Patent ID: 6758381
Filing Date: 2004-07-06
Classification: G11B,Y10S

Abstract:
A pinch roller device for putting a tape into pressure-contact with a capstan shaft for running the tape, the pinch roller device comprising:a hollow cylindrical elastic member rotating while the tape is running; a sleeve provided on an inner surface of the elastic member for holding the elastic member; a bearing integrated with the sleeve; a pinch roller shaft inserted through the bearing for rotatably supporting the bearing; an inclination restriction member integrated with the pinch roller shaft for restricting an angle of inclination of the pinch roller shaft with respect to the elastic member; a first position restriction member integrated with the pinch roller shaft to be inside the elastic member for restricting a position of the elastic member in a first thrusting direction of the elastic member; a second position restriction member integrated with the pinch roller shaft to be inside the elastic member for restricting a position of the elastic member in a second thrusting direction of the elastic member; and a sliding restriction member integrated with the sleeve and having a circular cross-section along a plane perpendicular to a rotation center line of the elastic member, wherein: the bearing has an effective bearing face in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the pinch roller shaft for receiving a force applied from the pinch roller shaft in a radial direction of the pinch roller shaft, the sliding restriction member is disposed at a different portion from the effective bearing face, a distance from a center of the effective bearing face in a direction of a center line of the bearing to a contact point between the inclination restriction member and the sliding restriction member is larger than at least either one of distances from the center of the effective bearing face in a direction of a center line of the bearing to the end face in a direction of the center line of the bearing which is a restricted position in a thrust direction of the first position restriction member and the second position restriction member, and when an angle between the rotation center line of the elastic member and a rotation center line of the pinch roller shaft approaches a prescribed value, the sliding restriction member contacts the inclination restriction member.