JP4887386B2 - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape cartridge that rotatably accommodates a tape reel on which a recording tape is wound.

  In view of the importance of global environmental problems and the like in recent years, there is a demand for a reduction in the weight of the resin used in the tape cartridge. As one of countermeasures, it has been proposed to reduce the thickness of the tape cartridge case. However, since a desired rigidity cannot be ensured only by a simple thinning, for example, a method of providing reinforcing ribs on the case has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

Here, a conventional tape cartridge provided with reinforcing ribs will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a conventional tape cartridge. In FIG. 8, an arrow 121 indicates the cartridge insertion direction. 9 shows the II of the tape cartridge shown in FIG.
It is -II expanded sectional view.

  The tape cartridge shown in FIG. 8 includes a tape reel 110 around which a recording tape is wound, and a case 100 that rotatably stores the tape reel 110.

  The case 100 is a box-shaped body in which a pair of hollow upper and lower cases 101 and 104 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose main surface is opened are brought into contact with each other at their peripheral wall portions and joined together by screw members. . The lower case 104 has an opening 104a into which a drive gear (not shown) of the drive device can be inserted. The upper case 101 has ribs 102 and 103 on the surface facing the main surface of the upper flange 112 of the tape reel 110. A bottom view of the upper case 101 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the ribs 102 are annular ribs that support one end of a reel spring of a reel lock mechanism, which will be described later, and a plurality of ribs 103 are arranged radially from the outer periphery of the annular rib 102 toward the radially outer side. The rigidity of the upper case 101 is ensured or improved.

  As the material of the upper case 101, the lower case 104, and the tape reel 110, a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin, polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber, polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile / styrene resin, acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene resin is used.

  The tape reel 110 has a bottomed cylindrical hub 113a around which a recording tape is wound, and a pair of disk-shaped upper and lower flanges 112 and 113 projecting radially from both ends of the hub 113a. The housing 100 is housed in a space formed inside the case 100. The hub 113a and the lower flange 113 are integrally formed.

  A reel gear 114 that can mesh with a drive gear (not shown) of the drive device is formed on the outer surface of the bottom of the hub 113a. The reel gear 114 is exposed outside the case 100 through the opening 104 a of the lower case 104.

  A reel lock mechanism (not shown) capable of restricting the rotation of the tape reel 110 is housed in the hollow portion inside the hub 113a. When not in use, the tape reel 110 is restricted (locked) by the reel lock mechanism so as not to rotate. When in use, the lock by the reel lock mechanism is released, and the tape reel 110 rotates while the drive gear of the drive device inserted into the case 100 from the opening 104a of the lower case 104 and the reel gear 114 are engaged. When the tape reel 110 rotates, the recording tape is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the hub 113a, or the recording tape wound around the outer peripheral surface of the hub 113a is rewound.

JP 2004-95068 A

  However, the tape reel 110 moves within the case 100 due to a drop impact or the like, and the main surface on the side facing the upper case 101 of the upper flange 112 constituting the tape reel 110 is formed on the upper case 101 as shown in FIG. When colliding (contacting) with the edge 103a of the provided rib 103, a dent in the upper flange 112 occurs at the collision portion. When the pulverized material generated by the dents is attached to the recording tape wound around the outer peripheral surface of the hub 113a, there arises a problem of causing quality problems such as an increase in dropout.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a tape cartridge capable of reducing the amount of resin used and preventing damage to the flange of the tape reel due to a drop impact or the like.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a tape cartridge of the present invention includes a bottomed cylindrical hub around which a recording tape is wound, and a pair of disk-shaped protrusions projecting radially from both ends of the hub. In a tape cartridge including a tape reel including a flange and a case for rotatably storing the tape reel, the case has a plurality of recesses on a surface facing the main surface of at least one flange of the tape reel. The plurality of recesses are formed and have a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the flange, the center being the intersection of the surface of the case facing the main surface of the flange and the center axis of the flange. It is arranged in a circular area.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight while securing the rigidity of the case, and to prevent damage to the flange of the tape reel due to a drop impact or the like.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the tape cartridge which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the case of the tape cartridge which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view when the upper case of the tape cartridge which concerns on embodiment of this invention is seen from the bottom face side. It is a bottom view of the upper case of the tape cartridge which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the tape cartridge which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is an II cross-sectional view of the tape cartridge shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the tape reel is tilted in FIG. 6. It is a top view of the conventional tape cartridge. It is II-II expanded sectional drawing of the tape cartridge shown in FIG. It is a bottom view of the upper case of the conventional tape cartridge. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the tape reel inclined in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tape cartridge according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a case of the tape cartridge according to the present embodiment.

  The tape cartridge of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes an upper case 1, a leaf spring 2, a reel spring 3, a reel lock 4, a lock release tool 6, a tape reel 30, an insert fitting 9, a door spring 10, a write protect 11, a door 12, A lower case 13, a cartridge memory 14, a screw 15, a leaf spring 16, a clamp 17, and a leader pin 18 are provided.

  The upper case 1 and the lower case 13 are formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape having one main surface opened. When the upper case 1 and the lower case 13 having such a shape are brought into contact with each other at their peripheral wall portions and joined together with screws 15, a box-shaped case 20 as shown in FIG. 2 is formed. The tape reel 30 is rotatably accommodated in a space formed inside the case 20.

  The tape reel 30 has a bottomed cylindrical hub 8a around which a recording tape is wound, and a pair of disk-shaped upper and lower flanges 7 and 8 projecting radially from both ends of the hub 8a. The hub 8a and the lower flange 8 are integrally formed.

  A synthetic resin is used as a material for the upper case 1, the lower case 13, and the tape reel 30. Examples of the synthetic resin include polycarbonate resin, polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber, polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile / styrene resin, acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene resin, and the like.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper case 1 when viewed from the bottom side. The upper case 1 includes a plurality of concave portions 31, an annular rib 33, and a locking portion 34 on the surface facing the main surface of the upper flange 7 of the tape reel 30 shown in FIG. 1. By providing the plurality of recesses 31, the upper case 1 can be reduced in weight, and the rigidity of the upper case 1 is ensured or improved by the protrusions formed between the adjacent recesses 31.

  The plurality of recesses 31 have an outer diameter of the upper flange 7 centered on the intersection of the surface facing the main surface of the upper flange 7 of the upper case 1 and the central axis of the upper flange 7 of the tape reel 30 shown in FIG. They are arranged in a circular region having a smaller diameter (in FIG. 3, a circle having a diameter L1). Further, when the tape reel 30 shown in FIG. 1 is moved within the case 20 of the tape cartridge shown in FIG. It is desirable to avoid the region 32 that may come into contact with the outer peripheral edge. When the concave portion 31 is formed in the region 32, the convex portion formed between the two adjacent concave portions 31 may come into contact with the upper flange 7 of the tape reel 30 of FIG. This is because a dent scratch is generated on the tape reel 30. The depth of the recess 31 is preferably 0.5 mm or less. The width of the convex portion formed between two adjacent concave portions 31 is preferably in the range of 3 to 15 mm, and the number of convex portions is preferably 6 to 12.

  The annular rib 33 supports one end of the reel spring 3 of FIG.

  The locking portion 34 is a cross-shaped protrusion, and is inserted into the locking groove 4a of the reel lock 4 in FIG. 1, and in the vertical direction in FIG. 1 (in the direction of the central axis of the tape reel 30) with the reel lock 4 not rotating. It is installed to be movable.

  FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the upper case 1 of FIG. Here, for convenience of explanation, components other than the concave portion 31, for example, the annular rib 33 and the locking portion 34 shown in FIG. 3 are omitted and simplified.

  The plurality of recesses 31 are arranged radially from the center side of the upper case 1 toward the peripheral wall side of the upper case 1 when the surface facing the main surface of the upper flange 7 of the upper case 1 is viewed in plan. Further, among the plurality of convex portions 35 a and 35 b formed between the two adjacent concave portions 31 by forming the plurality of concave portions 31, the width of the convex portion 35 a whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the cartridge insertion direction 21 is set. The width of the other protrusions 35b is wider. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the weight while ensuring the rigidity of the upper case 1 in the cartridge insertion direction.

  The shape of the recess 31 is a sector shape whose width increases from the center side of the upper case 1 toward the peripheral wall side of the upper case 1 when the surface facing the main surface of the upper flange 7 of the upper case 1 is viewed in plan. .

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the tape cartridge according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged II cross-sectional view of the tape cartridge shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the tape reel 30 is housed in the case 20, and other components such as a reel lock mechanism are omitted. In FIG. 6, the structure of the surface facing the main surface of the upper flange 7 of the upper case 1 is as shown in FIG.

  A reel gear 19 that can mesh with a drive gear (not shown) of the drive device is formed on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the hub 8a. The reel gear 19 is exposed outside the case 20 through the opening 13 a of the lower case 13.

  A reel lock mechanism including the reel spring 3, the reel lock 4, the ball 5, and the lock release tool 6 shown in FIG. 1 is accommodated in the hollow portion inside the hub 8 a (not shown in FIG. 5). When not in use, the tape reel 30 is pressed toward the lower case 13 by the reel spring 3 of FIG. 1, and the rotation of the tape reel 30 is restricted (locked). In use, the drive gear (not shown) of the drive device is inserted into the case 20 from the opening 13a of the lower case 13, and the drive gear (not shown) of the drive device is engaged with the reel gear 19 while the upper case 1 side. 1 is pushed up, the unlocking tool 6 of FIG. 1 is also pushed up to the upper case 1 side, and the lock is released. Then, when the drive gear (not shown) of the drive device is driven to rotate in a state where it is engaged with the reel gear 19, the tape reel 30 rotates. When the tape reel 30 rotates, the recording tape is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the hub 8a, or the recording tape wound around the outer peripheral surface of the hub 8a is rewound.

  Although the tape reel 30 may rattle in all directions in the case 20 during transportation or drop impact, as described above, the plurality of recesses 31 are formed in the upper case 1 when the tape reel 30 is moved in the case 20. It is arranged avoiding the region 32 where the surface facing the upper flange 7 and the outermost peripheral edge of the upper flange 7 may come into contact with each other. Therefore, when the tape reel 30 is moved in the case 20 due to a drop impact or the like and the edge 7a of the upper flange 7 of the tape reel 30 collides with the upper case 1 as shown in FIG. 7, the edge 7a of the upper flange 7 is It contacts the region 32 where the recess 31 is not provided on the surface facing the main surface of the upper flange 7 of the upper case 1 and does not contact the region where the recess 31 is provided. That is, since the upper flange 7 does not come into contact with the convex portions (35a and 35b in FIG. 4) formed between the two adjacent concave portions 31, a dent scratch is generated on the upper flange 7 of the tape reel 30. Can be prevented.

  In the above embodiment, the case 20 is a single reel type tape cartridge that accommodates the single tape reel 30 in the case 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. The tape cartridge of the present invention is also applicable to a multi-reel type tape cartridge that houses a plurality of tape reels 30.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the several recessed part 31 was formed only in the upper case 1, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the plurality of recesses 31 may be formed only in the lower case 13 or may be formed in both the upper and lower cases 1 and 13.

  Further, the arrangement position and shape of the concave portion 31 are not limited to the above embodiment, but considering the weight reduction of the case, the concave portions 31 are radially arranged and the concave portion 31 has a fan shape. Is desirable.

  The tape cartridge of the present invention can be reduced in weight while securing the rigidity of the case, and can prevent damage to the flange of the tape reel due to a drop impact or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper case 2 Leaf spring 3 Reel spring 4 Reel lock 4a Locking groove 6 Lock release tool 7 Upper flange 7a Edge 8 Lower flange 8a Hub 9 Insert metal fitting 10 Door spring 11 Write protect 12 Door 13 Lower case 13a Opening 14 Cartridge memory 15 Screw 16 Leaf spring 17 Clamp 18 Leader pin 19 Reel gear 20 Case 21 Cartridge insertion direction 30 Tape reel 31 Recess 32 Area that may come into contact with tape reel 30 33 Annular rib 34 Locking portion 35a, 35b Protrusion 100 Case 101 Upper case 102 Annular rib 103 Rib 103a Edge 104 Lower case 104a Opening 110 Tape reel 112 Upper flange 113 Lower flange 113a Hub 114 Reel gear 121 Cartridge insertion direction

Claims (4)

A tape reel including a bottomed cylindrical hub around which a recording tape is wound, and a pair of disk-shaped flanges projecting radially from both ends of the hub;
In a tape cartridge including a case for rotatably storing the tape reel,
The case has a plurality of recesses formed on a surface facing the main surface of at least one flange of the tape reel,
The plurality of recesses are
Arranged in a circular region having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the flange, centered on the intersection of the surface of the case facing the main surface of the flange and the central axis of the flange ; and
A tape cartridge , wherein a surface of the case facing the main surface of the flange and an outermost peripheral edge of the flange are arranged to avoid contact with each other . Wherein the plurality of recesses, the surface facing the major surface of the flange of the case when viewed in plan, according to claim 1 which is arranged radially toward the peripheral wall of the case from a center side of the case Tape cartridges. The shape of the recess, the surface facing the major surface of the flange of the case in a plan view, to claim 2 width toward the peripheral wall of the case from a center side of the case is a fan shape widened The tape cartridge as described. Of the plurality of convex portions formed between two adjacent concave portions by forming the plurality of concave portions, the width of the convex portion whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the cartridge insertion direction is larger than the width of other convex portions. The tape cartridge according to claim 3, which is wide.

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