JPH11149744A - Belt-driven recording tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase recording capacity by increasing windable length of a tape by providing a drive roller position in a distance of a specified range from one end of a width direction of a drive-inserting side. SOLUTION: A center position of a drive roller 12 is provided within a distance of 1/4 of a width of a drive-inserting side from one end to the other end of the width direction of the driveinserting side. A recording tape 11 is held through five tape guide pins 19, where a tape path line 11a between guide pins 19a and 19b extends parallel with a front line M of a base plate 10 for contacting with a magnetic head of a drive unit side by crossing a head-inserting part of a front part. The drive roller 12 rotates and drives, and a part of a driving belt 7 contacts with tape packs 8a and 9a for conveying the recording tape 11 for winding and rewinding. Thereby, a maximum containable tape pack diameter can be increased, which enables 25% increase of storage capacity, and obtaining almost as inexpensive as a QIC method.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a belt-driven recording tape cartridge (hereinafter, "tape cartridge").
More specifically, the present invention relates to a high-capacity type tape cartridge improved so that a tape can be wound longer than a conventional tape cartridge without changing the size of the conventional tape cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Tape cartridges are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,692,255, 4,581,189, and 4,466,564, which are simple and have a large storage capacity. Therefore, it is widely used for data recording of computers and the like, especially for backup. The tape cartridge has a basic configuration in which a recording tape wound around a pair of tape reels and rewound freely and a drive belt for unwinding and rewinding the recording tape are housed in a housing. The recording tape has a part of the pass line stretched across a head insertion portion formed on a front surface of the housing. Also,
The drive belt is stretched over a tape pack (a portion of a recording tape wound around a tape reel) by forming a loop-shaped pass line whose outer peripheral surface is in frictional contact over a predetermined circumferential length. Then, the drive roller that stretches the drive belt frictionally contacts the capstan roller on the tape drive side and is driven to rotate, so that the drive belt is driven to rotate in the circumferential direction, and the recording tape that comes into frictional contact with the drive belt is wound. It is configured to be unwound and rewound and transferred. At this time,
The drive roller is usually arranged near the center of the surface of the tape cartridge on the drive device insertion side.

A standard called QIC is known as such a large-capacity and inexpensive tape cartridge. Its capacity is limited to 21 GB in the current format system. That is, as shown in FIG.
mm, width 152.4 mm, thickness 16.5 mm
The tape cartridge (1) conforming to the IC standard includes a belt support roller (5a, 5a) for bringing a belt (2) for transporting the tape into frictional contact with the tape pack (3a, 4a).
Since it is necessary to secure a space for arranging b), the diameter of the tape pack that can be stored is up to 74.4 mm.
Was the limit. The maximum 74.4 mm means that the diameter of the tape reel (3, 4) is 25 mm and the tape length that can be wound is 200 when the conventional tape thickness is about 7 μm.
0 feet (610 m). The capacity of this tape of 2000 feet in length and 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) in width in the format of QIC-5010-DC is 21 GB.

[0004]

On the other hand, with the dramatic improvement in the recording capacity of a hard disk in recent years, one hard disk has reached a capacity of 18 GB, and the recording capacity of an inexpensive medium such as the QIC system has been improved. Is desired. In order to solve this problem, for example, a line connecting the rotation centers of the tape reels is obliquely formed with respect to the front line of the housing, so that a slight increase in capacity is obtained. It is just.

[0005]

Therefore, as a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have moved the position of the drive roller, which is rotationally driven by the drive device outside the cartridge, from the center of the conventional drive device insertion side surface. As a result, the present inventors have found that such a problem is solved, and have reached the present invention. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a belt-driven tape cartridge that can increase the winding length of a tape and increase the recording capacity without changing the size of a conventional tape cartridge. In a belt-driven recording tape cartridge in which a recording tape is caused to travel by a driving belt, the position of a drive roller that is rotationally driven by a driving device outside the cartridge moves from one end in the width direction of the driving device insertion side toward the other end. This is easily achieved by a belt-driven tape cartridge characterized in that it is at a distance within 1/4 of the insertion width.

Hereinafter, a belt-driven tape cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of the belt-driven cartridge of the present invention. In the tape cartridge (6) of the present invention, a line (L) connecting the centers of the tape reels (8) and (9) is oblique to the front line (M) of the base plate (10). The tape reels (8), (9) and the tape reels (8), (9) are unwound and rewound freely, and a part of the pass line is formed on the front portion of the base plate (10). Each tape pack (8a), (9a) of the recording tape (11) stretched across the head insertion portion (10a) and the recording tape (11) wound on each tape reel (8), (9). ), The outer peripheral surface of which is brought into frictional contact with the recording tape (11) by being rotated in the circumferential direction thereof, thereby unwinding and rewinding the recording tape (11). And the base plate (10 A drive roller which is rotatably supported by the upper (12), the base plate (1
0) The belt support rollers (13), (14), and (15) rotatably supported on the housing are accommodated in a plastic cover (16). The illustration of the plastic cover other than the wall is omitted. Tape width is 10mm
It is.

A feature of the present invention is that the center position of the drive roller (12) is within a distance of not more than 1/4 of the width of the driving device insertion side from one end in the width direction of the driving device insertion side to the other end on the opposite side. That is. As a result, the amount of recording tape that can be wound on a tape reel can be increased. The pair of tape reels (8) and (9) are rotatably fitted to support shafts (17) and (18) implanted on the base plate (10).

Each tape pack (8) of the recording tape (11)
a) and (9a), five tape guide pins (19a) planted on the base plate (10) near the front and rear portions of the base plate and the belt transfer roller;
(19b), (19c), (19d), and (19e). Tape guide pins (19a), (1
9b) The tape path line (11
a) extends parallel to the front line (M) of the base plate (10). The tape path line (11a) crosses the head insertion portion (10a) formed on the front portion of the base plate (11), so that the tape path line (11a) can be in close contact with the magnetic head on the drive unit side.

The drive belt (7) comprises a drive roller (12) and belt support rollers (13), (14),
(15), the tape packs (8a), (9)
A loop-shaped pass line is formed while always being in close contact with a). Then, the drive roller (12) is rotationally driven by frictional contact with the capstan roller on the tape drive side, and a part of the outer peripheral surface of the drive belt (7) extends over a predetermined circumferential length of each tape of the recording tape (11). Pack (8a),
The recording tape (11) is unwound between a pair of tape reels (8) and (9) by being brought into frictional contact with the outer peripheral surface of (9a), and is rewound and conveyed.

Here, an example has been described in which the line connecting the rotation centers of the tape reels is oblique to the front line of the housing. However, it is apparent that the effect can be obtained even when the lines are orthogonal to each other. . When the line connecting the rotation centers of the tape reels is oblique to the front line of the housing as shown in FIG. 1, the center of the width on the drive device insertion side is opposite to the intersection. Preferably there is a drive roller.

More specifically, the effect of the present invention is as follows. For example, when the size of a cartridge is 101.6 mm × 152.4 mm, the maximum tape pack diameter that can be stored in the conventional structure as shown in FIG. 74.4 mm. If the tape reel diameter is 25 mm and the tape thickness is 7 μm, the tape length is 2000 feet (610 mm).
m). With this length, the tape width is 6.35mm, QIC
In the case of the -5010-DC format, the recording capacity is 21
GB.

Also, as shown in FIG. 3, even when the line connecting the centers of rotation of the tape reels is orthogonal or oblique to the front line of the housing, the maximum tape pack diameter that can be stored is 78.5 mm. . If the tape reel diameter is 25 mm and the tape thickness is 7 μm, the tape length is 2250 feet (686 m). With this length and a tape width of 6.35 mm and a QIC-5010-DC format, the recording capacity is 23.6 GB.

On the other hand, in the structure of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the maximum tape pack diameter that can be stored in the same size is eight.
2.3 mm. This is a tape reel diameter 25φmm
When the tape thickness is 7 μm, the tape length is 2500 feet (762 m). 6.3 tape width at this length
In the case of the 5 mm QIC5010-DC format, the recording capacity is 27 GB. This is 25% less than the commonly used belt driven tape cartridge shown in FIG.
6 GB is also a large capacity. Furthermore, tape width is 10mm
In this case, the recording capacity of the structure according to the present invention is 43 G.
B, which is more than twice the conventional recording capacity.

[0014]

As described above, in the tape cartridge according to the present invention, the storage capacity can be increased by 25% without changing the size of the conventional normal belt drive type tape cartridge, and the width can be further increased. Is 1.57 times, in the case of the QIC5010-DC format, it is possible to record 43 GB of information, which is 22 GB more than the conventional 21 GB. According to the present invention, since the drive device is almost the same as the conventional QIC system, it is possible to provide an inexpensive and large-capacity backup system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a conventional tape cartridge.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a conventional tape cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Conventional tape cartridge 2: Drive belt 3: Tape reel 4: Tape reel 3a: Tape pack 4a: Tape pack 5a: Belt support roller 5b: Belt support roller 6: Tape cartridge of the present invention 7: Drive belt 8: Tape Reel 8a: Tape pack 9: Tape reel 9a: Tape pack 10: Base plate 11: Tape 11a: Tape 12: Drive roller 13: Belt support roller 14: Belt support roller 15: Belt support roller 16: Cover wall part 17: Support shaft 18: Support shaft 19a-e: Tape guide

Claims (3)

[Claims] In a belt-driven recording tape cartridge in which a recording tape is caused to travel by a driving belt, a center position of a drive roller that is rotationally driven by a driving device outside the cartridge moves from one end to the other end in the width direction of the driving device insertion side. A belt-driven tape cartridge, which is located within a distance of not more than 1/4 of a width of a driving device insertion side. 2. The belt-driven recording tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the width of the tape is 6.35 mm or more. 3. A cartridge comprising: a pair of tape reels in which a line connecting the center of rotation of each tape reel is orthogonal or oblique to the front line of the housing; The outer peripheral surface is rubbed against each tape pack of the recording tape wound around the head insertion portion formed on the front surface of the housing and the recording tape wound around each tape reel. 3. A loop-shaped drive belt for winding and rewinding a recording tape by contacting and rotating the recording tape in a circumferential direction thereof is housed in a housing. Belt driven recording tape cartridge.