JPH0250553B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tape counter circuit for a cassette deck using a microcomputer, and particularly to automatically reset a count value at the end of a tape.

The tape counter on a cassette deck is useful for pointing out the beginning of a desired song during a performance or for knowing the amount of tape remaining during recording, but the counted value is usually only meaningful when the tape is wound. This is when the counter is reset for the first time. Therefore, the count value indicated by the counter when a new cassette is inserted has meaning for the previously inserted cassette, and is unrelated to the tape state of the newly inserted cassette. Therefore, generally when searching for the beginning of a cassette tape and selecting a song, the tape is returned to the beginning of winding and the tape counter is reset at that time. However, since this reset is performed by a manual switch, if this operation is forgotten, the tape counter will continue to show meaningless values (this is often the case under normal use). Therefore,
Conventionally, methods have been proposed in which the count value of the above-mentioned tape counter is automatically reset at the end of the tape.

An example will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cassette deck using a microcomputer, 10 is a display that displays the tape counter value, 11 is a driver that amplifies the seven segment signal, 12 is a driver that amplifies the timing signal for dynamic display, 13 14 is a reel motor, 14 is its driver, 15 is a capstan motor, 16 is its driver, 17 is a solenoid for switching the tape running direction, 18 is a solenoid for switching the running speed, 19R and 19L are the right reel and the left reel, 20R and 20L are holes iC and 2 that detect the rotation of the reels 19R and 19L from changes in the magnetic flux of N and S poles arranged alternately on their bottom surfaces.
1 is a deck controller using a microcomputer, and 31 to 35 are various function keys. Among function keys 31 to 35, 31 is PLAY;
32 is fast forward (FF), 33 is rewind (REW), 3
4 is a stop (STOP) instruction key, and 35 is a counter reset (COUNTER RESET) instruction key, and by pressing either of these keys, the SW signal is input to the deck controller 21. The deck controller 21 performs various processes in response to key inputs.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the tape counter 22.
This counter 22 is a RAM in the controller 21.
4 using part of (random access memory)
Consisting of counters 1 to 4 in stages, counter 1 in the first stage
is incremented (+1) each time Hall pulses HPR or HPL (for example, 4 pulses per reel rotation) are input from Hall iC 20R or 20L in FIG. Counters 2 to 4 are decimal counters with counter 4 as the most significant digit, and are incremented by +1 (when counting up) or -1 (when counting down) depending on the carry output of the lower digit, respectively.
The total represents a 3-digit tape counter. FIG. 3 shows the operation flow.

Figure 4 shows that while the tape counter 22 is moving at least one step, it is determined that a Hall pulse is being input (the reel is rotating), and the time counter (also
After the tape counter 22 stops and a predetermined time (2 to 3 seconds) set by the time counter has elapsed, it is determined that the tape is at the end. Jump to tape counter reset processing. The reset process shown in FIG. 5 is a routine that sequentially clears the tape counter 22 from the first stage to the last stage to zero, and is also activated when the reset switch 35 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed. Here we will automatically start this on both tape ends. Therefore, the reset method of this embodiment can be used in an auto-reverse type cassette deck, and in a system that resets the tape counter 22 whenever the tape running direction is reversed.

However, auto-reverse type cassette decks originally switch the running direction of the tape between left (L) running and right (R) running in the PLAY (playing) state, so that the playing side of the tape can be switched between side A and side B. It is desirable that the count value of the tape counter be reset when the tape has completed one round, that is, after both side A and side B of the tape have been played.

The present invention has been made to satisfy such a need, and its object is to provide a tape counter circuit in which the counted value of the tape counter is reset only at one end of the tape.
The present invention will be explained below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of tape end detection showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a restriction is added to the flow of FIG. 4 to detect only one-way end. In Fig. 4, when the predetermined time set by the time counter has elapsed, the process jumps to the reset process.
In FIG. 6, the immediately preceding tape running direction is determined and the process jumps to the reset process only at the end of the left (L) run. In this case as well, it is an auto-reverse type.
PLAY (performance) and FF (fast forward) can be run in L, but
REW (rewind) is performed when driving to the right. The reset process is similar to that shown in FIG. With the reset method of this example, if the tape counter 22 is reset at the beginning of the A side, for example, the value of the tape counter 22 continues until the end of the B side.

Note that it is not particularly harmful that the tape counter 22 is automatically reset when a reset is inserted, and may be convenient in some cases.
For example, this is the case when a new cassette is used and the tape has already begun to be wound. FIG. 7 shows a routine for automatically resetting the tape counter 22 in such a case. The cassette deck is provided with an insertion switch for a microcomputer, etc., which is pressed by the cassette pack, and an insertion completion switch along the pack insertion direction. When the insertion switch is turned on, the loading motor rotates to pull the cassette pack into a predetermined position. When the insertion completion SW is turned on at this position, the motor stops. The tape counter 22 is reset by detecting that the insertion completion switch is turned on.

As described above, according to the present invention, the count value of the tape counter is automatically reset only at one end of the tape. Since the running position of the tape can be confirmed as a single tape, there is an advantage that the tape running position can be confirmed very easily.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an auto-reverse type cassette deck, Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a tape counter, Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing its operation, and Figs. 4 and 5 are conventional examples of tape end detection and tape FIG. 6 is a flowchart of tape end detection in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart of resetting the tape counter when a cassette is inserted in the present invention. In the figure, 19R and 19L are reels, 21 is a deck controller (microcomputer), and 22 is a tape counter.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A pulse generating means for generating pulses as a reel of a cassette deck rotates to drive the tape in first and second directions, and detecting the pulses from the pulse generating means. In a tape counter circuit in an auto-reverse type cassette deck, which has a function of sequentially increasing or decreasing the count value using memory in a microcomputer, the tape end is determined by not detecting a pulse from the pulse generating means for a predetermined period of time. A tape end detecting means for determining a tape end, a running direction detecting means for detecting the running direction of the tape, and a tape counter reset means for resetting the count value are provided, and the tape end detecting means and the running direction detecting means detect when the tape is in the When it is detected that the tape end in the first direction is detected, the count value is reset by the tape counter reset means, and when it is detected that the tape has reached the tape end in the second direction, the count value is reset. A tape counter circuit characterized in that a numerical value is not reset.