JP2006024303A - Pinch roller device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pinch roller device which is constituted of an inexpensive means with sufficient productivity and can run a tape stably by sufficient automatic alignment mechanism of bearing. <P>SOLUTION: In the pinch roller device, an abutting part between a sleeve of a pinch roller main part and a pinch cap attached to a pinch roller spindle is constituted in addition to the abutting part between a slide bearing and the pinch roller spindle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pinch roller device used in a tape driving device such as a magnetic recording / reproducing device.

  A pinch roller device used in a tape drive device is one in which a tape is sandwiched between a pinch roller body and a capstan, and the tape is transferred by driving the capstan. Such a pinch roller device is required to have an automatic alignment function so as to follow the inclination of the capstan in order to stably transport the tape traveling between the capstan and the capstan. For this reason, the pinch roller device uses a bearing having an automatic alignment function.

  In recent years, for example, resin sliding bearings described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-49935 are used in place of expensive ball bearings for the bearings of the pinch roller device having such an automatic alignment function. .

  The pinch roller device is configured as shown in FIG. The pinch roller device is formed by forming a pinch roller body by providing a rubber-like elastic body 22 on the outer periphery of a metal or resin sleeve 23 such as aluminum or brass, and press-fitting a slide bearing 21 into the sleeve 23. Has been. One end of the slide bearing 21 is attached to the arm 28. The pinch roller device is configured to sandwich the tape by pressing the pinch roller body against the capstan 11 by moving the arm 28. The automatic centering action of the pinch roller device is that the pinch roller main shaft 26 and the capstan 11 are substantially parallel to each other by the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft 26 and the slide bearing 21, and the entire width of the pinch roller is in contact with each other. The tape is transported in a stable state by pressing against the capstan 11 with pressure.

As described above, the automatic centering operation in the conventional pinch roller device is performed by tilting the pinch roller body in the capstan direction by the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft 26 and the slide bearing 21.
JP-A-10-49935

  However, the pinch roller body tilts not only in the capstan direction but also in a direction perpendicular thereto, that is, in the tape running direction. From the standpoint of tape running stability, the smaller the clearance of the slide bearing 21 that is the inclination of the pinch roller body, the better.

  Further, when the sliding bearing is a resin sliding bearing, it is difficult to ensure dimensional accuracy because shrinkage occurs after molding by a mold. Further, the slide bearing is assembled by press-fitting into the sleeve 23 forming the pinch roller body as described above. However, the inner diameter of the sleeve itself is not necessarily constant, and the slide bearing contracts in the radial direction when being pressed into the sleeve. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to accurately form the inner diameter dimension of the slide bearing when assembled as a pinch roller due to the error of the sleeve inner diameter as well as the dimension error of the slide bearing itself.

  If the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft 26 and the slide bearing 21 is too small, smooth rotation of the pinch roller body is hindered, and the rotation axis of the pinch roller body is made parallel to the inclination of the capstan 11. The automatic alignment function cannot be demonstrated. On the other hand, if the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft 26 and the slide bearing 21 is too large, the capstan 11 and the roller body are elastic if the pinch roller body remains largely inclined in the tape running direction as shown in FIG. Since it is in a point contact state rather than a line contact at the full width of the body, the tape running in a steady state becomes unstable. In addition, even when the tape travels stably in a line contact state with the full width of the pinch roller during steady running, the pinch roller main body tilts greatly when the pinch roller main body contacts and separates from the capstan 11 when the mode is shifted to another mode. If the contact is made in a state of being greatly inclined from the separated state, the tape running at the time of transition becomes unstable. Moreover, if the state continues, running in a steady state becomes unstable.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, solves the problem of manufacturing that strictly manages the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft and the sliding bearing, can be stably manufactured at low cost, and is stable in tape running. An object of the present invention is to provide a pinch roller device capable of realizing the above.

  In order to achieve this object, a pinch roller device according to the present invention has a pinch roller main body having an elastic body provided on an outer periphery of a sleeve via a slide bearing on a pinch roller support shaft, one end of which is fixed to the arm. In the pinch roller device that presses the pinch roller body against the capstan by moving the pinch roller body, the pinch roller body tilts, and the mounted sliding bearing tilts against the pinch roller support shaft and contacts the maximum tilt angle β And the pinch roller main body is inclined so that a part of the pinch roller main body excluding the slide bearing is in contact with the pinch roller support shaft or the member mounted on the pinch roller support shaft at a maximum contact inclination angle γ, where γ < This constitutes the relationship of β.

  Further, the relative inclination angle α of the capstan shaft with respect to the pinch roller support shaft and the maximum contact contact tilt angle β with which the plain bearing in contact with the pinch roller support shaft is in a relationship of α <β, If the clearance between the roller spindle and the slide bearing is A, and the effective length of the sliding surface of the slide bearing is B, a relationship of A / B ≧ 0.052 is established, or the slide bearing slides from the center. An inclined surface is configured in the axial direction at both ends.

  Further, in the configuration in which the pinch roller main body is inclined and a part of the pinch roller main body excluding the slide bearing is inclined to contact with the pinch roller support shaft or a member mounted on the pinch roller support shaft, at least one of the contact portions Is composed of a self-lubricating resin.

  With this configuration, a pinch roller device having a resin bearing capable of eliminating the manufacturing problem of strictly managing the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft and the slide bearing and capable of stable tape running and stable manufacturing is provided. It is for the purpose.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the pinch roller main body is inclined and the mounted sliding bearing is in contact with the pinch roller support shaft at a maximum contact inclination angle β, and the pinch roller main body is inclined and the sliding is performed. The pinch roller is configured so that a part of the pinch roller main body excluding the bearing is in contact with the pinch roller support shaft or the member mounted on the pinch roller support shaft at a maximum contact inclination angle γ such that γ <β. When the main body abuts and presses against the capstan, the centering action of the pinch roller support shaft and the slide bearing acts in the contact direction, and a part of the pinch roller body excluding the slide bearing in the tape running direction is supported by the pinch roller support. The pinch roller body is in contact with the member mounted on the shaft or the pinch roller support shaft instantaneously or constantly, preventing the pinch roller body from tilting greatly in the tape running direction and stable It can realize the tape running. As a result, it is possible to provide a pinch roller device which can be manufactured at low cost and can realize stable tape running, which eliminates the manufacturing problem of strictly managing the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft and the slide bearing.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a pinch roller body having an elastic body provided on an outer periphery of a sleeve is attached to a pinch roller support shaft, one end of which is fixed to the arm, via a slide bearing, and the arm is moved. A pinch roller device that presses the pinch roller body against a capstan to transfer the tape, wherein the pinch roller body is tilted and the mounted slide bearing is tilted and abutted against the pinch roller support shaft The maximum inclination angle β and the maximum inclination angle γ where the pinch roller main body is inclined and a part of the pinch roller main body excluding the slide bearing is inclined to contact with the pinch roller support shaft or the member mounted on the pinch roller support shaft. But,
γ <β
It is comprised so that it may become a relationship.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that a relative inclination angle α of the capstan shaft with respect to the pinch roller support shaft and a contact maximum inclination angle β at which the slide bearing in contact with the pinch roller support shaft is inclined.
α <β
It is comprised so that it may become a relationship.

In the invention according to claim 3, when the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft and the slide bearing is A, and the effective length of the sliding surface of the slide bearing is B,
A / B ≧ 0.052
It is comprised so that it may become a relationship.

  The invention according to claim 4 comprises an inclined surface in the axial direction from the center of the slide bearing to both ends of the slide.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the pinch roller main body is inclined and a part of the pinch roller main body excluding the slide bearing is inclined to abut against the pinch roller support shaft or a member mounted on the pinch roller support shaft. At least one of the contact portions is made of a self-lubricating resin.

  The pinch roller device according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the following specific embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a pinch roller device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a capstan that is rotationally driven by a driving means such as a motor. By sandwiching the magnetic tape together with the pinch roller device of this embodiment, the magnetic tape can be run at a predetermined speed. Reference numeral 4 denotes a pinch roller body having the following configuration. Reference numeral 2 denotes an elastic body which is disposed on the outermost periphery of the apparatus and whose outer peripheral surface is polished. In the present embodiment, rubber is used, but other materials may be used as long as they have elasticity. Reference numeral 3 denotes a sleeve having an elastic body 2 attached to the outer peripheral surface thereof, which is made of metal in the present embodiment, but is not limited thereto. 14 is a step portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 3, and the slide bearing 1 is locked to the step portion 14. Reference numeral 1 denotes a slide bearing that is press-fitted into the sleeve 3. The slide bearing 1 is engaged with the step portion 14, and the inner peripheral surface of the slide bearing 1 can contact the pinch roller support shaft 6. Reference numeral 6 denotes a pinch roller support shaft disposed on the arm 8, and supports the pinch roller body 4 via the slide bearing 1. Reference numeral 5 denotes a pinch cap that is attached to the tip of the pinch roller support shaft 6 so that the pinch roller body 4 does not fall off, and 9 is a contact step that is a part of the pinch cap 5 whose diameter increases in the outer peripheral direction. Part.

  The pinch roller main body 4 is formed by attaching the elastic body 2 whose outer peripheral surface is polished to the outer peripheral surface of the metal sleeve 3. The slide bearing 1 is press-fitted so as to be engaged with the stepped portion 14 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 3, and further, a stopper 7 for preventing the removal is press-fitted, and the end surface of the slide bearing 1 is locked. A stepped pinch roller support shaft 6 having one end fixed to an arm 8 is inserted into the slide bearing 1, and a pinch cap 5 for preventing the pinch roller body from coming off is pressed into the tip of the pinch roller support shaft 6. The pinch roller main body 4 is rotatably held by the pinch roller support shaft 6. Between the pinch roller support shaft 6 and the plain bearing 1, the pinch roller body 4 is pressure-bonded to the capstan 11, and the rotation axis of the pinch roller body is tilted substantially parallel to the capstan, and is automatically adjusted in the pinch pressure-bonding direction. A constant bearing gap A is set so that the core action works.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the plain bearing of the present invention. At the sliding surface side end of the plain bearing 1, the pinch roller support shaft 6 has a length E in the axial direction and a length F in the radial direction.
E> F
A chamfer 13 that satisfies the following conditions is provided. If the clearance between the pinch roller spindle and the sliding bearing is A, and the effective length of the sliding surface of the sliding bearing is B,
A / B ≧ 0.052
Is set to a relationship. If it is less than this, there is a problem that the bearing clearance is too small due to the manufacturing variation of the bearings, and the self-aligning action of the bearing cannot be sufficiently performed. In addition, high-precision dimensions are required for manufacturing, making it difficult to produce at low cost.

  1 is provided with an abutting step 9 in the radial direction of the pinch roller support shaft 6, and the slide bearing 1 is set with respect to the pinch roller support shaft 6 in the tape running direction. When an attempt is made to incline to the maximum inclination angle β as shown in FIG. 3 by the action of the gap A, the contact step 9 and the inner peripheral surface 12 of the sleeve 3 are inclined by the inclination angle γ as shown in FIG. It is configured to abut and not tilt further. The pinch contact pressing force at this time is applied in the capstan contact pressing direction, and in the tape running direction perpendicular thereto, the contact step 9 and the inner peripheral surface 12 of the sleeve 3 are placed on the pinch roller body. There is only a small deterrent that suppresses the tilt, the contact pressure at the contact portion is small, and contact wear hardly occurs. There is no adverse effect of uneven tape speed that affects the stability of tape running and wow. That is, when the pinch roller body abuts and presses against the capstan 11 via the slide bearing 1, a large pressure load is applied to the capstan 11, the slide bearing 1, and the pinch roller support shaft 6, and in the sleeve in the tape running direction perpendicular thereto. Only a small force that suppresses the inclination of the pinch roller body is applied to the contact step 9 between the peripheral portion and the pinch cap 5.

  Next, the operation will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the slide bearing 1 has a length E in the axial direction of the pinch roller support shaft 6 and a length F in the radial direction.
E> F
A chamfered portion 13 that satisfies the following conditions is provided, whereby the pinch roller support shaft 6 and the slide bearing 1 are brought into contact with the local point contact portions 29 and 30 on the bearing end surface as shown in FIG. The point contact shown in FIG. 3 is close to the line contact shown in the contact portions 15 and 16 at the substantially central portion of the bearing shown in FIG. For this reason, the local wear of the bearing is improved, and the contact is almost at the center of the bearing, which is advantageous in improving the self-alignment performance of the bearing and in stability during rotation of the bearing.

  However, the slide bearing 1 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has the same bearing clearance as that of the conventional bearing because of the configuration in which the slide bearing 1 abuts the pinch roller support shaft 6 substantially at the center of the bearing as compared with the conventional bearing of FIG. In FIG. 4, the bearing inclination angle increases with respect to the tape running direction. However, as shown in FIG. It does not tilt beyond a relative tilt angle α of 6. Generally, the capstan mounting inclination with respect to the reference chassis of the magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus is held at an inclination angle of about ± 0.5 ° or less, and the pinch roller support shaft 6 is about ± 0. The relative inclination between the two is set to be about ± 1 ° or less. Therefore, the self-aligning angle α in the pressure-bonding direction of the slide bearing when the pinch roller body and the capstan are pressure-bonded is about ± 1 ° in terms of the maximum inclination angle. If it is less than that, sufficient self-aligning action of the slide bearing will not work, and tape running will become unstable.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, it is necessary to ensure the relative inclination δ between the pinch roller support shaft 26 and the slide bearing 21 at least ± 1 ° even at the minimum. For this reason, the maximum inclination angle ε in consideration of manufacturing variations such as component size variations becomes large as shown in FIG. 8, which affects the inclination of the pinch roller in the tape traveling direction and causes instability of the tape traveling. In order to suppress the above-mentioned maximum inclination angle, there is a problem that the gap between the resin slide bearing and the pinch roller support shaft must be controlled with high accuracy and manufactured with high productivity.

  On the other hand, the pinch roller device of the present embodiment has a contact step 9 of the pinch cap 5 and an inner periphery 12 of the sleeve 3 so that the pinch roller body does not largely tilt in the tape running direction as shown in FIG. Are in contact with each other at a maximum inclination angle γ, and are prevented from being greatly inclined in the traveling direction.

  The maximum inclination angle β between the plain bearing 1 and the pinch roller support shaft 6 of this embodiment is about ± 2.5 ° to ± 4 °, and the contact step 9 of the pinch cap 5 and the sleeve 3 shown in FIG. 4 is set to about ± 1 ° to ± 2.5 °, the inclination angle of the plain bearing 1 shown in FIG. 4 is in the pinch contact pressure bonding direction. The relative inclination angles of the capstan and the pinch roller spindle are automatically aligned at about ± 1 ° or less as described in the prior art. The maximum inclination in the tape running direction at this time shown in FIG. 5 is restricted to about ± 2.5 ° or less. At this time, the pinch pressure biasing force at the time of running the tape is applied to the substantially central portion of the slide bearing 1, and the contact portion between the inner peripheral portion 12 of the sleeve 3 and the contact step portion 9 of the pinch cap 5 in the tape running direction is: Since the depressing force that suppresses the inclination of the pinch roller body does not apply a large force related to the pinch contact pressure bonding, the high-precision surface roughness required for the sliding surfaces of the pinch roller support shaft 6 and the sliding bearing 1 and the material used are required. High precision surface hardness is not required.

  Further, the inclination angle γ of the pinch roller body according to the present embodiment can be set by managing the size of the gap C between the sleeve end and the pinch cap end as shown in FIG. On the other hand, in the conventional bearing, as shown in FIG. 6, it is necessary to set the inclination angle of the slide bearing by contacting the inner periphery of the slide bearing and the pinch roller support shaft. Usually, the total length of the pinch roller body is set to about 3 to 4 times the total length of the slide bearing. The pinch roller device of the present invention can solve the problem that the dimensional accuracy of each part that determines the bearing clearance of the conventional bearing device is required to be about three times or more the dimensional accuracy of the component of the present invention.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, in addition to the contact portion between the plain bearing 1 and the pinch roller support shaft 6, a contact portion between the sleeve 3 of the pinch roller body and the pinch cap 5 attached to the pinch roller support shaft 6 is configured. However, it is also possible to configure the abutting portion with the pinch roller support shaft 6 and the stopper 7 of the sleeve 3.

  As described above, the pinch roller device according to the present invention is a first problem with respect to the conventional slide bearing particularly made of a resin material. The conventional slide bearing locally contacts the pinch roller support shaft and the inner peripheral end of the bearing. Tape running by improving local wear caused by contact, bearing wear life due to contact at the bearing end, bearing self-alignment instability, and non-uniformity in contact pressure across the entire width of the elastic body that abuts against the capstan Stabilization can be realized.

  The second problem, the conventional pinch roller body, determines the self-aligning angle in the pinch contact and press direction to the capstan and the tilt angle in the tape running direction only by the bearing gap between the conventional slide bearing and the pinch roller support shaft. In the present invention, the self-alignment angle of the pinch roller body in the capstan abutting and pressing direction is a problem of productivity related to the high-precision dimensions of each part required for the slide bearing. Each component is controlled by controlling the bearing clearance with the roller support shaft, and the inclination in the tape running direction perpendicular to the roller support shaft is controlled by the clearance between the contact step portion 9 of the pinch cap 5 of the present invention and the inner peripheral portion of the sleeve. The pinch roller device can be manufactured with high productivity by greatly reducing the dimensional accuracy.

  The pinch roller device according to the present invention is useful when used in a tape drive device such as a magnetic recording / reproducing device, and can realize stable tape running, and can be manufactured at low cost and with high productivity.

Sectional drawing of the pinch roller apparatus in embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing of the slide bearing of FIG. 1 in the embodiment Operational sectional view of the plain bearing of FIG. 1 in the same embodiment FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the operation when the pinch contact pressure bonding of FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the operation in the tape running direction of FIG. 4 in the same embodiment. Cross section of conventional sliding bearing Operational sectional view of a conventional pinch roller device Conventional pinch roller device FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slide bearing 2 Elastic body 3 Sleeve 4 Pinch roller main body 5 Pinch cap 6 Pinch roller spindle 8 Arm 9 Pinch cap contact step part 11 Capstan 12 Sleeve inner peripheral part

Claims (5)

A pinch roller body with an elastic body provided on the outer periphery of the sleeve is attached to the pinch roller support shaft, one end of which is fixed to the arm, and the arm is moved to press the pinch roller body against the capstan. A pinch roller device for transferring a tape, wherein the pinch roller main body is inclined and the mounted slide bearing is inclined to abut on the pinch roller support shaft, and the pinch roller main body is inclined. The maximum abutting inclination angle γ at which a part of the pinch roller body excluding the slide bearing inclines in contact with the pinch roller support shaft or the member mounted on the pinch roller support shaft is
γ <β
A pinch roller device characterized in that the relationship is as follows. A relative inclination angle α of the capstan shaft with respect to the pinch roller support shaft, and a contact maximum inclination angle β with which the slide bearing contacts the pinch roller support shaft while being inclined,
α <β
The pinch roller device according to claim 1, wherein the pinch roller device is configured such that When the clearance between the pinch roller support shaft and the slide bearing is A, and the effective length of the sliding surface of the slide bearing is B,
A / B ≧ 0.052
The pinch roller device according to claim 1, wherein the pinch roller device is configured such that 2. The pinch roller device according to claim 1, wherein inclined surfaces are formed in the axial direction from the center portion of the slide bearing to both sliding end portions. The pinch roller main body is inclined and a part of the pinch roller main body excluding the slide bearing is in contact with the pinch roller support shaft or the member mounted on the pinch roller support shaft at least one of the contact portions. The pinch roller device according to claim 1, wherein the pinch roller device is made of a self-lubricating resin.

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