spring 90 becomes excessive, the tape running height changes, so that the performance tends to deteriorate. Therefore, the rigidity of the leaf spring 90 is selected so as not to cause a practical problem.

FIG. 6 shows a means for varying the tape regulating force according to the present invention, which changes the setting conditions of the tape guide.
(A) is applied to the tape guides 7 and 8 in FIG. 1 and is variable toward the center of the inclination angle of the inclined guide and the winding angle range of the tape 6. In the drawing, reference numerals 7 and 8 denote inclined guides, 6 denotes a tape, 92 denotes a guide block in which the inclined guides are erected, and 100a denotes a piezoelectric element and a laminated ceramic whose shape can be finely changed by applying a voltage.
The guide block 92 is provided with a slit 92a,
At the right end in the figure of the slit, a laminated ceramic is incorporated so as to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction in the figure.
The tilt guide is configured to be variable in the direction of the arrow in the figure. In the above configuration, when the inclination guides 7 and 8 are inclined in the directions of the arrows in the figure, the tension at the upper end of the tape 6 can be increased, and when the inclination guides 7 and 8 are inclined in the opposite direction, the tension at the lower end can be increased. As always, tape 6
It is possible to control the tension at the upper and lower ends to a desired value, and it is possible to avoid the generation of an excessive regulating force.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the control system of the present invention. The optimum regulating force is input as the reference regulating force, compared with the detection result from the detecting means, the error is input to the control means, and the corresponding control voltage is input to the variable means. As a result, this is a typical closed-loop servo in which the inclination angle of the tape guide is changed, and then the regulating force is detected and fed back to the comparison unit.

Note that the variable means is not limited to only the inclination angle among the setting conditions of the tape guide, but the inclination direction,
Either height or position may be used. For example, if the height is variable, a tape guide 81 with a flange may be used as shown in FIG. 4 (b), and may be mounted on a laminated ceramic arranged to expand and contract in the vertical direction in the figure.

Further, the detecting means and the tape guide as the variable means shown in the above embodiment are not limited to the above 9, 10, and 7, 8 including the alternative means described below, and the tape traveling path The present invention can be applied to any tape guide that forms. That is, in the present embodiment, the tape guide which does not move both the detecting means and the switching means is selected with the utmost importance on the simplification of the structure. 1 and 2. Therefore, if the variable means is the tape guides 1 and 2, the control of the regulating force becomes more effective.

Since the tape guides 1 and 2 move, the configuration becomes complicated. For example, the tape guides 1 and 2 of the catchers 25 and 26 are used.
The contact portions for positioning with the guide bases 30 and 31 on which the tape guides 1 and 2 are placed are formed as members incorporating laminated ceramics, and the tape guides 1 and 2 are driven by driving them.
May be made variable.

FIG. 8 shows a first alternative means of the detecting means, which detects the amount of lifting of the tape 6 from the guide surface of the tape guide 82 by the photonic sensor 101 in a non-contact manner. The present invention can be applied to any of the tape guides.

FIG. 9 shows a second replacement means of the detection means, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view.
Rollers 110 and 111 are slightly abutted on the upper and lower ends of the tape, and strain gauges 91a and 91b are attached to leaf spring arms 112 and 113 holding these rollers, respectively.
When the tension at the upper and lower ends changes, the leaf spring arm 11
The deformation state of 2,113 changes and is detected by the strain gauge.

 The present invention is also applicable to tape guides.

FIG. 10 shows a third alternative means of the detecting means,
It detects the running height of the tape 6 in the running path, and installs a photosensor at the upper end (or at the lower end) of the tape, and when the running height of the tape changes,
The travel height is detected by utilizing the decrease in the amount of light reflected from the tape surface. The present invention is also applicable to tape guides.

FIG. 11 shows a replacement means for the variable means.In the guide roller 83 having a flange, the lower flange in the figure is constituted by laminated ceramics which are arranged so as to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction in the figure, and the tape regulating force is excessive. In this case, a voltage can be applied to the laminated ceramic to stop the roller 83a by holding the roller 83a vertically.

The present invention is applicable to a guide roller having a flange.

Although analog control such as that described with reference to FIG. 7 cannot be performed, the control is switched only when the tape restricting force exceeds a predetermined value.

FIG. 12 shows a second control method according to the present invention. That is, the regulating force of the tape is switched in accordance with the operation mode of the apparatus as described above. In contrast to the first control means shown in FIG. Things.

In this embodiment, the variable means is provided on each of the inlet side and the outlet side of the cylinder, and the numbers shown in the figure indicate the tape on the cylinder inlet side during normal recording / reproduction (tape speed = 1.0). The table shows each operation mode when the regulating force is set to 1.0, the tape running direction, and the ratio of the tape regulating force on the entrance side and the exit side of the cylinder. That is, as the tape tension increases and the tape is likely to be damaged, the restricting force is reduced on the downstream side of the tape running, and as the tape speed is increased, the restricting force is also reduced. Since the tape tension is likely to fluctuate easily, the regulation force is further reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the regulating force is switched in two stages according to the speed at the time of the high-speed search, but finer control is possible if a continuous control relationship corresponding to the speed is provided.

The rotation and stop operations of the roller when the variable means shown in FIG. 11 are combined with the second control method are indicated by the circles in FIG. . As described above, the roller is stopped in the mode in which edge damage is likely to occur, and the roller is rotated as in the conventional recording / reproducing mode in which damage is relatively unlikely to occur and where tape running performance is important, for example.

Here, if the rollers are stopped during the high-speed search, the load may be increased. However, when the speed is 30 times or more, the tape slightly rises above the rollers and runs, so that there is no problem.

According to the second embodiment, since the control is based on the open loop, the effect of improving the reliability can be obtained with a relatively simple control circuit configuration.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, it is possible to observe a force that causes tape damage or a phenomenon that is a precursor to damage, and it is possible to always control these within an appropriate value, so that tape damage can be avoided in advance. Thus, it is possible to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus for performing more reliable tape running control.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tape running path, FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.
4 is a side view showing the force applied to the tape, FIG. 5 is a plan view and a side view showing the detecting means, FIG. 6 is a side view showing the switching means, and FIG. 7 is a servo block diagram showing the control means. 8 to 11 are side views and plan views showing alternatives of the detecting means, and FIG. 12 is a control diagram showing the tape regulating force in each mode of the second control means. 1,2,7,8,9,10 …… Tape guide 5 …… Cylinder 40,41 …… Reel 6 …… Tape 80,81,82,83 …… Guide roller 91 …… Strain gauge 100 …… Laminated ceramic 101 Photo sensor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Ojiji 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Home Appliance Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (56) References JP-A-63-64658 (JP, A) JP-A-61-258362 (JP, A) JP-A-53-52405 (JP, A) Fully open 63-114429 (JP, U) Really open 58-193353 (JP , U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 62-3646 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 61-11439 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 59-42551 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB G11B 15/60 G11B 15/61

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A head for recording information on or reproducing information from a tape and a tape wound on a reel are guided, and a tape travel path is formed so that the head can record or reproduce information. A tape guide means, a floating amount detecting means for detecting a floating amount of the tape floating from a guide surface of the tape guide means, and a restricting force in a width direction during running of the tape based on information from the floating amount detecting means. Regulating force detecting means for detecting, variable means for changing the regulating force, and control means capable of controlling the regulating force by operating the variable means in accordance with information from the regulating force detecting means. A recording / reproducing apparatus characterized in that: 2. A head for recording information on a tape or reproducing information from the tape, and guiding a tape wound on a reel, and forming a running path of the tape so that the head can record or reproduce information. A tape guide unit including at least one rotating guide having a rotating unit; a regulating force detecting unit configured to detect a regulating force in a width direction during running of the tape; and forcing a rotating unit of the rotating guide. Recording / reproducing comprising: a rotation stopping means for stopping the rotation; and a control means capable of controlling the regulating force by operating the rotation stopping means in accordance with information from the regulating force detecting means. apparatus.