Method and apparatus for winding magnetic tape

Abstract: A magnetic tape winding method and apparatus for winding magnetic tape fed from a supply reel into a cassette, and for achieving in a simple construction in pulling a leader tape out of the cassette smoothly and quickly without scratching ther tape, to assure production of quality cassette in a short cycle. The winding means for winding the magnetic tape into the cassette comprises a motor mounted on a base panel, a winding shaft (6) mounted to a spindle of the motor, a pawl turnably provided in a groove of the winding shaft, a pressing plate reciprocally moving in an axial direction of the winding shaft, and a cylinder for reciprocally moving the pressing plate, characterized by the pawl projecting out of the winding shaft by the force of a spring when the pressing plate is positioned near the side of the base panel, and the pawl

Description: Field of ther Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for winding magnetic tape, and more particularly concerns a method and apparatus for winding magnetic tape fed out of a supply reel having a long tape into a cassette. Back Ground of the Invention A magnetic tape winding apparatus is known that can feed magnetic tape out of a supply reel having a long tape wound therein, and wind it on a cassette. The tape winding apparatus supplies a cassette from a cassette magazine into a cassette holder, and insert a winding shaft into a hub of the cassette. It pulls a leader tape out of the cassette, cuts the leader tape, and splices an end of the cut leader tape to the side of the winding shaft with an end of the magnetic tape fed out. It revolves the winding shaft and the supply reel to wind the magnetic tape into the cassette to a predetermined length, and stops the winding shaft and the supply reel. The apparatus then cuts the magnetic tape, and splices the remaining end of the cut leader tape to the other end of the magnetic tape on the side of the winding shaft. It then winds a little of the magnetic tape and the leader tape outside the cassette into the cassette with the winding shaft, and ejects the completed cassette. The winding shaft has been known to have a pawl or similar projection on a circumference thereof so that it can fit in a groove in a center hole of the hub. The pawl is turnably held on a support provided in a groove on the winding shaft and is supported by a spring. The pawl, which is usually out of the winding shaft, can be concealed in the winding shaft by an external force exerted on the pawl. This facilitates easy insertion of the winding shaft in the hub. As for construction and operation of the winding shaft, these have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Publicity S58-131469. In this prior art, the pawl is actuated from the center of the winding shaft by a cone rod. To insert the hub onto or pull it out of the winding shaft, the pawl is pushed into the winding shaft. To revolve the winding shaft to wind the magnetic tape, the pawl projects out of the winding shaft to fit in the groove of the center hole of the hub. This prevents an insertion error that may occasionaly occur when the hub is inserted onto the winding shaft. However, the magnetic tape winding apparatus and method heretofore used have the disadvantage of scratching the leader tape when an audio magnetic tape and similar thin magnetic tapes are wound, or when the leader tape is pulled out of the cassette. This is due to the fact that with the pawl in the groove of the center hole of the hub when the leader tape is pulled out by an external force, the leader tape has the inertia force of the motor connected with the winding shaft exerted on it. In view of the foregoing, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a magnetic tape winding method and apparatus that is simple in operation and construction to pull a leader tape out of a cassette smoothly in a short time without scratching the tape. Brief Description of the Invention In order to accomplish the above mentioned object, the magnetic tape winding apparatus according to the present invention comprises in addition to features mentioned before and in the preamble of claim 1 the features of the characterizing part of claim 1. In order to accomplish the above mentioned objects, the magnetic tape winding method according to the present invention comprises in addition to features mentioned before and in the preamble of claim 2 the features of the characterising part of claim 2. These and other objects and features of the present invention will be better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of an embodiment and the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is an overall front view illustrative of the magnetic tape winding apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a brief front view illustrative of a cassette having leader tape wound therein. Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal cross sectional views of a winding means. Fig. 5 is a lateral partial cross sectional view of the winding means. Detailed escription of the Invention Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention for an magnetic tape winding apparatus. This apparatus features supply reel 1 having long magnetic tape 2 wound thereon rotatably driven to feed magnetic tape 2 out. Magnetic tape 2 is wound on hub 16 of cassette 4 with winding shaft 6 rotatably driven. The apparatus comprises a supply means for feeding magnetic tape 2 out of supply reel 1, cassette supply means for supplying cassette 4 from cassette magazine 7 to cassette holder 5, and a leader tape pull-out means for pulling leader tape 3 out of cassette 4 having leader tape 3 fitted thereto. Cutting means is provided for cutting leader tape 3 and magnetic tape 2, pulled out and a splicing means for splicing leader tape 3 and magnetic tape 2. Winding means winds magnetic tape 2 on hub 16 of cassette 4, and a discharge means (not shown) discharges cassette 4 from cassette holder 5 with magnetic tape 2 wound therein. The following describes construction of the winding means with reference to Figs. 3, 4, and 5. The winding means comprises motor 23 fixed on the inside of base panel 15, winding shaft 6 fixed on spindle 23a of motor 23, pawl 17 held by the fulcrum of support 19 to be turned by spring 18 in a groove of winding shaft 6, and pressing plate 20. Pawl 17 is a plate a little thinner than the width of a groove formed by a small hole in hub 16, and has a spring fitting portion 17b and circular portion 17a contacting pressing plate 20 which forms a T shape. Base panel 15 has pressing plate drive 24 mounted thereon, which has twin cylinder 22 having two rods in parallel mounted thereon. Two shafts 21 of the twin cylinder 22 have pressing plate 20 mounted thereon. Pressing plate 20 can be reciprocally moved perpendicular to the base panel 15 by the twin cylinder 22. Pawl 17 can be set in either of two states, A or B as shown in Figs 3 and 4. In state A in which the pressing plate 20 is positioned near the side of base panel 15, pressing plate 20 is separated from pawl 17. A edge 17c of the pawl 17, as shown in Fig. 3, is extended out of winding shaft 6 by the force of spring 18. When hub 16 is inserted into winding shaft 6, pawl 17 enters the groove of the center hole of hub 16. Hub 16 also can rotate with winding shaft 6. In state B in which pressing plate 20 is separated a distance from base panel 15, pressing plate 20 presses circular portion 17a to slightly turn pawl 17 around support 19. In this state, edge 17c of pawl 17, as shown in Fig. 4, is concealed in winding shaft 6. As hub 16 is inserted in winding shaft 6, hub 16 cannot rotate even when winding shaft 6 revolves. Conversely, winding shaft 6 cannot rotate even when hub 16 revolves. In turn, the following describes the winding process. (1) Cassette 4 is supplied from cassette magazine 7 to the cassette holder 5 positioned apart from base panel 15 (cassette supply step). Cassette holder 5 is fitted so as to move reciprocally perpendicular to base panel 15 though this is not shown. (2) Pressing plate 20 is separated a distance from base panel 15, and pawl 17 is in state B. (3) Cassette holder 5 moves toward base panel 15. Hub 16 is then inserted onto winding shaft 6. (4) Leader tape 3 is pulled out of cassette 4 little by a leader tape pull-out arrangement 9 provided so as to be reciprocally moved along two slide rods 11 mounted in parallel on blocks 10 mounted on base panel 15. In this step (leader tape pull-out step), leader tape pull-out arrangement 9 is at its rightmost position. (5) Leader tape pull-out arrangement 9 moves to the leftmost position along slide rods 11 to pull out leader tape 3 to a predetermined length. In this step (leader tape pull-out step), leader tape 3 is positioned on shift blocks 12. (6) Pressing plate 20 is positioned near the side of base panel 15, and pawl 17 is made to be in state A. (7) Leader tape 3 is cut on shift blocks 12 by cutter 13 (cutting step). (8) Magnetic tape 2 placed on shift blocks 12 in advance is spliced with an end of cut leader tape 3 on the side of the winding shaft 6 by splicing arrangement 14 (splicing step). (9) Winding shaft 6 and supply reel 1 are removed to wind the magnetic tape 2 into cassette 4 (winding step). (10) When magnetic tape 2 is wound in cassette 4 to a predetermined length, winding shaft 6 and supply reel 1 are stopped. (11) Magnetic tape 2 is cut on shift blocks 12 by cutter 13 (cutting step). (12) The other end of cut leader tape 3 is spliced with one end of cut magnetic tape 2 on the side of cassette 4 by the splicing arrangement 14 (splicing step). (13) Leader tape 3 and magnetic tape 2 outside of cassette 4 are wound into cassette 4 by revolving winding shaft 6 (winding step). (14) Cassette 4 having magnetic tape 2 wound therein is ejected from cassette holder 5 by an ejection arrangement (not shown). The above described steps are automatically repeated to produce a cassette having a magnetic tape wound therein. The advantages of the present invention consist in particular in the fact that a magnetic tape winding apparatus can be produced with a simple construction to pull a leader tape out of a cassette smoothly and quickly without scratching the tape, and this assures the production of quality cassette in a short cycle.

Claims: A magnetic-tape winding apparatus for winding magnetic tape (2) fed from a supply reel (1) into a cassette (4), comprising: a winding means for winding the magnetic tape into the cassette, said winding means having in combination a motor (23) mounted on a base panel (15), a winding shaft (6) mounted on a spindle (23a) of said motor (23), a pawl (17) pivotally provided in a groove of said winding shaft (6), a reciprocating pressing plate (20) moving in an axial direction of said winding shaft, and a cylinder (22) for reciprocally moving said pressing plate, characterized by said pawl (17) is projecting out of said winding shaft (6) by the force of a spring (18) when said pressing plate (20) is positioned close to the side of said base panel (15), and said pawl (17) is withdrawn in said winding shaft (6) when said pressing plate (20) is displaced from said base panel (15). A magnetic tape winding method comprising in combination, a supply step for feeding magnetic tape (2) out of a supply reel (1), a cassette supply step for supplying a cassette (4) having leader tape (3) from a cassette magazine (7) in a cassette holder (5), a leader tape pull-out step for pulling leader tape out of said cassette, a cutting step for cutting said leader tape pulled out of said cassette and said magnetic tape, a splicing step for splicing one end of said cut leader tape with one end of said magnetic tape, a winding step for winding said magnetic tape into said cassette with a winding shaft having a pawl, a second cutting step for cutting magnetic tape (2) on shift blocks (12) by a cutter (13); a second splicing step for splicing the other end of cut leader tape (3) with one end of cut magnetic tape (2) on the side of the cassette (4), and an ejection step for said cassette having said magnetic tape wound therein out of the cassette holder, characterized by following the steps: during the leader pull-out step said pawl is concealed in said winding shaft, said winding shaft is inserted into a hub of said cassette and is disengaged from it, the leader tape is pulled out of the cassette, and said pawl then is made to project out of said winding shaft, and fits in a groove of a center hole of said hub so as to engage the hub.

Inventors: SAKUMA YUJI, UCHIKAWA YASUNORI, SAKUMA, YUJI, UCHIKAWA, YASUNORI
Applicants: OTARI KK, OTARI INC.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G11B23
IPC codes: G11B23