JPH04356774A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the confirmation of a tape residual amt. from being interrupted due to a window part provided on a tape cassette case body, covered with a brake member. CONSTITUTION:The tape cassette is provided with the brake member 11 for performing hub locking and hub lock releasing by possessing a slant cam part 11d arranged freely movably to be capable of approaching and separating to and from the circumferential surfaces of one pair of hubs to be wound with a magnetic tape in the direction from the front surface of the tape cassette and capable of moving into a hub lock releasing position when a spring member 11c for energizing in the direction of a hub lock position and a pin to be inserted from an inserting hole 15 in the vicinity of a back part of a cassette case body are brought into contact by pressing with each other. In addition, the tape cassette 1 is formed with a window part 3c where a tape residual amt. can be confirmed on its half 3, and a hole part 11e set so as not to cover the window part 3c with the brake member 11 is provided in a position corresponding to the window part 3c of the brake member 11.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cassette equipped with a brake member that locks the hub from unnecessary rotation when not in use.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in tape cassettes for high-density recording of video signals, PCM signals, etc., when not in use (
In order to prevent the magnetic tape from loosening during storage (for example, 1/2-inch video tape cassettes and 8-mm video tape cassettes), various devices have been put into practical use that have a built-in hub brake mechanism that locks the hub so that it cannot rotate. etc). In these hub brake mechanisms, when the tape cassette is not in use, the brake member is biased toward the hub by the biasing force of a spring, locking the hub so that it cannot rotate, and when the tape cassette is in use, the brake member is pressed against the hub from the outside of the cassette housing. The inserted lock release pin moves the brake member away from the hub and operates to unlock the hub.

FIG. 18 shows an example of a conventional hub brake mechanism.
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. In these figures, 81 is a tape cassette housing, 82 and 83 are an upper half and a lower half that constitute the tape cassette housing 81, 84 is an insertion hole provided in the upper and lower halves, 91 is a brake member mounted on the lower half 83, and 99 is a lock release pin that contacts the brake member 91 and slides the brake member 91 when inserted from the insertion hole 84.

As can be seen from FIGS. 18 and 19, the bottom surface of the lower half 83 of the tape cassette housing 81 is located at the center of the plane near the back surface (hereinafter, the part of the tape cassette housing facing the recording/playback head is A substantially rectangular recess 90 is formed in the front surface (the opposite surface is referred to as the rear surface), and the brake member 91 moves in the front-rear direction, that is, in the direction of approaching and separating from the hubs 87 and 88, within this recess 90. Stored and arranged so that it can be moved freely. The brake member 91 consists of a flat plate part 91a along the bottom surface of the recess 90 and a vertical projecting wall part 91b erected at the rear of the flat plate part 91a.
A pair of claw pieces 91a1 and 91a2 are formed protruding from the front part of 1a so as to correspond to the hubs 87 and 88, respectively.

On the other hand, the hubs 87 and 88 have inner hubs 87a and 88a into which hub drive shafts are inserted and engaged, and inner hubs 87a and 88a, respectively.
It consists of outer hubs 87b and 88b that are movable in the axial direction and engaged in the circumferential direction with respect to the brake member 98a.
The claw pieces 91a1 and 91b2 of No. 1 are respectively attached to the outer hub 87b.
, 88b are pressed against the circumferential surfaces of the inner hubs 87a, 88a that protrude from the lower surfaces of the inner hubs 87a, 88b.

Further, in the center of the flat plate portion 91a, there is a pair of left and right notch-shaped guide grooves 92a extending rearward from its front edge.
, 92b are formed, and correspondingly, guide pins 93a, 93b are protruded from the bottom surface of the recess 90, and guide grooves 92a, 92b are formed along the guide pins 93a, 93b.
The moving direction of the brake member 91 is defined by being guided by the brake member 92b.

Further, a leaf spring 94 for biasing the brake member 91 is disposed behind the brake member 91, and the leaf spring 94 has a main plate portion 94a and an arm portion 94b cut and raised from the center of the main plate portion 94a. The main plate portion 94a is a spring storage portion 95 provided on the inner surface of the rear wall of the lower half 83.
On the other hand, the tip of the arm portion 94b is engaged with a recess 96 formed on the back side of the vertical projecting wall portion 91b, so that the brake member 91 is always in the front direction of the tape cassette, that is, in the direction of the claw. The pieces 91a1 and 91a2 are urged in a locking direction so as to come into pressure contact with the circumferential surfaces of the inner hubs 87a and 88a.

[0008] The vertical protruding wall portion 91 of the brake member 91
A pressing operation portion 97 for causing the brake member 91 to perform a hub lock release operation is formed on the front side of the central portion of b. This pressing operation part 97 has a mountain-shaped side cross-sectional shape with a high central part, that is, it has inclined cam surfaces 97a and 97b that are symmetrically inclined rearward from the central part toward both upper and lower sides, and has both upper and lower halves. Insertion hole 84 formed in 82, 83
When the push operation part 97 is pressed by the lock release pin 99 inserted further, the brake member 91 is moved rearward (towards the back of the tape cassette), and the hubs 87 and 88 are unlocked. ing.

In other words, under normal conditions, the brake member 91 is as shown in FIG.
0(a), and the leaf spring 9 as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
4, the claw pieces 91a1 and 91a2 are brought into pressure contact with the circumferential surfaces of the inner hubs 87a and 88a, thereby locking both the hubs 87 and 88 so that they will not rotate due to some impact, but the tape cassette 81 cannot be recorded. When loaded into the playback device, the lock release pin 99 on the recording and playback device side will open as shown in Figure 20.
The brake member 91 is inserted into the insertion hole 84 as shown in FIG.
The hubs 87, 88 are unlocked when the inner hubs 1a2 are separated from the inner hubs 87a, 88a.

0010

However, such a conventional hub brake mechanism has the following problems. Note that each problem will be explained with reference to the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 21 to 26.

First, insertion holes 84 are provided in the upper and lower halves 82 and 83 for inserting the lock release pin 99, but the lock release pin 99 comes into contact with the pressing operation portion 97 of the brake member 91 and the brake member Since the entire tape cassette 91 is slid toward the back side of the tape cassette 81,
The position of the insertion hole 84 must be set so as to provide a dimensional margin for the sliding range of the brake member 91 in the direction of the rear surface, as shown by the width W in FIG. For this reason, the area on the surface of the tape cassette where the label 89 can be attached is reduced, and especially in the case of ultra-small tape cassettes, the label 89 does not sufficiently display the contents or the label 89
There is a problem in that there may be cases where it is not possible to attach the images properly.

Second, when ejecting the tape cassette 81 from a state where the tape cassette 81 is loaded into a recording/playback device and positioned at a position where the recording/playback heads face each other, first, the cassette is held in the recording/playback device. The back side of the tape cassette 81 is lifted by the mechanism as shown in FIG. 22, and the lock release pin 99 is removed from the insertion hole 84.
The inclined cam surfaces 97a, 9 of the pressing operation part 97 that are in contact with the 9
The top portion of 7b should originally move along the trajectory shown by the dashed dotted line in FIG.
is pressed further toward the back side of the tape cassette 81 than the normal hub lock release position. Therefore, when removing the lock release pin 99, the tape cassette 81
This is undesirable because unnecessary resistance is generated that prevents a smooth ejecting operation.

Thirdly, as shown in FIG. 23(a), the brake member 91 has a length in the sliding direction, that is, the flat plate portion 91, compared to a length in the height direction, that is, the height H1 of the vertical projecting wall portion 91b.
Since the length L1 of a is not sufficiently long, due to the effect of friction between the lock release pin 99 and the pressing operation part 97,
There is a problem in that the brake member 91 itself tends to tilt or fall as shown in FIGS. 23(b) and 23(c), and this increases the friction between the brake member 91 and the lower half 83, resulting in a good hub lock. Also, there is a drawback that the hub lock release operation is inhibited.

Fourthly, when the lock release pin 99 is released from the hublock release state, the brake member 91 is slid toward the front side of the tape cassette 81 by the biasing force of the leaf spring 94 and is brought into the hublock state. , at this time, the hubs 87 and 88 are moved as shown in FIG. 24 by the pressing force of the brake member 91.
As shown in the schematic diagram, it deviates somewhat in the front direction (D1 direction). As a result, the tape T wound around the hubs 87 and 88 becomes loose, and the original purpose of the hub lock operation is lost.

Fifth, there is a drawback that the hub lock may be released if rolling is applied to the tape cassette 81 from the outside. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, when a force is applied to the hubs 87, 88 to rotate in the direction of arrow R1 due to external vibration, the hub 87 rotates the brake member 91 in the direction of arrow D2.
Push the brake member 91 in the direction of the arrow D on the hub 88 side.
The hub lock is released because it is pushed up in three directions, that is, in the direction of the rear surface. Since rolling in the direction of arrow R1 is also applied to the hub 88, the tape T is fed out from the hub 88 side, causing the tape T to become slack. Furthermore, in order to eliminate the slack of the tape T due to such rolling, it is conceivable to always restrict the left and right positions so that the brake member 91 is completely translated in parallel.
In this case, if rolling is applied when the tape winding diameters are different between the left and right hubs 87 and 88 and there is a difference in hub weight, the hub brake will be released on the lighter hub side, so this cannot be adopted.

Sixthly, the brake member 91 causes the hub 8 to
7 and 88 are pressed in the front direction and the tape T is not loosened, that is, in a normal hub lock state, when an impact G is applied from the rear side of the tape cassette 81, the result is shown in FIG.
As shown in 6(a), the hubs 87 and 88 momentarily move in the direction of the back side (direction D4), and at this time, the hubs 87 and 88 move in the direction of the arrow R2 as they are pulled by the tape T.
, R3 direction. Therefore, after the impact G is applied, the hubs 87 and 88 are again pressed by the brake member 91.
moves in the D5 direction and returns to its original position, Figure 26(b)
), the tape T is removed by the amount that is pulled out during the impact.
will become loose.

Seventhly, as explained in FIGS. 18 and 19, the leaf spring 94 is used as the biasing means for the brake member 91, but by using the leaf spring 94, the structure of the biasing means can be increased in size. This is particularly undesirable for tape cassettes that are formed into ultra-small sizes. Also, the arm portion 94b of this leaf spring 94
Normally, a biasing force is applied to the tape cassette front face, but when the leaf spring 94 is assembled or the hub lock is released, the biasing force is applied to the arm 94b itself in a direction opposite to the biasing force of the arm 94b. That is, since a force is applied in the direction of the tape cassette rear surface by being pressed against the brake member 91, a large stress is generated in the leaf spring 94 itself, causing it to warp and bounce or fall down, making normal hub lock operation impossible. There is also the problem that there is a high risk of

[0018]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made to solve these problems and to make it possible to easily check the remaining amount of tape wound around the hub through the window formed in the half. The brake member is movably disposed so as to be able to move toward and away from the front side of the tape cassette with respect to the circumferential surfaces of the pair of hubs around which the magnetic tape is wound, and is biased toward the lock position in contact with the hubs. It has an inclined cam part that moves to the unlocked position against the bias of the spring member when the pin inserted from the insertion hole provided in the half comes into contact with the spring member near the back surface of the cassette housing. A tape cassette, which is configured to lock and release the hub lock, and has a window formed in the half for checking the remaining amount of tape,
In particular, a hole of an appropriate size is provided in the brake member at a position corresponding to the half window so that the brake member itself does not cover the window.

[0019]

[Operation] By forming a hole in the brake member that corresponds to the position of the window, the window will not be covered by the brake member and will not interfere with checking the remaining amount of tape.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the tape cassette of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. Note that the tape cassette of this example is configured to be extremely small. Figure 8~
In FIG. 10, reference numeral 1 generally indicates a tape cassette that stores a magnetic tape for recording and reproducing PCM signals, for example, and the housing of this tape cassette 1 has an upper half 2 and a lower half 3 facing each other and is tightened with screws 4. It is constructed by rotatably supporting a lid 6 which opens and closes an opening 5 formed on the front side of both halves 2 and 3 when combined together.

In the housing of the tape cassette 1, that is, between the upper and lower halves 2 and 3, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, there are holes 2a and 2b (and 3a and 3b) for the hub drive shaft. A guide roller is provided with a magnetic tape T wound therein between a pair of hubs 7 and 8, and a portion of the magnetic tape T is rotatably supported on both sides of the front opening 5. In a stretched state through pinch rollers 9 and 10 which also serve as
It is made to be exposed through the front side opening 5.

[0022] On the upper and lower sides of the housing of the tape cassette 1,
Erroneous erasure prevention mechanisms 12 and 13 are located on both sides of the rear (near the back) and communicate with both the upper and lower halves 2 and 3, and are positioned at the front and rear in the front-rear direction of the center and on both sides in the lateral direction of the rear. Reference holes 14, 15 and 16, 17 are provided, and a plurality of required detection holes 18 are provided laterally at the rear edge.
, 19 are formed, and grip portions 20, 21 are further formed at the rear of both sides. Further, a changer engagement portion 23 is provided along a lateral guide groove 22 on a lid 6 that opens and closes an opening 5 on the front side of the housing. Furthermore, windows 2c and 3c molded from transparent resin are provided in the planar central portions of both the upper and lower halves 2 and 3, so that the remaining amount of the magnetic tape T can be checked from outside the housing of the tape cassette 1. There is.

In this tape cassette 1, when the magnetic tape T stored in the cassette housing is loaded into a recording/reproducing device, it is recorded and recorded by a helical scan method by a rotating head.
Regeneration is performed. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating head 41 is rotated at a predetermined angle with respect to the head drum 42, and the head drum 42 is rotated by rotating the lid 6 of the cassette housing 1 upward or downward. The magnetic tape T, which is partially inserted into the opened front opening 5 and stretched across the opening 5, is slid so as to wrap around the insertion side circumferential surface of the head drum 42, and is rotated. When the head 41 rotates, an inclined track that diagonally crosses the magnetic tape T is formed.

At this time, the magnetic tape T is attached to the head drum 42.
In this embodiment, a pair of tape guides whose guide members are inclined in opposite directions is provided at the insertion portion of the head drum 42 in the opening 5 of the cassette housing so that the tape guides are in helical sliding contact with each other. The members 24 and 25 are connected to the guide roller 9
, 10, and are arranged so as to be able to swing and move laterally, facing each other. Therefore, by inserting the head drum 42 into the opening 5 as shown in FIG. The magnetic tape T is guided with it sandwiched between them.

Further, on both sides of the head drum 42, wing guides 43 and 44 are inserted between the pinch rollers 9 and 10 and the tape guide members 24 and 25 on both sides of the opening 5 of the cassette housing 1. A roller 43a is provided at the front end of both wing guides 43, 44.
44a is attached, and the magnetic tape T is guided through the tape guide member 2.
4 and 25. These wing guides 43 and 44 have support pieces 26 and 27 from the inside of the opening 5 of the cassette housing 1, and support pieces 26 and 27 located between the support pieces 26 and 27 and the pinch rollers 9 and 10 to prevent the tape from running out. It is designed to be inserted between the guide protrusions 28 and 29.

In addition to the above-described configuration, the tape cassette 1 of this embodiment has the internal structure shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. As shown in FIG.
It is composed of outer hubs 7b and 8b that are movable in the axial direction and engaged in the circumferential direction with respect to the inner hubs 7a and 8a. A gear-shaped locked portion 7a1 is provided on the peripheral surface protruding from 7b and 8b.
．． 8a1 is formed. The locked portions 7a1 . A brake member 11 is provided which performs a braking operation such that the hubs 7 and 8 become unrotatable when the tape cassette 1 is not in use by engaging with the tape cassette 8a1. When loaded, the positioning pin 99 inserted from the reference hole 15 for positioning also functions as a brake release pin, so that it slides in the lock release direction and the hubs 7 and 8 are made rotatable. It is something that Note that the brake member 11 is disposed within a recess 3e formed in the lower half.

The structure and hub lock operation of the brake member 11 disposed in the cassette housing 1 in the tape cassette of this embodiment will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D show a front view, a BB sectional view, a rear view, and a bottom view of the brake member 11.

11a1, 11a2 are gear-shaped locked portions 7a1.1 formed on the inner hubs 7a, 8a when the hubs are locked. 8a1 is a locking claw as a hub locking means that locks the rotation of the hubs 7 and 8 by abutting and engaging, and 11b is a brake spring 11c made of stainless steel wire, for example, which is sandwiched between locking pieces protruding in a staggered manner. As can be seen from FIG. 1(b), the spring fixing portion 11d fixedly held by the cam surface 1 is inclined in a V-shaped cross section with respect to the thickness direction of the cassette housing 1.
1d1 and 11d2. In addition, a hole 11e is provided in the center of the brake member 11 corresponding to the positions of the windows 2c and 3c formed in the upper and lower halves 2 and 3.
This hole 11e is provided with a brake member 1.
1 is sized so that it does not cover the windows 2c, 3c no matter which sliding position it is in.

Reference numeral 11f denotes a guide hole formed in a long hole shape for guiding the sliding movement of the brake member 11 from the hub lock position to the lock release position, and a guide pin 3f protruding from the lower half 3 is inserted into the guide hole 11f. By being inserted,
The position of the brake member 11 in the left and right direction is regulated. As can be seen from FIG. 3, a presser piece 2e, which is protruded from the inner surface of the upper half 2 toward the lower half 3, is in contact with the upper surface of the guide pin 3f, which is protruded from the lower half 3. This prevents the guide pin 3f from coming out of the guide hole 11f of the brake member 11. 11g is a guide hole consisting of a tapered portion 11g1 and a U-shaped hole portion 11g2 continuous thereto, and a guide pin 3g protruding from the lower half 3 is inserted into this guide hole 11g.
will be dealt with. When the guide pin 3g enters the U-shaped hole 11g2, the U-shaped hole 11
g2 and the guide pin 3g, the position of the brake member 11 in the left and right direction is regulated.

This brake member 11 is made of, for example, engineering plastic (usually made of a metal such as SUS) in consideration of its wear resistance against the lock release pin 99 (usually made of metal such as SUS) on the side of the recording/reproducing device and its slidability against the inner surface of the lower half 3. Mainly P
OM).

The hub lock of the brake member 11 and its sliding operation for release will be explained with reference to the internal configuration diagrams in FIGS. 2 and 6 and the schematic diagrams in FIGS. 4 and 5. During normal operation (when not in use), the brake member 11 is attached to the brake spring 11c, which is made of, for example, stainless steel wire and is fixed to the spring fixing part 11b, and is in pressure contact with the pressure contact part 3d in the cassette housing 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the locking claws 11a1 and 11a2 are moved by the inner hubs 7a and 11a2, respectively, due to the force.
The hubs 7 and 8 are in contact with the gear-shaped locked portions 7a1 and 8a1 of the hubs 8a, and the hubs 7 and 8 are in a non-rotatable state, that is, in a hub locked state. However, when the tape cassette 1 is loaded into the recording and reproducing apparatus, the positioning pin 99 provided in the recording and reproducing apparatus is used as a reference for positioning either the upper half 2 side or the lower half 3 side, as shown in FIG. It is inserted through the hole 15. This guides the loading position of the tape cassette 1 in the recording/reproducing apparatus, and at the same time, the positioning pin 99 acts as a brake release pin.

That is, from the cam surface 11d1 to the cam surface 11
d2 are the reference holes 15 and 15 of the upper and lower halves 2 and 3.
Since the positioning pin 99 is formed in a V-shaped cross section that is inclined toward both the penetration direction of the brake member 1
The cam surface 11d1 or 11d2 of the pressing operation part 11d of 1
When the brake member 11 comes into contact with the brake spring 11
The tape cassette 1 is pushed up toward the front of the tape cassette 1 by being guided by the guide pin 3f inserted through the guide portion 11f against the urging force of the tape cassette 1, and slides to the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Therefore, the locking claws 11a1,1
1a2 and the locked portions 7a1 and 8a1 are disengaged, and the hubs 7 and 8 are placed in a rotatable state.

That is, in this embodiment, when the tape cassette 1 which has been brought into a hub-locked state by the brake member 11 as shown in FIG. As a result of the operation, the hub lock is released into the state shown in FIG. 6, and when the positioning pin 99 is ejected from the recording/reproducing apparatus and escapes from the reference hole 15, the state shown in FIG. 6 is changed from the state shown in FIG. 2 by the biasing force obtained by the brake spring 11c. and hubs 7 and 8
rotation is locked.

By the way, when the hub is locked, the guide pin 3g protruding from the lower half 3 is detached from the U-shaped hole 11g2 of the guide hole 11g, as shown in FIG. When sliding to the block release position, the guide pin 3g is guided by the tapered portion 11g1 of the guide hole 11g and introduced into the U-shaped hole portion 11g2. Therefore, when the hub is locked, the lateral position of the brake member 11 is restricted only by the guide hole 11f, whereas when the hub lock is released, the brake member 11 is restricted in its lateral position by the guide holes 11f and 11g.
In both cases, the positions in the left and right directions are regulated. Therefore, when the hub is locked, the brake member 11
is able to swing somewhat in the left and right direction using the guide pin 3f as a fulcrum, and the locking claws 11a, 11a are attached to the respective inner hubs 7a.
, 8a at the optimal angular position,
When the hub lock is released and when sliding from the hub lock release position to the hub lock position, the brake member 11 is kept in a parallel state because its horizontal position is restricted at two points, the guide pins 3f and 3g. Become. In order to enable rocking when the hub is locked, the recess 3e of the lower half 3 is set to provide a clearance C with the brake member 11.

Note that the locking pawl 11a1 of the brake member 11
, 11a2 are engaged portions 7a1, 8 of the inner hubs 7a, 8a at positions outside the center line in the left and right direction of each hub 7, 8.
engaged with a1. Furthermore, in this example, FIG.
Even in the hub lock state, the brake spring 3c is in contact with the pressure contact portion 3d and is slightly bent, that is, slightly convex toward the rear surface of the tape cassette 1. Therefore, the brake member 11 is always urged toward the rear surface of the tape cassette 1 by the brake spring 3c.

As described above, in the hub brake mechanism of the tape cassette 1 of this embodiment, the positioning pin 99 inserted through the reference hole 15 provided near the back surface of the tape cassette 1 moves the brake member 11 toward the front surface. Due to the pushing up action, the locked parts 7a1 and 8a1 of the inner hubs 7a and 8a are biased from the front side toward the back side.
The hub brake is released by disengaging the locking piece 11a that is engaged with the inner hub 7a, 8a from the inner hub 7a, 8a.

In other words, the positioning pin 99 inserted from the reference hole 15 does not slide the brake member 11 toward the back side of the tape cassette 1;
The hub lock is released by sliding the brake member 11 toward the front side of the tape cassette 1, and since the sliding direction of the brake member 11 is opposite to the conventional one, the brake member 11 moves toward the rear side of the tape cassette 1. It is no longer necessary to provide a certain distance from the reference hole 15 to the back surface as a dimensional margin for sliding in the direction. Therefore, there is no problem even if the reference hole 15 is formed closest to the back surface, so that the label pasting area can be widened on the upper and lower half planes, which is particularly effective for ultra-small tape cassettes.

In the case of this embodiment in which the cam surfaces 11d1 and 11d2 are configured to slide the brake member 11 toward the front side of the tape cassette 1 using the positioning pins 99, as shown in FIG. The top portions of the cam surfaces 11d1 and 11d2 of the brake member 11 are not obstructed by the positioning pin 99 in their movement trajectory (indicated by the dashed line), and the brake member 1
1 is not pushed further toward the front of the tape cassette than the hub lock released position. Therefore, when the positioning pin 99 is ejected, no unnecessary resistance is exerted on the tape cassette 1 that prevents a smooth ejecting operation.

Furthermore, the brake member 11 of this embodiment has a length in the sliding direction, that is, the length in FIG.
Since the length indicated by L2 in (b) is sufficiently long, the brake member 11 itself will not tilt or fall in a direction perpendicular to the upper and lower halves.
The hub lock and the hub lock release operation will not be inhibited due to unnecessary friction between the brake member 11 and the inner surface of the lower half 3 due to the inclination or fall of the brake member 11.

Further, when the lock release pin 99 is released from the hublock release state and the hublock state is changed, the brake member 11 is slid toward the back side of the tape cassette 1 by the biasing force of the brake spring 11c, and the hublock is released. Since they are in a blocked state, the hubs 7 and 8 are slightly displaced toward the rear surface due to the pressing force of the brake member 11 at this time. In other words, since the hubs 7 and 8 are displaced in the direction in which the tape T is pulled when the hub is locked, the tape T does not loosen during the hub lock.

[0041] Also, when the hub lock is applied, the brake member 11
As mentioned above, is in a state where it can swing slightly about the guide pin 3f as a fulcrum. Moreover, the guide pin 3f portion that becomes the fulcrum when the hub is locked is provided with locking claws 11a1 and 11a2.
It is located toward the front of the tape cassette 1. Therefore, the locking claws 11a1 and 11a2 independently and differentially engage the inner hubs 7a and 8a. In other words, the locking claws 11a1, 11a2
The biasing force obtained by the brake spring 11c being in pressure contact with the pressure contact portion 3d is obtained while being balanced with the guide pin 3f portion as a fulcrum, and is differentially applied to the inner hub 7a.
, 8a are engaged with the locked portions 7a1, 8a1. Therefore, even if rolling is applied to the tape cassette 11 from the outside, the hub rotating in the direction that tightens the tape T will push the brake member 11 laterally, thereby causing the locking pawl that is engaged with the other hub to come off. This does not occur, and therefore, the tape T will not be fed out from one hub due to rolling and the tape T will not become loose.

Furthermore, when the hub lock is applied, the brake member 11 itself is not necessarily kept parallel in order to maintain an equilibrium state of the biasing force, but when the hub lock is released, the guide pin 3g moves into the U-shaped hole of the guide hole 11g. 11g2 to regulate the horizontal position of the brake member 11, that is, the brake member 11 is inserted into the guide pins 3f, 3
g and is kept in a parallel state in which it cannot swing, so no inconvenience occurs during sliding operation or when releasing the hub lock. Further, the brake member 11 is restricted to the parallel state only when the hub lock is released, and the locking claws 11a1, 1
Since 1a2 functions differentially, one side will not become disengaged due to a difference in hub winding diameter (difference in hub weight). Note that a guide pin may be formed on the brake member 11 side, and a guide hole through which the guide pin is inserted may be formed in the lower half 3 to serve as a sliding guide and lateral position regulating means for the brake member 11.

Furthermore, as described above, the hub lock is released when the brake member 11 slides from the back side to the front side of the tape cassette 1, contrary to the conventional method. Therefore, when the hub is locked, the hubs 7 and 8 are already urged toward the rear side by the brake member 11, so even if an impact is applied from the rear side of the tape cassette 1 when the hub is locked, the hub 7
, 8 do not momentarily move toward the rear part. In other words, when there is an impact from the direction of the back surface, the hubs 7 and 8 are displaced toward the back surface, and the hub 7 is pulled by the tape T.
, 8 do not rotate. Therefore, there is no possibility that the tape T will be pulled out from the hubs 7 and 8 due to an impact from the direction of the back side of the tape cassette 1, and the tape T will become loose.

By the way, in order to obtain these various advantages, the locking pawl 11a1 is engaged from the front side of the tape cassette 1 by the positioning pin 99 inserted from the reference hole 15 near the back side of the tape cassette 1. , 11a2
If the brake member 11 is configured to release the brake member 11, the brake member 11 itself will cover the window portion 3c of the lower half 3. For this reason, in this embodiment, the hole 11e is provided as described above, and the hole 11e allows the remaining amount of the magnetic tape T to be confirmed even from the window 3c on the lower half 3 side.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. 11(a), (b), (c), and (d) are front views of the brake member 31 in this second embodiment, C
-C sectional view, top view, and bottom view, FIGS. 12 and 1
3 is an explanatory diagram of the internal structure of the tape cassette 1A of this second embodiment. In addition, in these figures, Figures 2 and 5
The same parts are indicated by the same reference numerals.

In the brake member 31 in this embodiment, the locked portions 7a1 of the inner hubs 7a, 8a are locked when the hubs are locked.
．． 8a1 and locking claws 31a1 and 31a2 that lock the rotation of the hubs 7 and 8, and a cam surface 31d1 that is inclined in a V-shaped cross section with respect to the thickness direction of the tape cassette 1A.
, 31d2, and the holes 31e provided corresponding to the positions of the windows 2c, 3c formed in the upper and lower halves 2, 3A are almost the same as the brake member 11 in the first embodiment. In addition, guide pins 3f and 3g are provided to protrude from the lower half 3A in the same way as in the first embodiment to regulate the left and right position of the brake member 31 when sliding.
Guide holes 31f and 31g are provided through which the springs are inserted, but only one spring fixing portion 31b is provided at the center of the upper part of the brake member 31, and brake springs 31c made of, for example, stainless steel wire are arranged in a staggered manner. It is held fixed by being sandwiched between L-shaped locking pieces 31b1 and 31b2. Moreover, the brake spring 31c extends greatly in the left-right direction of the brake member 11, and as shown in FIG.
It is locked at 1,3h2.

The brake spring 31c is locked at both ends by the stepped portions 3h1 and 3h2, and is convex toward the front of the tape cassette 1A, so that the brake member 31 can be attached to the tape cassette 1A. Therefore, under normal conditions (when not in use), the locking claws 31a1 and 31a2 are biased toward the inner hub 7a as shown in FIG.
, 8a are engaged with the locked portions 7a1, 8a1 of the hub brakes, thereby creating a hub brake state. When the positioning pin 99 is inserted from the reference hole 15, the cam surface 31d1 or 31d2
The operation in which the brake member 31 slides to the state shown in FIG. 13 and the hub lock is released is the same as in the first embodiment, and substantially the same effect can be obtained.

In the first and second embodiments described above, a wire-like spring member (
Brake springs 11c, 31c) are used, which allows the structure of the biasing means to be made smaller (thinner), which is effective in reducing the size of the tape cassette 1 (1A). Additionally, since it is a substantially linear spring with a long span, it has excellent durability against fatigue and deflection.

Furthermore, when the hub is locked, the brake member 11
, 31 are attached so that the brake springs 11c, 31c are in a slightly bent state (or at least in a straight state), and when the hub lock is released, this brake spring 1
A force is applied in a direction that causes 1c and 31c to further bend. In other words, force is always applied to the brake spring 11c itself in the first embodiment so that the center part thereof becomes convex toward the back surface of the tape cassette 1, and the brake spring 31c itself in the second embodiment A force is always applied to the tape cassette 1A so that its central portion is convex toward the front of the tape cassette 1A. In other words, since the force that biases the brake springs 11c, 31c itself is always applied in a fixed direction, the brake springs 11c, 31c may warp or spring up when the brake member 11 is assembled or slides. Furthermore, even if the brake springs 11c and 31c do not have a circular cross section but a rectangular cross section or even a plate-like cross section, the brake springs themselves will not collapse. Therefore, the brake member 11,
There is an advantage that the assembly work and sliding movement of 31 can be performed stably.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the brake member 1
1, 31 were provided with holes 11e, 31e corresponding to the window 3c of the lower half 3 (3A), but when the brake members 11, 31 are configured in this way, the holes 11e, 31e
Both side portions of the brake members 11 and 31 become thinner, which causes some difficulty in terms of the rigidity of the main bodies of the brake members 11 and 31. Also, upper and lower half 2
, 3 (3A), the size, shape, and position of the window 3c formed in the holes 11e and 31e are limited to within a range corresponding to the holes 11e and 31e.

For this reason, FIGS. 14(a), (b), (c), and (d)
In the third embodiment shown as a front view, a DD sectional view, a rear view, and a bottom view, a hole corresponding to the window 3c of the lower half 3 is not provided, and the brake member 61 is formed entirely as a transparent body. It is something. Note that 61a1 and 61a2 are locking claws, 61b is a staggered locking piece that fixes the brake spring 61c, and 61d is a cam surface 61d1.
, 61d2, and 61f and 61g are guide holes, and their configuration and operation are the same as each part of the brake member 11 in FIG. 1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

By constructing the entire body as a transparent body and eliminating the need for a hole corresponding to the window portion 3c, the rigidity of the brake member 61 itself can be improved, and moreover, it is possible to improve the rigidity of the brake member 61 itself. This provides an excellent effect in that the size, shape, and position of the window portions 2c and 3c can be freely set.

Furthermore, as a fourth embodiment, FIG. 15(a) (
b) By forming the brake member 71 as shown in the front view, side view, and bottom view in (c), problems regarding the strength of the brake member itself and the design of the windows 2c and 3c are also solved. . In this embodiment, a spring fixing part 71b fixes a brake spring 71c with locking pieces protruding in a staggered manner, and a pressing operation part 71 having cam surfaces 71d1 and 71d2.
d is the same as the first embodiment described above, but the main body of the brake member 71 is formed with curved parts 71h1 and 71h2 that are largely curved left and right to surround the central part, and a hole 71e is formed in the central part. Ru. And each curved portion 71h1
, 71h2, locking claws 71a1, 71a2 as hub locking means are provided in the center direction. In addition,
71f and 71g are guide holes through which the guide pins 3f and 3g of the lower half 3 are inserted.

This brake member 71 is installed in the lower half 3 as shown in FIG. 16, and the locking claw 71a1
, 71a2 are the locked parts 7a1 of the inner hubs 7a, 8a,
8a1 to be in the hub locked state, and similarly to the first embodiment, the positioning pin 99 is inserted and comes into contact with the cam surface 71d1 or 71d2, thereby sliding to the position shown in FIG. 17. This causes the hub lock to be released. This fourth embodiment also allows the rigidity of the brake member 71 to be improved compared to the first and second embodiments, and the sizes of the windows 2c, 3c formed in the upper and lower halves 2, 3, This means that the shape and position can be set relatively freely in the central portion of the tape cassette.

Although the tape cassette of the present invention has been described above with reference to various embodiments, the shapes and materials of the tape cassette and brake member are not limited to those described above.
It should be changed depending on the size, purpose, shape, etc. of the tape cassette to which the present invention is applied.

[0056]

As explained above, in the tape cassette of the present invention, the brake member contacts the pair of hubs from the front direction of the tape cassette, and is inserted through the insertion hole provided in the half near the back side of the cassette housing. The brake member is configured so that it is moved to the hub lock release position when the pin is brought into contact with the brake member, thereby achieving various effects such as preventing the tape from loosening and tilting the brake member, and securing the label area. At the same time, by providing a hole at a position corresponding to the window provided in the center of the half, the window will not be covered by the brake member and the remaining amount of tape can be easily checked. The effect is that it can be done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a brake member in a first embodiment;
They are a BB sectional view, a back view, and a bottom view.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a hub lock state in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tape cassette of the first embodiment in the AA direction.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the hub lock operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a hub lock release operation in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a hub lock release state in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation during ejection of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the tape cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the tape cassette and head drum of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the tape cassette of the present invention with a head drum inserted therein.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the brake member in the second embodiment;
They are a CC sectional view, a top view, and a bottom view.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a hub lock state in the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a hub lock release state in the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a front view, a DD sectional view, a rear view, and a bottom view of a brake member in a third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a front view, a side view, and a bottom view of a brake member in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a hub lock state in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of a hub lock release state in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a conventional hub brake mechanism.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a conventional hub brake mechanism.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a conventional hub brake mechanism.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of a label attachment area of a conventional tape cassette.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a conventional tape cassette during ejection.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of a folding operation of a brake member of a conventional tape cassette.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of slack in the tape T during hub lock in a conventional tape cassette.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of slack in the tape T during rolling application of a conventional tape cassette.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram of the slack of the tape T when a conventional tape cassette is subjected to a rear impact.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1A Tape cassette 2 Upper half 3, 3A Lower half 2c, 3c Window section 3d Contact section 3e, 3f Guide pin 7a, 8a Inner hub 7a1, 8a1 Locked section 11, 31, 61, 71 Brake member 11a1,
11a2 , 31a1 , 31a2 , 61a1 , 6
1a2, 71a1, 71a2 locking claw 11b,
31b, 61b, 71b Spring fixing part 11c, 31c
, 61c, 71c Brake spring 11d, 31d, 6
1d, 71d Inclined cam portion 11e, 31e, 71e
Hole portions 11f, 31f, 61f, 71f Guide hole 11g,
31g, 61g, 71g Guide hole 15 Reference hole

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A magnetic tape is movably disposed so as to be able to approach and separate from the front side of the tape cassette with respect to the circumferential surfaces of a pair of hubs around which the magnetic tape is wound, and is biased toward a lock position in contact with the hubs. an inclined cam portion that moves to an unlocked position against the bias of the spring member when the spring member contacts the pin inserted through the insertion hole provided in the half near the back surface of the tape cassette; A tape cassette is provided with a hub lock and a brake member configured to release the hub lock, and a window portion is formed in the half so that the remaining amount of tape can be checked, the tape cassette comprising: A tape cassette characterized in that a hole is provided at a position corresponding to the window so that the brake member does not cover the window.