JPS6346893Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a cleaning cassette that is most suitable for wiping dirt off a fixed head of a VTR, for example.

Conventionally, as a cleaning cassette for a VTR, one in which a cleaning section is provided only at both the upper and lower ends of the tape and extends over the entire length of the tape is known. By attaching the cassette to a VTR and running the tape, the cleaning parts at both the top and bottom ends of the tape can be brought into contact only with fixed heads such as audio heads and control heads, without contacting the video head. It has been taken into consideration. (Note that if the cleaning section comes into contact with the video head, the video head will be easily damaged by the abrasive material contained in the cleaning section.) However, after cleaning with the conventional cassette mentioned above, It has been found that when a normal magnetic tape is loaded (running), the playback output of the video head deteriorates. This is because the cleaning section may come into contact with the surface of the video head drum and roughen the surface, causing a change in the running condition of the magnetic tape, or the cleaning section may come into contact with a part of the video head unexpectedly and cause the surface to become rough. This is thought to be due to changes in the surface condition.

By the way, the applicant of the present invention has developed a cleaning section provided on a part of the tape by reciprocating the tape within a certain range in the longitudinal direction with the tape loaded on a predetermined running path outside the cassette. An application has already been filed for a cleaning cassette that is able to reliably clean only the fixed head by contacting only the fixed head without contacting the head drum or video head at all.

However, in the above-mentioned prior application, the tape was moved back and forth using the VTR's rewind and playback functions, which resulted in some problems with the usability, such as the need to press the playback button intermittently. There was a problem.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and includes a mechanism for reciprocating the tape inside the cassette itself, so that after the cassette is installed in a recording/playback device such as a VCR, the rewind button or fast forward button can be pressed. The tape can be automatically reciprocated by simply pressing , etc., and as in the previous application, the cleaning unit does not come into contact with the video head drum or video head at all, but only with the fixed head. This cleaning cassette is designed to reliably clean only the fixed head, and in particular, the tape reciprocating mechanism provided in the cassette is simple and allows the tape to reciprocate effortlessly and smoothly. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cleaning cassette that enables cleaning.

An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a cleaning cassette for a VTR will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of reels, a take-up reel 3 and a supply reel 4, are rotatably housed in a cassette housing 2 of a cleaning cassette 1. Inside the cassette housing 2, a tape 5 made of magnetic tape or other flexible films made of various materials is housed. The tape 5 is wound around the circumferential surface of the hub 3a of the take-up reel 3 via a locking means 6 at one end 5a. Further, a coil spring 8 is locked by one end to a locking pin 7 provided at one corner of the supply reel 4 side of the cassette housing 2, and the other end 5b of the tape 5 is held by a locking pin 7 through a locking means 9. coil spring 8
The movable end of the

Incidentally, an intermediate roller 51 is rotatably provided between the reels 3 and 4 within the cassette housing 2. One end 5a of the tape 5 passes through (detours around) the intermediate roller 51 in a substantially U-shape and is locked to the take-up reel 3.

On the other hand, an outer ring 52 is attached to the outer periphery of the hub 4a of the supply reel 4.
are fitted, and the outer peripheral surface or outer ring 52 of the hub 4a
The hub 4a and the outer ring 52 are engaged to be able to rotate relative to each other within a certain angle θ ₁ by a convex portion 53 provided on one of the inner peripheral surfaces and a recessed portion 54 provided on the other. has been done. On the outer circumferential surface of the outer ring 52, there is a tape drive section 55 made of a material having elasticity such as rubber and having a relatively high coefficient of friction.
is provided with a predetermined length θ ₂ . At this time, the length θ ₂ of the tape drive unit 55 is configured to be slightly smaller than the relative rotation angle θ ₁ between the hub 4a and the outer ring 52, and the thickness t ₁ of the tape drive unit 55 is configured to be slightly smaller than the relative rotation angle θ 1 between the hub 4a and the outer ring 52. The gap is slightly larger than the gap t ₂ between the two. Note that 16 and 17 are a pair of guide pins provided on both sides of the front opening 18 of the cassette housing 2.

A pair of cleaning parts 19 and 20 for cleaning the fixed head of the VTR are provided at two locations on the tape 5, respectively, extending over the entire width of the tape 5 and extending to a predetermined length. Note that these cleaning parts 19 and 20 are attached to the 5th side of the tape.
Applying various abrasive materials such as Cr ₂ O ₃ and Al ₂ O ₃ ,
We use various materials and processing methods that are ideal for wiping dirt off the surface of the fixed head, such as pasting various abrasive papers or roughening only that part by mechanical processing such as sandblasting. It is formed. Further, these cleaning parts 19 and 20 can be laminated onto the tape 5, or the tape 5 can be cut in the middle and joined together with an adhesive tape or the like.

Next, using the cleaning cassette 1 described above,
The cleaning operation of the fixed head of a VTR will be explained. The VTR shown here is a U-type loading type VTR.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, before the cassette is mounted on a VTR, the tape 5 in the cleaning cassette 1 is wound onto the take-up reel 3.

Next, as shown in Fig. 2, clean the cleaning cassette 1.
When mounted on the VTR main body 21, loading guide 22, pinch roller 23,
A tension regulator pin 24 and the like are inserted inside the tape 5. After the cassette is installed, the loading guide 22 and the pinch roller 23 are rotated counterclockwise along the outer periphery of the video head drum 25, which is a rotating drum, by the rotation of a loading ring (not shown), and the tension is increased. Regulator pin 24 is also moved to the solid line position. Due to these movements, the tape 5 is transferred to the take-up reel 3.
The cleaning cassette 1 is then gradually pulled out from the cleaning cassette 1 and loaded onto the circumferential surface of the video head drum 25. Loading of the tape 5 is completed when the loading guide 22 and the pinch roller 23 reach the solid line position, and these are stopped and the tape 5 is placed at a predetermined angle on the circumferential surface of the video head drum 25, which is a predetermined running path. audio head 2, which is wrapped around the head and is a fixed head;
6. The tape is passed through a control head 27, an erase head 28, a capstan 29, and a plurality of other tape guides as shown by solid lines. When the loading of the tape 5 is completed, both cleaning sections 19 and 20 are pulled out to positions facing the audio head 26, the control head 27, and the erasing head 28, respectively, as shown by the solid line, and the tape section 14
is pulled out to a position on the circumferential surface of the video head drum 25. However, at this time, one cleaning section 19 is stopped at an intermediate position between the video head drum 25 and the control head 27, and the other cleaning section 2
0 is stopped at a position intermediate between tension regulator pin 24 and erase head 28.

By the way, by attaching the cleaning cassette 1 to the VTR main body 21 described above, the pair of reel stands 31 and 32 provided on the VTR main body 21 are engaged with both reels 3 and 4, respectively.

Therefore, when the rewind button (not shown) is pressed after the loading of the tape 5 is completed as shown in FIG. and recess 54
The outer ring 52 is continuously driven to rotate in the same direction.

However, during one rotation of the supply reel 4, 1
At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the tape drive unit 55 is elastically pressed against the circumferential surface of the intermediate roller 51 via the tape 5 and rotated. At this time, a driving force is generated in the tape 5 in the direction of the arrow, and the tape 5 is moved toward the intermediate roller 51.
The winding reel 3 is pulled in the direction of the arrow against the coil spring 8 so as to create slack between the winding reel 3 and the winding reel 3.

As a result, the cleaning sections 19 and 20 are located at intermediate positions between the audio head 26 and the capstan 29 and at the erase head 28, respectively, as shown by solid lines in FIG.
and the video head 25, respectively. At the moment when the tape drive section 55 passes the intermediate roller 51 portion, the tape 5 is pulled back by the coil spring 8 in the opposite direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. Then, they are moved to their original positions as shown by the imaginary lines.

Therefore, during one rotation of the supply reel 4, both the cleaning parts 19 and 20 are reciprocated once between the solid line position and the imaginary line position, and the continuous rotation of the supply reel 4 causes the above reciprocating movement. Continuous.

One of the cleaning sections 19 comes into sliding contact with the audio head 26 and the control head 27 to clean them by wiping them clean, and the other cleaning section 20 comes into sliding contact with the erasing head 28 and wipes away the dirt. You will need to clean it accordingly.

However, in this case, these cleaning parts 19,
Since the cleaning parts 20 do not come into contact with the video head drum 25 at all, there is no risk that the video head 33, which is a rotating head attached to the video head drum 25, will be damaged by these cleaning parts 19 and 20.

After the above-mentioned cleaning, by pressing a stop button and then an eject button (both not shown), the tape 5 is unloaded and taken up on the take-up reel 3 in the cleaning cassette 1, as is conventionally known. After the tape is unloaded, the cleaning cassette 1 is ejected.

By the way, when the stop button is pressed after the above-mentioned cleaning, it is conceivable that the tape drive section 55 happens to be stopped while being pressed against the intermediate roller 51, as shown by the solid line in FIG.

At this time, if there is no outer ring 52 and the tape drive section 55 is attached directly to the outer periphery of the hub 4a, the next time the tape 5 is unloaded, the brake is applied to the supply reel 4, so the tape 5 is placed in the middle. The tape 5 is sandwiched and fixed between the roller 51 and the tape drive unit 55, and the tape 5 cannot be taken up by the take-up reel 3, that is, unloaded.

However, in this cleaning cassette 1, the outer ring 52 is fitted to the outer periphery of the hub 4a of the supply reel 4, resulting in a dual structure between the inside and the outside _. Since the outer ring 52 is configured to be able to rotate with respect to the hub 4a at a rather large angle θ ₁ , the tape drive section 55 rotates around the intermediate roller 5 as shown by the solid line in FIG.
Even if the supply reel 4 is braked when unloading the tape 5, the take-up reel 3 may stop while being pressed.
As the tape 5 is wound up by the rotation, the intermediate roller 51 rotates clockwise, and the tape drive unit 55 is released through the tape 5 to a position where it is removed from the intermediate roller 51 as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. Therefore, the outer ring 52 can be rotated counterclockwise.
Therefore, the tape 5 can be wound up, ie, unloaded, without any problem.

Further, in the case of a VTR having an auto-rewind mechanism, a sensing tape 35 is attached to the other end 5b of the tape 5, as shown in FIG.
As mentioned above, when the tape 5 is loaded after the cassette is installed, the sensing tape 35
If the cleaning cassette 1 is detected by a sensor such as the proximity switch 36 and switched to auto rewind mode (automatic rewinding state), and the supply reel 4 is automatically driven to rotate, the cleaning cassette 1 can be simply moved.
By simply attaching it to the VTR main body 21, the fixed head described above can be cleaned without pressing the rewind button.

Further, the tape drive section 55 is provided on the take-up reel 3 side, and one end 5a of the tape 5 is locked on the supply reel 4 side via the intermediate roller 51,
If the tape drive section 55 is changed to intermittently push and rotate the intermediate roller 51 via the tape 5, the above-mentioned procedure can be performed by pressing the fast forward button and rotating the take-up reel 3. Similarly, the fixed head can be cleaned.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

First, according to the present invention, the M-type loading method
It is applicable not only to VTRs but also to various recording and reproducing devices other than VTRs.

Furthermore, the cleaning section referred to in the present invention is by no means limited to that shown in the embodiments, and the cleaning section may be provided at least at one location on the tape 5.

Furthermore, the spring portion referred to in the present invention is not limited to the coil spring 8 shown in the embodiment, but can be changed to one having various spring effects such as a plate spring or a linear spring. The other end 5b of the tape 5 may be fixed within the cassette housing 2, and a spring portion having a spring effect, such as rubber or plastic, may be interposed midway on the other end 5a side of the tape 5.

Further, in the embodiment, the tape drive section 55 is made of rubber or the like, but the intermediate roller 51 or the tape drive section 5
5 and the intermediate roller 51 may be made of rubber or the like.

Further, in the embodiment, the convex portion 53 was provided on the hub 4a side of the supply reel 4, and the concave portion 54 was provided on the outer ring 52 side, but conversely, the concave portion 54 was provided on the hub 4a side, and the convex portion 53 was provided on the outer ring 52 side. It's okay.

As mentioned above, the present invention is equipped with a tape reciprocating mechanism inside the cassette itself, and after the cassette is inserted into a recording/playback device such as a VTR, the tape can be automatically moved by simply pressing the rewind button or fast forward button. The tape is reciprocally moved so that the cleaning part provided on the tape does not come into contact with the video head or the video head drum at all, but only with the fixed head, thereby making it possible to reliably clean only the fixed head. It is very easy to operate.

Moreover, according to the present invention, the tape reciprocating mechanism provided in the cassette is configured such that one end of the tape is locked to one reel via an intermediate roller disposed between a pair of reels in the cassette. , the other end of the tape is associated with a spring means, a tape drive section of a predetermined length is provided on the circumferential surface of the other reel in the cassette, and the other reel is rotationally driven, thereby driving the tape drive section. The tape is intermittently pressed against the circumferential surface of the intermediate roller and rotated to generate a driving force intermittently on the tape, and the driving force and the spring means cause the intermediate roller to rotate. The mechanism is configured to reciprocate the tape within a certain range in the length direction (a range where the cleaning section can rub the fixed head and a range where the rotating head and rotating drum cannot be rubbed). Therefore, the reciprocating mechanism for the tape is simple, and the tape can be reciprocated easily and smoothly, which is also useful when unloading the tape.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a cleaning cassette for a VCR, and the first embodiment is shown in the drawing.
The figure is a partially cutaway plan view of the cleaning cassette, Figure 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the cleaning cassette attached to the VTR body and tape is loaded, and Figure 3 is a partially cutaway plan view explaining the cleaning operation of the fixed head. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of the main part, illustrating troubles during tape unloading. In addition, in the symbols used in the drawings, 1... cleaning cassette, 2... cassette housing, 3...
...Take-up reel (one reel), 4... Supply reel (other reel), 5... Tape, 8... Coil spring (spring means), 19, 20...
...Cleaning section, 21...VTR body, 31...
...Take-up reel stand, 32... Supply reel stand, 51...
...Intermediate roller, 52...Outer ring, 53...Protrusion, 5
4... recessed portion, 55... tape drive section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A tape having a part of the fixed head cleaning section is stored, and while the tape is loaded on a predetermined running path outside the cassette, the tape is carried over a certain range in the longitudinal direction. In a cleaning cassette that is reciprocated within a cleaning cassette, one end of the tape is secured to one reel via an intermediate roller disposed between a pair of reels in the cassette, and the other end of the tape is secured to a spring. In relation to the means, a tape drive section of a predetermined length is provided on the circumferential surface of the other reel in the cassette, and by rotationally driving the other reel, the tape drive section is driven through the tape to the intermediate roller. The tape is configured to intermittently press and rotate the circumferential surface to intermittently generate a driving force on the tape, and the driving force and the spring means cause the tape to be moved within a certain range in the length direction. The certain range is a range in which the cleaning part can rub the fixed head by the reciprocating movement, and
A cleaning cassette characterized in that the cleaning cassette has a range in which a rotating head and a rotating drum cannot be rubbed. (2) The cleaning cassette according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the tape drive section and the intermediate roller is made of a material having elasticity and a relatively high coefficient of friction. (3) Fitting an outer ring to the outer periphery of the hub of the other reel, and engaging the hub and the outer ring so that they can rotate relative to each other within a certain angle through the convex portion and the concave portion; is provided on the outer periphery of the outer ring.
Cleaning cassette as described in section.