JP3120232B2 - Tape cartridge - 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 cartridge having a hub lock mechanism for locking and holding a hub so that it cannot rotate when not in use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of hub lock mechanism is applied to a DAT type tape cartridge and is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-191483. This hub lock mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. 3. If a lock gear 8 is provided on the upper part of each of the left and right hubs 3 around which the tape 2 is wound, a hub lock body 9 slidable back and forth in the main body case 1 is provided.
A pair of lock claws 11 projecting rearward from the rear surface are brought into contact with and engaged with the lock gear 8, and this engaged state is held by the urging force of the lock spring 10.

The passive arm 12 is extended forward from the left and right end sides of the hub lock body 9 so that the hub lock body 9 can be released in conjunction with the opening operation of the front lid 6. The passive arm 12 is attached to the inner surface of the side wall 6b with the opening operation thereof.
Is provided with an operation rib 16 for towing the vehicle forward.

[0004]

In the hub lock mechanism for holding the locked state of the hub lock body 9 by the urging force of the lock spring 10, the lock claw 11 cannot come off the lock gear 8 as long as it is handled normally. Absent. However, when an external force such as a drop impact is received, the hub lock 9 around which the tape 2 is wound moves to cause the hub lock body 9 to lock the lock spring 1.
The tape 2 is pushed forward against zero, and at this time, the locked state is released and the tape 2 is loosened.

When a tape cartridge is loaded into a tape deck in a state where the tape is loosened, the tape may be bent or may be caught by a loading pin on the tape deck, causing a serious failure. On the other hand, it is an absolute condition that the hub lock body 9 is reliably towed toward the front unlock position in conjunction with the opening operation of the front lid 6.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to completely release the hub lock by reliably towing the hub lock body toward the front unlock position when the front lid is opened. An object of the present invention is to prevent the hub lock body from being inadvertently unlocked even if an external force such as a drop impact is applied, as long as the front lid is not opened, and to ensure that the tape is not loosened when not in use. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable tape cartridge that can be prevented. An object of the present invention is to ensure the regulation of the movement of the hub lock body in the unlocking direction when not in use.

[0007]

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a tape cartridge according to the present invention has a left and right hub 3 on which a tape 2 is wound and a rotation stop of the hub 3 inside a main body case 1. As shown in FIGS. A front cover 6 that swings up and down about a shaft 15 is provided on the front side of the main body case 1, and the front cover 6 includes a main face plate 6.
a, and right and left side walls 6b thereof, and an operation rib 16 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 6b so as to protrude inward.

The hub lock mechanism is a plastic which is slidably mounted in a front-rear direction between a rear lock position where the hub gear 3 is engaged with a lock gear 8 provided on each hub 3 and a front unlock position where the lock gear 8 is disengaged from the lock gear 8. And a lock spring 10 that constantly biases the hub lock body 9 toward the rear locking position.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hub lock body 9 is formed so as to protrude rearward from right and left side plates 9a, a main surface plate 9b connecting upper ends of these side plates 9a, and two right and left rear edges of the main surface plate 9b. Locking pawls 11 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking gears 8 of the hubs 3, passive arms 12 that extend long from the lower ends of both side plates 9 a toward the front of the case, and passive arms 12.
Claw pieces 13 projecting outward from the front end of the front arm and engaging the operation rib 16 with the opening operation of the front lid 6;
2 and an arm-shaped stopper 14 extending in the front-rear direction and integrally formed.

In this tape cartridge, according to the present invention, each stopper 14 is provided above each of the left and right passive arms 12 as shown in FIG.
It is located closer to the outside of the case than the stopper 1
The front end of the front arm 4 is located behind the front end of the passive arm 12, and when not in use, the front end of the stopper 14 is received by the side wall 6b of the front lid 6 in the closed state, so that the hub lock body 9 is turned forward. It is characterized in that movement in the lock position direction is restricted. Specifically, stoppers 14 are provided to extend toward the front of the case from near the upper ends of both side plates 9a of the hub lock body 9.

[0011]

When not in use, the front end of the stopper located above the passive arm 12 is connected to the side wall 6 of the front lid 6 in the closed posture.
b. In this non-use state, if the hub lock body 9 attempts to move toward the front unlock position due to an external impact or the like, the stopper 14
Is immediately received by the side wall 6b of the front lid 6. Therefore, the movement of the entire hub lock body 9 to the front unlock position is restricted.

In use, the front lid 6 is opened upward as shown in FIG. At this time, the front end of the stopper 14 is located behind the front end of the passive arm 12. Therefore, the front lid 6
Of the front lid 6, the rear end of the side wall 6b
5, the side wall 6 b of the front lid 6 moves forward away from the front end of the upper stopper 14 and does not interfere with the stopper 14. When the front cover 6 swings upward, the operation rib 16 on the side wall 6b of the front cover 6 comes into contact with the claw piece 13 as shown in FIG.
The locking pawl 11 is disengaged from the locking gear 8 of the hub 3 and the hubs 3 are freely rotated.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the front end of the stopper 14 is received by the side wall 6b of the front lid 6 in the closed state even when receiving an external force such as a drop impact in the non-use state.
Since the hub lock body 9 is restricted from moving toward the front unlock position, the engagement between the lock claw 11 and the lock gear 8 does not come off. Therefore, the tape can be reliably prevented from being loosened when not in use, so that tape deformation and equipment failure at the time of loading on the tape deck can be eliminated, and the reliability is excellent.

Since the stopper 14 is located above the passive arm 12, when the hub lock body 9 is to move slightly forward when not in use, the front end of the stopper 14 is provided on the receiving surface of the side wall 6b of the front lid 6. Can be kept close to each other so as to be immediately received. In particular, the arm-shaped stopper 14 extending in the front-rear direction is easily displaced inward of the case, and is located closer to the outer side of the case than the passive arm 12 in a plan view. When the front end of the front cover 14 collides with the receiving surface of the side wall 6b of the front lid 6,
Never get inside the Therefore, the stopper function is not exhibited by this entry, and the situation that this defective state continues even after that can be effectively and reliably prevented. This point is significant from this point of view because it is difficult to widen the receiving surface of the side wall 6b in and out of the case in terms of space.

On the other hand, when the front lid 6 is opened upward, the side wall 6b rotates around the shaft 15 so as to be separated from the front end of the stopper 14, so that the side wall 6b
Even if the front end of the
The front lid 6 can be opened and actuated without interfering with the contact. Further, the claw piece 13 on the side of the passive arm 12 can be formed so as to protrude as much as the stopper 14 is biased toward the outer side of the case from the passive arm 12. 16 can be reliably engaged with the claw pieces 13, and the hub lock body 9 can be reliably towed toward the front unlock position.

[0016]

1 shows an embodiment of a tape cartridge according to the present invention. 1 to 3, a tape cartridge conforms to the standard of the DAT system, and a hub 3 on which a tape 2 is wound on the left and right inside a main body case 1 formed by abutting upper and lower cases 1a and 1b made of plastic.
3 is rotatably arranged.

A tape loading pocket 4 is provided at the front of the main body case 1. The tape 2 is moved from one hub 3 to the other via left and right tape guides 5 erected on both sides of the pocket 4. Drive to hub 3. A slider 7 for opening and closing the lower surface of the pocket 4 is mounted on the lower surface side of the main body case 1 in a normally closed and biased state with a slider return spring 17. A front lid 6 that swings and opens and closes is provided.

In order to prevent rotation of each hub 3 when not in use, a space in the case between the hub 3 and the pocket 4 in the main body case 1 is provided with a hub lock mechanism. This hub lock mechanism moves back and forth on the inner surface of the upper case 1a between a rear lock position where it comes into contact with and engages with a lock gear 8 provided on the upper peripheral surface of each hub 3 and a front unlock position where it comes off from the lock gear 8. The lock body 9 is slidably assembled in a direction, and includes a lock spring 10 such as a torsion coil spring that constantly biases the hub lock body 9 toward the rear locking position.

In FIG. 4, a hub lock body 9 is a molded plastic product, and is formed in a gate shape which is long in the left and right directions by right and left side plates 9a and main surface plates 9b connecting upper ends of both side plates 9a. Lock pawls 11 which can be detachably engaged with the lock gear 8 are integrally formed rearward and protruding from two right and left portions of the rear edge of the rear edge 9b. Passive arms 12 extend integrally from the lower ends of both side plates 9a toward the front of the case, and claw pieces 13 projecting outward from the front ends of the respective passive arms 12 inherit the opening operation of the front lid 6 outward. is there.

Further, from the upper end of each side plate 9a,
An arm-shaped stopper 14 is integrally provided forward of the case so as to extend in the front-rear direction at a position above each passive arm 12. At two positions on the left and right sides of the front edge of the main face plate 9b, spring receiving portions 9c for locking both arms of the lock spring 10 are provided.
And is supported by a boss 18 provided at the bottom.

In FIG. 5, the front cover 6 has a main face plate 6a and left and right side walls 6b. The front cover 6 can be pivoted upward about a shaft 15 projecting from the inner surface of the side wall 6b. It is biased to rotate freely. An operation rib 16 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 6b so as to unlock the hub lock body 9 via the above-mentioned claw piece 13.

In the non-use state, the hub lock body 9 is urged to move rearward by the lock spring 10 so that the left and right lock claws 11 are respectively connected to the hubs 3 as shown in FIG.
Is engaged with the lock gear 8. 2, the lower end of the side wall 6b of the front lid 6 is received by the upper end of the front part of the side wall 7b of the slider 7, and the upper lid 6 swings upward. Regulated.

In order to prevent the lock block 9 from moving forward of the case against the lock spring 10 due to a drop impact or the like when not in use, the engagement between the lock claw 11 and the lock gear 8 is released. As described above, the stopper 14 is provided on the hub lock body 9.

In FIG. 5, the front end portion of each stopper 14 is exposed to the front outside the case via an opening 19 which is opened at the side step of the upper case 1a. Each stopper 14
Are located closer to the outside of the case than the respective passive arms 12 in plan view as shown in FIG. In addition, the front end of the stopper 14 is positioned higher behind the front end of the passive arm 12.

When the hub lock body 9 is in the locked state located rearward, the front end of the stopper 14 is closely opposed to the rear end face of the side wall 6b of the front cover 6 with a very small gap G (see FIG. 3). ). The gap G is such that the front lid 6 has the stopper 1
4 is secured so as to swing upward without resistance so as to avoid interference with the front end of 4. The gap G engages the lock claw 11 with the lock gear 8 so that the engagement between the lock claw 11 and the lock gear 8 is not released even if the stopper 14 moves by the gap G. The dimension is set smaller than the depth.

As described above, the stopper 1 is attached to the hub lock body 9.
When the front end is received by the side wall 6b of the front cover 6, the hub lock body 9 can be prevented from moving forward of the case when the cover is closed. In other words, even if the hub block 9 moves forward in the unlocking direction against the lock spring 10 by the hub 3 moving forward due to an external force such as a drop impact, the stopper 1 is moved by the side wall 6 b of the front lid 6.
Since the forward movement of the hub lock body 9 is immediately restricted by receiving the front end of the lock 4, the lock engagement state between the lock claw 11 and the lock gear 8 can be maintained.

More specifically, a first engaging portion 20 is provided at the front end of the stopper 14 as shown in FIG.
b, a second engaging portion 21 is provided on the rear end surface at a position deviated more inward of the case than the first engaging portion 20, and the first and second engaging portions 20 and 21 constitute an engaging means 22. ing. Accordingly, even when the front end of the stopper 14 collides strongly with the rear end surface of the side wall 6b of the front lid 6, the front end of the stopper 14 is formed by the engagement of the first engagement portion 20 and the second engagement portion 21. It is no longer possible to slide inward on the rear end face 6b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the front end of the stopper 14 from entering the inside of the side wall 6b, and to prevent the rear end of the side wall 6b from being deformed outward by the entry.

At the outlet 19 of the stopper 14 opened to the upper case 1a, an inner / outer wall 23 for regulating the displacement of the stopper 14 in and out of the case is provided on the upper case 1a side as shown in FIG. The front end of the stopper 14 is inserted into the outlet 19 between the inner and outer walls 23 and 24. Stopper 1
The upper end of the side wall 25 of the lower case 1b is provided with a stopper 14 so that the front end of the lower case 4 does not bend downward due to a bending moment acting when the front end of the front cover 4 strongly collides with the side wall 6b of the front lid 6. Is provided with a receiving wall 26 for receiving the front end portion.

In use, after the slider 7 is moved rearward of the case against the slider return spring 17, the front cover 6 is opened upward. At this time, the rear end side of the side wall 6 b of the front lid 6 rotates downward around the shaft 15. Therefore, since the side wall 6b moves forward from the front end of the stopper 14, the side wall 6b does not contact and interfere with the stopper 14. Only when the front lid 6 is opened and reaches the end of the swing stroke, the operation rib 16 contacts the claw piece 13, and the hub lock body 9 is opposed to the lock spring 10 via the passive arm 12 and Move forward. In this state, since the side wall 6b of the front lid 6 stands up in an upwardly inclined shape, there is no problem even if the front end of the stopper 14 projects forward from the exit 19.

In addition to the above-described embodiment, even in a configuration in which a receiving piece protrudes above the operation rib 16 and the front end of the stopper 14 approaches and faces the receiving piece, the unlocking of the hub lock body 9 can be similarly regulated. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a main part.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire appearance.

FIG. 3 is an internal plan view showing the overall outline.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a hub lock body.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part with a front cover opened.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a main part.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Tape 3 Hub 6 Front cover 6a Front cover main plate 6b Front cover side wall 8 Lock gear 9 Hub lock body 9a Hub lock body side plate 9b Main block plate of hub lock body 10 Lock spring 11 Lock claw 12 Passive arm 13 Claw piece 14 Stopper 15 Shaft 16 Operation rib

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A main body case 1 accommodates therein left and right hubs 3 around which a tape 2 is wound, and a hub lock mechanism for stopping the hub 3 from rotating. A front cover 6 that swings up and down around a shaft 15 is provided. The front cover 6 has a main surface plate 6a and side walls 6b on both left and right sides of the main surface plate 6a.
The hub lock mechanism slides in the front-rear direction over a rear lock position where it comes into contact with and engages with a lock gear 8 provided on each hub 3 and a front unlock position where it comes off from the lock gear 8. It comprises a plastic hublock body 9 movably incorporated, and a lock spring 10 for constantly urging the hublock body 9 toward the rear locking position. The hublock body 9 includes left and right side plates 9a, A main face plate 9b connecting the upper ends of the side plates 9a, and a main face plate 9b;
A lock claw 11 protruding rearward from two right and left portions of the rear edge of the rear edge of the hub 3 and capable of engaging with and disengaging from the lock gear 8 of each hub 3, and a passive arm 12 extending from each lower end of both side plates 9a toward the front of the case. A claw piece 13 projecting outward from the front end of each passive arm 12 and engaging with the operation rib 16 with the opening operation of the front cover 6; Are formed integrally with each other, and above each of the left and right passive arms 12, each stopper 14 is located closer to the outside of the case than each of the passive arms 12 in plan view. The front end of the front arm 14 is located rearward of the front end of the passive arm 12, and when not in use, the stopper 14 is fixed to the side wall 6b of the front lid 6 in the closed state.
A tape cartridge characterized in that the front end of the tape cartridge is received to restrict the hub lock body 9 from moving toward the front unlock position. 2. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the stoppers extend from the upper ends of both side plates 9a of the hub lock body 9 toward the front of the case.