JPH0729351A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To use a main body case of a tape cartridge incorporating a memory element and a main body case of a tape cartridge of a standard specification without incorporating the memory element in common and to enhance the detecting accuracy of the existence of the memory element. CONSTITUTION:An opening 29 is provided in an outer wall of the main body case. The main body case is equipped inside with a terminal part 26 of the memory element 25 and a closing member, either of which is arranged to close the opening 29. By this method, the main body case of the tape cartridge incorporating the memory element 25 and the main body case of the tape cartridge without incorporating the memory element 25 can be used in common. A detecting hole 32 for detecting the existence of the memory element 25 on the side of a VTR is provided in a position adjacent to the opening 29 of the main body case. For the tape cartridge without incorporating the memory element 25, the detecting hole 32 is closed by a projection of the closing member.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cartridge of 8 mm or VHS type.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a tape cartridge of this type, a standard grade product that allows the VTR to detect the open / closed state of an ID hole provided in the main body case,
There is a high-grade grade product having a built-in memory element for storing the characteristic data of the tape or the setting data at the time of recording such as the recording mode and the audio recording data. The latter type of tape cartridge having a built-in memory element includes, for example, JP-A-63-166085 and JP-A-63-16408.
It is known from Japanese Patent Publication No. 5 and the like.

[0003]

These two types of tape cartridges have the same basic structure except for the difference in whether or not to incorporate a memory element. In the case of a device having a built-in memory element, the main body case requires an opening for exposing the terminal portion of the memory element to the outside. However, in the standard specification that does not require a memory element, it is not necessary to provide the opening in the main body case, and on the contrary, the presence of the opening is disadvantageous in preventing dust from entering the main body case. Therefore, even if two types of tape cartridges having only a difference in whether or not a memory element is incorporated are manufactured, a main body case having an opening for exposing the terminal portion of the memory element to the outside, and such a case. Therefore, the main body case having no opening must be separately molded by plastic molding. However, this causes an increase in the types of molding dies and molding costs, which is also disadvantageous in inventory management.

On the VTR side, as a means for discriminating between a tape cartridge having a built-in memory element and a tape cartridge having no built-in memory element, it is determined whether or not the connection terminal on the VTR side has a contact with the terminal portion of the memory element. A method of making a determination can be considered. However, such means for determining the presence / absence of a built-in memory element does not include the case of a tape cartridge having no built-in memory element and the case of a tape cartridge having a built-in memory element but having a failure or abnormality in the memory element or terminal portion. Also in this case, since it is not possible to have a contact in the same manner, an erroneous determination that the memory element is not incorporated is made, and the accuracy of the determination is lacking.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to share a single type main body case when obtaining two types of tape cartridges which differ only in the presence or absence of a memory element. Another object of the present invention is to obtain a tape cartridge which can accurately determine whether or not a memory element is built in.

[0006]

According to the present invention, as shown in the drawing, an opening 29 is formed in the main body case 1 accommodating the tape reel 3 so as to expose the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 to the outside of the main body case 1. The opening 29 is provided with the closing portion 33 formed separately from the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25.
And it is blocked by two alternatives. Then, at the position near the opening 29 of the main body case 1, the presence or absence of the built-in memory element 25 is checked by VT.
A detection hole 32 for detecting on the R side is provided. Memory element 25
In a tape cartridge that does not have a built-in cartridge, the detection hole 32 is closed by the protrusion 33a provided on the closing member 33.

[0007]

In the standard specification tape cartridge having no built-in memory element, the opening 29 of the main body case 1 is closed by the closing member 33.
To protect it from dust. Opening 2 of the same body case 1
When 9 is blocked by the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25,
A tape cartridge with a built-in memory element can be obtained. That is, the main body case 1 of the tape cartridge with the built-in memory element can be shared with the main body case 1 of the tape cartridge that does not have the built-in memory element.

By detecting whether or not the detection hole 32 is closed by a detection member such as a limit switch on the VTR side, it is possible to determine whether the memory element 25 is built in or not.

[0009]

1 to 3 show a standard specification 8 mm video tape cartridge which does not require a memory element, and FIGS. 4 to 7 show an 8 mm video tape cartridge having a built-in memory element. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the tape cartridge containing the memory element includes a main body case 1 in which upper and lower plastic cases 1a and 1b are butted to each other and integrally coupled to each other. A pair of tape reels 3 are rotatably accommodated.
The tape 2 drawn out from one tape reel 3 is guided by the tape guides 6 provided at the front left and right tape drawing outlets 5, 5 of the main body case 1 and wound on the other tape reel 3. A tape loading pocket 7 is provided in the center of the front surface of the main body case 1, that is, between the left and right tape outlets 5. The upper and lower surfaces and front surface of the pocket 7 are open. Tape 2 led out to the front side of the body case 1
Are protected by being covered with a front lid 9, a back lid 10 and an upper lid 11 when not in use.

The front lid 9 has a left and right support shaft extending from a position where the front and rear sides of the left and right tape outlets 5 and 5 and the pocket 7 are closed as shown by a solid line in FIG. 7 and an upper open position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It can be freely opened and closed around 12. The front lid 9 is always urged to rotate in the closing direction by a spring member 13 fitted to one of the left and right support shafts 12.

The upper lid 11 has a position for closing the upper surface of the pocket 7 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 as the front lid 9 is opened and closed, and an open position for retracting to the rear of the upper surface of the pocket 7 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. It can be opened and closed freely. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper lid 11 pivotally connects the connecting shafts 15 at the front ends of the arm portions 14 provided at the left and right ends of the upper lid 11 to the upper and left connecting holes 16 at the upper end of the front lid 9, respectively. A slide shaft 17 provided on the inner surface of the rear end of the slider 14 is slidably engaged with guide grooves 19 having a V-shape provided on the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls of the main body case 1.

In FIG. 6, the back cover 10 is provided with connecting pins 20 on the left and right of its upper end, while a boss 21 is provided on the inner surface of the upper cover 11, and the connecting pin 20 is rotatably pivoted in a pin hole 21a of the boss 21. Link. Legs 22 are provided on the left and right of the lower rear surface of the back lid 10, and slide pins 23 provided on the leg 22 are slidably engaged with guide grooves 24 of "S" shape provided on the left and right side walls of the pocket 7. I am fit. Therefore, as the front lid 9 and the upper lid 11 are opened and closed, the back lid 10 closes the back side of the tape 2 in the pocket 7 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7, and the pocket 7 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
It can be freely opened and closed to the open position located below the upper lid 11 in the open state at the rear of the upper surface of the.

A memory element 25 is built in the main body case 1. The memory element 25 is, for example, a ROM chip that stores fixed data such as specifications and characteristic data of the tape 2,
RAM that stores variable data such as setting data during recording
The chip and the battery are integrated as one unit in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a terminal portion 26 that comes into contact with the connection terminal on the VTR side when mounted on the VTR is integrally provided on the front surface side of the memory element 25. .

The terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 is installed so as to face the outer wall of the main body case 1. However, in the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the influence of external force is exerted as much as possible on the four outer walls of the main body case 1. The rear wall 27 with few pockets is selected. An opening 29 is provided in the center of the rear wall 27 of the pocket in the left-right direction, and a pair of left and right engaging ribs 30 are integrally projecting from the inner bottom of the lower case 1b inside the opening 29. Thus, in the memory element 25, the terminal portion 26 is outward (forward) from the opening 29.
It is housed between the engaging rib 30 and the pocket rear wall 27 so as to face the.

An elastic body 31 made of a leaf spring or the like is interposed between the engaging rib 30 and the rear surface of the memory element 25. The memory element 25 is always urged to move forward by the elastic body 31, so that the terminal portion 26 faces the opening 29. As a means for restricting the forward movement limit of the memory element 25, the flange 36 is juxtaposed left and right from the rear surface of the memory element 25, and the flange 36 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the pocket rear wall 27, so that the memory element 25 is no longer moved. I am trying not to move forward.

As the elastic body 31, a compression coil spring, a torsion coil spring, or another coil spring may be used instead of the leaf spring. In addition to metal springs, non-metal springs such as plastic and rubber can also be used. In addition, the elastic body 31 is not limited to a metal or non-metal spring separate from the body case 1, and may be a plastic spring integrally formed with the body case 1.

The memory element 25 thus urged to move by the elastic body 31 in the main body case 1 unexpectedly encounters a drop accident or the like, and its terminal portion 26 receives an impact and an external force is applied to the memory element 25. When the memory element 25 is pushed, the elastic body 31 is compressed and deformed by the backward movement of the memory element 25 to absorb and relieve the shock, thereby preventing the terminal portion 26 from being damaged or deformed.

A position near the opening 29 of the main body case 1 so that the presence or absence of the built-in memory element 25 can be determined before the connection terminal on the VTR side has a contact with the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 when loaded in the VTR, For example, the detection hole 3 is formed in the bottom wall of the body case 1 corresponding to the lower side of the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25.
2 is opened downward. In this case, in the tape cartridge containing the memory element 25, the detection hole 32 is left open without being closed, and a detection member such as a limit switch on the VTR side slides on the outer surface of the bottom of the main body case 1 to detect it. The detection hole 3 by falling into the hole 32
It is possible to detect that the tape cartridge 2 is not in the closed state, and thereby determine that the tape cartridge in question has the memory element 25 built therein. After that, the connection terminal on the VTR side is set to have a contact with the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a standard specification tape cartridge which does not require the memory element 25, and the basic structure thereof is exactly the same as that of the tape cartridge incorporating the memory element 25. That is, the tape 2 and the tape reel 3 are similarly housed and arranged in the main body case 1 having the same shape and size as those described above, and the front lid 9, the back lid 10, and the upper lid 11 are also similarly provided. However, instead of the memory element 25, a closing member 33 having substantially the same outer shape as that of the memory element 25 is prepared, and the closing member 33 is attached to the engagement rib 30 and the pocket rear wall 27 in the same manner as when the memory element 25 is incorporated. It is housed together with the elastic body 31. As a result, the opening 29 is closed by the closing member 33, and it is possible to prevent dust from entering there. Further, a protrusion 33a is provided at the lower end of the closing member 33, and when the closing member 33 is stored in the above-mentioned predetermined position, the detection hole 32 is closed by inserting the protrusion 33a into the detection hole 32. On the VTR side, a detection member such as a limit switch slides on the outer surface of the bottom wall of the main body case 1 to detect the closed state of the detection hole 32, so that it is determined that the tape cartridge does not include the memory element 25. I am doing it. A chamfer 33b is formed on the elastic member insertion side of the closing member 33. Thus, when the elastic body 31 is inserted from above after the closing member 33 is stored, the elastic body 31 can be smoothly inserted without being caught by the closing member 33. Further, if the closing member 33 is formed of a general-purpose resin such as polystyrene resin, the cost can be reduced together with the cost reduction by not incorporating the memory element 25.

In this way, in the tape cartridge which does not require the memory element 25, the same main body case 1 as the main body case 1 of the tape cartridge which requires the memory element 25 is used, and the closing member 33 having the same shape as the memory element 25 is used.
By closing the opening 29 with, the dust-proof property can be secured and the tape cartridge assembly facility that requires the memory element 25 can be shared.

In FIG. 1, the closing member 33 has two positions, that is, the position of the round hole-shaped detection hole 32 into which the protrusion 33a is inserted, and the flange portions 33c and 33c of the closing member 33 contact the inner surface of the pocket rear wall 27. However, in this case, there may be a problem such as looseness of the closing member 33 or inability to insert the protrusion 33a into the detection hole 32. In order to eliminate such a problem, as shown in FIG. 8, the detection hole 32 provided in the bottom wall of the main body case 1 is formed in a notch shape that is cut from the edge of the bottom wall, and the projection 33a has the detection hole 32. It is preferable to insert it so that it can escape in the direction of the edge of the bottom wall.

When the memory element 25 or the blocking member 33 is assembled, it is advantageous to use the elastic body 31 together, especially for protecting the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 from an impact, as described above. Not necessarily required.
When the elastic body 31 is not used, the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 is fixedly mounted in the opening 29.

As the outer wall of the main body case 1 in which the opening 29 is provided, in addition to the pocket rear wall 27, the rear wall 34 or the left and right side walls 35 shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 may be used. Further, as the memory element 25, instead of integrally providing the terminal portion 26 thereto, it is also possible to use a type in which the main body portion and the terminal portion of the memory element 25 are separated and then connected by a conductor. . In this case, the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 faces the opening 29, but the main body portion can be installed at a different place from the opening 29 of the main body case 1.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the body case 1 is provided with the opening 29 through which the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 is exposed, and the opening 29 is selected between the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 and the closing member 33. The main body case 1 can be commonly used for a tape cartridge that requires the memory element 25 and a standard specification tape cartridge that does not require the memory element 25 by a simple means, and the assembly equipment can also be shared at a low cost. Obtainable. Further, since one die can be used for molding the main body case 1 of the two kinds of tape cartridges, the molding cost can be reduced and the inventory management of the main body case 1 is also advantageous.

In addition, the presence or absence of the built-in memory element 25 is detected by providing the detection hole 32 in the vicinity of the opening 29 of the main body case 1 and detecting whether or not the detection hole 32 is closed on the VTR side. Therefore, the presence / absence of the built-in memory element 25 can be accurately determined without making an erroneous decision to detect the presence / absence of the built-in by providing a contact between the connection terminal on the VTR side and the terminal portion 26. it can.

In the tape cartridge which does not include the memory element 25, the detection hole 32 is closed by the projection 33a provided on the closing member 33 which closes the opening 29. Therefore, in this respect also, the main body case of the tape cartridge including the memory element 25 is provided. This is advantageous because it is possible to simplify the means for closing the detection hole 32 and the assembling while maintaining the common use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a standard specification tape cartridge that does not require a memory element.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of a main part of the tape cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the entire tape cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inside of the entire tape cartridge containing a memory element.

5 is a plan view of a main part of the tape cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the entire tape cartridge shown in FIG.

7 is a vertical sectional side view of a pocket portion of the tape cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an essential part showing another embodiment corresponding to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Main body case 2 Tape 3 Tape reel 25 Memory element 26 Terminal part 29 Opening 32 Detection hole 33 Closing member 33a Protrusion

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Noriaki Masuda, 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Ltd. Inside the Hitachi Media Visual Media Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Hidekazu Takeda, 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Hitachi, Ltd. Visual Media Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Tatsumi Nishijima, 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A terminal portion 26 of a memory element 25 in a main body case 1 having a tape reel 3 and a memory element 25 built therein.
Is provided outside the main body case 1, and the memory element 25 is provided near the opening 29 of the main body case 1.
A tape cartridge having a detection hole 32 for detecting the presence or absence of a built-in device on the VTR side. 2. A main body case 1 containing a tape reel 3.
Is provided with an opening 29 for exposing the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 to the outside of the main body case 1, and the memory element 25 is provided at a position near the opening 29 of the main body case 1.
A detection hole 32 for detecting the presence or absence of a built-in device is provided on the VTR side, and a closing member 33 having a protrusion 33a is formed separately from the memory element 25. The closing member 33 closes the opening 29. A tape cartridge characterized in that the detection hole 32 is closed by the protrusion 33a.