JPH0264959A - Cassette loading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To hold a tape cassette in a stationary condition without fail by pressing the tape cassette toward a lower direction with plural pressing parts which are provided in the ceiling wall part of a cassette holder. CONSTITUTION:Three rollers 27-29 of a plate spring 26, which constitutes a ceiling wall, press a tape cassette 1 toward a bottom wall 19 of a cassette holder 17 and prevents the tape cassette 1 from being dislocated in a thickness direction. The roller 29 to be provided in the front edge part of the plate spring 26 is engaged to a channel part 15, which is formed on the upper surface of the tape cassette 1, and prevents the position of the tape cassette 1 from being dislocated in an inserting direction or an ejecting direction. The position dislocation of the tape cassette 1 in a width-wise direction is prevented by side walls 20 and 21 of the cassette holder 17. Thus, the tape cassette 1 can be held in the stationary condition without fail.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a cassette loading device that is employed in a tape recorder or the like, receives a tape cassette, and transports the tape cassette to a predetermined operating position.
In particular, the present invention relates to a cassette loading device that can stably hold a tape cassette on a holder.

[Prior Art] Generally, a tape cassette inserted into a tape recorder from a cassette insertion slot is held by a dedicated holder. This holder is disposed within the case body of the tape recorder and is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, or both directions. Movement of the holder is performed by driving force from a motor.

In such a cassette loading device, it is necessary to hold the tape cassette in a stable state so that the tape cassette received on the holder does not move during loading, unloading, recording or playback. .

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a cassette holder employed in a conventional cassette loading device.

The cassette holder 200 receives the tape cassette 1 on its bottom wall. There is a groove 1 on the top surface of the tape cassette 1.
5 is formed. An upper plate 2 is attached to the upper part of the cassette holder 200 via screws 202, 203, 204, and 205.
01 is fixedly attached. The upper plate 201 is located above the tape cassette 1 received in the cassette holder 200. A support plate 206 is fixedly attached to the upper plate 201 via screws 207, as shown in the figure. Further, the support plate 206 rotatably holds the roller 208.

When the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 200 to a predetermined position, the roller 208
The tape cassette 1 is fitted into the groove 15 of the tape cassette 1, thereby fixing the position of the tape cassette 1.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional device shown in FIG. 20, one roller 208 fixes the position of the tape cassette 1 by pressing the top surface of the tape cassette 1 downward. ing. In this case, since there is only one place where the tape cassette 1 is pressed downward, the tape cassette 1 should not be moved during various operations such as loading, unloading, recording, and playback. It is difficult to keep it stationary reliably.

On the other hand, in order to reliably hold the tape cassette 1 in a stable state, it is conceivable to provide a plurality of support plates 206 and rollers 208. But if you do that,
This only unnecessarily increases the number of parts, which is unreasonable from the standpoint of cost reduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cassette loading device that can reliably hold a tape cassette in a stationary state so that it does not move during various operations, and that does not increase the number of parts. It is to be.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention is a cassette loading device that receives a tape cassette and transports the tape cassette to a predetermined operating position, and includes a main body case, a cassette holder, and a drive means. .

The cassette holder is movably arranged within the main case, and receives and holds thereon a tape cassette inserted from the outside. This cassette holder has a bottom wall that supports the tape cassette from below, a pair of side walls rising upward from both side edges of the bottom wall, and an upper edge of the pair of side walls that are connected to each other. and a top wall portion located above the tape cassette. The ceiling wall is made up of leaf springs.

Further, the top wall section has a plurality of holding sections for pressing the tape cassette toward the bottom wall section.

[Operations and Effects of the Invention] In the cassette loading device of the present invention, the plurality of pressers provided on the top wall of the cassette holder presses the tape cassette downward. therefore,
Compared to the device shown in FIG. 20, the present invention makes it possible to reliably hold the tape cassette stationary so that it does not move.

In addition, since the top wall of the cassette holder is made of a leaf spring, it is possible to provide a holding part by molding the leaf spring itself, and it is also possible to provide a roller or the like that acts as a holding part on the leaf spring itself. It is also possible to install. In this way, the tape cassette can be reliably held stationary without increasing the number of parts.

Furthermore, since the tape cassette can be held by the elastic force of the leaf spring, damage to the tape cassette and parts that come into contact with the tape cassette can also be prevented from being damaged.

[Example] First, regarding an example of the structure of a tape cassette applied to the cassette loading device according to the present invention,
This will be explained with reference to FIGS.

The tape cassette 1 has a lid 2 on the insertion end side into a tape recorder, and also has a slider 3 on the bottom surface thereof. The lid 2 is rotatably provided and is always urged by a spring in the closing direction as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.

The slider 3 is provided so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to the insertion direction of the tape cassette, and is always urged by a spring built into the tape cassette 1 to return to the lid 2 side. Two grooves 4.5 are formed in the front end portion of the slider 3. A through hole is provided at the tip and rear end of the grooves 4 and 5, respectively. tape cassette 1
Locking pins 6.7 are arranged inside, which can engage these through holes. The slider 3 is fixed in the front position shown in FIG. 16 and in the rear position shown in FIG. 17 by engagement between the lock pin 6.7 and the through holes in the slots 4 and 5.

Referring to FIG. 16, the lid 2 cannot be opened because it is engaged with the slider 3 when the slider 3 is in the forward position. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, when the slider 3 is brought to the rear position, the lid 2 can be rotated in the opening direction against the force of the spring. 1st
FIG. 8 shows the lid 2 in an open state.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, notches 8 and 9 are formed in the lid 2. As shown in FIGS. The slider 3 is provided with contact pieces 12 and 13 at positions facing the notches 8 and 9. As will be described later, when the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the tape recorder, the rising claw portion 16 of the cassette holder (see FIGS. 1 and 2) engages with the notch 8 of the lid 2.
.

Referring to FIG. 18, the slider 3 slides to the rear position,
When the lid 2 is opened, the tape 14 is exposed. Referring to FIG. 19, a groove portion 15 is formed on the upper surface of tape cassette 1. As shown in FIG. This groove 15 is one of the elements for holding the tape cassette 1 in a predetermined position.
functions as one. Referring to FIGS. 16 to 18, a hole 10.11 called a data hole is formed in the bottom surface of the rear end of the tape cassette 1.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing essential parts of an embodiment of the invention. The illustrated cassette loading device has a side plate 40
．． 41 and a top plate 42; a cassette holder 17 that is arranged within the main case so as to be movable in the horizontal and vertical directions, and receives and holds thereon the tape cassette 1 inserted from the outside; A sub-holder 18 is provided within the main body case so as to be movable horizontally together with the cassette holder 17. In FIG. 1, the direction indicated by arrow X is the insertion direction of the tape cassette, the direction indicated by arrow y is the width direction of the tape cassette, and the direction indicated by arrow 2 is the thickness direction of the tape cassette.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cassette holder 17, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are side views of the cassette holder 17 and the sub-holder 18.

Referring to FIG. 2, the cassette holder 17 includes a bottom wall 19 and side walls 2 rising upward from both side edges of the bottom wall 19.
0.21, an earth wall 22.23 extending inwardly from the upper edge of the side wall 20.21, and a screw 3 on the earth wall 22.23.
A leaf spring 26 is attached via a 0.31 mm. Two protrusions 24 and 25 are formed on the bottom wall 19.

The protrusions 24 and 25 fit into the grooves 5 and 4 formed on the bottom surface of the tape cassette 1 when the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 17. Due to this fit, the locking pin 7.6 of the tape cassette 1 is retracted inwardly, allowing the slider 3 to slide.

The bottom wall 19 of the cassette holder 17 is further formed with an upwardly rising claw portion 16 at its front edge. There are two rising claws 16, and in FIG.
It is hidden from view by 1. Rising claw part 1
When the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 17, the tape cassette 1 first passes through the notches 8 and 9 of the lid 2, and then the contact pieces 12 and 13 provided on the slider 3 pass through the notches 8 and 9 of the lid 2 of the tape cassette 1. comes into contact with. This contact causes the slider 3 to slide relative to the rest of the tape cassette 1.

Three guide shafts 32, 33, and 34 are provided on the side wall 21 of the cassette holder 17. Similarly, three guide shafts are provided on the other side wall 20 as well.

The leaf spring 26, which is one component of the cassette holder 17, is
It has a roller 29 at its front edge and rollers 27 and 28 at its rear edge. 12 and 13 show the operation from when the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 17 until it reaches a predetermined position. Tape cassette 1 is at the bottom of cassette holder 17! 19
stand on top of it and move forward. The state shown in FIG. 12 is the state in which the tape cassette 1 is on its way to the predetermined arrival position. In the state shown in FIG. 12, the front end surface portion of the tape cassette 1 is in contact with the rising claw portion 16 of the bottom wall 19. Further, the roller 29 of the leaf spring 26 is in contact with the front end of the tape cassette 1. The state shown in FIG. 13 is when the tape cassette 1 moves further forward from the state shown in FIG. 12 and reaches a predetermined position. The slider 3 of the tape cassette 1 is connected to the rising claw portion 16 of the bottom wall 19.
Since it remains in contact with, its position does not move from the state shown in FIG. On the other hand, since the remaining tape cassette 1 moves further forward from the state shown in FIG. 12, a relative sliding movement occurs between the slider 3 and the remaining tape cassette 1.

In the state shown in FIG. 13, the three rollers 27, 28, 29 of the leaf spring 26 press the tape cassette 1 against the bottom wall 19 of the cassette holder 17. This prevents the tape cassette 1 from shifting in the thickness direction. A roller 29 provided at the front edge of the leaf spring 26 engages with a groove 15 formed on the top surface of the tape cassette 1. This roller 29 and the groove 15
This engagement prevents the tape cassette 1 from shifting in its insertion direction or ejection direction. The side walls 20, 21 of the cassette holder 17 prevent the tape cassette 1 from shifting in the width direction.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, sub holder 1
8 includes side walls 35, 36 and a top wall 37. The side walls 35 , 36 of the sub-holder 18 are located superimposed on the outer surface of the side walls 20 , 21 of the cassette holder 17 , respectively. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sub-holder 18
A guide shaft 38,39 is provided on the side wall 36 of. Furthermore, a vertical groove 47 is formed in the side wall 36 and extends upward from the lower edge thereof. In addition, the sub holder 18
The other side wall 35 is the side wall 3 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
It has basically the same configuration as 6. Cassette holder 17
The guide shaft 34 provided on the side wall 21 of the sub-holder 18 is positioned within a vertical groove 47 formed in the side wall 36 of the sub-holder 18.

Further, the rear end edge 51 of the side wall 36 of the sub-holder 18 is configured to abut on a guide shaft 33 provided on the side wall of the cassette holder 17. Since the guide shaft 33 of the cassette holder 17 is in contact with the rear end edge 51 of the sub-holder 18, and the guide shaft 34 of the cassette holder 17 and the vertical groove 47 of the sub-holder 18 are engaged, the cassette holder 1
7 and the sub-holder 18 move together in the horizontal direction.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, sub holder 1
8 and the side plates 40 and 41 of the main body case are connected via a spring 50. The spring 50 has one end connected to a hole 49 formed in the side plates 40 and 41 of the main body case, and the other end connected to a hole 48 formed in the side wall 36 of the sub-holder 18. The sub-holder 18 is biased by the spring 50 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the tape cassette 1 is inserted, that is, in the direction in which the tape cassette 1 is ejected. A drive mechanism for the cassette holder 17, which will be described later, moves the cassette holder 17 and the sub-holder 18 along the insertion direction of the tape cassette 1 against the biasing force of the spring 50.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, side plates 40 and 41 of the main body case have guide grooves 43 and 44, respectively.
45.46 are formed. The guide grooves 43, 44 and 45 have a horizontally extending portion and a vertically extending portion.

On the other hand, the guide groove 46 has only a portion extending in the horizontal direction. Guide shafts 32, 33 of cassette holder 17.
34 are fitted into the guide grooves 43°, 44.45, respectively. Also, the guide shaft 38 of the sub-holder 18.
39 are fitted into guide grooves 45 and 46, respectively.

FIG. 3 shows an initial state in which the cassette holder 17 and sub-holder 18 are not moved by the drive mechanism described later. In this state, the guide shafts 32, 33, 3
8.39 are guides #43, 44, and 45.4, respectively.
6 (the rear end when viewed in the insertion direction of the tape cassette). Figure 4 shows the cassette holder 1.
7, the tape cassette is in a position where it can perform recording and playback, that is, the tape cassette is in the predetermined operating position 1! l: Indicates the final state reached. In the state shown in FIG. 4, the guide shafts 32, 33, 3
4.39 are guide grooves 43.44 and 45.4, respectively.
6 (the front end when viewed from the tape cassette insertion direction).

Next, a driving means for transporting the cassette holder 17 to a predetermined operating position after the tape cassette 1 is held at a predetermined position above the cassette holder 17 will be described.

Most of such driving means are mounted on the side plate 41 of the main body case.
is placed above.

5 and 6 are diagrams showing the main elements of the driving means provided on the side plate 41 of the main body case. Fifth
The figure shows the state before the cassette holder 17 is moved by the driving means, and FIG. 6 shows the state in which the cassette holder 17 is moved by the driving means to a predetermined operating position.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, a motor 52 is fixedly mounted on the side plate 41 of the main body case. A worm 53 is attached to the output shaft of the motor 52. The motor 52 is a motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, and the rotation of the motor 52 is controlled by a worm 53 and a worm gear 5.
4, pinion 55, rack 56, rack 57, gear 58
is transmitted to gear 59 via. The worm gear 54 and pinion 55 are mounted on the side plate 4 so that they can rotate together.
1, and the worm gear 54 is provided on the worm 5.
It meshes with 3.

A long hole 63 extending horizontally is formed in the rack 56, and a fixing pin 62 is located within this long hole 63.

This fixing pin 62 is fixedly attached on the side plate 41 of the main body case. Therefore, the rack 56 is movable in the horizontal direction to the extent that the fixing pin 62 can move within the elongated hole 63 in a t-direction direction. The rack 63 is engaged with the pinion 55. A cam portion 69 having a predetermined shape is formed on the worm gear 54 . Correspondingly, a pin 70 is attached to the rack 63.

The pin 70 is adapted to abut against the cam portion 69.

The functions of the pin 70 and the cam portion 69 will be described later.

The other rack 57 is also formed with a long hole 65 extending in the water direction. A fixing pin 64 is located within this elongated hole 65. The fixing pin 64 is fixedly attached to the side plate 41 of the main body case.

Therefore, the rack 57 is horizontally movable to the extent that the fixing pin 64 can move relatively within the elongated hole 65. One rack 56 and the other rack 57 are connected to each other via a spring 66. In the state shown in FIG. 5, the rear end surface of one rack 56 and the other rack 57
are in contact with the front end surface by the biasing force of the spring 66.

Both the gear 58 and the gear 59 are rotatably provided on the side plate 41 of the main body case. The gear 58 meshes with the rack 57 and also meshes with the gear 59. The gear 59 has an arm portion 60, and a groove portion 61 is formed in the arm portion 60. Cassette holder 1
The guide shaft 33 provided on the side wall 21 of the gear 59 is received in the groove 61 of the gear 59 after passing through the guide groove 44 formed in the side plate 41 of the main body case.

Next, a series of operations from the state shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. 6 will be described. When the worm 53 rotates with the start of operation of the motor 52, the worm gear 5
4 and pinion 55 rotate. Accordingly, the rack 56 moves to the right in FIG. The other rack 57 is pulled by the spring 66 and moves to the right to follow the one rack 56 . As the rack 57 moves, the gear 58 rotates, and as a result, the gear 59 rotates clockwise in the figure. Since the guide shaft 33 is received in the groove 61 of the gear 59, when the gear 59 rotates clockwise in the figure, the guide shaft 33 is pushed by the arm 60 of the gear 59 and moves along the guide groove 44. Move to the right.

As explained using FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the cassette holder 17 and the sub-holder 18 form a body and
Since the cassette holder 17 and the sub-holder 18 are provided so as to be movable in the rL direction, as the motor 52 rotates, the cassette holder 17 and the sub-holder 18 move together in the horizontal direction. The rotational movement of the motor 52 continues and the guide shaft 32.33.3
4 and 39 are respectively the guide grooves 4 in FIG.
3.4 Suppose that the right end of 45 and 46 has been reached.

In this state, the guide shaft 38 provided on the sub-holder 18 is located on the horizontal portion of the guide groove 45.

Further, the other guide shaft 39 provided on the sub-holder 18 is located within a guide groove 46 consisting only of a portion extending in the horizontal direction. Therefore, subholder 1
8 cannot move downwards. on the other hand,
Guide shaft 32.3 provided on the cassette holder 17
3 and 34 are located at the upper ends of the vertical components of the guide grooves 43, 44 and 45, respectively.

Therefore, when the motor 52 further rotates and the gear 59 further rotates clockwise in the figure, the guide shaft 32 .
33 and 34 move downward along the vertical components of guide shafts 43, 44 and 45, respectively. In this way, the state shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 is finally reached. In the state shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the cassette holder has reached a predetermined operating position. In this state, recording or reproduction can be performed on the tape in the tape cassette 1.

To summarize the above, from the initial state where the cassette holder 17 begins to be moved by the motor 52 to the intermediate state, the cassette holder 17 and the sub holder 1
8 move together in the horizontal direction. Then, from the intermediate state to the final state where the tape cassette 1 reaches a predetermined operating position, the cassette holder 17 moves in the vertical direction while the sub-holder 18 remains stopped.

Note that when the cassette holder 17 moves in the vertical direction,
Guide shaft 34 provided above the cassette holder 17
moves downward along the vertical groove 47 of the sub-holder 18.

In the above operation, ideally, when the motor 52 stops rotating, the guide shafts 32, 33 and 34
are preferably located at the lower ends of the vertical components of the guide grooves 43, 44 and 45, respectively. However, in reality, due to dimensional errors in manufacturing each part, dimensional errors in assembly, or delays in signal transmission, the timing of stopping the rotation of the motor 52 and the timing of stopping the rotation of the guide shaft 32.
A difference occurs between the timing of reaching the terminal position of 33 and 34. In that case, if the motor 52 and the gear 59 engaged with the guide shaft 33 are connected only by a gear train, unreasonable force may be applied to any part of the motion transmission mechanism. join.

Therefore, there is a possibility that parts may be damaged.

To avoid this, in the illustrated embodiment the two racks 5'6 and 57 are connected by a spring 66. For example, suppose that the motor 52 rotates further even after the guide shafts 32, 33, 34 have moved along the guide grooves 43, 44 and 45, respectively, to their end positions. In that case, gear 59 and gear 58 cannot rotate any further, and rack 57 meshed with gear 58 cannot move any further to the right in the figure. On the other hand, as the motor 52 further rotates, the other rack 56 moves further to the right. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, a gap is formed between the two racks 56 and 57.

A set loading device according to the invention is, for example, a DAT (Digital Audi).

Tape Rec:: a r d e r
) etc. In this case, in the illustrated embodiment, vibrations of the vehicle may cause the binion 55 and the rack 56 to become disengaged, or the gear 58 and the rack 57 to disengage. In that case, if no measures are taken, even if the rotation of the motor 52 is stopped,
Racks 56 and 57 would move horizontally. Therefore, there is a possibility that the tape cassette 1 may unexpectedly fly out. In order to prevent this, in the illustrated embodiment, the rack 56 is provided with a pin 70 and the worm gear 54 is provided with a cam portion 69. As shown in FIG. 6, when the tape cassette 1 reaches a predetermined operating position due to the driving force of the motor 52, the rack 56
The pin 70 and the groove of the cam portion 69 are adapted to engage with each other. Due to this engagement, even if the rack 56 and the pinion 55 are disengaged, the rack 56 will not move in the horizontal direction. Since the other rack 57 is connected to one rack 56 by a spring 66, if the position of rack 56 does not move, the position of rack 57 also does not move. In this way, tape cassette 1
It can effectively prevent unexpected jumping out.

14 and 15 are diagrams showing a mechanism for opening the lid 2 of the tape cassette 1. FIG.

In the state shown in FIG. 14, the lid 2 of the tape cassette 1
is in a closed form. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 15, the lid 2 of the tape cassette 1 is in an open state.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 14, and 15, an angle member 71 is fixedly attached to the upper wall 37 of the sub-holder 18. As shown in FIGS. A lid lever 72 is rotatably attached to this angle member 71 via a shaft 73. One end portion of the lid lever 72 and the angle member 71 are connected via a spring 75. Due to the biasing force of the spring 75, the lid lever 72 is always biased to rotate counterclockwise in the figure.

The angle member 71 is provided with a stopper portion 74, and when the lid lever 72 comes into contact with the stopper portion 74, the end of its rotation in the counterclockwise direction is defined. Further, a pin 7 is provided at one end of the lid lever 72.
6 is provided.

On the sides g2o and 21 of the cassette holder 17,
A support portion 77 is provided that can come into contact with a pin 76 provided on the lid lever 72 from above. Among the elements shown in FIG. 14, the tape cassette 1 and the presser part 77 move together with the cassette holder 17, and the angle member 71 and the lid lever 72 move together with the sub-holder 18.

The state shown in FIG. 14 corresponds to a state in which the tape cassette 1 is held at a predetermined position in the cassette holder 17, and the cassette holder 17 and sub-holder 18 are moving together in the horizontal direction.

Then, when only the cassette holder moves downward along the vertical direction from the state shown in FIG.
The tape cassette 1 and the presser portion 77 also move downward.

As a result, the presser part 77 presses the pin 76 provided at one end of the lid lever 72, and the lid lever 72
Rotate clockwise in the figure. As a result, the other end portion of the lid lever 72 is connected to the lid 2 of the tape cassette 1.
, and rotates the lid 2 counterclockwise in the figure. In this way, the state shown in FIG. 15 is obtained.

When moving the tape cassette 1 from the operating position to the ejecting position, the operation opposite to that described above is performed. That is, the motor 52 rotates in the opposite direction to that described above.

Referring to FIG. 6, the rotation of the motor 52 causes the worm gear 54 to rotate, and as a result, the worm gear 54 and the pin 7
The engagement state with 0 is released. At the same time, pinion 55
The rack 56 that is engaged with the rack 56 moves to the left in the figure, comes into contact with the other rack 57, and presses the rack 57 leftward. As a result, the gear 58 rotates,
Further, the gear 59 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. In this way, the tape cassette 1 is returned to the ejection position.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention further comprises detection means. This detection means electrically detects that the tape cassette 1 is received at a predetermined position within the cassette holder 17, and starts the operation of the motor 52 based on this detection signal.

This detection means will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 7, and 8.

A switch lever 78 is rotatably attached to the upper wall 37 of the sub-holder 18 via a shaft 79. The switch lever 78 has a bent engagement part 80 rising upwardly at one end thereof, and a switch presser bent part 81 at the other end thereof.

A fixing member 84 is fixedly attached to the upper wall of the sub-holder 18. The switch lever 78 has a spring hook portion 83, and this spring hook is connected to the fixing member 8.
4 by a spring 85. Referring to FIG. 1, a fixing bin 86 is fixedly attached to the upper plate 42 of the case body. In Figures 7 and 8,
A fixing pin 86 is shown shaded. The spring 85 described above always biases the switch lever 78 to rotate counterclockwise in the figure. In a state where the operation of the motor 52 is not started, that is, in an initial state, the bent engagement portion 80 of the switch lever 78 comes into contact with the fixing pin 86, thereby inhibiting rotation of the switch lever 78 in the counterclockwise direction. are doing.

A pin 89 is arranged on the upper wall 37 of the sub-holder 18. The switch lever 78 has a contact portion 82 that can come into contact with this pin 89. Abutment part 82 and pin 8
9 will be described later.

An electrical switch 87 is fixedly attached to the main body case. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the switch lever 7
8 presses the switch terminal 88 of the electrical switch 87.

In FIG. 7, the side plates 40, 41 of the main body case, the electrical switch 87, and the fixing pin 86 are fixed members. On the other hand, the switch lever 78, shaft 79, spring 85 and fixing member 84 provided on the sub-holder 18
moves in the same direction as the sub-holder 18 moves.

Note that the dimensional relationship of each part is as follows.

In other words, the pin 7 which is the pivot point of the switch lever 78
The distance between the pin 79 and the switch terminal 88 of the electrical switch 87 is greater than the distance between the pin 79 and the fixed pin 86. For example, if the former is 4, the latter is 1.

Electrical switch 87 is electrically connected to motor 52 . When the electrical switch 87 changes its state, the motor 52 starts rotating.

Next, the operation of the detection means shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 will be explained.

Assume that the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the main body case from the outside to a predetermined position on the cassette holder 17. After the tape cassette 1 is inserted to a predetermined position, the tape cassette is further moved slightly in the insertion direction together with the cassette holder 17. The distance traveled by the cassette holder 17 after the tape cassette 1 reaches the predetermined position is
The length shall be 1 mm. As mentioned above, the sub-holder 18 moves horizontally together with the cassette holder 17, so if the cassette holder 17 moves by a distance of 1 mm in the tape cassette insertion direction, the sub-holder 17 also moves the tape cassette by the same distance. Move in the insertion direction. In other words, in FIG. 7, the fixed bin 86 remains stationary, but
Axis 79 is moved slightly to the right in the figure. Therefore, a gap is created between the fixed bin 86 and the bent engagement portion 80 of the switch lever 78. Since the switch lever 78 is always urged by the spring 85 to rotate counterclockwise in the figure, the switch lever 78 rotates counterclockwise in the figure to fill the gap. In this case, the distance between the shafts 79 and the switch holding bending portion 81 is longer than the distance between the seven shafts and the bending engagement portion 80.
It is designed to grow four times as large. Therefore, if the bending engagement part 80 moves so as to maintain the contact state with the fixing pin 86 as the sub-holder 18 moves, the switch holding bending part 81 will move by a distance that is four times the moving distance. moves. Specifically, the bending part 8 for holding the switch
1 moves to the right in the figure. Along with this movement,
The switch retainer bending portion 81 separates from the switch terminal 88 of the electrical switch 87 , and thereby the electrical switch 87
The switch state of is changed. This state is the state shown in FIG. In response to the switching state of the electrical switch 87, the operation of the motor 52 is started. Thereafter, the loading operation described above is performed.

As described above, according to the detection means shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, after the tape cassette reaches a predetermined position on the cassette holder 17, the cassette holder 17 is moved by a minute distance in the insertion direction. , the switch state of the electrical switch 87 is reliably switched.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, another electrical switch 67 is mounted on the side plate 41 of the main body case. Upon completion of the loading operation, the front end surface of the rack 56 is connected to the electrical switch 6, as shown in FIG.
The switch terminal 68 of No. 7 is pressed, thereby changing the switch state of the electrical switch 67. When the switch state of the electrical switch 67 is changed, the operation of the motor 52 is stopped.

Next, a tape cassette ejection mechanism for automatically ejecting the tape cassette 1 to the outside when the tape cassette 1 is returned to a predetermined ejection position by the driving force of the motor 52 will be described.

FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 are schematic plan views of such a tape cassette ejection mechanism viewed from above. The tape cassette ejection mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 9, 10, and 11.

A first discharge lever 90 is rotatably mounted on the upper wall 37 of the sub-holder 18 via a fixing pin 93. A second discharge lever 91 is rotatably connected to the first discharge lever 90 via a connecting shaft 92 . The connecting shaft 92 and the upper wall 37 of the sub-holder 18 are separated.

A roller 94 is attached to one end of the first discharge lever 90, and a spring hook 96 is formed at the other end. The second discharge lever 91 has a roller 95 at one end thereof, and a spring hook portion 97 at the other end. The spring hook of the first discharge lever 90 is a portion 96;
The spring hook part 97 of the second discharge lever 91 is the spring 9
They are connected via 8. Due to the spring force of this spring 98, the spring hook of the first discharge lever 9o is
The spring hook of the discharge lever 91 and the portion 97 are biased toward each other. That is, the first discharge lever 90 and the second discharge lever 91 are urged to rotate in a direction that brings the rollers 94 and 95 closer together.

A groove 100 extending in the width direction of the tape cassette 1 is formed on the upper wall 37 of the sub-holder 18 . A pin 89 that fits into the groove 100 is attached to the second discharge lever 91.

The upper plate 42 of the main body case has a y-direction edge portion 42a extending in the width direction of the tape cassette 1 and an X-direction edge portion 42b extending in the insertion direction of the tape cassette 1.

Next, the operation of the tape cassette ejection mechanism will be explained.

When the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the cassette holder 17, the front end surface of the tape cassette 1 first comes into contact with the roller 94 of the first discharge lever 90 and the roller 95 of the second discharge lever 91. This state is the state shown in FIG.

When the tape cassette 1 is further moved to the right in the figure from the state shown in FIG. Rotate in the direction to move away from. At this time, the pin 89 attached to the second discharge lever 91 is inserted into the tape cassette along the groove 100 formed in the upper wall 37 of the sub-holder 18 and the y-direction F2 part 42a of the upper plate 42 of the main body case. Move in the width direction of 1. This state is the state shown in FIG.

A state in which the tape cassette 1 has been inserted to a predetermined position on the cassette holder 17 is shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 10, the pin 89 is located at the corner of the Y-direction F2 section 42a and the X-direction F2 section 42b of the upper plate 42 of the main body case. From the state shown in FIG. 10, when the sub-holder 18 is moved by a small distance in the tape cassette insertion direction as described above, the switch lever 78 shown in FIG. 7 rotates, and the motor 52 starts operating. .

Along with this, a loading operation for the tape cassette 1 is performed. When the switch lever 78 rotates, the contact portion 82 of the switch lever 78 contacts the pin 89 attached to the second discharge lever 91, and the eight pins are thereby returned to their original positions by the spring force of the spring 98. It is prevented. In other words, the contact portion 82 of the switch lever 78
By restricting the movement of the pin 89, when the loading operation for the tape cassette 1 is started, the tape cassette 1 is prevented from being ejected to the outside by the first ejecting lever 90 and the second ejecting lever 91. There is.

As the loading operation for the tape cassette 1 progresses, when the sub-holder 18 moves further to the right from the state shown in FIG. It begins to move along the X direction 112 section 42b from the corner of the Y direction F2 section 42a and the X direction 112 section 42b. Due to this movement, the first discharge lever 90 and the second discharge lever 91 are further pushed apart, and as a result, the roller 94 and the roller 95 are separated from the tape cassette 1. This state is the state shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 11, since the pin 89 is in contact with the X-direction 112 portion 42b of the upper plate 42, the first discharge lever 9
0 and the second discharge lever 91 are in a fixed position.

A motor 52 is used to eject the tape cassette 1 to the outside.
Assume that the tape cassette is rotated in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned tape cassette loading direction. Then, as the sub-holder 18 moves,
When the pin 89 moves from the state shown in FIG.
Move to the left along 2b. Then, when the state returns to the state shown in FIG. 10, the first discharge lever 90 and the second
The discharge lever 91 is rotated by the spring force of the spring 98. In other words, the spring hook of the first discharge lever 90 is
6 and the spring hook part 97 of the second discharge lever 91,
move closer to each other. In other words, the roller 94 of the first discharge lever 90 and the second discharge lever 91
and the rollers 95 move toward each other, thereby pushing the tape cassette 1 out.

As described above, when the tape cassette 1 is returned to the predetermined ejection position, the tape cassette 1 is automatically pushed out by the spring force of the spring 98.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described using FIGS. 1 to 15, the illustrated embodiment is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of equivalents of this invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing essential parts of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cassette holder 17 shown in FIG. 3 and 4 are side views of the cassette holder 17 and sub-holder 18 shown in FIG. 1, with FIG. 3 showing the state before the loading operation starts, and FIG. 4 showing the state when the loading operation is completed. It shows the status of. 5 and 6 are side views showing the main parts of the loading mechanism for transporting the tape cassette to a predetermined operating position, FIG. 5 showing the state before the loading operation starts, and FIG. , shows the state when the loading operation is completed. 7 and 8 are plan views showing the main parts of the detection mechanism for detecting that the tape cassette has been inserted to a predetermined position on the cassette holder, and FIG. 7 shows the main part of the detection mechanism before the switch is switched. FIG. 8 shows the state after the switch is switched. 9, 10 and 11 show tape cassette 1
FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of a tape cassette ejection mechanism for automatically ejecting a tape cassette 1, and FIG. The figure shows a state in which the tape cassette 1 is further pushed in from the state shown in FIG.
The figure shows a state in which the sub-holder is further moved in the tape cassette insertion direction from the state shown in FIG. 10. 12 and 13 are schematic side views showing the relationship between the leaf spring 26 shown in FIG. 1 and the tape cassette 1, and FIG. 12 shows the tape cassette 1 being inserted into the inside. FIG. 13 shows the state after the tape cassette 1 has been inserted to a predetermined position. 14 and 15 are schematic side views showing a mechanism for opening the lid 2 of the tape cassette 1.
4 shows a state in which the lid 2 of the tape cassette 1 is closed, and FIG. 15 shows a state in which the lid 2 is open. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the tape cassette 1 viewed from the bottom side. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the state after the slider 3 has slid from the state shown in FIG. 16. 1st
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the state after the lid 2 is opened from the state shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the tape cassette 1 viewed from the top side. FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a cassette holder 200 used in a conventional cassette loading device. In the figure, 1 is a tape cassette, 17 is a cassette holder, 18 is a sub-holder, 26 is a leaf spring, 32, 33, 3
4.38.39 is the guide shaft, 40°41 is the side plate of the main case, 42 is the upper plate of the main case, 43, 44, 45.4
6 is a guide groove, 47 is a vertical groove, 52 is a motor, 53 is a worm, 54 is a worm gear, 55 is a pinion, 56.
57 is a rack, 58 and 59 are gears, 66 is a spring, 78 is a switch lever, 80 is a bending engagement part, 81 is a bending part for holding down a switch, 85 is a spring, 86 is a fixed bottle, 87 is an electric switch, 88 indicates a switch terminal. In addition, in each figure, the same number indicates the same or equivalent element. Figure 1I

Claims (1)

[Claims] A cassette loading device that receives a tape cassette and transports the tape cassette to a predetermined operating position, comprising: a main body case; and a tape cassette that is movably disposed within the main body case and inserted from the outside. a cassette holder for receiving and holding the tape cassette thereon; and drive means for controlling the operation of the cassette holder to convey the tape cassette to the predetermined operating position; A bottom wall supported from below, a pair of side walls rising upward from both side edges of the bottom wall, and a pair of side walls positioned above the tape cassette so as to connect the upper edges of the pair of side walls. and a top wall portion, the top wall portion is configured with a leaf spring, and the top wall portion has presser portions at a plurality of locations for pressing the tape cassette toward the bottom wall portion. ,
Cassette loading device.