JPH097335A - Data cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a positional slippage of a mirror due to an external impact of dropping or the like. CONSTITUTION: At two spots P5 and P6 located in the vicinity of the center of a cartridge 2 and at one spot P1 located in the vicinity of a mirror 27, an upper cover 4 is fixed on a base plate 3 by screws 8. At three spots P2 -P4 , at least, located in the vicinity of corners of the cartridge 2, the upper cover 4 is tacked temporarily on the base plate 3 by ribs 5 for temporary tacking which are molded monolithically with the upper cover 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data cartridge applied to a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus most suitable for use as an external storage device for backup of a computer (CPU), for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of data cartridge, for example, one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-14976 is known.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, in the conventional data cartridge 1 of this type, the cartridge 2 is composed of a base plate 3 made of a metal flat plate such as an aluminum plate, and a polycarbonate resin having a light transmitting property. The upper cover 4 formed of synthetic resin and the upper cover 4 form a substantially rectangular and flat box shape.

The upper cover 4 has a front wall 4a,
The rear wall 4b, the left and right side walls 4c, and the ceiling wall 4d are integrally formed with each other, and the lower surface is open. Then, on the lower surface of the ceiling wall 4d, the
Each pair is integrally formed at a position P ₁ to P _4, is lightly press-fitted in the locking hole 6 of the four positions of the locking claw 5a of the lower end formed in the base plate 3 of a total of eight down the temporary fixing rib 5 I have temporarily stopped. Then, the two screws 8 inserted from below into the screw insertion holes 7 formed at the two positions P ₅ and P ₆ in the vicinity of the center of the base plate 3 in the left-right direction and in the vicinity of the front and rear ends of the upper cover 4 The upper cover 4 is fixed on the base plate 3 by being fastened in two downward screw fixing bosses 9 integrally formed on the lower surface of the ceiling wall 4d.

The front wall 4a of the cartridge 2 is
The capstan roller insertion slot 1
1 is opened, and a magnetic head insertion opening 12 is opened on the left side of the capstan roller insertion opening 11.

Inside the cartridge 2, a driving roller 13 is arranged inside the capstan roller insertion opening 12, and a pair of left and right corner rollers 14 is provided at a pair of left and right corner portions of the rear wall 4b and the left and right side walls 4c. Are arranged. The drive roller 13 and the pair of left and right corner rollers 14 are formed of synthetic resin or the like, and are formed on the outer circumference of three support shafts 15 made of metal or the like that are planted on the base plate 3 by press fitting or the like. Each is rotatably attached.

The driving roller 13 is the large-diameter roller portion 1
3a and the small-diameter roller portion 13b are integrally formed in two stages vertically, and a part of the large-diameter roller portion 13a is exposed at a higher position in the capstan roller insertion opening 11 of the front wall 4a.

Inside the cartridge 2, a pair of left and right tape reels 17 with upper and lower flanges are arranged at a substantially central position in the front-rear direction. The tape reels 17 are formed of synthetic resin or the like, and are rotatably attached to the outer peripheries of two support shafts 18 made of metal or the like that are planted on the base plate 3 by press fitting or the like. There is.

Inside the cartridge 2, a pair of left and right tape guides 19 with upper and lower flanges are arranged in the vicinity of a pair of left and right corners on the front end side, and one side portion inside the capstan roller insertion opening 11 is provided. A flangeless tape guide 20 is arranged in the. The tape guides 19 and 20 are made of metal or the like and are planted on the base plate 3 by press fitting or the like.

Both ends of the magnetic tape 21 are wound around the outer circumferences of the pair of left and right tape reels 17, and the magnetic tape 21 is guided by a total of three tape guides 19 and 20 and the capstan roller insertion port 11 and. The front wall 4a is formed so as to traverse the inside of the magnetic head insertion opening 12.
It is laid out along the inside of.

The elastic drive belt 22 formed of a urethane belt or the like is substantially T-shaped between the small-diameter roller portion 13b of the drive roller 13 and the pair of left and right corner rollers 14 and has a strong tension. Is wrapped around in a given state. The driving roller 13 of the driving belt 22 and the pair of left and right corner rollers 1
The magnetic tape 2 in which a pair of left and right tape drive portions 22a between the tape tapes 4 and 4 are wound around the outer circumference of the pair of left and right tape reels 17.
Each of the tape winding parts 21a is in pressure contact with the outer periphery thereof.

The magnetic head insertion opening 12 of the cartridge 2 is cut out in a substantially trapezoidal shape so as to straddle the base plate 3 and the ceiling wall 4d of the upper cover 4 so that the magnetic head insertion opening 12 can be opened and closed. An opening / closing lid 24 having a U-shaped cross section is attached rotatably in the directions of arrows a and b around a fulcrum shaft 25 of metal or the like that is planted on the base plate 3 by press fitting or the like. There is. The open / close lid 24 is rotationally biased in the direction of the arrow b, which is the closing direction, by a coil spring 26 inserted around the fulcrum shaft 25.

Inside the cartridge 2, a mirror 27 for detecting the light at the tape end is arranged on the right side of the driving roller 13, which is one position P ₁ near one corner. The mirror 27 is formed of a synthetic resin having a light-transmitting property such as acrylic resin, and the mirror 27 closes a light-transmitting hole 28 formed in the base plate 3 so as to close the base plate 3. The upper cover 4 and the upper cover 4 are sandwiched from above and below.

A slide type erroneous erasure prevention claw 29 is attached to the right end of the front end of the ceiling wall 4d of the upper cover 4.

A pair of left and right recessed grooves 30 having a long length, which are cut from the front end 2a of the cartridge 2 to a position near the rear end 2b thereof, are parallel to each other on both left and right side walls 4c of the upper cover 4 of the cartridge 2. Is formed in. A pair of rectangular notch 31 for positioning is formed at the front end positions of the left and right ends 3a of the base plate 3 in the recessed grooves 30.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 14, a magnetic recording / reproducing device 41 used as an external storage device for backup of a computer (CPU) has a horizontally long rectangular cartridge insertion opening on a front panel 42. 43, a capstan roller 45 composed of a rubber roller or the like that is rotationally driven by a spindle 44a of a spindle motor 44, a magnetic head 46, an insertion guide of a base plate 3 of a data cartridge 1 described later,
A positioning means, a lid opening means for the opening / closing lid 24 (neither is shown), and the like are incorporated.

The data cartridge 1 is attached to the front end 2a.
From the side, the cartridge insertion port 43 of the magnetic recording / reproducing device 41
When inserted from inside in the direction of arrow c, the lid 24 opens and closes on the fulcrum shaft 2.
5, the capstan roller 45 and the magnetic head 46 are opened in the direction of arrow a against the winding spring 26, and the capstan roller insertion port 11 of the data cartridge 1 is inserted.
And is relatively inserted into the magnetic head insertion opening 12 from the direction of arrow d.

The capstan roller 45 is pressed against the large diameter roller portion 13a of the drive roller 13 by a pressure spring (not shown).
The magnetic head 46 is pressed against the magnetic tape 21 between the tape guides 19 and 20 in the direction of the arrow d by the pressure of the magnetic tape 46.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the spindle motor 44 rotationally drives the capstan roller 45 in the direction of arrow e, and the capstan roller 45 rotationally drives the drive roller 13 in the direction of arrow f, the drive roller is driven. The drive belt 22 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow g by 13a.

Then, the pair of left and right tape reels 1 are driven by the pair of left and right tape drive portions 22a of the drive belt 22.
7 is frictionally driven in the direction of arrow g via the pair of left and right tape winding portions 21a.

Then, the magnetic tape 21 is run in the direction of the arrow h between the pair of left and right tape guides 19 so that the magnetic tape 21 is wound from the left tape reel 17 to the right tape reel 17, and the data of the computer (CPU) is transferred to the magnetic head. Four
6 is used to record and reproduce on the magnetic tape 21.

By the way, the conventional magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus 41 is used.
Is a chassis 47 formed of synthetic resin or the like in an upward U-shaped cross-section, and a chassis 47 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional downward shape and is detachably fitted to the chassis 47 from above. A thin rectangular box body is formed by the upper cover 48 and the oblong front panel 4 formed of synthetic resin or the like on the front surface of the box body.
2 is detachably fitted.

An opening / closing lid 49 for opening / closing the horizontally long and rectangular cartridge insertion opening 43 formed on the front panel 42 is provided inside the front panel 43, and the upper end of the opening / closing lid 49 is the center of rotation. Is attached so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows i and j. The opening / closing lid 49 is biased by the biasing means (not shown) in the direction of arrow j.

The capstan roller 45 and the spindle motor 44 are mounted on the bottom wall 47a of the chassis 47 so as to be movable within a certain range in the directions of arrows c and d. And are urged to move in the direction of arrow d by strong urging means.

The pair of left and right side walls 4 of the chassis 47
Inside the 7b, a pair of left and right symmetrical cartridge insertion guides 50 having a symmetrical shape are horizontal and parallel to each other along a position displaced downward from a position near the front end side which is the front panel 42 side. It is molded.

The horizontal lower surfaces of the pair of left and right cartridge insertion guides 50 are formed on the vertical reference surface 51 of the data cartridge 1 to be inserted, and the front panel 42 of the pair of left and right cartridge insertion guides 50 is formed. A cartridge insertion stopper 52 is vertically formed on the lower surface of the rear end which is the opposite side.

Below the pair of left and right cartridge insertion guides 50, a pair of left and right cartridge positioning rollers 53 are arranged at positions offset to the pair of left and right cartridge insertion stoppers 52. And
The pair of left and right cartridge positioning rollers 53 are movably supported in the up and down directions by the linear spring 54 in the directions m and n in FIG. 11, and are also movable in the upward direction m. It is energized.

An elastic pressing arm 55 that elastically presses the inserted data cartridge 1 upward is integrally formed on the bottom wall 47a of the chassis 47 near the front panel 42.

In the conventional magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus 41 constructed as described above, when the data cartridge 1 is inserted from the front end 2a side into the cartridge insertion opening 43 in the direction of arrow c, the opening / closing lid 49 resists the urging means. Then, it is pushed open in the arrow j direction which is the opening direction.

Then, the pair of left and right cartridge insertion guides 50 are inserted into the pair of left and right concave grooves 30 of the data cartridge 1 inserted in the cartridge insertion opening 43 from the direction of arrow c.
Is relatively inserted from the direction of arrow d.

At the initial stage of inserting the data cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow c, the data cartridge 1
The free end portion 24a of the opening / closing lid 24 comes into contact with the front end 50a of the one cartridge insertion guide 50 from the direction of arrow c, and the free end portion 24a is attached to the one cartridge insertion guide 7
By riding on the inner side surface 50b of 9, the opening / closing lid 24 is instantly opened in the direction of arrow a against the winding spring 26 about the fulcrum shaft 25, and the magnetic head insertion opening 12 is opened. .

With the insertion of the data cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow c, the base plate 3 of the data cartridge 1 is elastically pressed by the elastic pressing arm 55 of the bottom wall 47a of the chassis 47.
The data cartridge 1 is moved upward in the direction of arrow c while the elastic pressing arm 55 elastically presses the left and right ends 3a of the base plate 3 against the vertical reference surfaces 51 of the pair of left and right cartridge insertion guides 50 from below. Is inserted.

Then, when the insertion of the data cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow c is completed, the left and right ends 3a of the base plate 3 are
Is brought into contact with the pair of left and right cartridge insertion stoppers 52 to stop the data cartridge 1 and
Both left and right ends 3a of the base plate 3 ride on a pair of left and right cartridge positioning rollers 53.

At this time, the pair of right and left cartridge positioning rollers 53 once act against the linear spring 54 by the arrow n.
After sinking in the direction, the repulsive force of the linear spring 54 causes the arrow m
It is pushed up in the direction and is engaged in the pair of left and right positioning notches 31 of the base plate 3 from the direction of arrow m. And
The pair of left and right rollers 53 strongly presses the front edge 31a of the pair of left and right notches 31 in the direction of arrow m.

As a result, in the data cartridge 1, the left and right ends 3a of the base plate 3 are pressed by the pair of left and right cartridge insertion stoppers 52 in the direction of arrow c, and
The pair of left and right vertical reference surfaces 51 are pressed in the direction of the arrow m to be correctly positioned.

When the insertion of the data cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow c is completed, the magnetic head 46 is relatively inserted from the direction of arrow d into the magnetic head insertion opening 12 of the data cartridge 1 and contacts the magnetic tape 21. At the same time, the driving roller 13 of the data cartridge 1 is configured to be strongly pressed against the capstan roller 45 in the direction of arrow c against the strong biasing means.

[0037]

The conventional data cartridge 1 configured and operated as described above is
Drive roller 13 and corner roller 1 in the cartridge 2
4, all rotating parts such as the tape reel 17 are mounted on the base plate 3, and the drive belt 22 is wound around the outer periphery of the drive roller 13, the corner roller 14 and the pair of tape winding portions 21a with a strong tension.

Therefore, the base plate 3 needs to have sufficient rigidity in order to ensure smooth rotational movement of these rotating parts and a stable tape path of the magnetic tape 21. Therefore, the above-mentioned rotating parts are mounted on a strong base plate 3 made of a metal plate such as an aluminum plate, and a lightweight upper cover 4 molded with a synthetic resin such as a polycarbonate resin is provided so as to protect these rotating parts. The cartridge 2 is constructed by assembling on the base plate 3.

However, when assembling the upper cover 4 on the base plate 3, the four points P _{1 to} P ₄ near the four corners and the two points P ₅ and P ₆ near the middle are all screwed by the screw 8. When the base plate 3 is completely fixed, stress is applied to the base plate 3 due to the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the aluminum forming the base plate 3 and the polycarbonate resin forming the upper cover 4, and the base plate 3 is stressed. And top cover 4
Both of them are bent at the same time, and as shown in FIG. 13, a deformation such that the entire cartridge 2 is warped as shown by an arrow is likely to occur.

Therefore, as described above, when assembling the upper cover 4 on the base plate 3, only the two places P ₅ and P ₆ near the center are completely fixed by the two screws 8.
Four corners vicinity four points P ₁ to P ₄ of the engaging claw 5a of the temporary fixing rib 5 of the temporary stop (top cover 3 by the temporary fixing rib 5 is lightly press-fitted in the locking hole 6 of the base plate 3 Therefore, even if the upper cover 4 expands with respect to the base plate 3 by an amount corresponding to the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4. As shown by an arrow o in FIG. 4, the upper cover 4 is allowed to freely extend to the left and right sides of the base plate 3 around the central positions P ₅ and P ₆ . This prevents the entire cartridge 2 from being deformed as shown in FIG. 13 due to the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4.

However, the locking force of the temporary fixing rib 5 temporarily fixing the four positions P _{1 to} P ₄ near the four corners of the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4 is weaker than that of the screw 8. ,
There is a problem in that some of the temporary fixing ribs 5 are easily disengaged as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 9 (A) due to an external impact caused by dropping the cartridge 2 on the floor or the like. It was

When the temporary fixing rib 5 comes off in this way, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper cover 4 floats from the base plate 3 and a part of the cartridge 2 has a regular thickness ( Height (height) H expanded compared to height H ₁
It will be deformed to _2, to generate a disadvantage to say can not be inserted the data cartridge 1 in a magnetic recording cartridge insertion port 43 of the reproducing apparatus 41 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12.

Further, in particular, as shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 9, the mirror 27 is formed of transparent acrylic resin or the like, and a plurality of dowels integrally formed on the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of the mirror 27. 270 is fitted from above into a plurality of dowel holes 300 formed on both sides of the light transmitting hole 28 of the base plate 3, and the light transmitting hole 28 is closed by the mirror 27, so that the mirror 27 is used as a base. Place on plate 3. Then, the plurality of pressing pins 400 integrally formed on the lower surface of the ceiling wall 4d of the upper cover 4 are used to press the plurality of stepped portions 271 integrally formed on the upper portions of the left and right ends of the mirror 27 from above, so that the mirror 27 is fixed. It is attached by being sandwiched between the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4 from above and below.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the data cartridge 1 is mounted in the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus 41, the tape-end photodetector 600 incorporated in the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus 41 is installed. The constituent light emitting element 601 is set directly below the mirror 27, and the light receiving element 602 is set directly in front of the mirror 27.

The light f ₁ emitted vertically upward from the light emitting element 601 is transmitted through the light transmission hole 28 of the base plate 3 and is emitted to the mirror 27 from below, and the light f ₁ is emitted from the mirror 27 at 45 °. Is reflected at 90 ° on the slope 272 of 90 °,
An optical path is formed such that the reflected light f ₂ horizontally traverses the magnetic tape 21 and the front wall 4 a of the upper cover 4 and reaches the light receiving element 602.

Then, when the tape end is reached during recording and reproduction of the magnetic tape 21, the reflected light f ₂ is reflected by the magnetic tape 2.
The tape end of the magnetic tape 21 can be detected by being transmitted through the transparent leader tape portion 1 and the front wall 4a and being received by the light receiving element 602.

Therefore, as described above, the cartridge 2
9A, the temporary fixing rib 5 at the position P ₁ in the vicinity of the mirror 27 is disengaged and the upper cover 4 is lifted from the base plate 3 due to an external impact such as a drop. If it happens, the plurality of pressing pins 400 float up integrally with the upper cover 4, and the plurality of pressing pins 40
The pressing force from the upper side of the mirror 27 due to 0 is released, and the mirror 2 is moved as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 9B.
Positional deviation such as floating and tilting occurs on the No. 7.

Then, if such a positional deviation occurs in the mirror 27, the reflected light f ₂ is not correctly irradiated to the light receiving element 602 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. However, there is an inconvenience that the tape end cannot be detected.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is caused by an external impact such as a drop.
An object of the present invention is to provide a data cartridge in which a mirror in the cartridge is not displaced.

[0050]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, a data cartridge of the present invention comprises a pair of tape reels, a drive roller and a pair of left and right rollers in a cartridge constituted by a base plate and an upper cover. A pair of tape drive parts of a drive belt in which a corner roller is rotatably supported and is wound around a drive roller and a pair of corner rollers in a substantially T-shape. In a configuration in which the drive belt is driven by a drive roller while being pressed against the outer peripheries of the pair of tape winding parts, and a mirror for detecting the light at the tape end is sandwiched between the base plate and the upper cover, At least three positions, that is, the position near the center of the cartridge and the position near the mirror, fix the upper cover on the base plate with screws, For at least three of the corner vicinity of cartridges, it is obtained by stopping the upper cover temporary on a base plate by temporary fixing ribs integrally molded on the upper cover.

[0051]

In the data cartridge of the present invention constructed as described above, the upper cover is fixed on the base plate with screws at least at three positions near the center of the cartridge and near the mirror. At least at three positions near the corners of the cartridge, the upper cover is temporarily fixed on the base plate by the temporary fixing rib integrally formed on the upper cover. Even if a part of the upper cover comes off, the upper cover can be prevented from floating from the base plate in the vicinity of the mirror.

[0052]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a data cartridge to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the same structural parts as those in FIGS. 4 to 14 are designated by the same reference numerals to omit redundant description.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the data cartridge 1 of the present invention has a base plate 3 and an upper cover 4 thereon.
When assembling the cartridge 2 by attaching, the two positions P ₅ and P ₆ near the center of the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4 are attached.
And one place P ₁ near the mirror 27, a total of three places, the upper cover 4 is provided on the base plate 3 with three screws 8.
Fixed by.

Then, the positions P ₂ and P near the three corners
Regarding ₃ and P ₄ , the upper cover 4 is temporarily fixed to the base plate 3 by three temporary fixing ribs 5.

Therefore, the data cartridge 1 of the present invention
At the position P ₁ near the mirror 27 and at the position P ₅ near the center.
Similarly to P ₆ and P ₆ , a screw fixing boss 9 is integrally formed on the lower surface of the ceiling wall 4d of the upper cover 4, and a screw 8 inserted from below into a screw insertion hole 7 formed in the base plate 3 is inserted into the boss 9. The upper cover 4 is fixed to the base plate 3 at the position P ₁ near the mirror 27 as well as at the positions P ₅ and P ₆ near the center.

However, at this time, in FIG. 2 and FIG.
As shown in (B), at least one of the three positions of the positions P ₅ and P ₆ near the center and the position P ₁ near the mirror 27, for example, one position P near the mirror 27. _{In 1} , the screw insertion hole 7 is provided with a play 70 for allowing the upper cover 4 to move relative to the base plate 3 in the direction of arrow o so as to be relatively movable within a certain range.

Therefore, according to the data cartridge 1 of the present invention, first, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two points P ₅ and P ₆ near the center of the cartridge 2 and the mirror 2 are provided.
Since the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4 are fixed by three screws 8 at a total of three positions including one position P _{1 in} the vicinity of 7, the external impact due to the dropping of the cartridge 2 on the floor or the like is applied. Even when the upper cover 4 is removed, it is possible to prevent the entire surface of the upper cover 4 from floating from the base plate 3.

Therefore, as in the conventional data cartridge 1 described with reference to FIG. 14, a part of the cartridge 2 has an increased thickness (height) H ₂ compared to the regular thickness (height) H _1.
It is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that the data cartridge 1 cannot be inserted into the cartridge insertion opening 43 of the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus 41 shown in FIGS. 1 can be secured.

Moreover, the data cartridge 1 of the present invention
In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, by fixing the upper cover 4 on the base plate 3 with the screw 8 at one position P ₁ in the vicinity of the mirror 27, it is possible to prevent the cartridge 2 from falling outside. Even if an impact is applied, the upper cover 4 floats upward from the base plate 3 at a position near the mirror 27, and a plurality of pressing pins 400 integrally with the upper cover 4 float up from the mirror 27, and It is possible to prevent the pressing force from being released.

Therefore, even if an external impact such as a drop is applied to the cartridge 2, the mirror 27 can be constantly and stably pressed onto the base plate 3 by the plurality of pressing pins 400, as shown in FIG. 9B. Since there is no positional deviation such as floating or tilting of the mirror 27 as indicated by the one-dot chain line in Fig. 9, the function of detecting the tape end of the magnetic tape 21 by the photodetector 600 described in Fig. 9B is achieved. Inconvenience does not occur at all, the light detection of the tape end can always be accurately performed, and the highly reliable data cartridge 1 can be secured.

Nevertheless, the data cartridge 1 of the present invention has three locations P ₅ , P ₆ as shown in FIGS.
And at least _one of P ₁ in the vicinity of the mirror 27
At the point P ₁ , a play 70 is provided in the screw insertion hole 7 so that the upper cover 4 can be relatively movable within the range of the play 70 in the direction of arrow o parallel to the base plate 3. Therefore, even if the upper cover 4 expands by an amount corresponding to the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the base plate 3 made of aluminum and the upper cover 4 made of polycarbonate resin or the like, the play 70 does not The amount of expansion of the upper cover 4,
That is, the amount of deformation can be absorbed.

Therefore, the upper cover 4 can freely extend in the direction of arrow o from the central positions P ₅ and P _{6 with} respect to the base plate 3 toward the left and right sides, and the thermal expansion of the upper cover 4 causes the upper cover 4 to expand. It is possible to prevent stress from being applied to the base plate 3.

As a result, like the conventional data cartridge 1 described with reference to FIG. 13, stress is applied to the base plate 3 due to the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4, and the base plate 3 and the base plate 3 are stressed. Both of the upper covers 4 are bent at the same time, and the deformation such that the entire cartridge 2 is warped does not occur at all, and the highly reliable data cartridge 1 can be secured.

At this time, as a method of providing the play 70 in the screw insertion hole 7, as shown in FIG.
a is a screw 8 formed on a countersunk head, and the screw portion 8b is fully screwed and fixed in the prepared hole 9a of the boss 9 of the upper cover 4, and the head portion 8a and the screw insertion hole 7 are There is a method of forming the play 70 between.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the head 8
a is formed into a round head, a hexagonal head, or the like, and a stepped screw 8 in which a step portion 8c is formed between the head portion 8a and the screw portion 8b is used, and the screw portion 8b is attached to the boss 9 of the upper cover 4. It is screwed into the prepared hole 9a and fixed with the stepped portion 8c.
There is also a method of forming the play 70 on the outer circumference of the stepped portion 8c.

According to the structure shown in FIG. 3A, although the upper cover 4 slightly rises with respect to the base plate 3, like the temporary fixing rib 5 shown in FIG. The upper cover 4 does not rise greatly when it is completely removed from the base plate 3. The conventional screw can be used as the screw 8 at this time as it is, and the three screws 8 can be tightened in the same process, which is low cost.

According to the structure shown in FIG. 3B, the upper cover 4 can be freely released within the range of the play 70 in the direction of arrow o parallel to the base plate 3.
The head 8a of the screw 8 has a step 8d facing upward, and the screw insertion hole 7
Since the downward step 71 of the outer periphery of the play 70 part can be suppressed from below, the upper cover 4 for the base plate 3
Of the cartridge 2 can be completely prevented from being lifted up, and the thickness (height) H _{1 of} the cartridge 2 shown in FIG. 14 can be completely prevented from changing due to an external impact such as a drop.

According to the data cartridge 1 of the present invention, the base plate 3 and the upper cover 4, for example, two points P ₅ and P ₆ near the center are fixed by the screws 8 shown in FIG. It is completely fixed, for example, by fixing the four points P _{1 to} P ₄ near the four corners with the screw 8 of the fixing method having the play 70 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The conventional temporary fixing ribs that have been conventionally used at the points P _{1 to} P ₄ are completely omitted, and 6 points P ₁
All of ~ P ₆ can be fixed with screws 8.

When all of the six points P _{1 to} P ₆ are fixed by the six screws 8, the screws 8 can be tightened and pulled out in the same process.
There is a feature that reproduction such as replacement of the upper cover 4 can be easily performed.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the screw 8 is inserted through the screw insertion hole 7 formed in the base plate 3, and the upper cover 4 is inserted.
Although the screw 8 is configured to be fastened to the boss 9, the screw 8 is inserted from the screw insertion hole formed in the upper cover 4 and fastened to the female screw hole formed in the base plate 3, and the screw insertion hole of the upper cover 4 is provided. Alternatively, the play 70 may be formed.

[0072]

The data cartridge of the present invention constructed as described above has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the upper cover is fixed on the base plate with screws at least at three positions near the center of the cartridge and at least three positions near the mirror, and at least three positions near the corners of the cartridge are provided. Regarding the location, the upper cover is temporarily fixed on the base plate with the temporary fixing rib integrally molded on the upper cover.
Even if a part of the temporary fixing rib comes off due to an external impact such as a drop, it is possible to prevent the upper cover from floating from the base plate in the vicinity of the mirror. Due to external shocks such as floating, tilting and other misalignment of the mirror occurs, which causes inconvenience in the optical detection function of the tape end of the magnetic tape, and the top cover is greatly lifted from the base plate, resulting in cartridge thickness. There is no inconvenience that the height (height) changes significantly,
It is possible to secure a highly reliable data cartridge.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the upper cover is provided in a screw insertion hole through which at least one screw of the at least three screws for fixing the upper cover is inserted on the base plate in a direction parallel to the base plate. Since a play is provided to allow it to move relatively within a certain range, even if the upper cover expands by an amount equivalent to the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the base plate and the upper cover, the deformation amount of the upper cover is inserted with a screw. It can be absorbed within the play of the holes, the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the base plate and the upper cover causes stress on the base plate, and both the base plate and the upper cover bend at the same time, It is possible to prevent deformation such that the entire cartridge is warped, and it is possible to secure a highly reliable data cartridge.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the base plate and the upper cover of the cartridge are fixed by two or more screws at two positions near the center of the cartridge and at three or more positions including the position near the mirror. At least one of the three screw insertion holes through which the screws are inserted is provided with a play for allowing the upper cover to move relatively within a certain range in a direction parallel to the base plate. It is possible to prevent the mirror from being displaced due to an external impact and the thickness (height) of the cartridge to be largely changed, and the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the base plate and the upper cover can prevent the cartridge from being changed. Although it is possible to prevent deformation such that the whole is warped, the base plate and the upper cover can be easily fixed with only screws, and the replacement such as replacement of the upper cover can be performed. It can be easily performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an embodiment of a data cartridge to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a screw fixing structure of a base plate and an upper cover at a position near a mirror.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing two examples of play of a screw insertion hole in a screw fixing structure portion between a base plate and an upper cover.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of a conventional data cartridge.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional data cartridge.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional data cartridge upper cover.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the entire conventional data cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway side view showing a screw for joining a base plate and an upper cover and a temporary fixing rib in a conventional data cartridge.

9A is a sectional side view for explaining a mirror mounting structure in a conventional data cartridge, and FIG. 9B is a tape end photodetector for a magnetic tape. It is a cross-sectional side view of FIG. 9 (A).

10A and 10B are a plan view and a front view illustrating a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus of a data cartridge.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway plan view of the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a sectional side view of a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating the warp of the entire cartridge due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the base plate and the upper cover of the conventional data cartridge.

FIG. 14 is a front view illustrating the lifting of the upper cover with respect to the base plate of the cartridge due to an external impact such as a drop of the conventional data cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Data Cartridge 2 Cartridge 3 Base Plate 4 Top Cover 5 Temporary Fixing Rib 6 Temporary Fixing Rib Locking Hole 7 Screw Insertion Hole 70 Screw Insertion Hole Play 8 Screw 8a Screw Head 8b Screw Screw 8c Step 9 Screw-holding boss 13 Drive roller 14 Corner roller 17 Tape reel 21 Magnetic tape 21a Magnetic tape tape winding unit 22 Drive belt 22a Drive belt tape drive unit 27 Mirror P ₁ , P ₅ , P ₆ screw stop position P ₂ , P ₃ , P ₄ temporary fixing position

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cartridge comprising a base plate and an upper cover, a pair of tape reels rotatably supported in the cartridge, a drive roller and a pair of left and right corner rollers, and the pair of tapes. Between the magnetic tape wound around the reel and the drive roller and the pair of corner rollers, there is approximately T.
It is driven by the drive roller in a state of being wound in a mold shape, and the pair of tape drive portions being pressed against the outer circumference of the pair of tape winding portions of the magnetic tape wound on the pair of tape reels. A drive belt, a tape end optical detection mirror sandwiched between the base plate and the upper cover from above and below, the upper cover on the base plate at two positions near their centers, and the mirror. At least three screws that are fixed at at least three locations near the corners, and at least three screws that are integrally formed on the upper cover to temporarily fix the upper cover on the base plate at at least three locations near the corners. A data cartridge comprising a temporary fixing rib. 2. A screw insertion hole into which at least one screw of at least three screws for fixing the upper cover on the base plate is inserted, and the upper cover is fixed in a certain range in a direction parallel to the base plate. 2. The data cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a play is provided for allowing it to be relatively movable inside. 3. A cartridge comprising a base plate and an upper cover, a pair of tape reels rotatably supported in the cartridge, a drive roller and a pair of left and right corner rollers, and the pair of tapes. Between the magnetic tape wound around the reel and the drive roller and the pair of corner rollers, there is approximately T.
It is driven by the drive roller in a state of being wound in a mold shape, and the pair of tape drive portions being pressed against the outer circumference of the pair of tape winding portions of the magnetic tape wound on the pair of tape reels. A drive belt, a tape end optical detection mirror sandwiched between the base plate and the upper cover from above and below, the upper cover on the base plate at two positions near their centers, and the mirror. Three or more screws that are fixed at three or more positions including the vicinity position, and the upper cover is parallel to the base plate in at least one of the three or more screw insertion holes through which the screws are inserted. A data cartridge characterized in that a play is provided so as to allow relative movement within a certain range in the direction.