JPH09251754A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape cartridge capable of sufficient rotating a tape reel and a improving its assembling performance by preventing backlash of a coil spring for energizing the tape reel to the side of a lower half. SOLUTION: A single tape reel having an upper flange and a lower flange and wound with a magnetic tape of this cartridge is always energized by a reel spring 8 to the lower half side and is housed in a cartridge main body consisting of an upper half 1 and the lower half. In this case, a spring fitting member 29 of a cylindrical shape formed with plural ribs 28 around the outer circumferential surface is provided on the inner surface 1a of the upper half 1, and the reel spring 8 is fitted to the spring fitting member 29.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cartridge for data storage used as a backup for a computer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as a tape cartridge for data storage used as a backup of a computer or the like, as shown in FIG. 4, a cartridge main body 103 composed of an upper half 101 and a lower half 102 is provided.
A single tape reel 107 on which a magnetic tape 106 having a disc-shaped upper flange 104 and a lower flange 105 is wound is a reel spring 108 which is a coil spring.
According to the above, there is proposed that the lower half 102 is always biased and stored.

[0003] The tape reel 107 has an upper flange 1
04 and a lower flange 105, and the upper flange 104
The magnetic tape 106, to which the leader tape 109 is connected, is wound around the hub provided in the. The tape reel 107 has a ring-shaped bearing that is press-fitted and fixed in a circular recess formed in the central portion of the upper flange 104, and a reel rotation support shaft (not shown) is also attached to the bearing, so that the reel. It is designed to rotate around a rotation support shaft.

The tape reel 107 is always urged toward the lower half 102 by a reel spring 108 having one end contacting the inner surface 101a of the upper half 101 and the other end contacting the reel rotation support shaft. I have. The reel spring 108 is a compression coil spring having a cylindrical shape.

In this tape cartridge, a recording and / or reproducing apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a drive apparatus)
When not in use, the torsion coil spring 11
A pair of brake members 11 urged by 0,111
2 and 113, the tape reel 107 cannot be rotated. That is, the tape reel 107
Are gear portions 11 formed around the outer periphery of the upper flange 104.
In FIG. 4, the meshing portions 115 and 116 provided on the brake members 112 and 113 mesh with each other, so that rotation is impossible.

In the non-use state, the magnetic tape 106 is completely wound around the tape reel 107, and the leader tape 109 is
The hook 3 is engaged with a hook 117 provided on the side of the third side. Further, an opening for pulling out the magnetic tape 106 to the outside of the cartridge main body 103 is closed by an opening / closing lid 118 rotatably attached to the cartridge main body 103.

On the other hand, when the tape cartridge is mounted on the drive unit, the tape reel 107 is lifted to the central position of the cartridge body 103 against the urging force of the reel spring 108, and the brake members 112 and 113 are used. Is unlocked, and the tape reel 107 is made rotatable. Further, the opening / closing lid 118 is opened by lid opening / closing means provided on the drive device side. Further, the magnetic tape 106 is pulled out from the cartridge body 103 to the outside by a tape pulling means provided on the drive device side.

In addition, this tape cartridge is provided with an erroneous erasure prevention member 119 for preventing information from being erroneously recorded on the magnetic tape 106. The erroneous erasure prevention member 119 is used for the opening / closing lid 118.
It is provided slidably on the side surface of the cartridge body 103 on the opposite side.

By the way, the reel spring 108 for urging the tape reel 107 toward the lower half 102 is
As shown in FIG. 5, it is attached to the outer periphery of a cylindrical spring attachment member 120 provided on the inner surface 101 a of the upper half 101. The spring mounting member 120 is provided by being inserted inside the reel spring 108 and regulates the mounting position of the reel spring 108.

[0010]

However, with respect to the inner diameter of the reel spring 108, the spring mounting member 120 is to be mounted.
Since the outer dimensions of the reel are quite small, the reel spring 10
8 may be loose. Therefore, it may be difficult to rotate the tape reel 107 well, and the work of incorporating the tape reel 107 into the cartridge body 3 may be troublesome.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to prevent the coil spring for urging the tape reel toward the lower half side from rattling, to improve the rotation of the tape reel, and to improve the assemblability of the tape cartridge. It is to provide a tape cartridge to be obtained.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a single tape reel, in which a magnetic tape having an upper flange and a lower flange is wound in a cartridge main body composed of an upper half and a lower half, is provided by a coil spring. In the tape cartridge that is always energized and stored in the lower half side,
A tape cartridge characterized in that a cylindrical spring mounting member having a plurality of ribs formed on the outer periphery is provided on the inner surface of the upper half, and the coil spring is mounted on the spring mounting member. By doing so, the above object is achieved.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a specific tape cartridge to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a tape cartridge used for data storage used as a backup of a computer.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tape cartridge,
FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of an essential part of a spring mounting member for mounting a coil spring, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a state in which the coil spring is mounted on the spring mounting member.

The tape cartridge of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a single tape reel 7 on which a magnetic tape 6 having an upper flange 4 and a lower flange 5 is wound in a cartridge body 3 composed of an upper half 1 and a lower half 2.
Is a tape cartridge which is always urged toward the lower half 2 side by a reel spring 8 which is a coil spring and stored.

The tape cartridge of this embodiment will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper half 1 is provided with a first brake member 9 and a second brake member 10 for preventing the tape reel 7 from rotating when not used in a drive device. ing.

The first brake member 9 has a comb tooth-shaped meshing portion 12 that meshes with a gear portion 11 formed on the outer periphery of the upper flange 4, and is provided on the inner surface of the upper half 1 and is not shown. It is rotatably attached to the brake support shaft. Then, the first brake member 9
The meshing portion 12 is constantly urged in the direction meshing with the gear portion 11 by a first reel lock spring 13 formed of a torsion coil spring.

The second brake member 10 also has a comb-teeth-shaped meshing portion 14 that meshes with a gear portion 11 formed on the outer periphery of the upper flange 4, and is provided on the inner surface of the upper half 1 as illustrated. It is mounted rotatably on the brake support shaft. The second brake member 10 is urged by a second reel lock spring 15 also composed of a torsion coil spring in a direction in which the meshing portion 14 meshes with the gear portion 11.

Further, the upper half 1 is provided with an opening / closing lid 17 for opening and closing an opening for drawing the magnetic tape 6 outward from the cartridge body 3. The opening / closing lid 17 is configured to urge the door spring 18 formed of a torsion coil spring in a direction to always close the opening. Further, the opening / closing lid 17 is designed so as not to be inadvertently opened by a lid opening / closing lock mechanism (not shown) when not in use.

On the other hand, the lower half 2 is provided with a hook 20 for hooking the leader tape 19 connected to the end portion of the magnetic tape 6. This hook 20
Has a hook-shaped tip, and a leader tape 19
The leader tape 19 is accurately positioned by being inserted into and engaged with a notch (not shown) provided in the tape. When the leader tape 19 is positioned by the hook 20, the magnetic tape 6 can be reliably pulled out of the cartridge body 3 by the tape pull-out means provided on the drive device side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lower half 2 is formed with an opening 21 for projecting the tip end of a hub (not shown) protruding from the lower flange 5 to the outside. The opening 21 is a circular hole at the center of the lower half 2.

An erroneous erasure prevention member 16 is provided between the upper half 1 and the lower half 2 to prevent information from being erroneously recorded on the magnetic tape 6. The erroneous erasure prevention member 16 is slidably provided on one side wall of the cartridge body 3.

The tape reel 7 provided between the upper half 1 and the lower half 2 is provided integrally with the upper flange 4 and the lower flange 5 for adjusting the winding state of the magnetic tape 6. And a hub around which the magnetic tape 6 is wound. The upper flange 4 is formed as a disk, and the outer peripheral edge of the upper flange 4 has a meshing portion 12 of the first brake member 9 and a second brake member 1.
The gear section 11 meshes with the 0 meshing section 14.

At the center of the upper flange 4, a circular recess 22 is formed. Then, the recess 22
A disc 23 having a disc shape, which functions as a bearing when the tape reel 7 rotates, is fitted in the center portion of the tape reel 7. A ball 25 made of a metal material rotatably held on a reel rotation support shaft 24 that supports the rotation of the tape reel 7 comes into contact with the disk 23.

On the other hand, the lower flange 5 is formed as a disk body having a circular fitting hole 26 facing the tip of the hub at its center, and the fitting hole 26 is fitted to the tip of the hub. Thus, the hub is fixed to the hub. The tape reel 7 is accommodated between the upper half 1 and the lower half 2 fixed by screws 27.

In the tape cartridge thus constructed, the tape reel 7 is urged toward the lower half 2 by the reel spring 8 when it is not mounted in the drive device and is not used. The tape reel 7 is in a non-rotatable state by the first brake member 9 and the second brake member 10. The lid 17 is closed by a lid lock mechanism, and the leader tape 9 is locked by the hook 20.

On the other hand, when the tape reel 7 is mounted on the drive device and used, the tape reel 7 is lifted to the central position of the cartridge body 3 against the urging force of the reel spring 8 and the brake members 9 and 10 are moved. The lock is released, and the tape reel 7 can be rotated. Then, the opening / closing lid 17 is opened by the lid opening / closing means provided on the drive device side, and the magnetic tape 6 is pulled out from the cartridge body 3 to the outside by the tape pulling means also provided on the drive device side.

Thus, in the tape cartridge of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cylindrical spring in which a plurality of ribs 28 are formed on the outer surface of the inner surface 1a of the upper half 1 is formed. A mounting member 29 is provided, and the reel spring 8 is mounted on the spring mounting member 29.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spring mounting member 29 is provided at the center of a reel positioning protrusion 30 formed as an annular protrusion on the inner surface 1a of the upper half 1. It should be noted that the reel positioning protrusion 30 is fitted in the recess 22 provided in the tape reel 7 in a loosely fitted state, and guides the rotation of the tape reel 7.

The spring mounting member 29 is formed as a cylindrical protrusion around the outer periphery of which one end of the reel spring 8 is mounted. And this spring mounting member 2
A central hole 31 for inserting the base end portion of the reel rotation support shaft 24 is provided in the central portion of 9. Further, three ribs 28 for preventing rattling of the reel spring 8 are provided on the outer periphery of the spring mounting member 29 at equal intervals.

These three ribs 28 are formed by the spring mounting member 2
Along the axial direction of 9, the spring mounting member 29 is formed as a protrusion forming a ridge from the base end side to the center position thereof.

As described above, the spring mounting member 29 having the plurality of ribs 28 formed on the outer periphery is provided on the inner surface 1a of the upper half 1 and the reel spring 8 is mounted on the spring mounting member 29. It is possible to prevent the reel spring 8 from rattling. As a result, the rotation of the tape reel 7 is improved and the assembling property of the tape cartridge is improved.

The tape cartridge of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the tape cartridge of the present embodiment, the number of ribs 28 provided on the outer periphery of the spring mounting member 29 is three, but if the rattling of the reel spring 8 can be prevented, the number is any number. May be.

[0034]

As is clear from the above description, according to the tape cartridge of the present invention, it is possible to prevent rattling of the coil spring for urging the tape reel toward the lower half side.
It is possible to provide a tape cartridge in which the rotation of the tape reel can be made favorable and the assembling property of the tape cartridge can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tape cartridge to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of a spring mounting member for mounting a reel spring in the tape cartridge to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a state in which a reel spring is mounted on a spring mounting member in a tape cartridge to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional tape cartridge.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a reel spring mounted state in a conventional tape cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Upper half 2 Lower half 3 Cartridge body 4 Upper flange 5 Lower flange 6 Magnetic tape 7 Tape reel 8 Reel spring 28 Rib 29 Spring mounting member

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tomoaki Shimazu 2606 Akabane, Kai-cho, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture Kao Corporation Stock Research Institute

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A single tape reel, in which a magnetic tape having an upper flange and a lower flange is wound, in a cartridge body composed of an upper half and a lower half, is constantly urged toward the lower half by a coil spring. In the tape cartridge accommodated in the above, a cylindrical spring mounting member having a plurality of ribs formed on the outer periphery is provided on the inner surface of the upper half, and the coil spring is mounted on the spring mounting member. A tape cartridge characterized in that