JPH01319162A - Auto-changer device for tape recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always execute recording and reproducing in a best condition by automatically setting a cleaning tape to a tape traveling part and executing the cleaning of a magnetic head. CONSTITUTION:The cleaning tapes are stored to respective storing shelves 11-15 in a storing part 1, to which plural tape cassettes are stored. When the tape cassette is desired to be taken out from the storing part 1 by a constant number, or when a tape is driven for a constant time, the cleaning tape is automatically set to a tape traveling part 3 and the cleaning of the magnetic head. Thus, it is perfectly unnecessary to be conscious of a cleaning time and the recording and reproducing can be always executed in the best condition.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention provides a method for transferring a plurality of tape cassettes stored in a storage unit from the storage unit to a tape running unit by a cassette transfer unit based on an operator's order of commands. The present invention relates to an improvement in an autochanger device for a tape recorder that transports and records/plays back the transported tape cassette.

[Conventional technology]

In a tape recorder, signals recorded on the tape are read or recorded by moving the tape relative to the magnetic head while the tape is in contact with the magnetic head. is known to attract magnetic powder. When magnetic powder adheres to the magnetic head, the sensitivity of the magnetic head deteriorates, resulting in deterioration of sound quality and images. Conventionally, a user would set a tape called a cleaning tape on a tape recorder at an appropriate time, put the tape recorder in the playback mode, and clean the surface of the magnetic head.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in the method of using the cleaning tape described above, since the user performs it at an appropriate time, the user is inevitably confused and may forget. As a result, recording and playback may not be performed in the best possible condition, resulting in a problem of deterioration in sound quality and image quality.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to automatically remove the cleaning tape when the tape cassette is taken out from the storage part a certain number of times, or when the tape is driven for a certain period of time. The present invention provides an autochanger device for a tape recorder that can always perform recording and reproduction in the best condition because the magnetic head is cleaned by setting the magnetic head in the tape running section.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention stores a cleaning tape in one storage shelf of a storage section in which a plurality of tape cassettes are stored, and when the tape cassette is taken out from the storage section a certain number of times or The gist of the present invention is that when the time tape is driven, the cleaning tape is automatically set on the tape running section to clean the magnetic head.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The figure is a front view of a digital audio chip recorder, and 1 is a storage section for storing a plurality of tape cassettes, and 5 storage shelves 1 for storing 5 tape cassettes. ~I% is formed on the back side of the front panel.

When a tape cassette (not shown) is inserted into the back surface of the storage section 1, a cassette holder that holds the slider of the tape cassette in an open state is supported in an aligned state in the holder storage section, and A catcher is provided that selects the supported cassette holder based on a command signal, takes it out from the holder storage section, and transfers it together with the tape cassette onto the tape running section (for example, Gansho 62-24
4406).

lO is for recording (REC), playback (PLAY), and fast forwarding (
FF), rewind (REW), etc., an operation section consisting of various operation keys for setting the timer or specifying the shelf number of the storage section 1; 11 is the operation mode of the device or time information, etc.; This is a display unit that displays various information on the information.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric circuit incorporated in the digital audio chip recorder, and 2 indicates whether or not a tape cassette is loaded in each storage column of the storage section 1 by optical or mechanical means. This is a cassette presence/absence detection section that is detected by a switch.

3 is a tape running unit that drives the tape cassette loaded on the reel, and in addition to the FC signal indicating the rotation speed of the reel, the tape end and tape start position detection signals and the completion of installation of the tape cassette are indicated. It outputs a signal.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a cassette transfer section which transfers tape cassettes between the above-mentioned storage section 1 and the above-mentioned tape running section 3 via the cassette holder by the catcher as described above, and includes storage shelves 11 to 1 of the storage section 1; When a signal indicating the shelf number and a drive signal are input, a tape cassette is taken out from the designated storage shelf 11 to 15 and installed in the tape running section 3, and with the tape cassette installed in the tape running section 3. When a drive signal is input, the tape cassette in the tape running section 3 is moved to the designated storage shelf 1□~ of the storage section 1.
It is stored in l.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a control unit equipped with a microprocessor, etc., which performs normal recording, playback, fast-forwarding, or rewinding processing according to the operating state of the operation unit 10, and also sends an activation signal to start processing during timer recording and playback. starts controlling the recording/playback operation, and also starts controlling the storage shelves 11 to 11 as described later.
The number of times the tape cassette is taken out from 1s is counted, and when the counted value reaches a preset value, or when the time the tape has traveled in the tape running section 3 reaches a preset time, the tape cassette is removed from a preset storage shelf. The cleaning tape inserted in any one of 11 to 1% is taken out and transferred to the tape running section 3, and an operation for cleaning the magnetic head 7, which will be described later, is performed.

Reference numeral 6 designates a timer circuit, which turns on the power to the cassette transfer section 4 and the like and outputs a start signal for timer operation to the control section 5 when a preset time has elapsed by operating the operation section 10 described above. .

7 is a helical scan type rotating head, 8 is an amplifier, 9
is a signal processing section, and during reproduction, the RF signal read by the rotary head 7 is amplified by the RF signal amplifier 8, the signal processing section processes the reproduced data, and detects the start ID. Furthermore, during recording, the signal from the signal processing section 9 is amplified by the amplifier 8 and recorded by the rotary head 7.

3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the operation of the control section 5 to clean the magnetic head 7 with a cleaning tape, and the operation of the control section 5 will be explained below.

Figure 3 shows how the tape cassette is moved from the storage section 1 to the tape running section 3.
7 is a flowchart showing an operation of cleaning the magnetic head 7 with a cleaning tape according to the number of times the tape is transferred and driven. FIG.

First, a cleaning tape is inserted and set in a preset storage shelf (for example, the uppermost storage shelf 1.). Next, the top storage shelf 1. When a normal cassette is transferred from the other storage section l to the tape running section 3 and the recorded/played tape is unloaded to be rewound into the cassette, the count value is subtracted by one and the counter is set to the desired count value N. (step a). Note that this counter may be set to a desired value by the operator.
Alternatively, a certain value may be preset in the control unit 5 and automatically set by operating an operation button of the operation unit IO.

In this state, the control unit 5 causes the tape cassettes to be transferred from the storage units 1 other than the uppermost storage shelf IT to the tape running unit 3, and in the tape running unit 3, recording/playback, fast forwarding, or rewinding operations are performed. Then, after these operations are completed, it is monitored whether unloading, in which the tape is rewound into the cassette, is performed or not. In step b), when the unloading is started, the count value of the above-mentioned counter is incremented by one. Subtract (Step C).

Next, the control unit 5 monitors the count value of the counter until it becomes 0. In step d), until the count value becomes 0,
Return to step b and monitor the above operations. Then, in step d, when the count value of the counter becomes 0, the control unit 5 monitors whether or not the unloading is completed.In step e), when it is detected that the unloading is completed, another operation command is issued. For example, in step f), it is monitored whether or not other operation commands such as playback or recording of another tape cassette are being performed, and if the other operation commands are being performed, the count of the counter ' is The value is increased by one (step g), and the process returns to step b to repeat the above-described operation. If another operation command is not issued, the cleaning tape is transferred from the storage shelf 11 to the tape running section 3 by the cassette transfer section 4, and the tape is loaded in the tape running section 3 (step h). , and the loaded cleaning tape is run for a certain period of time to clean the magnetic head 7 (step i).

When the certain period of time has elapsed, a loading operation is performed to rewind the cleaning tape into the cassette (step j), and the cassette after loading is returned to the storage shelf l by the cassette transfer section 4, and all operations are completed. finish.

In the above-described embodiment, the number of times the tape cassette was transferred from the storage section 1 to the tape running section 3 and the tape was driven was counted as the number of unloading operations. Of course, the above-described operation may be performed by detecting that the tape cassette is taken out from the unit 1 and counting the number of times the tape cassette is taken out.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of cleaning the magnetic head 7 when the time the tape has traveled in the tape running section 3 reaches a preset time.

First, a cleaning tape is inserted and set in a predetermined storage section (the uppermost storage shelf 11) in the same manner as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 described above. Next, a desired count value M is set in a counter whose access time is one unit (step a). The counter 20 may be set to a desired value by the operator, or it may be set in advance in the control unit 5 and automatically set by operating the operation button of the operation unit 10. It may be set to .

In this state, the control section 5 controls the tape cassettes to be transferred from storage sections l other than the uppermost storage shelf 11 to the tape running section 3, and recording/playback, fast forwarding, or rewinding operations are performed in the tape running section 3. Monitor whether the rotary head is rotating (step b). If it is determined that the rotation is occurring, one pulse signal is output every desired period of rotation, and the counter value of the counter is increased by one (step C). Next, it is monitored whether or not the counter value exceeds a preset value M by incrementing the count value by one (step d).

If the count value does not exceed the M value, the process returns to step b and repeats the above-described operation.

On the other hand, if the count value exceeds the M value after several recording/playback, fast forwarding, and rewinding operations, the recording/playback, fast forwarding, and rewinding operations are completed and the tape cassette is moved to the storage section 1. (step e). When it is detected that the tape cassette is stored in the predetermined storage section 1, it monitors whether another operation command (furthermore, recording/playback, fast forwarding, rewinding operation of other tape cassettes) is being executed. If the other operation command is executed in step f), the count value of the counter is decremented by one (step g), and the process returns to step d to repeat the above operation. In addition, if another operation command is not issued, the cleaning tape is moved to the storage shelf 11.
Then, the cassette is transferred to the tape running section 3 by the cassette transfer section 4,
A tape is loaded in the tape running section 3 (step h), and the loaded cleaning tape is run for a certain period of time to clean the magnetic head 7 (step i).

Then, when the certain period of time has elapsed, a loading operation is performed to rewind the cleaning tape into the cassette (step j), and the cassette after loading is returned to the storage shelf by the cassette transfer section 4, and all operations are completed. do.

In the embodiments described above, the tape running time is taken as the rotation time of the rotary head, but it is also possible to use the rotation time of the reel stand as the tape running time.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention stores the cleaning tape in one of the storage parts that stores the tape cassette, and
When the number of times a normal tape cassette is taken out from the storage section or the time the tape is run reaches a preset number or time, the cleaning tape is taken out from the storage section and the head is cleaned. , head cleaning is done automatically,
Therefore, there is no need to be conscious of the timing of cleaning, and recording and reproduction can always be performed in the best condition.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Fig. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an autochanger device for a tape recorder according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a control section in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control section in the second embodiment. 1... storage section, 1. ~1. . . . storage shelf, 2 . . . cassette presence/absence and door open detection unit, 3 . Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Based on a specified command, take out multiple tape cassettes from the storage shelf where they are stored, transfer them to the tape running section for recording and playback, and then take the tape cassettes that have been recorded and played back to the storage shelf from which they were taken out. In the autochanger device for a tape recorder, one of the storage shelves is
A cleaning tape is stored in the storage section, and when the tape cassette stored in the storage section is transferred to the tape running section and the number of times of loading reaches a preset number of times, the operation of the loaded tape cassette is completed and the tape cassette is stored. 1. An autochanger device for a tape recorder, characterized in that, after being stored in a tape recorder section, the cleaning tape is transferred to a tape running section and run for a certain period of time to clean a magnetic head. (2) Based on a specified command, a plurality of tape cassettes are taken out from the storage shelf where they are stored, transferred to the tape running section for recording and playback, and the tape cassettes that have been recorded and played back are taken out from the storage shelf. In the autochanger device for a tape recorder, one of the storage shelves is
A cleaning tape is stored in the storage unit, the tape cassette stored in the storage unit is transferred to the tape running unit, and when the running time of the tape in the state where the tape is loaded reaches a preset time, the loaded tape is transferred to the tape running unit. After the cassette has finished operating and is stored in the storage section,
An autochanger device for a tape recorder, characterized in that the cleaning tape is transferred to a tape running section and run for a certain period of time to clean a magnetic head.