JPH09128721A - Cleaning tape cassette and magnetic recording and reproducing device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clean a head with high cleaning efficiency and less abrasion of the head. SOLUTION: The cleaning tape cassette 1 has a cleaning tape discriminating hole 10 provided on a cassette main body 2 as a discriminator from a recording and reproducing tape. On the other hand, the magnetic recording and reproducing device is equipped with a discriminator detecting means for recognizing a loaded tape cassette as the cleaning tape cassette 1 by detecting the discriminator provided on the cassette case and/or its tape and a control means for controlling a tape driving means and/or a head driving means by a detected output of the cleaning tape cassette 1 detected by this discriminator detecting means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning tape cassette provided with means for identifying a recording / reproducing tape, and a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus in which the cleaning tape cassette is used to clean a head. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A video tape recorder (hereinafter referred to as "VT
R ". In a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus such as the above), when used for a long time, magnetic powder or dust adheres to the tape sliding surface of the rotary head to deteriorate the electromagnetic conversion characteristics, which deteriorates the recording or reproducing characteristics. Therefore, in the VTR, in order to prevent this, the rotary head is generally cleaned using a cleaning tape coated with a composition different from that of a normal recording / reproducing tape after a certain period of use. Conventionally, this cleaning tape has been run at the same speed as the recording / reproducing tape.

The cleaning tape is formed by acicular iron oxide particles as particles having a sufficient cleaning effect formed on a base (non-magnetic support) having the same mechanical strength as that of the recording / reproducing tape. There is. Further, as another cleaning tape, a cleaning tape in which a size and a density of surface protrusions are favorably controlled by a vapor deposition type medium has been proposed in order to secure high electromagnetic conversion characteristics and a sufficient cleaning effect.

The cleaning tape is required to have the ability to remove the adhering substances adhered to the tape sliding surface of the rotary head and the so-called head-friendly ability not to wear the head itself. The capabilities of these two cleaning tapes are
Since the properties of the cleaning tape are difficult to coexist, research has conventionally been conducted on the composition itself of the cleaning tape to make them compatible with each other.

On the other hand, in recent years, in VTRs, there has been a strong demand for higher density recording of data or higher transfer rate for higher image quality. The demand for high-density recording of data or a high transfer rate causes the tape to be slid at a higher speed on a narrower track than in the past. As a result, the VTR has a greater effect on the electromagnetic conversion characteristics due to the deposits on the sliding surface of the rotary head than the conventional VTR, and cleaning of the rotary head is extremely important.

[0006]

On the other hand, a cleaning tape having a higher cleaning action on the rotary head rotates the cleaning tape at a high speed in order to accelerate the wear of the rotary head and increase the data transfer rate. The influence is extremely large in a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus that slides on the head. That is, in a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus in which the tape slides on the rotary head at a high speed, when a cleaning tape is used to achieve both the maximum cleaning effect and the minimum rotary head wear, It cannot be fully addressed by improving the composition of the tape.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a cleaning tape cassette which realizes an ideal cleaning having a large cleaning effect and less head wear.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus in which a cleaning tape cassette is used so that head cleaning can be efficiently performed with great head cleaning effect and less head wear. It is what

[0009]

To achieve the above object, a cleaning tape cassette according to the present invention comprises a cassette case in which a pair of tape reels is rotatably accommodated, and a cleaning roller wound around the tape reel. And a tape. The cassette case and / or the cleaning tape are provided with a specification identifier which is discriminated from the recording / reproducing tape by the identifier detecting means on the recording / reproducing apparatus side.

When the cleaning tape cassette according to the present invention configured as described above is loaded in the recording / reproducing apparatus, the specification identifier is detected by the detecting means. The cleaning tape is driven by the detection output of the detection means at a traveling speed different from that of the recording / reproducing tape with respect to the head, so that the wear of the head is reduced and the adhered matter on the tape sliding surface is efficiently removed. To remove it.

Further, the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention detects the identifier provided on the cassette case and / or the tape, thereby detecting the identifier for identifying the loaded tape cassette as the cleaning tape cassette. And a control means for controlling the tape drive means and / or the head drive means by the detection output of the cleaning tape cassette detected by the identifier detection means.

In the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above, when the identifier of the cleaning tape cassette loaded with the identifier detecting means is detected, the tape driving means and / or the head driving means is operated by the control means. Under control, the cleaning tape is driven at a traveling speed slower than the traveling speed at the time of recording / reproducing, and head cleaning is performed to reduce wear of the head and remove deposits attached to the tape sliding surface.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning tape cassette 1 comprises an upper half and a lower half which are combined to form a cassette body 2, and a lid 3 is attached to the opened one side surface of the cassette body 2 so as to be openable and closable. ing. Inside the cassette body 2, a pair of tape reels 4A and 4B are rotatably housed, and a cleaning tape 5 is wound between these tape reels 4A and 4B. The cleaning tape 5 is pulled out from one tape reel 4A, guided by a guide mechanism (not shown), guided inside the cassette body 2 along the back surface of the lid 3, and wound on the other tape reel 4B.

The cleaning tape cassette 1 is a VT
When the lid 3 is loaded into the R, the lid 3 is pivotally operated to open the one side surface portion, and the cleaning tape 5 is pulled out by the tape loading means that enters the side surface portion. The cleaning tape 5 is guided to the rotary head of the VTR by the tape loading means and the tape guide means, and a loading operation is performed in which the cleaning tape 5 is pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the rotary head within a predetermined angle range.

The cleaning tape cassette 1 has the same specifications as a magnetic tape cassette containing a recording / reproducing tape (hereinafter referred to simply as a magnetic tape) except for the cleaning tape 5, and is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette body 2. Fitting holes 6A and 6B are formed so that the hub holes of the tape reels 4A and 4B are exposed to the outside.

Further, the cleaning tape cassette 1 is provided with a reel lock releasing portion 7 corresponding to the central position of the tape reels 4A and 4B. Although not described in detail, the reel lock release section 7 includes tape reels 4A, 4A and 4A.
A reel lock mechanism for preventing the idle rotation of B is provided, and when the cleaning tape cassette 1 is loaded in the VTR, the reel lock release member enters from the reel lock release section 7 and the tape reels 4A, 4B. Is unlocked.

Further, the cleaning tape cassette 1 is provided with an end detecting portion 8 located on the side of the lid 3 facing the reel lock releasing portion 7. This end detection unit 8
Functions when the cassette body 2 is used in a magnetic tape cassette, and when loaded in a VTR, a light source forming the end detection mechanism of this VTR enters.

Further, the cleaning tape cassette 1
Has a plurality of specification detection holes 9 at both corners of the side surface facing the lid 3. These specification detection holes 9 also function when the cassette body 2 is used as a magnetic tape cassette, and this magnetic tape cassette is a VTR.
When they are loaded in, the specification detecting mechanism detects them. The specification detection hole 9 is, for example, a type of magnetic tape,
Identify specifications such as length and storage capacity.

The cleaning tape cassette 1 is provided with a cleaning tape identifying hole 10 in addition to the end detecting portion 8 and the specification detecting hole 9 described above. Similar to the specification detection hole 9, the cleaning tape identification hole 10 is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette body 2 so as to be located at one corner portion outside the running area of the cleaning tape 5. Of course, the cleaning tape identification hole 10 is unnecessary when the cassette body 2 is used in a magnetic tape cassette, so that, for example, a part of the bottom surface of the cassette body 2 is made thin, and this thin portion is cut and removed. It is configured by

The cleaning tape cassette 1 is a VT
When loaded in R, the cleaning tape identification hole 10 is identified and detected by the identifier detection mechanism of this VTR as described later. The VTR is switched to the cleaning mode according to the detection output of the identifier detecting means, and causes the cleaning tape 5 to slide on the rotary head at a predetermined speed as described later. The detecting operation of the cleaning tape identification hole 10 by the detecting means may be performed before or after the above-described loading operation of the cleaning tape 5.

Although the cleaning tape cassette 1 is provided with the cleaning tape identification hole 10 in the cassette body 2 as described above, the present invention is not limited to this structure. As the cleaning tape identifier, for example, data indicating that the cleaning tape 5 has cleaning specifications may be recorded. Further, as the cleaning identifier, a memory IC may be built in the cassette body 2 and data indicating that the cleaning tape is a cleaning tape may be recorded in the memory IC.

Further, the cleaning tape identifier is determined by whether or not a specified output can be obtained when the VTR performs recording / reproduction, depending on the presence / absence of a magnetic layer between the magnetic tape and the cleaning tape. Good. In this case, the cleaning tape identifier is detected by the electrical detector of the VTR during the loading operation, and it is detected that the loaded tape cassette is the cleaning tape cassette.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning tape 5 comprises a cleaning layer 5A, a non-magnetic support 5B, and a back coating layer 5C. The cleaning layer 5A is formed by applying an abrasive made of acicular iron oxide on the surface of the non-magnetic support 5B. Non-magnetic support 5B
Is made of, for example, a plastic film, and specifically, polyethylene terephthalate (PE
T), polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide, polyimide, aramid and other plastic films are used.

Specifically, the cleaning tape 5 uses PET for the non-magnetic support 5B, and the non-magnetic support 5B is made of PET.
Co-doped γ-FeO ₂ as an abrasive is applied to the surface of, and the thickness of the back coating layer 5C is formed to 0.5 μm by the antistatic agent. The wear characteristics of the head of this cleaning tape 5 were verified under the following conditions.

The experimental apparatus (not shown) used for this demonstration has a head protrusion amount of 25 from the peripheral surface of the rotary head.
The cleaning tape 5 having a length of 15 μm and a width of 70 μm is run over the entire length.

(1) Relationship between the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the head and the amount of head wear The mechanical strength of the non-magnetic support 5B was 0.5 with respect to the mechanical strength of the magnetic tape by the above experimental apparatus.
About double, 1.0 times, 2.0 times cleaning tape,
The relative amount of these cleaning tapes to the rotary head was changed to measure the amount of wear of the head.

As shown in FIG. 3, the amount of wear of the head is 3 m / sec. It increases sharply from around the point where it exceeds. Therefore, the cleaning tape is 3 m / sec. It is concluded that the following relative speeds should be used. In FIG. 3, the vertical axis represents the amount of wear of the head (μm), and the horizontal axis represents the relative speed (m / sec.) Of the cleaning tape with respect to the rotary head.

(2) Relationship between mechanical strength of cleaning tape and amount of head wear The relative speed of the cleaning tape with respect to the rotary head is 3.8 m / sec. With respect to the cleaning tape in which the mechanical strength of the non-magnetic support 5B is different from the mechanical strength of the magnetic tape, the amount of head wear was measured.

As shown in FIG. 4, it is concluded that the amount of head wear increases as the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape increases. In FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents the amount of wear of the head (μ
m) shows the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape on the horizontal axis.

Next, in order to examine the cleaning effect per unit time, the relationship between the relative speed of the cleaning tape with respect to the rotary head and the cleaning time, and the relationship between the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape and the cleaning time were examined.
The cleaning time is a rotary head in which a so-called clog state in which the RF reproduction signal output from the rotary head is not completely generated by running the powder falling tape prepared without applying the top coat on the vapor deposition tape for 10 seconds. The time required for the cleaning tape to rub against this rotary head and to recover from the clog state.

(3) Relationship between relative speed of cleaning tape with respect to rotary head and cleaning time As to the relationship between relative speed of cleaning tape with respect to rotary head and cleaning time, as shown in FIG. The cleaning time is short and the cleaning effect per unit time is high. As a standard, the cleaning time is practically completed within 10 seconds. Therefore, the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the rotary head is practically 1 m / sec. This is the above area, and to reduce head wear as much as possible, run speed 1
m / sec. To 3 m / sec. It is concluded that it should be set within the range of. In FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the cleaning time (sec.), And the horizontal axis represents the relative speed (m / sec.) Of the cleaning tape with respect to the rotary head.

(4) Relationship between mechanical strength of cleaning tape and cleaning time Regarding the relationship between mechanical strength of cleaning tape and cleaning time, the vertical axis represents the cleaning time and the horizontal axis represents the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape. As shown in FIG. 6, it was found that a cleaning tape having a higher mechanical strength requires shorter cleaning time.

However, if the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape is increased, the amount of head wear increases, as described above, and the shape of the head changes, which deteriorates the contact state between the head and the cleaning tape. For this reason, for example, as shown in FIG.
It became clear that the level of the reproduced signal fluctuates, that is, the RF waveform has a so-called tent shape. FIG.
Shows the level of the RF reproduction signal on the vertical axis and the time on the horizontal axis.

The mechanical strength of the cleaning tape was evaluated by
As shown in the following formula 1, the percentage of deterioration of the RF waveform (hereinafter, referred to as hitting deterioration amount) was measured.

(A−B) / A × 100 (%) (Equation 1) Here, A is the maximum level of the RF reproduction signal, and B is the minimum level.

Further, after the cleaning tape has been run for 15 seconds, recording and reproduction of the magnetic tape having a length of 60 minutes are performed once as one cycle, and the deterioration amount per hit after repeating this cycle for 10 cycles is the cleaning tape. Of 2 m / sec. As a parameter. 5 m / sec. 10 m / sec. As a result, the relationship between mechanical strength and the amount of deterioration per hit was investigated.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 8 in which the ordinate represents the cleaning time and the abscissa represents the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape, it is found that there is an optimum point Pe with the smallest amount of deterioration at each relative speed. It was As a result of examining this optimum point, the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the rotary head was 2 m / sec. In the case of, the optimum point was obtained at a mechanical strength of about 0.2 times that of the magnetic tape. Further, the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the rotary head is 5 m / sec. In the case of, the optimum point was found to be obtained at a mechanical strength about 0.6 times that of the recording / reproducing tape.

Further, the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the rotary head is the relative speed 1 which is the speed during recording and reproduction.
0 m / sec. In the case of No. 2, good results were obtained with the same mechanical strength of about 1.0 times as the magnetic tape, but as mentioned above, this causes severe wear of the head and cannot be put to practical use. Therefore, the relative speed between the cleaning tape and the rotary head at the time of cleaning needs to be slower than that at the time of recording / reproducing, but the relative speed at the time of original recording / reproducing is set to v _0, and the relative speed at the time of slowed cleaning is set to v _s . The speed ratio vrate at that time is expressed by the following equation 2.

Vrate = v _s / v ₀ (Equation 2) The mechanical strength ratio Srate when the mechanical strength of the magnetic tape is S ₀ and the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape is S _c is given by the following Expression 3. Be done.

Srate = S _c / S ₀ (Equation 3) Then, the optimum point Pe shown in FIG. 8 is expressed by the following Equation 4.

Pe = K × vrate × Srate (Equation 4) Here, K is a constant.

Therefore, it has been found that a cleaning tape having a strength proportional to the relative speed to the rotary head should be used in order to suppress the hit deterioration amount as much as possible. Generally, in a VTR, the deterioration amount per RF is about 5
%, The relative speed of the magnetic tape with respect to the rotary head during recording / reproducing is 10 m / sec. When used with the device of No. 2, the relative speed of the cleaning tape at the time of cleaning is 2 m / sec. ~ 3m
/ Sec. It is most suitable that the mechanical strength is about 0.2 to 1.2 times that of magnetic tape.

From the viewpoint of the speed at which head wear is less likely to occur, the relative speed between the magnetic tape and the rotary head during recording / reproduction is 10 m / sec. Of the device, the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the rotary head is 1 m.
/ Sec. After cleaning at the speed of
The cleaning time exceeded 20 seconds and reached an unsuitable level for practical use. After all, as shown in FIG. 9, the relative speed of the practical cleaning tape to the rotary head at the time of cleaning is 2 m / sec. Must be more than a degree. In FIG. 9, the vertical axis represents the cleaning time (s
ec. ) Indicates the optimum mechanical strength of the cleaning tape when the relative speed is used as a parameter on the horizontal axis.

As described above, the head wear is caused by the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the rotary head of 3 m / s.
ec. As the relative speed of the cleaning tape to the rotary head during cleaning is 2 m / sec. ~ 3 m / sec. Therefore, it has been clarified that the best range is about 1/3 to 1/5 of recording / reproducing.

As is clear from the above demonstration example, the cleaning tape 5 has a relative speed of 2 m with respect to the rotary head.
/ Sec. From 3 m / sec. It is preferable to use a value between 1/3 and 1/5 as a relative speed ratio with recording / reproducing. Also, in this case,
A cleaning tape having a mechanical strength of about 0.2 to 1.2 times that of a magnetic tape is optimal.

Next, a VTR to which the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. This VTR is, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, a deck section 11 for recording and reproducing a magnetic tape, and a cleaning tape cassette 1 built in this deck section 11.
Identifier detection mechanism 12 for identifying and detecting the specification detection hole 9 or the cleaning tape identification hole 10, the control unit 14 for controlling the deck unit 11 and the like based on the detection result of the identifier detection mechanism 12, and the control of the control unit 14. A ROM 15 in which a program is recorded, a timer 16 for defining a cleaning time, a RAM 17 for storing the number of times of cleaning, a display 18 for displaying a warning for a cleaning operation, and a reproduction signal from the deck section 11 are displayed. A video signal processing circuit 19 that outputs a video signal by performing predetermined signal processing, and a video output circuit 20 that outputs a video signal from the video signal processing circuit 19 are provided.

The deck unit 11 rotates the rotating head 11A, a loading mechanism (not shown) for pulling out the tape in the loaded tape cassette and applying it to the rotating head 11A, a capstan, etc., and the tape at a predetermined speed. It has a tape drive mechanism (not shown) for sliding the head 11A. The deck section 11 reproduces a video signal recorded on, for example, a magnetic tape, and supplies the obtained reproduction signal to the video signal processing circuit 19 via the control section 14.

The video signal processing circuit 19 subjects the reproduced signal supplied through the control unit 14 to predetermined signal processing such as demodulation, and outputs the resulting video signal to the video output circuit 2.
Supply 0. The video output circuit 20 amplifies the video signal supplied from the video signal processing circuit 19 and outputs it to the monitor 21. An image based on the video signal recorded on the magnetic tape is displayed on the monitor 21.

Further, in this VTR, the rotary head 11A
At the time of cleaning, the remaining time, a warning when the number of cleanings is exceeded, and the like are displayed on the display unit 18.

The identifier detecting mechanism 12 has a cleaning tape identifying hole 1 for identifying the recording / reproducing specification and the cleaning specification when the tape cassette is loaded in the deck section 11.
The presence or absence of 0 is detected, and a detection signal is output to the control unit 14.

The control unit 14 performs control for cleaning based on a control program stored in the ROM 15, for example, according to the flowchart shown in FIG.
That is, in step 1, the control unit 14 determines whether the loaded tape cassette is a cleaning tape, based on the detection signal supplied from the identifier detection mechanism 12, and when it is applicable, proceeds to step 2 and when it is not applicable. Goes to the main routine for controlling the reproduction of the magnetic tape.

In step 2, the control section 14 controls the deck section 11 and the rotary head 11A so that the relative speed of the cleaning tape 5 with respect to the rotary head 11A becomes ⅕ of the normal recording / reproducing, and then the step 3 Proceed to.

In step 3, the control unit 14 starts the timer 16 and determines, for example, whether 10 seconds have elapsed based on the set value of the timer 16, and if 10 seconds has elapsed, proceeds to step 4. move on.

In step 4, the control unit 14 controls the deck unit 1 to stop driving the cleaning tape 5.
1. After controlling the rotary head 11A, the process proceeds to step 5.

In step 5, the control section 14 controls the deck section 11 to eject the cleaning tape cassette 1 and completes the cleaning process.

As described above, in the VTR, when the cleaning tape cassette 1 is loaded, the built-in cleaning tape 5 is run at a relative speed lower than that of the magnetic tape with respect to the rotary head 11A. The proper cleaning process is performed and the rotary head 11A
The life of can be extended to the maximum. VTR
In this case, since the cleaning tape 5 is automatically started and stopped by the operation of the timer 16, the cleaning tape 5 will not be accidentally run for a long time. Therefore, the VTR is the cleaning tape 5
It is possible to prevent the situation in which the rotary head 11A is traveled over the entire length and the rotary head 11A is excessively worn. further,
Since the VTR automatically starts and ends the cleaning of the rotary head 11A simply by loading the cleaning tape cassette 1 on the deck portion 11, head cleaning can be performed easily and quickly.

As shown in FIG. 12, a step 3A for displaying the remaining time of the cleaning operation may be added to the above-mentioned VTR 12 between step 2 and step 3 in FIG.

In step 3, the control unit 14 activates the timer 16 as described above, and determines whether 10 seconds have passed, for example, based on the set value of the timer 16, and if 10 seconds has not passed, If so, step 3A
The remaining time required for cleaning is displayed on the display 18 by. When 10 seconds have passed, the control unit 14 proceeds to step 4.

As described above, in the VTR, since the remaining time of the cleaning operation is displayed while the cleaning tape 5 is being driven, it is possible to call the user's attention and avoid misuse. That is, the VTR can provide a large margin against mistakes in use, failure of the machine, and the like, and can reduce the chance of head wear that is essentially useless.

Furthermore, in this VTR, as shown in FIG. 13, steps 1A, 1B and 1C relating to recording, detection, etc. of the number of times of cleaning with respect to the rotary head 11A may be added.

In step 1, the control unit 14 determines whether the loaded tape cassette is the cleaning tape cassette 1 based on the detection signal supplied from the identifier detection mechanism 12, and if it is true, the process proceeds to step 1A. ,
If not, the process proceeds to the main routine for controlling the reproduction of the magnetic tape.

In step 1A, the control unit 14 determines, for example, whether or not cleaning has been performed twice or more within the past 60 minutes by reading and comparing the number of times of cleaning recorded in the RAM 17, which will be described later, and the cleaning is performed. If it is within the specified number of times, go to step 2. On the other hand, in the control unit 14, when the cleaning has exceeded the specified number of times, the process proceeds to step 1B.

In step 1B, the control unit 14 controls the display unit 18 to display that the prescribed number of times of use has been exceeded and how to properly handle the cleaning tape, and then the process proceeds to step 5.

In step 5, the control section 14 controls the deck section 11 to eject the tape cassette and completes the cleaning process.

When the controller 14 determines in step 1A that the cleaning is performed within the specified number of times,
The process proceeds to step 2, and from here to step 4, the operation shown in FIG. 12 is performed. In Step 4, the control unit 14 controls the deck unit 11 and the rotary head 11A so as to stop driving the cleaning tape 5, and then proceeds to Step 1C.

In step 1C, the control unit 14 controls the RAM 17 to record the number of cleanings, and then proceeds to step 5.

As described above, in the VTR, the rotary head 1 which has exceeded the specified number of times by the cleaning tape 5 is used.
When the cleaning of 1A is performed, the cleaning operation is automatically rejected, the user is warned to that effect, and an instruction for handling the cleaning tape is displayed. Therefore, the VTR eliminates excessive use of the cleaning tape 5 due to user's carelessness, misidentification, or mischief of a child, thereby preventing unnecessary wear of the rotary head 11A and minimizing head wear. You can

The present invention is not limited to the VTR equipped with the rotary head 11A, and it goes without saying that the present invention is also applied to various recording / reproducing devices equipped with a fixed magnetic head.

[0069]

As described above in detail, according to the cleaning tape cassette of the present invention, since the cleaning tape cassette has the specification identifier for distinguishing from the magnetic tape, the specification identifier is detected in the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus. , The head is run under optimum conditions to minimize head wear and perform efficient head cleaning.

Further, according to the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, the identifier detecting means for detecting the identifier of the recording / reproducing specification or the cleaning specification provided on the loaded tape cassette and the identifier detecting means detect the identifier. When the identifier detection unit detects the identifier of the cleaning tape cassette, the control unit controls the tape drive unit and / or the head drive unit based on the detected information. By running the cleaning tape at a speed,
Efficient head cleaning is performed with minimum head wear.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a cleaning tape cassette according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a cleaning tape housed in the cleaning tape cassette.

FIG. 3 is a diagram in which the relationship between the relative speed of the cleaning tape with respect to the rotary head and the amount of head wear is measured by a testing device for each cleaning tape having different mechanical strengths.

FIG. 4 is a diagram in which the relationship between the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape and the amount of head wear is measured.

FIG. 5 is a diagram in which the relationship between the relative speed of the cleaning tape with respect to the rotary head and the cleaning time is measured.

FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the relationship between the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape and the cleaning time is measured.

FIG. 7: RF detected after running the cleaning tape
It is a figure which shows the state of a reproduction signal.

FIG. 8 is a diagram in which the relationship between the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape and the amount of contact deterioration is measured for each cleaning tape having a different relative speed with respect to the rotary head.

FIG. 9 is a diagram in which the cleaning time is measured when the optimum value of the mechanical strength of the cleaning tape at each relative speed is adopted with the relative speed of the cleaning tape with respect to the rotary head as a parameter.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of an entire VTR system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit in the same VTR during rotary head cleaning.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing another operation of the control unit at the time of cleaning the rotary head in the VTR.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another operation of the control unit at the time of cleaning the rotary head in the VTR.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cleaning tape cassette 2 Cassette body 10 Cleaning tape identification hole (specification identifier) 5 Cleaning tape 12 Identifier detection mechanism 14 Controller 15 ROM 16 Timer 17 RAM 18 Display

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A cassette case in which a pair of tape reels is rotatably accommodated, and a cleaning tape wound around the tape reel, wherein the cassette case and / or the cleaning tape is an identifier on the recording / reproducing apparatus side. A cleaning tape cassette, characterized in that a specification identifier is provided by which the detection means distinguishes it from the recording / reproducing tape. 2. The cleaning tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the specification identifier is formed by an identification hole provided in the cassette case corresponding to a non-traveling area of the cleaning tape. 3. The cleaning tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tape has mechanical strength 0.2 times to 1.2 times that of the recording / reproducing tape. 4. A magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus in which a tape wound around a pair of tape reels rotatably housed in a loaded cassette case is rubbed against a head to travel. Alternatively, an identifier detecting means for identifying that the loaded tape cassette is a cleaning tape cassette by detecting an identifier provided on the tape, and a tape by the detection output of the cleaning tape cassette detected by the identifier detecting means Drive means and /
Or a control means for controlling the head drive means, wherein the tape traveling speed with respect to the head is different depending on whether the loaded tape cassette is a recording / reproducing tape cassette or a cleaning tape cassette. And a magnetic recording and reproducing device. 5. The tape drive means, when the identifier detecting means detects the identifier of the loaded tape cassette,
5. The magnetic recording / reproducing according to claim 4, wherein the detected output is transmitted to the control means to control the traveling speed of the cleaning tape with respect to the head to be one-third to one-fifth of the recording / reproducing. apparatus. 6. A timer started by detection output that the tape cassette loaded by the identifier detecting means is a cleaning specification tape cassette, and this timer controls starting and stopping of the tape driving means. The magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, which is characterized in that. 7. A display means for switching the display according to the detection output that the tape cassette loaded by the identifier detecting means is a cleaning-specification tape cassette, and this display means displays the head cleaning time. The magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein 8. The cleaning regulation means is controlled by detection output that the tape cassette loaded by the identifier detection means is a cleaning-specification tape cassette, and the cleaning regulation means is a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time. The magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the head cleaning operation is disabled. 9. The magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning regulating means disables the head cleaning operation three or more times within 60 minutes. 10. A warning means is provided, which is controlled by detection output that the tape cassette loaded by the identifier detection means is a cleaning-specification tape cassette. The magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a warning operation is performed when a cleaning operation is performed. 11. The magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the warning means issues a warning when the head cleaning operation is performed three times or more within 60 minutes.