JPH04305856A - Cassette discriminator and cassette and audio video equipment using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To discriminate a cassette adaptive for a device and to prevent a cassette from incorrect being loaded by specifying the size of a cassette insertion port, and providing a cassette thickness detector and a projecting part on a pan. CONSTITUTION:Assuming the thickness of the cassette 10 of new standard as T, the height L of the cassette insertion port is set as L=T+Kmm and K=0.3. Thereby, since no cassette with size larger than a standard value can be inserted from the insertion port, the cassette with large size can be prevented from being inserted accidentally. Also, a height detector 13 Is provided at the upper part of a slider 7. When an inserted cassette is thin, it is judged that the cassette outside the standard is inserted by the detector 13, and the fact is displayed on a control panel, and also, it is informed to an operator in sound. Also, the positioning of the cassette can be easily performed by providing the projecting part at the pan.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette discriminating device used in audio and video equipment, and is particularly suitable for discriminating cassettes of similar shapes.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art There are several types of magnetic tape cassettes of different sizes, and when recording and reproducing data, it is necessary to use a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a VTR) corresponding to each of the sized and small cassettes. When you accidentally insert another cassette and try to place the cassette on the reel stand, the reel stand and the reel hub of the cassette do not align, so the cassette cannot be placed in the correct position on the VTR. If you try to control it forcibly, you will damage the VTR or cassette. When the wrong cassette is loaded into the VTR for some reason, the VTR's next action is to wind the tape onto the drum, but since the tape width differs depending on the standard, the tape width does not match the tape winding guide, and the tape winds. When the guide width is narrower than the guide width, the position of the tape is not regulated, and if the tape is run in this condition, the tape will move up and down inside the guide, damaging the edges of the tape. Further, when the tape is wider than the guide, the surface of the tape hits the regulating flange of the guide, damaging the tape. Additionally, there are some VTRs that can be loaded with multiple types of cassettes. 7 and 8 are schematic structural diagrams of a cassette box compatible with two types of cassettes having the same cassette thickness but different cassette sizes as a standard for VTR cassettes. 5 and 6 show schematic structural diagrams of cassettes used in this standard. FIG. 5 is a cassette for normal use, and FIG. 6 is a cassette for long time use. By inserting either of the cassettes into the cassette box, it is possible to distinguish between the normal cassette 10a and the long-time cassette 10b, and by moving the reel stand to match the reel spacing of the cassettes, the two types of cassettes can be inserted. This allows recording and playback to be performed using a single VTR. Two types of cassettes 10a,
In order to record or reproduce 10b on one VTR, it is necessary to keep the relative positions of the two types of cassettes constant. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, by providing a positioning rail 15 on the slider 7 of the cassette box so as to match the positioning groove 14 of the cassette, the positioning groove 14 of the cassette and the positioning rail 1 of the slider 7 can be adjusted.
5 can overlap to guide the cassettes 10a and 10b to a fixed position. Each VTR has its V
A cassette of a standard compatible with TR must be used. Therefore, at the standard-setting stage, cassettes were set to a size that would prevent mistakes. Incidentally, related devices of this type include, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-42051.
Publications No. 1, etc. can be cited.

0003

[Problem to be solved by the invention] The above-mentioned conventional technology does not make any mistakes because it can be seen at a glance because the sizes of existing standard cassettes are quite different, but it will be standardized in a new system as recording technology advances. When you try to insert a cassette, there is a possibility that another cassette of similar size will come out, and you may end up inserting the wrong cassette. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cassette discriminating device which detects and notifies the user of the mistake even if a similar cassette is inserted by mistake, and which is characterized in that the cassette cannot be loaded.

0004

Means for Solving the Problems (1) In order to achieve the above object, the size of the cassette insertion slot is limited. (2) Usable cassettes are limited by the protrusion and cassette insertion slot provided on the cassette box. (3) If the new cassette is thicker than the conventional one, a detector is provided to detect the thickness of the cassette. (4) When the new cassette is the same size as the conventional cassette, a recess is provided in the cassette, the recess is detected by a detector, and the presence or absence of the recess is determined. When standardizing a new cassette, any one of the means 1, 2, 3, or 4 above is used.

[0005]

[Function] By setting the size of the cassette insertion slot so that items larger than the cassette to be used cannot be inserted, the upper limit of the cassettes that can be inserted is set, and the thickness of the cassette is detected by the detector and the cassette is smaller than the cassette to be used. For this purpose, a configuration was adopted in which no cassette was loaded. Furthermore, for cassettes of the same size, a recess is provided in the cassette and the recess is detected by a detector.

[0006]

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.
This is explained by: This embodiment shows an example in which the cassette size of the new standard is larger than the conventional cassette size. FIG. 1 is a left side view (when viewed from the cassette insertion direction) of a cassette control unit of a VTR according to the present invention. Note that the right side view is also mechanically the same. In FIG. 1, a guide plate 1 is provided with two L-shaped grooves 2a and 2b, and a main chassis 3 of the VTR is provided with two mounting screws 4a.
, 4b. A drive gear 5 and a drive arm 6 are fixed to the guide plate 1 and are rotatably attached on the same axis. Guide pins 8a and 8b are attached to the slider 7, and are inserted into the L-shaped grooves 2a and 2b of the guide plate 1.
is inserted into the U-shaped groove 9 of the drive arm 6. When loading the cassette 10 into the VTR in FIG.
When you insert the cassette into slider 7 by hand, slider 7
The cassette 10 is crimped and fixed to the slider 7 by the cassette spring 11 attached to the slider 7, and the cassette loading switch (not shown) detects the cassette 10, and the drive motor (not shown) is driven to drive the drive gear 5 and the drive arm. 6 is rotated in the direction of arrow A. This rotation drives the guide pin 8b, and the slider 7 is moved by the guide pin 8a attached to the slider 7.
, 8b are guided by the two L-shaped grooves 2a and 2b of the guide plate 1 to move horizontally, then vertically descend and move to position 7p, completing the loading of the cassette 10 into the VTR. When ejecting the cassette 10, the motor (not shown) rotates in the reverse direction and performs the reverse operation described above to eject the cassette 10. A case where an attempt is made to insert a cassette 10a that is thicker than the standard will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 shows the cassette insertion opening 12 of a VTR, which must be determined to be large enough to not accommodate a cassette that is thicker than the standard, and must be determined in consideration of the dimensional difference of the cassette box. FIG. 3 shows a left side view of the cassette box shown in FIG.
As an example, if the thickness of the new standard cassette 10 is T, then L=T+KT and K is set to K=0.3, so that the cassette 10a larger than the standard value can be inserted into the cassette insertion slot. 12, it is impossible to accidentally insert a cassette 10a larger than the standard value.

In the second embodiment, when a new standard is created for a cassette with a cassette height T larger than the conventional standard, a cassette 10b with a cassette height smaller than the standard value is created.
This will be explained with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a left side view of the cassette box of the VTR. If the cassette height is smaller than the standard value, the cassette 10b is inserted through the cassette insertion opening 12 and is pressed onto the slider 7 by the cassette spring 11. The height detector 13 provided at the top of the slider 7 determines that the thickness of the inserted cassette 10b is thinner than the standard cassette 10, and determines that a non-standard cassette 10b has been inserted, and displays this on the operation panel. At the same time, the operator is notified by sound and the loading operation of the cassette 10b is not performed.

The third embodiment shows a cassette as a new standard, which is larger in height than the conventional cassette and can accommodate a plurality of types of recording and reproducing times. 5 and 6 show schematic structural diagrams of the cassette of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cassette for normal use, and FIG. 6 is a cassette for long time use. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the cassette box. By inserting either of the cassettes into the cassette box, it is possible to distinguish between the normal cassette 10c and the long-time cassette 10d, and adjust the V to match the reel spacing of the inserted cassette.
By moving the reel stand of the TR, two types of cassettes can be recorded and played back on one VTR, and the mechanism is the same as that shown in the conventional example. In order to record or reproduce two types of cassettes on one VTR, it is necessary to keep the relative positions of the two types of cassettes constant. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, positioning grooves 14 are provided on the lower surfaces of the cassettes 10c and 10d. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, by providing a positioning rail 15 on the slider 7 of the cassette box so as to match the positioning groove 14 of the cassettes 10c and 10d, the positioning of the slider 7 and the positioning groove 14 of the cassette 10c and 10d can be adjusted. The rails 15 overlap to guide the cassette to a fixed position. Figure 9
As shown in the figure, when inserting the normal cassette 10c, if the insertion position is incorrect, the lower surface of the cassette 10c rides on the positioning rail 15 provided on the slider 7, so the thickness of the cassette 10c appears to be relatively increased. Cassette 1
Unable to insert 0c. Therefore, cassette 10
c positioning groove 14 and cassette box slider 7
It cannot be inserted unless the positioning rails 15 of the two are aligned.

FIG. 10 erroneously shows the conventional cassette 10e.
This shows when trying to insert cassette 10.
Even if an attempt is made to insert the cassette e, the cassette e will ride on the positioning rail 15 of the slider 7 and cannot be inserted through the cassette insertion slot 12. The height of the part other than the convex part is the same as that of the conventional cassette 10e.
If you make it 2mm higher than the height of the conventional cassette 10e
cannot be inserted. In this embodiment, the positioning rail 1
FIG. 13 shows a schematic front view of a cassette box in which the cassette box 5 is divided into upper and lower parts, a normal cassette used therein is shown in FIG. 14, and a long-time cassette is shown in FIG. 15. Since the positioning rail 15 is divided into upper and lower parts, the height of the protrusion on one side can be reduced, and the depth of the corresponding recess 14 on the cassette side can also be made shallower by incorporating the cassette exterior and reinforcing ribs. I can do it, so cassette 1
The thickness T of 0c and 10d can be set to a small value. In addition, although this description has been made with a pair provided above and below, there is no particular need for a pair provided.

The fourth embodiment is a new method, which shows a discrimination method when a cassette of the same size as the conventional one is used, and will be explained with reference to FIG. A recess 16 is provided on the upper surface of the cassette 10f, the thickness of the recess 16 is detected by a height detector 13, and the cassette 10f is determined based on the presence or absence of the recess 16. Also, regarding devices that use cassettes that are one size larger than conventional cassettes,
Using a height detector, it is possible to determine whether the cassette is a conventional cassette or a cassette compatible with this device.

[0011] In the above embodiments 1 to 4, the cassette 10 is inserted into the VTR from the front, but in the case of a center tray type cassette box in which the slider 7 of the cassette box protrudes far outside the VTR. will be explained with reference to FIG. The maximum dimension of the lower surface of the cassette 10 is determined by the size of the slider 7, and a large cassette is prevented from being accommodated by the slider 7 of the cassette. Furthermore, since the cassette 10a is too thick to fit through the cassette insertion opening, the cassette 10a cannot be loaded into a VTR. If the cassette is smaller than the standard cassette 10, even if the slider 7 is loaded into the VTR, the height detector 13 determines that it is a non-standard cassette 10b. However, since this is the same even when no cassette is inserted, a cassette detector 17 is installed in addition to the cassette height detector 13 to determine whether the cassette is on the slider 7 or not. As explained above, a non-standard cassette will not be loaded, and a display or an alarm will notify that it is a non-standard cassette. Therefore, there is no chance of damaging the VTR or breaking the cassette.

0012

As explained above, according to the present invention, when a similar cassette is inserted into a cassette box, it is indicated that the cassette differs from the specifications, and the cassette is
Since it is not loaded into the TR, it is possible to protect the soft tape stored in the cassette and further protect the mechanical system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a cassette box of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the cassette box of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a left side view when attempting to insert a cassette thicker than the standard into the cassette box of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a left side view when a cassette thinner than the standard is inserted into the cassette box of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows two types of standard cassettes.

FIG. 6 shows two types of long-term cassettes.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a cassette box according to the present invention that complies with the standard in which cassettes of the same thickness and two different sizes can be inserted.

FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view of the cassette tray of the cassette box according to the present invention, which conforms to the standard in which cassettes of the same thickness and two different sizes can be inserted.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram when the cassette is inserted in the wrong position.

FIG. 10 is a diagram when attempting to insert a conventional cassette into the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a method for determining when a new cassette is the same size as the conventional one.

FIG. 12 is an example of a center tray method.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a cassette box according to the present invention that complies with the standard in which cassettes of the same thickness and two different sizes can be inserted, with positioning rails arranged above and below.

FIG. 14 shows two types of standard cassettes with positioning grooves arranged above and below.

FIG. 15 shows two types of long-term cassettes with positioning grooves arranged above and below.

[Explanation of symbols]

1...Guide plate, 2a, 2b...L-shaped groove, 5...Drive gear, 6...Drive arm, 7...Slider, 11...Cassette spring, 13...Height detector, 14...positioning groove, 15...Positioning rail

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claim 1: The cassette insertion opening is characterized in that its size is smaller than T+KT [mm] (K=0.3), where T is the cassette height. Cassette discrimination device. 2. The cassette discriminating device according to claim 1, wherein the size of the cassette insertion opening is larger than T+2 mm. 3. The cassette discriminating device according to claim 1, wherein a convex portion for positioning a plurality of types of cassettes is provided on the tray for receiving the cassettes, and the height of the portion other than the convex portion is set to be 3 mm or more greater than the height of the cassette. A cassette discrimination device featuring: 4. A cassette for use in the cassette discriminating device according to claim 3. 5. The cassette discriminating device according to claim 1, wherein the cassette discriminating device is provided with a detector for detecting the thickness of the cassette so that only a specific cassette is loaded. 6. Audio/video equipment using the cassette discriminating device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 5.