An apparatus for driving brakes in a tape recorder

Abstract: A brake driving apparatus of a tape recorder in which a signal is recorded or reproduced on a tape while transmitting the tape along a travelling course includes a reel braking part for driving brakes with a force transferred from a capstan motor for moving a tape in order to stop the rotation of reels, and a reel releasing part for releasing the brake of the reels by being slidably driven upper and lower with a force transmitted from a loading motor.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tape recorder, and more particularly to a brake driving apparatus for stopping the rotation of reels which wind a tape rotated by the driving force of a capstan motor in tape recorders such as video tape recorders and digital audio tape recorders which record a signal onto a tape and play it back again, moving the tape along a travelling course. In most of tape recorders, the reel for winding the tape is rotated by receiving the driving force from a capstan motor and is stopped by a brake which is driven by an additionally established solenoid. Due to the use of the solenoid to drive the brake, however, the cost has risen and a large space for its establishment in a set has been needed. Thus, there has also been a tape recorder which stops a reel by transmitting the driving force of a tape loading motor to a brake through a power transmitting member. EP-A2-0 335 377 shows such a reel braking apparatus which is operated by means of a loading motor. The motor is used to drive the tape loading device as well as the reel braking device. DE-C2-36 44 760 discloses a reel braking apparatus which is driven by means of a solenoid. In such a break driving apparatus using the driving force of the tape loading motor, however, the loading motor is overloaded since it operates many parts as well as the brake, which cause an enlargement of the capacity of the tape loading motor. Thus, the tape loading motor has been difficult to establish and has occupied a large space in a set, increasing the weight of a set. Furthermore, due to establishment of many members for power transmission from the loading motor to the brake, a structure was complicated and a cost was also increased. Also, since this brake driving apparatus has employed many power transmitting members, a point of time for driving the brake is delayed as much as the time required for power transmission. Thus, the brake driving apparatus is not suitable for the reels which are rotated fast by a fast search function according to the trend toward the development of high function. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a brake driving apparatus of a tape recorder which brakes a reel within a short time by immediately driving a brake with an arm for supporting an idle gear which switches the driving force from a capstan motor to a supply reel or a take-up reel, thereby being suitable for a fast search function, and release the brake with a simple structure of slider which receives the driving force from a loading motor, thereby making the brake of the reel smooth. According to the present invention, there is provided a tape recorder comprising the features of claim 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description for the preferred embodiments taken is conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in Which: Fig.1 is a structural view of a tape recorder according to the present invention. Fig.2 is a cross-sectional view along A-A line of the tape recorder show in Fig.1. Figs. 3A and 3B are state diagrams showing the operation of the tape recorder according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompawing drawings. Fig.1 and Fig.2 are structural views of a tape recorder according to the present invention, and Fig. 3A and 3B show the operation status of the tape recorder. Referring to Fig.1 and Fig.2, a supply reel 2 and a take-up reel 3 where a tape (not shown in figures) is loaded are established on a deck 1 of the tape recorder, and an idle gear 4 and a driving gear 5, which are engaged with each other, are established between the reels 2 and 3, fixed by fixing axes 7 and 8 so as to be rotated by an arm 6. Between the idle gear 4 and the arm 6, a slip generation part 9 is elastically established by a spring 30. The driving gear 5 is engaged with a transmitting gear 12 which is connected by a belt 11 to a capstan motor 10 for moving and rotating the tape. Established under the reels 2 and 3 is also a reel braking means. Brakes 13 and 14 are established to be rotatable on fixing axes 15 and 16, respectively. The brakes 13 and 14 are elastic by a spring 17 at their lower sides, and on their upper sides, friction members 18 and 19 are established to give the friction force, respectively. Also, levers 13a and 14a formed at a side of the brakes 13 and 14 are connected through a pin 20 to each other so as to be rotatable, and the upper side of the pin 20 is established to be mounted or dismounted on a slot 6a formed at the lower side of the arm 6. On the other hand, as a reel release means, a slider 21 is established at the upper side of the arm 6 where the idle gear 4 and the driving gear 5 are established, and at the lower side of the slider is formed a long hole 21a where the fixing axis 8 for fixing the driving gear 5 is inserted. At the upper side of the slider 21 is formed a prominence 21b which is inserted into a cam slot 22a of a gear 22. Subsequently, the gear 22 is engaged with the another gear 23 which is also engaged with a side of a sector gear 24, and the other side of the sector gear 24 is engaged with a worm gear 26 which is engaged with a worm 27 of a loading motor 25. According to the present invention described above, in an initial stop mode, the idle gear 4 and the arm 6 for supporting the idle gear 4 are at the middle position between both reels 2 and 3 and the pin 20 which connects the levers 13a and 14a of the brakes 13 and 14 in the reel braking means to each other is mounted to the slot 6a of the arm 6, so that the friction members 18 and 19 of the brakes 13 and 14 are in a state of applying the brake to the reels 2 and 3. Thus, the reels 2 and 3 are in a stopped state and the lower side of the slider 21 is in a separated state in a specified distance from the pin 20, since the prominence 21b at the upper side of the slider 21 is positioned at a position of the cam slot 22a near to the center of the gear 22. If the stop mode is converted to a fast forward (FF) mode for fast search, the loading motor 25 and the capstan motor 10 are rotated together. The transmitting gear 12, which is connected through the belt 11 is also rotated counterclockwise by the rotation of the capstan motor 10. The transmitting gear 12 rotates the driving gear 5 clockwise, thereby rotating the idle gear 4 counterclockwise. At this time, the arm 6 and the idle gear 4 are to be moved toward the take-up reel 3, but, since the pin 20 which connects the levers 13a and 14a of the brakes 13 and 14 is in a mounted state onto the slot 6a of the arm 6, there is generated a slip by the slip generating member 9 between the arm 6 and the idle gear 4. Accordingly, the arm 6 and the idle gear 4 are not moved and only the idle gear 4 is in an idly rotational state. On the other hand, if the rotational force of the loading motor 25 which is rotated with the capstan motor 10 is transmitted to the gear 22 through the sector gear 24 and the gear 23 after it is reduced by the worm 27 and worn gear 26 and then the gear 22 is once rotated clockwise, the prominence 21b of the slider 21 at the position of the cam slot 22a near the center of the gear 22 is moved to a position of the cam slot 22a distant from the center of the gear 22, as shown in Fig.3(A) and thus the slider 21 is moved downward. Then, the slider 21 is moved straight, pushing the pin 20 mounted on the slot 6a of the arm 6, since its long hole 21a is mounted on the fixing axis 8. According to the continued rotation of the gear 22, the slider 21 is returned to the position of the initial stop mode state. Accordingly, since the pin 20 is instantaneously pulled from the slot 6a of the arm 6, the spring 17 is extended and the brakes 13 and 14 are rotated respectively on the fixing axes 15 and 16, taking off the brake of the reels 2 and 3. The arm 6 and the idle gear 4 are moved to the take-up reel 3, so that the idle gear 4 rotates the take-up reel 3, thereby performing the fast search operation. According to the movement of the arm 6, the pin 20 mounted on the slot 6a of the arm 6 is in contact with the lower side of the arm 6 by the compressing force of the spring 17 interconnected between the brakes 13 and 14, so that the reels 2 and 3 are continuously maintained at the releasing state of the brake. Also, if the fast search mode is again converted to the stop mode to stop the tape at a desired position after performing the fast search operation, the capstan motor 10 is reversely rotated for a short time and is stopped. At the same time, the loading motor 25 is reversely rotated, too, thereby reversely rotating the gear 22 once. According to the short-time reverse rotation of the capstan motor 10, the idle gear 4 and the driving gear 5 are also rotated reversely, thereby moving the arm 6 toward the center position again. The pin 20 which has pressed the circumference of the arm 6 by the compressing force of the spring 17 connected between the brakes 13 and 14 enters the slot 6a of the arm 6 again. Then, the brakes 13 and 14 are again rotated respectively on the fixing axes 15 and 16. Thus, the friction members 18 and 19 are in contact with the reels 2 and 3, stopping them. At this time, the capstan motor 10 is stopped, while the loading motor 25 keeps rotating reversely. Subsequently, by one rotation of the gear 22, the prominence 22b of the slider 21 is guided to the cam slot 22a of the gear 22, so that the slider 21 is once moved upward and downward. Thus, the lower side of the slider 21 pulls the pin 20 mounted on the slot 6a of the arm 6, thereby releasing the brake of the reels 2 and 3 and braking them again instantly. Therefore, the tension of the tape that may be overloaded in braking the brakes 2 and 3 can be alleviated and this is achieved by making the operation of the arm 6 which is driven by the reverse rotation of the capstan motor 10 faster than that of the gear 22 which is rotated by the driving force of the loading motor 25 that is transmitted through the gear 23 and the power transmitting members 24. According to the brake driving apparatus described hereinabove, since the braking and releasing the reels are smoothly performed by the reel braking means and the reel releasing means, the cost is saved by simplifying its parts, and particularly the braking point of the reels is shortened by driving directly the brake with the arm of the reel braking means which is operated by the transmission of the driving force of the capstan motor. Thus, the present invention is suitable for the fast search function. In addition, the reels are released from the breaking state by the reel releasing means for a short time and are braked again, so that the present invention alleviates the tension of the tape that may be overloaded. The invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described hereinabove. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiment as well as other embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the present invention.

Claims: A tape recorder in which a signal is recorded or reproduced on a tape while transmitting along a travelling course, comprising: a capstan motor (10) moving a tape; brakes (13,14) biased by a biasing means (17) in order to stop the rotation of reels (2,3); an arm (6) having a slot (6a) and being rotatable on a fixed axis (8), said arm being rotatable by means of said capstan motor (10); a pin (20) connecting said brakes (13,14); and a slider (21) slidable in a first direction for disengaging the pin (20) from the slot (6a) and in a second direction opposite to said first direction for allowing engagement of the pin (20) with the slot (6a), said slider (21) being driven by means of a loading motor (25) ; wherein the brakes (13,14) are released by disengaging the pin (20) from the slot (6a) and held in a release state by the arm (6) being pivoted on the axis (8) by the rotation of the capstan motor (10) in a first direction, and the brakes (13,14) are engaged by rotating the capstan motor (10) and therewith the arm (6) in a second rotation direction opposite to said first rotation direction until the pin (20) engages the slot (6a). A tape recorder according to claim 1, wherein said brakes (13,14) are rotatably disposed on fixed axes (15,16), said biasing means (17) is by a spring, and said pin (20) connects levers (13a,14a) formed at a side of said brakes (13,14) to each other. A tape recorder according to claim 1 or 2, further including a gear (22) having a cam slot (22a) and being rotated by the driving force transmitted from the loading motor (25), and the slider (21) having a prominence (21b) engaging the cam-slot (22a) and an oblong hole (21a) receiving the fixed axes (8) of the arm (6) in order to drive said slider (1) in said first and second directions.

Inventors: CHOI KWANG MOON - SONGRIM APT, CHOI, KWANG MOON, CHOI, KWANG MOON 3-302, SONGRIM APT.
Applicants: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD.
Application year: 1992
Main classification: G11B15
IPC codes: G11B15