Tape loading mechanism

Abstract: A tape loading mechanism can reduce a load imposed upon a tape by removing conventional inclined guides and reduce the number of assemblies necessary for forming a tape transport system. The tape transport system of the tape loading mechanism is composed of four guide members including a tension regulator guide (9) for supporting a tape unreeled from a supply reel (1), a guide post (12) having a shuttle for guiding the tape to the entrance side of a rotary drum (14), a guide post (13) having a shuttle for guiding the tape to the exit side of the rotary drum (14), and an exit guide (21) for guiding the tape to a take-up reel (3). The tension regulator guide (9) and the exit guide (21) are formed as inclined guides having flanges in order to twist the tape supported by the respective guides so that a tape transport direction and a tape height direction can be varied. Thus, the conventional inclined guide member-with-shuttle can be removed.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tape loading mechanism of a recording and reproducing apparatus such as a video cassette recorder (VCR), and particularly to a tape transport system for loading a tape on a rotary drum. When a tape is loaded onto a rotary drum through a tape transport system of a VCR, the tape transport system needs inclined guide members in order to helically wind a tape on an inclined rotary surface of a rotary drum. The inclined guide members are generally supported together with guide posts on moving members (hereinafter referred to as shuttles) for loading the tape on the rotary drum. The shuttles are disposed on the entrance side and the exit side of the rotary drum, respectively. The inclined guide members are used to change the tape transport direction and the tape transport height. The inclined guide members therefore require a large angle (inclination angle) at which the tape is allowed to be helically wound on the rotary drum. However, if the wrapping angle of the inclined guide member increases, there is then the problem that a large load is imposed upon the tape wrapped around the inclined guide member when the tape is transported. If a large load is imposed on the tape when the tape travels, then a tape recording surface is damaged and a recording signal is influenced variously. Therefore, the tape should most preferably be protected from a large load when it travels. WO 88/09550 and NL-A-9 100 840 describe respective devices each having at least a tension regulator guide member for supporting a tape unreeled from a supply reel, a movable guide post for guiding said tape to an entrance side of a rotary drum, a movable guide post for guiding said tape to an exit side of said rotary drum, and an exit guide member for guiding said tape to a take-up reel. These devices further include inclined guide members, which increase the load on the tape as well as the number of required assemblies. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the aforesaid problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tape loading mechanism in which a load imposed on a tape when the tape travels can be reduced considerably by removing inclined guide members. It is another object of the present invention to provide a tape loading mechanism in which the number of assemblies for forming a tape transport system can be lessened considerably. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tape loading mechanism which can be made inexpensive. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape loading mechanism wherein a tape unreeled from a tape cassette is displaced through a predetermined tape transport system and is wound around a rotary drum. The tape loading mechanism includes a tape transport system comprising a tension regulator guide member for supporting a tape unreeled from a supply reel, a guide post having a shuttle for guiding the tape to an entrance side of the rotary drum, a guide post having a shuttle for guiding the tape to an exit side of the rotary drum and an exit guide member for guiding the tape to a take-up reel. The tape loading mechanism is characterised in that the tension regulator guide member and the exit guide member are formed as inclined guide members having flanges in order to twist the tape supported by the guide members, whereby a tape transport direction and a tape height direction can be charged and the tape can be wrapped around the rotary drum. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a tape loading mechanism according to the present invention in the state where a tape is not wound on a rotary drum (unloading state); FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the tape loading mechanism of Fig. 1 in the state where the tape is wound on the rotary drum (loading state); FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a tension regulator guide member used in the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an exit guide member used in the present invention; FIG. 5 is a front view showing a modified example of a guide member according to the present invention; and FIG. 6 is a front view showing another modified example of a guide member according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A tape loading mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the tape loading mechanism is applied to a VCR, will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a plan view of a tape loading mechanism in the state where a tape is not yet wound on a rotary drum. FIG. 2 is a similar plan view showing the tape loading mechanism in the state where the tape is wound on the rotary drum. A cassette housing, generally denoted by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1, houses a supply reel 2 and a take-up reel 3 therein. A tape T that is unreeled from the supply reel 2 is transported around a tape guide member 4 and across a mouth portion 5 and guided by a tape guide member 6, whereafter it is wound around the take-up reel 3. The cassette housing 1 is loaded together with a slide member (not shown) onto a recording and reproducing apparatus (not shown). A tension regulator arm 7 is rotatable about a supporting point 8 on the slide member (not shown) disposed near the supply reel 2. A tension regulator guide member 9 is attached to the tip end of the tension regulator arm 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the tension regulator guide member 9 comprises flanges 9a, 9b which are formed on the upper and lower portions of the surface on which the tape T travels. The tension regulator guide member 9 is formed as an inclined guide member that can be wholly inclined outwardly relative to the reel shaft of the supply reel 2. The tension regulator arm 7 with the tension guide member 9 attached thereto has a tension regulator spring 10 and a tension regulator belt 11 to apply a predetermined tape tension to the tape T as shown in FIG. 1. Guide poles 12, 13 are vertically attached to moving members (referred to as shuttles) 15, 16 and can be moved along guide slots 17, 18. The guide poles 12, 13 are used to wind the tape T around a rotary drum 14. These guide poles 12, 13 are different from conventional guide poles which are composed of guide poles and inclined guide members supported on the shuttles. A guide arm 19 is rotatable about a supporting point 20 on a slide member (not shown) disposed near the take-up reel 3. An exit guide member (reverse guide member) 21 is attached to the tip end of the guide arm 19. As shown in FIG. 4, the exit guide member 21 is composed of flanges 21a, 21b which are formed on the upper and lower portions of the tape travel surface thereof. The exit guide member 21 is formed as an inclined member which is wholly inclined toward the rotary drum 14 relative to the reel shaft of the take-up reel 3. Reference numeral 22 denotes a capstan and 23 a pinch roller. The pinch roller 23 is attached to a pinch roller arm 25 which is rotatable about a support shaft 24. There will now be described the operation of the tape loading mechanism when it passes from the unloading state shown in FIG. 1 to the tape loading state shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the tape T unreeled from the supply reel 2 is supported by the tension regulator guide member 9, guided by the guide pole 12 of the shuttle 15 and wound on the rotary drum 14. Then, the tape T is guided by the guide pole 13 of another shuttle 16 and the capstan 22 and then wound around the take-up reel 3 from the exit guide member 21. In other words, the transport system for the tape T comprises four guide members, i.e., the tension regulator guide member 9, the guide poles 12, 13 and the exit guide member 21. Since the tension regulator guide member 9 is formed of the inclined guide member, the tape T unreeled from the supply reel 2 is twisted by the tension regulator guide member 9. Specifically, the tape T is changed in both transport direction and height direction between the supply reel 2 and the tension regulator guide member 9. Further, the tape T is changed in both transport direction and height direction between the tension regulator guide member 9 and the guide pole 12. Therefore, the tape T that has been twisted by the tension regulator guide member 9 and vertically guided along the guide pole 12 can be reliably helically wrapped around an entrance-side inclined drum surface of the rotary drum 14. An inclination angle of the tension regulator guide member 9 is selected such that the tape T supported by the tension regulator guide member 9 will not make contact with the tape guide member 4 of the cassette housing 1 and a cassette housing portion opposing the tape guide member 4 in the tape loading state shown in FIG. 2. The tape T that has been vertically unreeled from the exit-side inclined drum surface of the rotary drum 14 along the guide pole 13 is pinched by the capstan 22 and the pinch roller 23. Then, the tape T is twisted by the exit guide member 21 formed of the inclined guide member. Specifically, the tape T withdrawn from the guide member 21 is changed both in transport direction and height direction and wound around the take-up reel 3 while it is not applied with a load generated when it is wound around the take-up reel 3. An inclination angle of the guide member 21 is selected such that the tape T supported by the guide member 21 will not make contact with the tape guide member 6 of the cassette housing 1 and a cassette housing portion opposed the tape guide member 6 in the tape loading state shown in FIG. 2. According to the tape loading mechanism of the present invention, since the tension regulator guide member 9 and the guide member 21 are formed of inclined guide members to respectively twist the tape T, the inclined guide members on the shuttles can be removed unlike the prior art. Thus, the tape transport system is composed of four guide members and can be simplified in arrangement. As a consequence, the number of assemblies forming the tape transport system can be lessened considerably and the tape loading mechanism can be made inexpensive. Since the tape loading mechanism according to the present invention can remove the conventional inclined guide members, a load imposed on the tape when the tape travels can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to remove a variety of influences exerted upon a recording signal when a tape recording surface is damaged. The tension regulator guide member 9 and the exit guide member 21 may be of either the rotary or fixed type. If the tension regulator guide member 9 is of the fixed type, then the tape transport direction and the tape height direction can be varied effectively reliably. If tapered surfaces 26, 26 are formed on the flanges of the tension regulator guide member 9 and the exit guide member 21 as shown in FIG. 5, then the tape can be prevented from being detached from the tension regulator guide member 9 and the exit guide member 21. Moreover, the tape edge can be avoided from being damaged. Alternatively, tapered surfaces 27, 27 are formed on the tension regulator guide member 9 and the exit guide member 21 so as to form step differences relative to the tape transport surface, when necessary, as shown in FIG. 6. While the tape loading mechanism of a VCR has been described so far, the fundamental principle of the present invention can also be widely applied to tape loading mechanisms of other recording and reproducing apparatus. As described above, according to the tape loading mechanism of the present invention, since the tape transport system comprises the four guide members consisting of the tension regulator guide member for supporting the tape unreeled from the supply reel, the guide post having the shuttle for guiding the tape to the entrance of the rotary drum, the guide post having the shuttle for guiding the tape to the exit side of the rotary drum and the exit guide member for guiding the tape to the take-up reel, and the tension regulator guide member and the exit guide member are formed as inclined guide members to respectively twist the tape, the conventional inclined guide members can be removed. Therefore, the number of assemblies of the tape transport system can be reduced considerably and the tape loading mechanism can be made inexpensive. According to the present invention, since the conventional inclined guide members are removed, the load imposed on the tape when the tape travels can be reduced. Therefore, the tape recording surface can be prevented from being damaged and thus the recording signal can be protected from a variety of influences occurred when the tape recording surface is damaged. Further, according to the present invention, when the tension regulator guide member and the exit guide member are of the fixed type, the tape transport direction and the tape height direction can be varied effectively reliably. Furthermore, according to the present invention, when the flanges of the tension regulator guide member and the exit guide member are formed on the tapered surfaces, the tape can be prevented from being detached from the tension regulator guide member and the exit guide member. Moreover, the tape edge can be avoided from being damaged. Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment and that various changes and modifications could be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: A tape loading mechanism wherein a tape unreeled from a tape cassette is travelled through a predetermined tape transport system and wound around a rotary drum, said tape loading mechanism comprising: a tape transport system comprising a tension regulator guide member (9) for supporting a tape (T) unreeled from a supply reel (2), a guide post (12) having a shuttle (15) for guiding said tape to an entrance side of said rotary drum (14), a guide post (13) having a shuttle (16) for guiding said tape to an exit side of said rotary drum and an exit guide member (21) for guiding said tape to a take-up reel (3), characterised in that said tension regulator guide member (9) and said exit guide member (21) are formed as inclined guide members having flanges (9a, 9b/21a, 21b) in order to twist said tape supported by said guide members, whereby a tape transport direction and a tape height direction can be changed and said tape can be wrapped around said rotary drum. A tape loading mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said tension regulator guide member (9) and said exit guide member (21) are of the fixed type. A tape loading mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said flanges (9a, 9b/21a, 21b) of said tension regulator guide member (9) and said exit guide member (21) are formed as tapered surfaces (26). A tape loading mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said tension regulator guide member (9) and said exit guide member (21) are of the rotary type. A tape loading mechanism according to claim 1, wherein an inclination of said tension regulator guide (9) is selected such that said tape (T) supported by said tension regulator guide member does not contact with a tape guide member (4) of said tape cassette and a cassette housing portion opposed to said tape guide member. A tape loading mechanism according to claim 1, wherein an inclination of said exit guide member (21) is selected such that said tape (T) supported by said exit guide member does not contact with a tape guide member (6) of said tape cassette and a cassette housing portion opposed to said tape guide member. A tape loading mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said tapered surfaces (27) are tapered with step differences relative to a tape transport surface.

Inventors: KUMANO AKIRA, SASABE TSUKASA, KUMANO, AKIRA, SASABE, TSUKASA, Kumano, Akira, c/o Sony Corp., Sasabe, Tsukasa, c/o Sony Corp.
Applicants: SONY CORP, SONY CORPORATION
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G11B15
IPC codes: G11B15