JPH0477384B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a cassette loading device for a tape recorder, and more particularly to a cassette loading device for inserting and loading a tape cassette onto a cassette holder from the front thereof. be.

(Summary of the Invention) The present invention provides a cassette loading device in which a tape cassette is moved horizontally from a cassette holder take-out position and then vertically to convey the tape cassette to a loading position. The tape cassette is positioned by rotating the cassette receiving member upward at the beginning of horizontal movement from the mounting position of the cassette holder and engaging the protrusion of the receiving member with the hole on the bottom surface of the tape cassette. By doing so, it is possible to improve the operability when inserting the tape cassette onto the cassette holder at the take-out position and when taking it out from the holder.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in this type of cassette loading device, when a tape cassette is inserted and placed on a cassette holder, a hook is elastically engaged with a concave loading grip on the top surface of the tape cassette, and the tape is loaded. The cassette was being positioned.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above conventional configuration, when the tape cassette is inserted into or taken out from the cassette holder, it is difficult to engage and disengage the loading grip and the hook. This resulted in resistance and made it difficult to operate.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention inserts and places a tape cassette on a cassette holder from the front, moves the cassette holder from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction, and inserts the tape cassette into the cassette holder. In a cassette loading device for transporting a tape from a pick-up position to a loading position, the tape cassette is located at the lower front of the cassette holder and is pivotally supported by the cassette holder so as to be vertically movable, and is engaged with a hole in the bottom surface of the tape cassette by the vertical movement. A cassette receiving member provided with a protrusion that can be removed; and a receiving member moving means that rotates the cassette receiving member and engages the protrusion with a hole in the lower surface of the tape cassette at the beginning of horizontal movement of the cassette holder from the take-out position. The cassette receiving member is moved integrally with the cassette holder with its protrusion engaged with the lower surface of the tape cassette during the later stages of horizontal movement and vertical movement from the take-out position of the cassette holder. It is composed of

(Function) In the above configuration, when the cassette holder is in the ejection position, the cassette receiving member is in the downward rotation position, and the protrusion on the cassette receiving member does not get in the way when the tape cassette is inserted into or removed from the cassette holder. do not have. Then, when the cassette holder moves horizontally from the take-out position, the cassette receiving member is rotated upward at the beginning, and the protrusion engages with the hole on the bottom surface of the tape cassette.
The tape cassette is positioned in the front-rear direction, so that it will not shift back and forth during transportation.

Therefore, there is no need to employ the concave-convex engagement between the loading grip and the hook as in the prior art, and the operability when loading and unloading the tape cassette is improved.

(Example) Examples of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail below.

First, the structure of the tape cassette used in this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. In Figure 4,
Tape cassette 1 has a lid 2 that can be opened and closed on the tip side.
It has a slider 3 which can be slid on the lower surface part. The ribbon 2 is always urged in the closing direction by a spring (not shown), and opens to expose the tape 4 by rotating upward. The slider 3 is always urged toward the ribbon 2 by a spring (not shown), and when it moves backward, it opens the tip of the lower surface of the tape cassette 1 and the lower end of the ribbon 2, and in the open state, the ribbon 2 opens. Allows opening operation. Further, the lower surface of the slider 3 has two grooves 3a, 3a extending rearward from the tip edge, and through holes are provided at the front and rear ends of the grooves 3a, 3a. The lock pins 5, 5 selectively engage with the through holes at the front end and the through hole at the rear end of the concave grooves 3a, 3a, and when engaged with the through holes at the rear end, the slider 3 is moved forward toward the Rit 2 side. Second, they are for holding the slider 3 in a position retracted from the rim 2 side when the slider 3 is engaged with the through hole at the front end. Then, from the state shown in FIG. 4a, after releasing the lock by the lock pins 5, 5, the slider 3 is moved back in the direction of the arrow, and the state shown in FIG.
Then, the ribbon 2 is rotated in the direction of the arrow to expose the tape 4 as shown in FIG. 4c. In FIG. 4, 2a, 2a are notches provided on the lower end edge of the ribbon 2, 3b, 3b are contact pieces provided on the tip edge of the slider 3 opposite to the notches 2a, 2a, 1
Reference characters a and 1a indicate holes called data holes, which are provided at the rear end of the lower surface of the tape cassette 1 on the left and right sides.

Next, a loading device for the tape cassette 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The cassette holder 6 has a bottom plate part 6a, side plate parts 6
b, and a spring support portion 6c extending inward from the upper edge of the both side plate portions 6b.
A plate spring 7 is attached to the plate surface of the plate, and a square hole 6d is bored. The plate spring 7 has one end as a fixed end, and the other free end as a spring support portion 6c through a square hole 6d.
It is in a state of protruding downward, and also has a contact piece 7a projecting to the outside of the side plate part 6b at the middle part.

The slider receiving plate 8 is slidably supported on the bottom plate 6a of the cassette holder 6 by fitting a bent piece 8a at the center of the front edge into a groove 6e in the bottom plate 6a. The slider receiving plate 8 has a bent piece 8b that passes through the notch 2a of the tape cassette 1 at the rear end and hits the contact piece 3b, and a bent piece 8c that hits the stopper of the frame described later on both sides of the rear end.
are formed respectively on the plate, and the lock pin 5 is inserted into the groove 3a of the tape cassette 1 and pushed in.
Projection 8 that releases the lock of slider 3 by a
form d.

The auxiliary lever 9 has arms 9a at both ends, and the free ends of the arms 9a are rotatably supported on the outer surfaces of both side plates 6b of the cassette holder 6 by means of guide shafts 10. It is installed across the top of the This auxiliary lever 9 has a positioning piece 9b bent at its rear edge, and this positioning piece 9b is attached to the spring support part 6 of the cassette holder 6.
It protrudes below the spring support part 6c at the rear of the spring support part 6c.

Cassette receiving angle (cassette receiving member) 1
1 has the free ends of the arms 11a on both sides positioned between the side plates 6b of the cassette holder 6 and the arm 9a of the auxiliary lever 9, and is pivotally supported by a guide shaft 10 common to the arm 9a so as to be vertically movable. There is. This cassette receiving angle 11 is located at the front of the lower part of the cassette holder 6, and has a protrusion 1 that engages with the data hole 5 of the tape cassette 1 when rotated upward.
1b, and when rotating downward, the free end of the arm 11a pushes up the abutting piece 7a and causes the free end of the leaf spring 7 to bend upward.

Next, the support mechanism for the cassette holder 6 will be explained. The frame 12 is located inside the tape recorder main body, and both side plates 12a thereof have first and second guide grooves of the same shape, each consisting of a horizontal groove extending horizontally and a vertical groove continuing downward from the rear end of the horizontal groove. 13, 13a are formed spaced apart from each other in the front and back.
Thus, the cassette holder 6 has a guide shaft 10.
By inserting the guide shafts 14 at the rear ends of both side plate parts into the first guide groove 13 and the second guide groove 13a, respectively, after moving backward from the extraction position (front position) in the horizontal direction, It is supported by a frame 12 so as to be able to move downward. As described above, the support mechanism for the cassette holder 6 consists of the guide shafts 10, 14 and the guide grooves 13, 13a of the frame 12.

Further, the side plates 12a of the frame 12 are provided with a third guide groove 13b consisting of a horizontal groove extending in the horizontal direction, a vertical groove continuing to the rear end of the horizontal groove and extending downward, and an inclined groove continuing to the front end of the horizontal groove and extending diagonally downward. A guide shaft 15 provided on the arm 11a of the cassette receiving angle 11 is fitted into this guide groove 13b. The guide groove 13b has an inclined groove that acts on the guide shaft 15 to rotate the cassette receiving angle 11 upward at the beginning of the horizontal backward movement of the cassette holder 6 from the take-out position.
During horizontal backward movement and downward movement of the cassette holder 6 from the take-out position, the horizontal and vertical grooves act on the guide shaft 15 to move the cassette receiving angle 11 integrally with the cassette holder 6. The inclined groove portion 13b and the guide shaft 15 constitute a receiving member moving means for rotating the cassette receiving angle 11 upward.

Next, the lid opening mechanism of the tape cassette 1 will be explained. This rift opening mechanism consists of a rift lever 16, a spring 17 and a cassette holder 6.
A rest lever 16 is pivotally supported on a bent piece 12b of a frame 12 by a shaft 18 so as to be vertically movable, and the rest lever 16 is always biased and held at a predetermined position by a spring 17. The lit lever 16 is formed with a protrusion 16a against which the inclined edge 6f formed at the rear end of the side plate portion 6b comes into contact when the cassette holder 6 moves backward. Rotational force is applied via the protrusion 16a by the action of the spring 1.
7 and engages with the lower end of the rim 2 of the tape cassette 1, which is lowered together with the cassette holder 6, thereby opening the rim 2.

The opening/closing door 19 opens and closes the cassette insertion slot of the tape recorder main body, and the cassette holder 6 is linked to this opening/closing operation via a holder moving mechanism. This holder moving mechanism includes a fan-shaped door gear 20 attached to the door arm 19a of the opening/closing door 19;
It is composed of an intermediate gear 21, an arm gear 22, an overstroke arm 23, a compression spring 24, etc., and the overstroke arm 23 has one end rotatably connected to the guide shaft 10 and a long hole 23a of the other end connected to the pin of the arm gear 22. The compression spring 24 is loosely fitted into the portion 22a, and the compression spring 24 is interposed between the pin portion 22a of the arm gear 22 and the guide shaft 10. The opening/closing door 19 is always urged in the opening direction by a spring 25.

In FIG. 1, 12c is the side plate 12 of the frame 12.
A stopper 12 is formed vertically by cutting and raising the inner surface of a, and restricts the backward movement of the slider receiving plate 8 by coming into contact with the bent piece 8c of the slider receiving plate 8.
Similarly, d is a projection formed on the inner surface of the both side plates 12a, which pushes up the rear end side of the auxiliary lever 9 when the cassette holder 6 moves backward and then moves downward. 26 is another guide shaft provided on both side plates 6b of the cassette holder 6, and 27 is a guide shaft provided at the rear end of the arm 11a of the cassette receiving angle 11. This is to allow the cassette holder 6 and cassette receiving angle 11 to move more stably. Reference numeral 28 denotes a guide plate made of a resin molded product attached to the inner surface of both side plates 12a of the frame 12, and the guide shafts 26 and 27 are moved during the latter stage of horizontal backward movement of the cassette holder 6 from the take-out position and during the downward movement of the holder 6. Groove 28a, 2 to fit into
8b to stabilize the moving operation during this period. Note that the guide grooves for the guide shafts 26 and 27 are not formed in the frame 12;
The reason why the separate guide plate 28 is used is as follows.
This is because three guide grooves 13, 13a, and 13b are already formed in the side plate 12a of the frame 12, and if two more guide grooves are formed, the strength of the frame 12 cannot be maintained sufficiently. A stopper 28c is formed on the guide plate 28 so as to face the front surface of the upper end of the stopper 12c, and restricts the forward movement of the slider receiving plate 8 by coming into contact with the bent piece 8c.

In the above configuration, when the opening/closing door 19 is opened, each guide 10, 14, 15 is at the front end position of each guide groove 13, 13a, 13b as shown in FIG. It's dark. In this ejecting position, the cassette receiving angle 11 is in a downward rotating position as shown in FIG. It is in a state of being bent. On the other hand, the bending piece 8c of the slider receiving plate 8 comes into contact with the stopper 28c, so that its forward movement is restricted, and the slider receiving plate 8 is at the most rearward position with respect to the bottom plate 6a of the cassette holder 6.

In this state, the tape cassette 1 is inserted and placed on the bottom plate 6a of the cassette holder 6 through the cassette insertion opening of the tape recorder main body. On this occasion,
The tape cassette 1 has a cassette receiving angle 11.
The upper protrusion 11b does not get in the way, and it can be inserted smoothly without being subjected to resistance from the leaf spring 7. The tape cassette 1 is inserted until its rim 2 hits the positioning piece 9b of the auxiliary lever 9, and the tape cassette 1 is positioned on the bottom plate 6a of the cassette holder 6.

After the tape cassette 1 is inserted, the opening/closing door 19 is closed, and the tape cassette 1 is transported from the removal position to the installation position by the following operation.

When the opening/closing door 19 starts to close, the arm gear 22 is connected via the door gear 20 and the intermediate gear 21 as the opening/closing door 19 begins to close.
begins to rotate, and the guide shaft 10 is moved rearward within the lateral groove of the guide groove 13 via the overstroke arm 23. That is, the guide shafts 10 and 14 of the cassette holder 6 are guided by the lateral grooves of the guide grooves 13 and 13a, and the cassette holder 6 begins to move backward in the horizontal direction from the take-out position.

At the beginning of the horizontal backward movement of the cassette holder 6 from the take-out position, the cassette receiving angle 11 that moves together with the cassette holder 6 gradually rotates upward as the guide shaft 15 moves along the inclined groove of the guide shaft 13b. When the guide shaft 15 reaches the horizontal groove of the guide groove 13b, the protrusion 11b engages with the data hole 1a of the tape cassette 1. On the other hand, the leaf spring 7 gradually descends as the cassette receiving angle 11 rotates.
When the guide shaft 15 reaches the lateral groove of the guide groove 13b, the tape cassette 1 is pressed onto the bottom plate portion 6a of the cassette holder 6. Therefore, tape cassette 1
is securely positioned and fixed on the bottom plate portion 6a of the cassette holder 6.

After the guide shaft 15 reaches the lateral groove of the guide groove 13b, the cassette receiving angle 11 moves integrally with the cassette holder 6.

Further, during the backward movement of the cassette holder 6, the bent piece 8c of the slider receiving plate 8 comes into contact with the stopper 12c, and the backward movement is prevented, and the slider receiving plate 8 is in a state to receive the cassette holder 6 that is moving backward thereafter. And the protrusion 8d of the slider receiving plate 8
is fitted into the groove 3a of the tape cassette 1 that is retreating together with the cassette holder 6, and the lock pin 5 is pushed in, and the bent piece 8b is then inserted into the slider 3.
As a result, the slider 3 of the tape cassette 1 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 4a to the fourth position.
It is in a retracted state to the position shown in Figure b.

Thus, each guide shaft 10, 14, 15 is connected to each guide groove 13, 13a, 13b as shown in FIG.
When it reaches the rear end of the horizontal groove (upper end of the vertical groove), the slider receiving plate 8 is in the state where it overlaps the bottom plate part 6a of the cassette holder 6 to the maximum extent, and the slider 3 of the tape cassette 1 is moved as shown in FIG. 4b. It is set in a state where it is retracted from the lift 2, and these states are maintained by the vertically long stopper 12c even during the subsequent lowering operation. Further, the inclined edge 6f of the side plate 6b of the cassette holder 6 is in contact with the protrusion 16a of the lit lever 16, as shown in FIG. 3a, and the rear end of the auxiliary lever 9 is positioned on the protrusion 12. .

When the closing operation of the opening/closing door 19 further progresses from the above-mentioned state, each guide shaft 10, 14, 15 moves into the vertical groove of each guide groove 13, 13a, 13b, and the guide shaft 26, which is a strong auxiliary element, 27 is also a guide plate 28
The cassette holder 6, slider receiving plate 8, and cassette receiving angle 11 begin to move downward in an integral and stable state. During this downward movement, the rear end of the auxiliary lever 9 is pushed up by the protrusion 12d, so that the auxiliary lever 9 rotates about the guide shaft 10 as a fulcrum, and moves the positioning piece 9b away from the rim 2 of the tape cassette 1, thereby opening the rim 2. The state allows operation.
On the other hand, rotational force is applied to the lit lever 16 by the inclined edge 6f of the cassette holder 6 via the protrusion 16a, and the spring 1 is applied in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 3a.
The tip of the tape cassette 1 is hooked onto the lower end of the rim 2 of the tape cassette 1, which rotates against the cassette holder 6 and descends together with the cassette holder 6, etc., and by the synergistic effect with the lowering of the tape cassette 2, the rim 2 is moved as shown in Fig. 3b. Open it up like this.

When the opening/closing door 19 completely closes the cassette insertion slot of the tape recorder main body, each guide shaft 1
0, 14, and 15 reach the lower ends of the vertical grooves of the respective guide grooves 13, 13a, and 13b, and the tape cassette 1 together with the cassette holder 6 reaches the mounting position. In this state, tape cassette 1
The rim 2 is completely open as shown in FIG. 4c.

As mentioned above, the cassette holder 6 is attached to the opening/closing door 1.
With the closing operation of the tape cassette 9, the tape cassette 1 is moved horizontally backward from the take-out position, and then moved downward to convey the tape cassette 1 to the mounting position.

Next, when removing the tape cassette 1, the door 19 is unlocked by operating an eject button, for example. Then, the opening/closing door 19 performs an opening operation due to the urging force of the spring 25, and along with this opening operation, the arm gear 22 rotates in the opposite direction to the previous one, and the cassette is opened by the opposite operation to the previous one. The holder 6 is moved upward and then moved forward to transport the tape cassette 1 to the take-out position.
Then, the tape cassette 1 that has reached the ejection position is
The protrusion 11b of the cassette receiving angle 11 does not get in the way, and the cassette can be taken out from above the cassette holder 6 without being subjected to resistance from the leaf spring 7.

In the above embodiment, the leaf spring 7 is linked to the vertical movement of the cassette receiving angle 11, but there is no particular need to link it. However, in this case, when the tape cassette is inserted into and removed from the cassette holder, it will encounter resistance from the leaf spring.
The front and rear positioning of the tape cassette is performed by the engagement between the data hole of the cassette and the protrusion of the cassette receiving angle, so the tape cassette and leaf spring do not have the same uneven elastic engagement as conventional loading grips and hooks. Since there is no need for mating, and it is only necessary to make elastic contact, there is less resistance when putting in and taking out compared to the conventional method, and operability can be improved.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the present invention, a tape cassette is inserted and placed on a cassette holder from the front, and the cassette holder is moved from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction to transport the tape cassette from an unloading position to a mounting position. In a cassette loading device, at the beginning of horizontal movement of the cassette holder from the take-out position, the cassette receiving member is rotated upward so that its protrusion engages with the hole on the bottom surface of the tape cassette, thereby positioning the tape cassette. This makes it possible to reduce the resistance to taking the tape cassette in and out at the take-out position, thereby improving operability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an exploded configuration diagram showing a cassette loading device in an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 a to c
is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the main parts such as the cassette holder, etc.
FIGS. 3a and 3b are explanatory diagrams showing the structure of the above-described lithium opening mechanism in different states, and FIGS. 4a to 4c are bottom perspective views showing different states of the tape cassette used in the same apparatus. 1: tape cassette, 1a: data hole (hole), 6: cassette holder, 10: guide shaft,
11: Cassette receiving angle, 11b: Protrusion, 1
2: Frame, 13, 13a, 13b: Guide groove, 14, 15: Guide shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A tape cassette is inserted and placed on a cassette holder from the front, and the cassette holder is moved from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction to transport the tape cassette from an unloading position to a mounting position, a cassette receiving member located at the front of the lower part of the holder and provided with a protrusion that is pivotally supported on the cassette holder so as to be movable vertically and that engages and disengages from the hole on the bottom surface of the tape cassette by the vertical movement; and an ejection position of the cassette holder. and a receiving member moving means for rotating the cassette receiving member upward to engage the protrusion with the hole in the lower surface of the tape cassette at the beginning of horizontal movement of the cassette holder from the take-out position. A cassette loading device characterized in that the cassette receiving member is moved integrally with the cassette holder in a state in which the protrusion is engaged with the hole in the tape cassette at the later stage and when moving in the vertical direction.