JP2900623B2 - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cassette which is most suitable for use in a recording / reproducing apparatus such as a video tape recorder and other various information processing apparatuses. It has a through-hole and a plug that is vertically movable in this through-hole and that is rotatably inserted around the vertical axis. By switching from an external operation to an arbitrary predetermined position up and down, cassette information can be exchanged. The present invention relates to a tape cassette that can be detected.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A tape cassette of this type detects the vertical position of a plug in the through hole by an information detection sensor on the video tape recorder side, so that various cassette information such as erroneous erasure prevention can be confirmed. It is.

Conventionally, this kind of tape cassette is shown in FIGS.
The structure is as shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, a tool insertion groove 10b is formed at the upper end of the plug, and a projecting portion 10d projecting horizontally is formed at the lower end. , 12 are provided, and the plug is inserted in the through hole in a state of being urged by a spring, and the horizontal projection at the lower end of the plug is made up of two steps 1
The vertical position of the plug in the through-hole is switched by engaging with any one of the plugs 1 and 12.

When the plug is switched from the upper position to the lower position, the plug is pushed down against the spring as shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 15, and a key-shaped slit groove provided under the half is inserted to allow the slit to be inserted. The plug is removed to below the end face of the groove configuration, where the plug is reversely rotated 90 degrees around the vertical axis, the horizontal protrusion 10d at the lower end of the plug is engaged with another portion of the slit groove, and the plug is raised and urged to the lower position 11 by a spring. Therefore, the movement of the plug was restricted. Also, when switching from the lower position to the upper position, the horizontal protrusion 10d at the lower end of the plug is removed downward to the end face of the slit groove structure as described above, and the plug is rotated by 90 degrees reversely around the vertical axis to engage another position of the slit groove. Thus, the plug is moved to the upper position 12 by the spring urging force.

[0005]

However, such a conventional tape cassette has the following problems. That is, as shown in FIGS.
By providing the positioning portions 11 and 12 having different angles on the half, the position of the plug lower end horizontal projection 10d can be rotated and moved up and down around the axis, and a plurality of position switching can be performed. Plug bottom horizontal protrusion 1
0d and between the upper position and the lower position on the half, or
When the vertical projection 16d provided between the lower position and the upper position is engaged with the vertical downwardly directed mountain-shaped projection 16, if there is a horizontal plane portion above the horizontal projection 10d to be positioned, even if it is temporary, FIG.
4, it stops at an unexpected position lower than the predetermined lower position as shown in FIG. At this time, the detection sensor may be destroyed because it is different from the predetermined position of the detection sensor provided in the VTR.

Further, as a feature of this cassette, when the plug portion is looked down from above, the state in which the tool insertion groove is positioned in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the cassette or in the direction perpendicular thereto and the upper or lower positioning state of the plug itself are opposed to each other. The upper end surface of the horizontal protrusion 10d of the plug lower end has a horizontal surface as described above, and is unexpectedly different from the mountain-shaped protrusion 16 provided on the half. When engaged, the display of the tool insertion groove temporarily stops between 1 and 89 degrees as shown in FIG. 14-b, and it becomes impossible to visually recognize either state from the outside, and at the same time, it becomes impossible to determine either the upper or lower position of the plug position .

The present invention is intended to solve such a problem, and makes it extremely easy to attach the plug, simplify the shape and structure, facilitate the operability of the plug, and increase the detection height of the plug. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tape cassette which is limited to any one of the lower positions and restricts / selects the rotation position regulation to 0 degree, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape cassette having plug storage portions above and below the tape cassette, and the through holes are formed by fitting the plug storage portions. A vertical groove for inserting a plug lower end protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, a plurality of positioning portions for the plug lower end horizontal protrusion having different angles and heights from the vertical groove, and a lower position from an upper position ( The projection 16 having a mountain shape is provided on the cassette half vertically downward of the storage portion between the determining portions (from the lower position to the upper position), and the positioning horizontal projection of the plug is formed in a substantially triangular prism state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of upper and lower positioning portions having different angles and heights are provided in a storage portion formed on a half, and a mountain-shaped protrusion is vertically arranged between the positioning portions. A horizontal projection of the plug is formed in a substantially triangular prism having a tapered shape that rises to the right or that declines to the right. The upper and lower cassettes are temporarily fixed and the insertion groove of the horizontal protrusion at the lower end of the plug is closed by screws, etc., so that the plug can move up and down in the space defined between the top and bottom of the cassette and rotate around the axis. The tape cassette is characterized in that the plug lower end projection is selectively engaged with a plurality of upper and lower positioning portions so as to position the plug in upper and lower stages.

The third invention of the present invention is also directed to a third aspect of the present invention, wherein the projections of the ridges between the positioning portions are vertically directed downward, and the horizontal projections of the projections at the lower end of the plug are tapered upward or downward. The inclination angle θ formed by the upper surface of the plug lower end projection and the inclination angle α formed by the mountain-shaped projection 16 is different from each other, and α> θ or α <
θ.

Further, in the plug accommodating portion on the cassette half, a concave portion for engagement of a horizontal projection at the lower end of the plug and a rib for regulating rotation are formed below the cassette as the plurality of positioning portions for the plug. The cylindrical body having the upper and lower storage sections of the cassette can be unexpectedly moved or deformed by a drop impact, etc. by providing the fitting recesses of the semicircular ribs in the plug storage section below the cassette half and engaging with each other. The object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable tape cassette that prevents the occurrence of a problem.

[0012]

According to the above-described structure, the positioning of the plug lower end horizontal projection 10d can be rotated and moved up and down around the axis by providing positioning portions 11 and 12 having different vertical and angular positions on the half. The position can be switched, and when the vertical downwardly directed mountain-shaped projection 16 engages between the plug lower end horizontal projection 10d and the upper position to the lower position (or the lower position to the upper position) provided on the half. At the same time as making point or line contact with the tapered surface 10h above the horizontal projection 10d to be positioned, it is slid to the upper or lower position as shown in FIGS.

That is, even if the plug is temporarily stopped at an unexpected position lower than the predetermined position, destruction of the detection sensor (because it is different from the predetermined position of the detection sensor provided on the VTR side) is reliably prevented. it can.

With this configuration, the plug can be easily and reliably attached, the mold structure is simple, the moldability is good, and the cost is low. At the same time, if the plug is looked down from the upper part of the cassette housing, the plug tool can be used. The insertion groove is located in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the cassette or in the direction perpendicular thereto, so that the upper and lower positions of the plug are sufficiently visible so that the positioning can be performed reliably and firmly.

[0015]

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a cassette tape for a video tape recorder will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 12, the cassette housing 1 is composed of upper and lower halves 2 and 3, and a reel 33 around which a magnetic tape 34 is wound is rotatably accommodated in the cassette housing 1. At the front end of the cassette housing 1, a front cover 31 is rotatable, and a rear cover 32 that can be opened and closed subordinately by the rotation of the front cover.
Is attached. Further, three through holes 7 are provided at the front left and right positions and the rear center position of the cassette housing 1, respectively.
Are formed vertically. Further, the through holes 7 (6) at the left and right positions on the front side are reference holes for positioning when the cassette housing is mounted on a recording / reproducing device such as a video tape recorder. Plugs 10 are inserted into these through holes 7 (6). In the present embodiment, the main parts will be described, and the same structural parts as those in the conventional example will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

In the tape cassette of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a plug having a crown portion 10a having a tool insertion groove 10b, a cylindrical portion, and a projecting portion 10d at the lower end of the cylindrical portion is provided with the above-described plug crown. A compression coil spring 20 is mounted between the portion 10a and the lower end protrusion 10d of the plug. In the cylindrical portion of the plug, a tapered surface 10h and a tip R10i are formed above the concave portion 10g and the lower horizontal protrusion 10d in order to improve coil spring insertability, and the plug is integrally formed of synthetic resin or the like.

On the other hand, the through holes 6a (6b) and 7a (7b) into which the plug 10 is inserted are cylindrical portions 4a (4b) integrally formed on the upper half 2 and the lower half 3 formed of synthetic resin or the like. ), 5a (5b) with screws etc. (not shown)
It is configured to be engaged by being fastened with.

Inside the cylindrical portion 4a (4b) of the upper half 2, a cylindrical through hole 6a (6b), a groove 15a (15b) extending vertically downward from the through hole, and a step for regulating the lower end of the compression coil spring. 21a (21b) A slit-shaped positioning portion 12a (12b) for the plug lower end protrusion 10d at a position different in angle and vertical position from the above-described vertical groove 15, and further, the above-described 12a
A slit-shaped positioning portion 11a (11b) having an angle and a vertical position different from that of (12b) is formed, and a triangular-shaped projection 16 is formed between the slit-shaped positioning portions 11 and 12. Further, the cylindrical portion 5a (5
b) Inside the cassette housing positioning & sensor insertion hole 7 inside
a (7b), a region 9a (9b) rotatable about the axis of the plug so as to freely move up and down the plug lower end protrusion 10d. When the cylindrical portions 4 and 5 of the upper and lower halves 2 and 3 are engaged to form the through hole 8, the plug lower end projection 10
The rotation regulating surfaces 14 and 13 on the upper half of d are equal to the positions of the regulating surfaces 19 and 35 on the lower half. As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially semicircular rib 26a (26b) and a plug rotation regulating surface 27a (27b) are integrally formed vertically from the end face 17 of the cylindrical portion 4 of the upper half 2, and the lower half 3 is formed. On the end surface 18a (18b) of the cylindrical portion 5 described above, the above-described concave portion 29a (29b) for fitting a vertical rib is formed.

According to the plug 10 and the through hole 8 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 7, the plug bottom horizontal projection 10d is formed in the through hole 6 in the upper half 2 and the vertical groove 15a (15b).
Is engaged and inserted against the compression coil spring. A screwdriver 3 is inserted into the tool insertion groove 10b of the crown 10a of the plug 10.
0 and the like, and when the spring is inserted vertically, the lower end of the spring is regulated by the horizontal step 21. When the spring is further displaced downward in the Z direction, the plug crown 10a is moved by the horizontal step 36. At the same time, the horizontal protrusion 10d at the lower end of the plug is displaced to a position below the end face 17 of the cylindrical portion 4. At this time, if the plug is rotated 90 degrees in the R direction as shown in FIG. And is elastically displaced to the positioning portion 12 by a spring force. In this state, if the upper and lower half 2 and 3 are fastened with screws or the like, the cylindrical portion 4
At this time, the vertical insertion groove 15 of the plug lower end projection on the half is blocked by the upper end surface 18 of the cylindrical portion 5, and the plug 10 (10d) does not come off the cassette housing.

Therefore, the insertion of the plug 10 into the through hole 6 (8) becomes extremely easy and a more reliable mounting method, so that the plug 10 is positioned at the upper stage of the cassette housing.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, a screwdriver or the like is inserted into the tool insertion groove 10b at the upper end of the plug, and the lower end projection 10d of the plug is displaced against the spring in the Z direction to the lower end regulating position 22 so as to be substantially 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow R. When rotated by an angle, it is positioned at the lower position of the engaged portion 11. At this point, over-rotation is impossible on the rotation regulating surfaces 13, 15 and 27.

In the meantime, even if the rotation is stopped unexpectedly at around 90 degrees, for example, at around 45 degrees, when the upper tapered surface 10h of the plug lower end projection 10d and the lower end triangular rib 16 of the half housing portion engage with the tip R10i. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the plug is slid by point contact and line contact, and is forcibly accommodated in either the upper or lower position, and the plug has only a predetermined height.

Further, when the plug 10 is switched from the lower position 11 to the upper position 12 through the through holes 8 to 9, the plug 10 is displaced to the lower plug position regulating surface 22 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the plug is urged upward by the elastic force of the spring.

As described above, by selectively switching between the through holes 8 and 9 as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the distance from the position of the cassette housing lower surface to the plug lower end position 10e is vertically pressed. The direction can be switched by a very simple and reliable operation such as rotation and position regulation.

(Embodiment 2) Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper and lower cylindrical portions 4, 5 are provided with a vertical circumferential rib 26 and a concave portion 29 to be fitted in the vertical rib, and each is externally fastened with a screw or the like, so It is possible to prevent displacement and deformation in the lateral direction and to prevent heavy defects such as detachment of the plug.

Next, the through hole and the plug provided at the rear center position of the cassette housing are different from the length of the cylindrical portions 4 and 5 formed integrally with the upper and lower halves 2 and 3 and the length of the plug 10 only. , And others are completely the same, and the description is omitted.

As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various effective changes can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment, the plug bottom horizontal protrusion 1
0d has an upwardly tapered shape 10 as shown in FIG.
h and the tip R10i, the tapered surface 10h is not limited to a flat surface but may be a curved surface. Further, the tapered surface may have a tapered shape falling rightward as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, two tapered surfaces rising toward the center may be provided. Note that the tip R
Is preferably smaller.

The plug positioning portion shown in the embodiment is
The present invention is not limited to two stages, and can be changed to those having various numbers of stages and shapes.

The present invention is not limited to a tape cassette for a video tape recorder, but can be applied to a tape cassette for various recording / reproducing devices for recording / reproducing various types of information.

[0032]

As described above, the operation of inserting the plug into the through-hole is extremely simple and reliable, and the through-hole, the plug storage portion and the plug can be formed by a mold having a simple structure. It is something. In addition, even when a plurality of plugs are positioned, the switching operation is easy and the rotational positioning is reliable, and there is no plug detection height position other than the predetermined position. In addition, since the cylindrical parts can be firmly fitted, the fatal defect of the plug rotating unexpectedly at multiple upper positions or detaching from the cassette housing can be prevented, and positioning can be reliably performed at multiple steps, The cassette information can be appropriately transmitted to a VTR or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of components of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a component (detection plug) of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows components of the embodiment (detection plug, on half,
Bottom) mating development

FIG. 5 shows the components (detection plug, half-up
Bottom) mating development

FIG. 6 shows the components of the embodiment (detection plug, on half,
Bottom) mating development

FIG. 7 is an exploded cross-sectional view of components of the embodiment (detection plug inserted state) in an assembled state.

FIG. 8 is an exploded cross-sectional view of components (half upper / lower) of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the components (assembly position above the detection plug) of the embodiment in an assembled state.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing components of the embodiment (under the detection plug).
Exploded sectional view of assembly fitting

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing components of the embodiment (a position below the detection plug).
Exploded sectional view of assembly fitting

FIG. 12 is an assembled perspective view of the tape cassette of the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of a conventional example of fitting a tape cassette.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of a conventional tape cassette (in an unsatisfactory plug operation state).

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of a conventional tape cassette (in a state where plug operation is incomplete).

[Description of Signs] 1 Cassette housing 2 Upper cassette half 3 Lower cassette half 6, 7, 8, 9 Through hole 10 Plug 11, 12 Plural positioning steps 13, 35, 23, 14, 29, 27 Rotation regulating surface 16 Angled ribs 17, 18 Cylindrical part end surface part 15 Vertical groove 21 Spring lower end regulating surface 22, 36 Plug lower end regulating surface 20 Compression coil spring 24 Vertical position detection pin on VTR side 30 Driver

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G11B 23/28

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A through-hole is provided in the cassette housing by forming a vertically integrated plug housing in a cassette housing consisting of half upper and lower portions and fitting the pair of upper and lower plug housings to each other. A plug that is vertically movable and rotatable around the vertical axis in this through-hole is inserted, and a tool insertion groove is provided at the upper end of the plug, and a protrusion protruding horizontally is provided at the lower end, A spring for pressing and urging the plug upward is provided, and a plurality of positioning portions in which the protrusions of the plug are fitted and temporarily non-rotatably positioned in the through-holes are angled up and down and around the axis. Provided separately,
By engaging a tool such as a screwdriver in a tool insertion groove at the upper end of the plug, moving up and down against the spring, and further rotating around a vertical axis, the plug projections are moved to the plurality of positioning portions. A cassette configured to be selectively fitted to switch the vertical position of the plug and to detect recording information of the cassette by switching the vertical position of the plug. The storage portion is provided with a vertical groove which moves up and down and engages when attaching the projection of the plug, and
Providing a plurality of the upper and lower positioning portions in portions having different heights,
A tape, wherein a mountain-shaped projection is provided at a position displaced from one location to another location of the positioning part in a vertically downward direction of the storage part, and a positioning lower end projection of the plug is formed in a substantially triangular prism state. cassette. 2. A plug having a through-hole vertically provided in a cassette housing, and a plug which is vertically movable in said through-hole and is rotatably inserted around a vertical axis. A tape cassette configured such that cassette information is detected according to the vertical position of the tape cassette, a plurality of vertical positioning portions having different angles are provided in a storage portion configured on the half, and a mountain-shaped protrusion is formed between the positioning portions. 2. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein said tape cassette is formed so as to be vertically downward and to have a horizontal projection of said plug tapered upward or downward. 3. A tape cassette, wherein cassette information is detected by the up and down position of a plug inserted rotatably around an up and down axis and vertically around an up and down axis, wherein the cassette is stored on a half. A plurality of upper and lower positioning portions having different angles are provided in the portion, and a mountain-shaped protrusion is vertically directed downward between the positioning portions, and a horizontal protrusion of the plug is tapered upward or downward to the right, and a lower end of the plug is formed. The inclination angle θ formed by the upper surface of the projection in the horizontal direction and the inclination angle α formed by the mountain-shaped projection 16 in the horizontal direction are provided differently, so that α> θ or α <θ. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein