JPH0512631A - Head cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the cleaning performance by providing a separating mechanism for separating a cleaning tape from a liquid supply means at the cleaning time in a cartridge case. CONSTITUTION:This is such a head cleaner that the cleaning tape 2 possessed in the cartridge case 1 is drawn out of the case 1 by a tape drawing member L on the side of a player so as to be circumscribed on a magnetic head H. The liquid supply means 7 for supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape 2 by contacting the cleaning tape under the supply of the cleaning liquid from the exterior is fixed in a fixed position inside the cartridge case 1. Then, the tape separating mechanism for separating the cleaning tape 2 from the liquid supply means 7 at the cleaning time is provided in the cartridge case 1. Thus, since the dry wipe is performed after the wet wipe on the magnetic head H, magnetic dust, etc., stuck to the magnetic head H can securely be removed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a head cleaner which is applied to a player for receiving a magnetic tape cartridge for video or audio and cleans the magnetic head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a head cleaner of this type, a predetermined amount of cleaning tape is held in a cartridge case whose external shape is substantially the same as that of a real magnetic tape cartridge for video or audio.
When loaded in the player, the cleaning tape is pulled out to the front of the case by the tape pull-out member on the player side, and the tape is pressed against the peripheral surface of the rotating magnetic head to clean the head surface. Such a head cleaner is known, for example, in JP-A-56-105321.

[0003]

Therefore, in general, the cleaning is conventionally performed by either wet cleaning in which a cleaning liquid is attached to a cleaning tape or dry cleaning in which the cleaning liquid is not used at all. Wet cleaning is superior to dry cleaning in terms of the cleaning effect on the head surface. On the other hand, there are problems that traces of contact of the cleaning liquid remain after cleaning and that the constituent fibers of the cleaning tape adhere to the head surface together with the cleaning liquid. Further, in conventional wet cleaning, since the cleaning liquid is continuously applied to the cleaning tape in a solid coating state, the friction resistance between the cleaning tape and the magnetic head is orders of magnitude higher than that in the dry cleaning, and the phenomenon of sticking occurs. It is easy to cause the tape to run. Further, since the head is wet, there is a disadvantage that the player cannot perform the reproducing operation immediately after cleaning.

The dry cleaning is in time when the head surface is less contaminated, but it is difficult to obtain a sufficient cleaning effect when the head surface is contaminated to a certain extent or more. Further, there is also a problem in that the magnetic powder and the microdust removed from the head surface cannot be properly captured on the tape surface, and it is difficult to reliably remove the contaminants from the deck. As described above, both wet cleaning and dry cleaning have advantages and disadvantages, and the conventional head cleaner cannot reliably and sufficiently clean the magnetic head.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to use wet cleaning and dry cleaning in combination, "wet wiping" the magnetic head, and then "wiping" it from the magnetic head to improve the cleaning performance of the magnetic head. To obtain a head cleaner that can ensure certainty.

[0006]

As shown in the figure, the present invention is a head cleaner in which a cleaning tape 2 held in a cartridge case 1 is pulled out of the case by a tape pull-out member L on the player side and contacts the magnetic head H. In the cartridge case 1, a liquid supply means 7 for supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape 2 by being supplied with the cleaning liquid from the outside and coming into contact with the cleaning tape 2 is fixed at a fixed position. It is a requirement that a tape removing mechanism for separating the cleaning tape 2 from the liquid supply means 7 is provided in the cartridge case 1.

[0007]

Operation: Liquid supply means 7 from the outside of the cartridge case 1
When the head cleaner of the present invention is loaded on the player, the cleaning tape 2 is pulled out of the case by the tape pull-out member L on the player side,
The tape 2 contacts the peripheral surface of the magnetic head H for cleaning. At that time, the cleaning tape 2 is switched from the state in which it is in contact with the liquid supply means 7 to the state in which it is separated. The cleaning liquid is supplied from the liquid supply means 7 to the cleaning tape 2 in the above contact state. In the separated state, the cleaning tape 2 is not supplied with the cleaning liquid from the liquid supply means 7.

[0008]

According to the present invention, therefore, the magnetic head H is wet-cleaned, that is, "wet-wipe", and then immediately dry-cleaned, that is, "wipe". It is possible to reliably remove such things on the tape surface with cleaning liquid. At that time, since the cleaning liquid is not continuously applied to the cleaning tape 2, the tape cannot run due to excessive sliding contact resistance between the tape 2 and the magnetic head H. Also,
Since the head surface is dry after cleaning, the deck can be immediately regenerated. It is possible to wipe the contact mark of the cleaning liquid adhering to the magnetic head H, the tape-constituting fibers dropped off during the wet cleaning, and the like with a dry tape surface on which the cleaning liquid is not adhered, thereby keeping the head surface in a clean state. Magnetic powder and micro dust removed from the head surface
The tape can be reliably taken out of the player by being caught on the tape surface to which the cleaning liquid is attached. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the periphery of the magnetic head H from being contaminated with magnetic powder or the like removed from the head surface, and always maintain a clean state.

Further, for example, when intermittently applying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape 2, if the liquid supplying means 7 is brought into contact with and separated from the cleaning tape 2 which is running at a fixed position via a swing lever or the like, the liquid is supplied. There is a possibility that the cleaning liquid may be sprinkled around the outer periphery when the means 7 is swung, but even if the same intermittent coating is adopted, the liquid supply means 7 of the present invention is fixed at a fixed position, so that the cleaning liquid may be scattered around. It doesn't scatter. Liquid supply means 7
Since it is in a fixed position, it is possible to favorably replenish it with cleaning liquid from outside the case.

[0010]

2 to 10, the head cleaner shown in FIG. 2 has a cartridge case 1 having substantially the same outer shape and function as a VHS type real magnetic tape cartridge. The cleaning tape 2 is held inside this case. One end of the cleaning tape 2 is locked to the supply reel 3 and the other end is locked to the winding reel 4. A pilot roller mechanism 5, a liquid supply means 7, a tape surface switching means 6 and the like are arranged in the path of the cleaning tape 2 between the reels 3 and 4. In addition to this, the capstan C and the pinch roller Q are included in the case 1.
Cleaning means 9, a pair of left and right friction pulleys 10.1 corresponding to the tape reel of the magnetic tape cartridge
1 and an automatic stop means 12 for defining the cleaning time.

Case Structure The cartridge case 1 is composed of upper and lower plastic cases 1a and 1b joined together in a lid-like manner. On the front surface of the case 1, there are provided tape loading pockets 13 and 14 and a capstan pocket 15, respectively, and the case 1 is provided with a front lid 16 for opening and closing the front surface thereof. The front lid 16 is rotationally biased to the closed posture and is rotationally locked in the closed posture as in the case of the real magnetic tape cartridge, and when loaded in the player, the member on the player side automatically unlocks and opens upward. Rotate.

The lower case 1 corresponds to standard members such as a positioning pin on the player side, a reel brake release pin, a reel drive shaft, and a lamp for detecting the start and end of the tape.
Positioning holes 17, 17, a release pin hole 18,
The drive shaft insertion holes 19 and 19, the ramp hole 20 and the like are formed at predetermined positions in a predetermined shape. At the center of the lower surface of the lower case 1b, there is a groove 21 that crosses the lamp hole 20 back and forth to prevent erroneous loading. These holes and grooves are provided mainly for loading the cartridge case 1 on the player without any trouble, and the holes 17, 18 and 20 are not directly related to the cleaning operation.

2 and 4, friction pulleys 10 and 11 having engagement teeth in the form of spline holes are rotatably arranged in the drive shaft insertion holes 19 and 19, respectively. When the head cleaner is loaded on the player, the friction pulleys 10 and 11 are engaged with the reel drive shaft S and driven to rotate in accordance with each operation mode. Each friction pulley 10
A rubber ring 23 for driving the supply reel 3, the pilot roller mechanism 5, the tape surface switching mechanism 6 and the like is fixed to the lower side of the outer peripheral surface of 11.

Cleaning Tape and its Arrangement The cleaning tape 2 is mainly composed of a cleaning ribbon having a liquid absorbing property, and lead tapes are connected to both ends thereof. It has a total length including the length that allows tape winding. As the cleaning ribbon, a tape material such as natural leather, artificial leather, woven cloth or non-woven cloth, or a plastic sheet laminated with the above-mentioned sheet material on one side is used. Considering the damage to the head surface, the function of removing micro dust, the durability, etc., the cleaning ribbon formed of artificial leather is preferable.

In FIG. 2, a movable pilot roller 29 and a fixed tape guide 24 are provided on both sides of the opening of the pocket 13 on the right side. The cleaning tape 2 is guided between these two members 29 and 24, and the tape 2 is pulled out to the front of the case by the player-side tape pull-out member L which is inserted into the pocket 13 from below. The friction pulley 10 on the right side is provided between the pilot roller 29 and the supply reel 3.
The three fixed guide pins 25 for guiding the cleaning tape 2 are arranged so as to bypass. Further tape guide 2
4 between the winding reel 4 and the winding reel 4
Four fixed guide pins 26 for guiding the cleaning tape 2 are arranged along the inner surfaces of the right side wall and the rear side wall of the. That is, when the supply reel 3 is the starting end, the cleaning tape 2 bypasses the rear side of the friction pulley 10 on the right side from the supply reel 3 and crosses the front surface of the pocket 13 on the right side. A tape path that ends with the winding reel 4 located near the rear left end is taken. In this stored state, a predetermined amount of tape is wound around the supply reel 3. The tape guide 24
The guide pins 25 and 26 are expected to be round pins integrated with the lower case 1b, but they may be separate pins or freely rotatable rollers.

The supply reel 3 is rotatably supported by a swing arm 27 which is horizontally swingably mounted on the bottom wall of the lower case 1b. With the spring 28 acting on the swing arm 27, the supply reel 3
The rubber ring 23 of the friction pulley 10 is attached to the peripheral surface of the lower flange 3a.
Always press against. A large number of saw tooth-shaped friction teeth are formed at small intervals on the peripheral surface of the lower flange 3a. In the eject mode in which the cleaning is stopped by the automatic stop means 12 to be described later and the tape pull-out member L is returned into the pocket 13, the supply reel 3 is rewound and rotated by the friction pulley 10, whereby the cleaning tape 2 pulled out of the case. Retract and store.

Pilot Roller Mechanism The pilot roller mechanism 5 is for reducing the wrapping angle of the cleaning tape 2 with respect to the magnetic head H to reduce the rotation resistance, and for defining the application range of the cleaning liquid to a constant width as described later. Is. Specifically, it has a first swing arm 30 that supports the pilot roller 29, and a second swing arm 31 that supports the first swing arm 30 so that it can swing. The swing base end of the first swing arm 30, that is, the second swing arm 31.
A passive roller 32 for returning and swinging the pilot roller 29 is fixed to a connection point with and so as to swing together with the first swing arm 30. The second swing arm 31 is biased by a spring 33 so that the passive roller 32 is constantly in pressure contact with the friction pulley 10. A spring 34 is stretched between the swing arms 30 and 31 to swing and bias the first swing arm 30 in the standby posture.

When the head cleaner is not used, the first swing arm 30 and the pilot roller 29 are in the standby position shown in FIG. When the cleaning tape 2 is pulled out of the case by the tape pulling member L as shown in FIG.
The swing arm 30 swings counterclockwise while resisting the spring 34 by the tension acting on the tape 2 to move the tape 2 into the pocket 1
Guide to the position near the center of 3. Then, the winding angle of the tape 2 around the magnetic head H becomes small, and the rotation resistance applied to the magnetic head H becomes small. Pilot roller 2
The return operation of 9 to the original position is performed by the rewinding drive of the friction pulley 10 in the eject mode.
The passive roller 32, which is in pressure contact with, is driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the friction pulley 10 to return to the standby position shown in FIG.

Liquid Supply Means Inside the cartridge case 1, between the pilot roller 29 at the standby position and the guide pin 25 near the friction pulley 10, a liquid for contacting the cleaning tape 2 and supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape 2. The supply means 7 is provided. As the liquid supply means 7, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, for example, a liquid reservoir 35 formed in the shape of a bottomed cylinder and the tape 2 thereof.
The upper and lower cases 1 are composed of a coating sheet 36 attached to the sliding contact surface side with the rubber cap 37 and the like.
It is clamped and fixed in place between a and 1b. The coating sheet 36 is formed of, for example, a sheet of tetrafluoroethylene having excellent lubricity, and has a vertical slit 36a on the sliding contact surface with the cleaning tape 2, and the slit 36a
A supply passage 35a through which the cleaning liquid oozes out is formed in a penetrating manner on the peripheral wall of the liquid reservoir 35 facing the surface, and a certain amount of the cleaning liquid can be applied to the tape surface.

Tape Release Mechanism from Liquid Supply Means When the pilot roller 29 moves toward the center of the pocket 13 during tape loading, the cleaning tape 2 separates from the peripheral surface of the liquid supply means 7 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the cleaning liquid is applied only within a certain range of the tape 2. This application position is shown in Figure 3.
The arrangement position of the liquid supply means 7 is determined so as to contact the head surface of the magnetic head H when the tape loading is completed.

Tape surface switching mechanism A tape surface for shifting the contact position of the cleaning tape 2 with respect to the magnetic head H to the cartridge case 1 from the wet area W where the cleaning liquid adheres to the dry area D where the liquid does not adhere. It has a switching means 6. As the tape surface switching means 6, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a swing arm 39 which is horizontally swingably supported on the bottom wall of the lower case 1b.
And a disc-shaped switching disc 40 rotatably supported near the swinging tip thereof, and a spring 4 for pressing and abutting the rubber ring 23 of the friction pulley 11 on the left side of the switching disc 40.
It consists of 1. On the upper surface of the switching disk 40, a guide boss 42 and a hooking roller 43 are provided upright at two positions, that is, in the center and near the periphery, with the cleaning tape 2 sandwiched in the front and rear.

Simultaneously with the completion of tape loading, the friction pulley 11 is driven clockwise by the reel drive shaft S,
At the same time, the switching disc 40 is driven by the rubber ring 23 in the counterclockwise direction. Along with this, as shown in FIG. 3, the hooking roller 43 also rotates along with the switching disk 40, so that the cleaning tape 2 is pulled while being hooked by the hooking roller 43, and the cleaning tape 2 is pulled by the pulled amount. The contact position with the magnetic head H shifts from the wet area W to the dry area D as shown in FIG. 10, and the magnetic head H is cleaned at the dry portion of the tape 2.

After the switching disc 40 has rotated by a certain angle as shown in FIG. 3, the tension of the spring 41 overcomes the rotational force of the switching disc 40 and does not rotate any more. The rubber ring 23 slips. For this,
The spring 41 is hooked on a pin 44 on the board surface of the switching disk 40, and the spring 41 is expanded and deformed when the switching disk 40 rotates. The switching disc 40 is the friction pulley 1.
Almost at the same time when the driving of No. 1 is stopped, it is returned in the clockwise direction by the tension of the spring 41 and returns to the original posture shown in FIG.

Cleaning means for capstan and pinch roller In FIG. 3, the cartridge case 1 is separately provided with a cleaning means 9 for cleaning the capstan C and the pinch roller Q. The cleaning means 9 is a hexagonal column-shaped wiping pad 46/47 circumscribing the capstan C and the pinch roller Q, respectively, and is horizontally swingably supported on the bottom wall of the lower case 1b to remove the pad 46/47. It comprises a holder 48 for holding it and a spring 49 for urging the holder 48 to swing toward the capstan pocket 15 side. The holder 48 has a pad 46.
A holding frame 48a for inserting 47 is provided upright. Both pads 46 and 47 are made of, for example, felt, and are attached to the holding frame 48a in such a manner that the ridge lines on the peripheral surface of the pads circumscribe the capstan C and the pinch roller Q, respectively. Both pads 46 and 47 can be replaced as needed. Reference numeral 50 is an auxiliary cleaning pad for the capstan C.

Winding Reel In FIGS. 2 and 7, the winding reel 4 is rotatably supported between the upper and lower cases 1a and 1b, and its lower flange 4a.
Ratchet teeth 4b formed on the peripheral surface of the ratchet claw 51
By engaging with, the tape rotates only in the tape winding direction (counterclockwise direction). An operation window 52 is opened on the rear side wall 1c of the cartridge case 1 near the winding reel 4 as shown in FIG. 7, and a part of the lower flange 4a of the winding reel 4 is exposed from the window 52 to the outside of the case. ,
This allows the reel 4 to be rotated. In the state shown in FIG. 2, when the winding reel 4 is rotated in the winding direction, the cleaning tape 2 is unwound from the supply reel 3 and wound on the winding reel 4. Then, the phase position of the cleaning tape 2 is displaced by the amount of the wound tape, and the new tape surface hits the magnetic head H during tape loading. That is, the magnetic head H can be cleaned with a clean tape surface by manually rotating the take-up reel 4 as necessary, and the cleaning tape 2 is prevented from being used beyond the usable limit. Head H
Prevents scratches.

In order to minimize the winding of the cleaning tape 2 without waste, a mark 53 for indicating the remaining amount, for example, numbers are printed at regular intervals on the cleaning tape 2, particularly on the lead tape, as shown in FIG. I am doing it. The display mark 53 can be visually recognized from the outside of the case through the viewing window 54 opened on the rear wall 1c of the case. A tape stopper 55 is arranged inside the cleaning tape 2 at a position facing the visual recognition window 54. The tape stopper 55 includes a stopper claw 56 swingably supported on the bottom wall of the lower case 1b, and a U-shaped spring 57 for biasing the stopper claw 56 against the cleaning tape 2 with a light contact pressure.
And are integrally formed. On the wall surface of the stopper claw 56 facing the viewing window 54, a usage limit indicator 59 is printed or formed by a molding pattern or the like. The tape stopper 55 prevents the cleaning tape 2 from being further wound when the updating of the tape surface by the winding reel 4 reaches a limit. Therefore, a stopper hole 58 as shown in FIG. 8 is opened in the lead tape portion near the tape guide 24. If the stopper claw 56 falls into the stopper hole 58, the cleaning tape 2 on the supply reel 3 side cannot be wound from the stopper hole 58 even if the winding reel 4 is rotated. Even in this state, the supply reel 3 is still wound with the cleaning tape 2 in an amount necessary for tape loading. In other words, the tape stopper 55 prevents the tape 2 from being wound by the take-up reel 4 at the limit position, and leaves the tape length required for tape loading on the supply reel 3 side from the stopper hole 58, so that the tape pull-out member L and The drive mechanism of this or the head cleaner side member is prevented from being damaged.

Auto Stop Means In FIG. 2, the cartridge case 1 has an auto stop means 12 for defining the cleaning time. The auto stop means 12 includes a start detection means 60 for detecting the start of cleaning, a light source 61 for irradiating the optical sensor P for detecting the tape end on the player side with detection light, and a signal from the start detection means 60. And a power source 63, which performs power supply control so that a current is applied to the light source 61 after a certain time has elapsed.
The start detecting means 60 includes a switch operating arm 64 on which one end of a spring 41 for urging the switching disc 40 is hooked.
And a micro switch 65 which is turned on / off by the operating arm 64, and when the switching disk 40 is rotationally driven by the friction pulley 11 at the same time when the tape loading is completed, the switch operating arm 64 moves the switching disk 40. When the micro switch 65 is turned on by receiving it via the spring 41, the start of cleaning is detected and a signal current (or a drive current) is applied to the time setting means 62.

The time setting means 62 includes a delay circuit and a CR.
It is formed of an electric circuit such as a timer and is provided on the substrate 66. When receiving the signal current from the start detection means 60, a drive current is applied to the light source 61 after waiting for a set time of, for example, 3 seconds, to cause the light source 61 to emit light. The light source 61 is composed of a light emitting body such as a light emitting diode or a small light bulb that uses electricity as an energy source, and is fixed to the inner surface of the right side wall of the cartridge case 1 corresponding to the optical sensor P in FIG.
The light sensor 67 is operated by irradiating the outside of the case with detection light from the light projecting window 67 that is opened in the side wall. The power source 63 is composed of two dry batteries 63a mounted on the substrate 66. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 70 denotes a battery lid which is openably and closably mounted on the upper case 1a of the cartridge case 1.

The light source 61 is operated by the operation of the time setting means 62.
When is turned on, the optical sensor P is activated to be in the same state as when the end of the tape in the magnetic tape cartridge is detected, the drive of the reel drive shaft S and the magnetic head H is immediately stopped, and the cleaning is stopped.

(Other Embodiment) In the above embodiment, the tape surface switching means 6 is operated in conjunction with the reel drive shaft S, but as shown in FIG. 11, the tape surface is switched by the capstan C. It may be performed. In this case, the rotational power of the capstan C is received via the rubber ring 40a fixed to the peripheral surface of the switching disc 40. Of course, instead of the capstan C, the pinch roller Q may be used to operate the tape surface switching means 6. When the tape surface switching means 6 is located at a position that blocks the optical path for detecting the tape leading edge of the magnetic tape cartridge, the light source 61 as described in the previous embodiment is provided in correspondence with the optical sensor P for detecting the tape leading edge. The light source 61 may be constantly turned on when the head cleaner is used to invalidate the rewind command from the player.

In addition to the above, the present invention also anticipates the following modifications. Contrary to the above-described respective embodiments, the cleaning tape 2 is sent to the supply reel 3 side and the magnetic head H is fed.
Change the tape surface by shifting the contact with and. Of course, in this case as well, the liquid supply means 7 is provided on the running path of the cleaning tape 2 so that the wet area W on the cleaning tape 2 comes into contact with the magnetic head H ahead of the dry area D. It will be arranged on the side closer to the tape running direction than H. An actuator such as a motor or a solenoid is provided in the cartridge case 1 to move the cleaning tape 2 directly or via the tape surface switching means 6. In this case, the start and stop of the actuator can be controlled by the start detecting means 60 and the time setting means 61 described above. The cleaning tape 3 is pulled out at the central pocket 14 side.
Alternatively, the tape 2 is stretched over both pockets 13 and 14. Besides, although the VHS system video head cleaner has been described in the illustrated example, it can be widely applied to a head system cleaner such as a beta system video deck or a digital recording / reproducing system audio deck in which a tape is pulled out to the front of the case. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view conceptually explaining the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the internal structure when not in use.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view during use.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a portion A in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing details of a liquid supply unit.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the cleaning tape for explaining the switching state of the tape surface.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing another embodiment of the tape surface switching means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cartridge Case 2 Cleaning Tape 3 Supply Reel 4 Winding Reel 7 Liquid Supply Means 13 Pocket 24 Tape Guide 29 Pilot Roller H Magnetic Head L Tape Drawout Member W Wet Area D Dry Area

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. The cleaning tape 2 held in the cartridge case 1 is a tape pull-out member L on the player side.
In the head cleaner that is drawn out of the case and contacts the magnetic head H, the cleaning solution is supplied to the cleaning tape 2 by contacting the cleaning tape 2 with the cleaning solution supplied from the outside into the cartridge case 1. The liquid supply means 7 is fixed at a fixed position, and the cleaning tape 2 is attached to the liquid supply means 7 during cleaning.
A head cleaner characterized in that a tape removing mechanism for separating the head cleaner is provided in the cartridge case 1.