GB2226685A - Loading device for a tape recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

A loading device for a tape recorder provides the loading of the tape cassette and the tape winding by a single loading motor. The separate driving motor which has been used previously only for tape loading in conventional loading devices of tape recorders is thus excluded. A change gear 12 and its guide hole 101, which transmit the driving force of a loading motor 2, conveyed through a worm 3 to connection gears 14 and 15 of the tape loading device, are formed at a specified position of the deck between the conventional tape loading mechanism (including loading arm 21 and ring gear 18) and the conventional driving force transmitting mechanism for cassette loading (including speed reduction gear group 5, 6 and 7 and rack 9). <IMAGE>

Description

LOADING DEVICE FOR TAPE RECORDER The present invention relates to a loading device for a tape recorder.

In general, tape recorders of the front loading type are equipped with a cassette loading mechanism and a tape loading mechanism. The former puts the cassette, which is inserted in the cassette holder, safely onto the reel on the deck. The latter drags the tape onto the head drum from the cassette which has been safely installed. The two loading operations are done sequentially.

For this reason, a conventional loading device is equipped with separate driving motors for loading/ unloading operations of cassette and tape respectively.

Therefore the loading and unloading of a cassette is done by driving the corresponding motor forward and backward, and the loading and unloading of tape is done by driving the corresponding motor forward and backward.

In this way, in a conventional loading device, since the two separate driving motors drive the loading and unloading of the cassette and tape in separate modes respectively, the loading of cassette and the loading of tape are done in two divided operations, which causes discontinuity between the two loading operations, and the separately structured mechanisms for the two loadings cause difficulty in timely connection and problems in smooth play on and eject operations.

It is an object of the invention, as a solution to the problems pointed out hereinabove, to provide, at least in preferred embodiments a new loading device for a tape recorder which can execute both cassette loading and tape loading with a single driving motor.

According to the present invention in a first aspect there is provided a loading device for a tape recorder comprising a cassette loading mechanism for positioning a cassette in an operating position in a tape recorder, the cassette loading mechanism including drive means for driving the cassette loading mechanism, a tape loading mechanism for positioning the tape against a head of the tape recorder, and coupling means actuated by operating the cassette loading mechanism, for coupling the drive means to the tape loading mechanism.

Preferably the drive means is arranged to drive the tape loading mechanism in such a manner as to load the tape after the cassette has been loaded into the operating position, and preferably the coupling means is arranged to couple the drive means to the tape loading mechanism after the cassette loading operation.

In a preferred arrangement the cassette loading mechanism includes a rack driven in longitudinal motion by the drive means for moving the cassette into position, and the coupling means includes a coupling element on the rack and a coupling gear which is moveable by the coupling element to an operating position where it couples the drive means to the tape loading mechanism. Conveniently, the coupling gear is mounted on an axle which is moveable along a slot from a rest position to an operating position in which the gear couples the drive means to the tape loading mechanism. It may be arranged that the coupling gear is resiliently biased towards one end of the slot, and the coupling element comprises a bracket extending from the rack for pushing the axle of the gear along the slot against the action of the biasing means.The slot may comprise a guide slot shaped to produce the required motion of the gear, the guide slot being formed in a deck of the device on which the cassette loading mechanism and the tape loading mechanism are mounted, the slot being positioned between the cassette loading mechanism and the tape loading mechanism.

When the device is used in conventional tape recorders, it may be arranged that the cassette loading mechanism comprises an electric motor forming said drive means, a speed reduction gear group, and a worm and worm gear for moving the said rack, and the tape loading mechanism comprises a ring gear carrying a loading arm for loading tape, loading gears for driving the ring gear, and connection gears for connecting the coupling gear to the loading gears.

In one aspect, the object of the invention may be achieved by an arrangement in which there is excluded the separate driving motor which has been used only for tape loading in a conventional loading device of a tape recorder, and the change gear and its guide hole, which transmit the driving force of a loading motor conveyed through a worm to the connection gear of the tape loading device, are formed at a specified position of deck between a conventional tape loading mechanism and a conventional driving force transmitting mechanism for cassette loading consisting of a speed reduction gear group, and a rack.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1(A) is a plan view of a loading device embodying the invention, in installed state; Figure 2(B) is a side view of the driving part of the device of Figure 1(A), in installed state; Figure 2(A) is a plan view of the device in the connected state; Figure 2(B) is a side view of the driving part of the device of Figure 2(A); Figure 3(A) is a plan view of this invention in loading operation state; and Figure 3(B) is a side view of the driving part of the device of Figure 3(A).

Generally, in tape recorders of the front loading type, the driving force transmitting mechanism for cassette loading has a coupled structure of a speed reduction gear group and rack. The former, consisting of first, second and third speed reduction gears 5, 6, 7, transmits the driving force of a loading motor 2 by rotating according to the rotational direction of the loading motor 2. The latter (a rack 9), being linked to the lower part of the third speed reduction gear 7, (which is a component of the said speed reduction gear group), and moving linearly upward or downward by the rotational force of the said speed reduction gear group, drives the loading piece (not shown) resiliently set on its body.

The tape loading mechanism, that loads tape from the safely arrived cassette on the reel onto the deck, consists of a ring gear 18 on which a loading arm for tape drag is attached and a long locking hole 19 is formed, and connection gears 14, 15 which receive force from the driving motor, and a loading gear 17 which receives rotational force conveyed through the referred connection gears 14, 15 to rotate the referred ring gear 18.

This embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figure 1(A), has a structure wherein a curved guide hole 101 is formed at a specified position of a deck 1 between the driving force transmitting mechanism for cassette tape loading, and the referred connection gear 14 which is a component of the tape loading mechanism.

In the said guide hole 101 is installed a change gear 12 (also referred to as a coupling gear) which, being pushed up by a bracket 8 linked to a rack 9 in the cassette loading operation to become engaged simultaneously with the referred connection gear 14 and a worm gear 4 connected to a worm 3, transmits the driving force of the loading motor 2 conveyed to the worm gear 4 to the connection gears 14 and 15. The change gear 12 is resiliently set with a spring 13 to the bottom end of the guide hole (101).

In this device structured as above, when a cassette is inserted in the cassette holder, a loading switch is operated in the same way as in the conventional method, and accordingly the loading motor 2 at the border of the deck 1 operates and the worm 3 assembles (operates), as illustrated in the Figures 2(A) and 2(B).

The worm gear 4 and the first speed reduction gear 5 rotate simultaneously on worm's assembling 3, then the worm gear 4 runs freely and the first speed reduction gear 5 rotates the second speed reduction gear 6, which forces the rack 9 to operate by rotating the third speed gear 7 which is engaged with a rack gear 10. Accordingly, the rack 9 moves to the upper part of the deck 1, and the cassette inserted in the cassette holder arrives safely on the reel by the loading piece connected to the rack 9 in the ascending operation of the referred rack 9.

As soon as the loading of the cassette is finished in this way, the bracket 8, which is linked to the referred rack 9 by the ascending operation of the referred rack 9, ascends with a spring 11 and pushes the change gear 12 on the guide hole upward as illustrated in Figure 2(A). As a result, the referred change gear 12, rotating engaged simultaneously with the connection gear 14 which conveys the driving force to a loading gear 16 and the worm gear 4 running freely driven by the worm 3, transmits the driving force of the loading motor 2 to the ring gear 18 through the connection gear 15 and loading gears 16, 17 and the referred ring gear 18 assembles along a guide 20.

According to the operations as above, a loading arm 21 which is springily set with a spring 22 on the long locking hole 19 moves to load tape as shown in Figure 3(A).

After the tape loading is finished in this way, the loading arm 21 comes to stop at its stopper when the ring gear 18 rotates a little further, and the loading arm 21 is locked as the spring is elongated when the ring gear 18 rotates even further.

During the tape loading operation as above the rack 9 continues to operate to lock stably the cassette which has arrived safely on the reel.

On the other hand, after the loading of cassette and tape is finished as above, when an unloading operation is undertaken, the worm 3 and the worm gear 4 rotate backward by the backward rotation of the referred loading motor 2, and the connection gear 14, 15 and loading gear 16, 17 rotate backward by the change gear 12 to make the ring gear return to the original position, and accordingly the loading arm 21 also returns to its original position. Thus the unloading operation of tape is completed.

When the loading arm 21 returns, the rack 9 returns downward up to the specified distance as the first, second and third speed reduction gears 5, 6, 7 rotate backward respectively, and after the tape unloading, as the rack 9 continues to descend, the bracket 8, having been linked with the rack 9 and having pushed the change gear 12, now descending with the referred rack 9, returns to its original state by the restitutional force of the spring 11, and the rack 9 returns to its original state as it unloads the cassette by restoring the loading piece.

As described above, in this device, the loading and unloading of cassette and tape and their locking operation can be done with a single motor. Accordingly the referred operations are continuously sequentially executed making not only smooth operations but also exactly connected operations. Moreover the structure becomes simpler than conventional ones giving merits in that the production processes can be simplified.

Claims (11)

1. A loading device for a tape recorder comprising a cassette loading mechanism for positioning a cassette in an operating position in a tape recorder, the cassette loading mechanism including drive means for driving the cassette loading mechanism, a tape loading mechanism for positioning the tape against a head of the tape recorder, and coupling means actuated by operating the cassette loading mechanism, for coupling the drive means to the tape loading mechanism.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the drive means is arranged to drive the tape loading mechanism in such a manner as to load the tape after the cassette has been loaded into the operating position.

3. A device according to claim 1 in which the coupling means is arranged to couple the drive means to the tape loading mechanism after the cassette loading operation.

4. A device according to any preceding claim in which the cassette loading mechanism includes a rack driven in longitudinal motion by the drive means for moving the cassette into position, and the coupling means includes a coupling element on the rack and a coupling gear which is moveable by the coupling element to an operating position where it couples the drive means to the tape loading mechanism.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the coupling gear is mounted on an axle which is moveable along a slot from a rest position to an operating position in which the gear couples the drive means to the tape loading mechanism.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the coupling gear is resiliently biased towards one end of the slot, and the coupling element comprises a bracket extending from the rack for pushing the axle of the gear along the slot against the action of the biasing means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6 in which the said slot comprises a guide slot shaped to produce the required motion of the gear, the guide slot being formed in a deck of the device on which the cassette loading mechanism and the tape loading mechanism are mounted, the slot being positioned between the cassette loading mechanism and the tape loading mechanism.

8. A device according to any of claims 4 to 7 in which the cassette loading mechanism comprises an electric motor forming said drive means, a speed reduction gear group, and a worm and worm gear for moving the said rack.

9. Apparatus according to any of claims 4 to 8 in which the tape loading mechanism comprises a ring gear carrying a loading arm for loading tape, loading gears for driving the ring gear, and connection gears for connecting the coupling gear to the loading gears.

10. A loading device for a tape recorder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A loading device in tape recorder, characterized by the structure wherein the guide hole is formed in the specified shape at the specified position of deck between the conventional driving force transmitting mechanism for cassette loading which consists of loading motor, worm and worm gear, and speed reduction gear group, and rack, and the conventional tape loading mechanism which consists of ring gear, loading gear, and connection gear, in the conventional loading device in tape recorder of front loading type; and on the end of the guide hole the change gear, which being pushed along the referred guide hole by the ascending of bracket according to the upward movement of the rack when cassette loading is finished driven by the referred driving force transmitting mechanism for cassette loading, transmits the driving force of the loading motor conveyed through the referred worm to the referred tape loading mechanism by rotating engaged simultaneously with the worm gear and the connection gear, is springily set with a spring.