JPH08329644A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a tape cassette to be miniaturized to a maximum by enabling a built-in tape information memory to make sure contact. CONSTITUTION: In tape cassettes having different sizes, positioning holes 3e, 3f, 33e and 33f whose relative positional relations are the same are provided in the vicinity of opening parts 3p and 33p. The contact of a memory P plate for transmitting tape information to a device is provided in the rear side of the opening parts 3p and 33p, and since the contact and the positioning holes 3e, 3f, 33e and 33f are the same in relative positional relations, the position of a positioning pin inserted into the positioning hole and that of a connector coming into contact with the contact are the same and highly accurate contacting is performed for the cassette. Thus, a space for the contact on the cassette is made smallest and a compact cassette is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a tape cassette used for a recording / reproducing apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a tape cassette in which positioning of a detected member that transmits information on a tape is performed with high accuracy and connection with a detecting member of a recording / reproducing apparatus is ensured.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of incorporating a semiconductor memory for storing tape information in a cassette and detecting the same by an apparatus, there is a method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-166086. According to this, the nonvolatile memory element is built in the cassette, and the connection terminal connected to the nonvolatile memory element is exposed from the cassette. On the other hand, the recording / reproducing apparatus has a plurality of conductive films arranged in parallel on a rubber sheet, and the conductive films are connected to a control microcomputer of the apparatus via lead wires. When the cassette is mounted on the recording / reproducing apparatus, the connection terminals of the cassette come into contact with the conductive film, and information can be read and written.

[0003] On the other hand, conventionally, in a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus, there is a system in which cassette sizes are different from each other in the same recording format in order to satisfy both needs for long-time recording and needs for miniaturization and weight reduction. For example, as a VTR for broadcasting, the "D3 format standard" corresponds to the system. In this "D3 format standard",
Three types of cassettes (S, M, L) having different sizes are standardized.

FIG. 50 is a plan view showing a case where an S cassette having the shortest recording time and an M cassette having an intermediate recording time are mounted in a recording / reproducing apparatus. M cassette 101
Has a supply reel 102 and a take-up reel 103, and a magnetic tape 107 is stretched over the front surface in the space of the opening 106 by guide posts 104 and 105 that are set up in a cassette. A triangular area represented by tangents 109 and 110 extending from the maximum tape winding diameter of the supply reel 102 and the outer diameter of the reel hub 108 can guide the magnetic tape 107 to the outside of the cassette space without contacting the upper and lower cassette halves of the M cassette 101. This is a possible tape guide area 111. Therefore, the first post for guiding the magnetic tape 107 that has come out of the cassette must be arranged so that the magnetic tape 107 exists in this tape guide area 111. The position of the tangent line 109 is determined by the configuration of the upper and lower half sidewalls. One tangent 110
Is determined by a tangent connecting the guide post 104 and the reel hub 108.

The S cassette 112 has the same size of the opening 106 and the positions of the guide posts 104 and 105 as the M cassette 101. Also, other structures are almost the same as the M cassette 101, but with the limitation of the cassette size,
Due to the positional relationship of the reel hub 113, the tape guide area 119 of the S cassette is smaller than the tape guide area 111 of the M cassette 101 and is included in the tape guide area 111 of the M cassette 101.

Next, a description will be given of a tape traveling system for selectively mounting such two cassettes in a recording / reproducing apparatus and performing recording / reproducing. The rotating head cylinder 115 has a magnetic tape wound around 180 degrees and rotates at high speed. Reference numeral 116 is a capstan motor, and 117 is a pinch roller. Since the magnetic tape 107 that has exited the supply reel 102 is wound around the post 118 in the tape guide area 119 of the S cassette 112, the magnetic tape 107 that has exited the supply reel 120 of the S cassette 112 is also in a non-contact state including the upper and lower halves. S1 post 11
You will be guided to 8. Similarly, the post 121 is arranged so that the magnetic tape between the take-up reel 103, the take-up reel 122 and the post 121 is guided in a non-contact manner with respect to all other objects.

A magnetic tape 107 stretched over the front surface is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the front cover 123 and the back cover 124 cover the front cover 123 and the back cover 124 to protect them from being easily touched from the outside. The front cover 123 is biased by an elastic member in the closing direction and is held at this position by a lock member (not shown). When mounted on the recording / reproducing apparatus, the lock by the lock member is released, and the front lid 123 is rotated against the elastic member as shown in FIG. 49 to expose the magnetic tape. The opening operation of the front cover 123 is performed when a part of the back cover 124 is opened.
When the M cassette 101 comes into contact with 25 and the M cassette 101 descends, the back lid 124 is opened, and the front lid 123 interlocking with the back lid 124 is also opened.

[0008]

Here, when the memory is built in the cassette, the contact between the connection terminal of the memory and the conductive film on the device side is ensured, and the information is read out.
It is important that writing can be performed reliably, but since several types of cassettes are used for one device, it is necessary to consider that the positional variation of the cassette connection terminals is considerably large. On the other hand, it is not possible to excessively request a highly accurate cassette in order to reduce the cost of the cassette. Also, the position variation of the conductive film on the device side must be considered. As described above, the relative position variation between the two must be estimated very large. To ensure that both are in contact with each other, the size of each of the connection terminals and the conductive film must be sufficiently large, and the mounting pitch thereof must be sufficiently wide. Is a possible solution.

Therefore, the first problem is that, in this method, the occupied area becomes large, and when the size is reduced, a memory cannot be formed in the cassette.

Next, the cassettes shown in the conventional example have different plane sizes but the same thickness, and in the case of ultimate miniaturization, the S cassette should be the thinnest, and in actuality the optimum design is required. Is performed, the S cassette becomes the thinnest. However, if the thicknesses of the cassettes are different, it is necessary to establish a method for reliably contacting the conductive film with the connection terminals of any of a plurality of cassettes.

The D3 format VTR is a three-cassette compatible system, and a plurality of types of cassettes are standardized in this way in order to achieve both long-time recording and downsizing, but it is a broadcasting VTR and is small in size. Since the cassette is also much larger than the consumer-specification cassette and has a sufficient space, a reliable contact between the two can be obtained by sufficiently increasing the size and pitch of the connection terminals of the memory. However, when pursuing the ultimate miniaturization with consumer specifications, it is necessary to aim for the ultimate miniaturization of the tape cassette, and the purpose of adopting two types of tape cassettes is to thoroughly reduce the recording time with a small cassette. In pursuit of miniaturization. Therefore, in the case of a small cassette that is compatible with two-cassettes for consumer use, there is originally no space and it is required to make the occupied area as small as possible. In other words, when a two-size tape cassette is used in the same recording / reproducing apparatus, and the memory information is read and written on the apparatus side, error factors are further increased on both the cassette side and the apparatus side, and a larger connection terminal is required. Will be done.

Therefore, a second problem is that the size of the cassette must be increased in order to reliably read and write the information in the memories provided in the plural types of tape cassettes.

A third problem is that it is difficult to make reliable contact between the connection terminals of the cassette and the conductive film in a plurality of cassettes having different thicknesses.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a small cassette capable of making reliable contact with a recording / reproducing apparatus through a connection terminal of a built-in memory and aiming for ultimate miniaturization. A second object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of types of tape cassettes of different sizes that can be reliably contacted with a recording / reproducing apparatus through a connection terminal of a built-in memory and can be mounted in the same recording / reproducing apparatus. is there. A third object of the present invention is to ensure that a connection terminal and a conductive film can contact any of a plurality of cassettes having different thicknesses.

[0015]

In order to solve this problem, the first means of the present invention transmits information about a positioning hole into which a cassette positioning member on the recording / reproducing apparatus side and a tape are inserted to the recording / reproducing apparatus. Since the contact opening portion for exposing the contact portion of the detection target member is formed in the lower half, the positioning hole and the contact opening portion can be integrally molded with the mold, which can be performed with extremely high accuracy. In other words, the cassette is positioned by the positioning pin on the device side, and as a result, the relative position of the detection member on the device side and the detected member of the cassette can be improved in accuracy, and the pitch between the plurality of contacts and the size of the contacts can be improved. The cassettes can be made smaller by making them smaller.

The second and third means are, in tape cassettes having different sizes, an opening for exposing a part of a member to be detected for transmitting information about the tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus and one positioning hole. The positional relationship is the same between the large and small cassettes. Accordingly, it is not necessary to relatively move the positioning member and the detection member of the recording / reproducing apparatus irrespective of the arrangement of the two cassettes, and the position of the detection member with respect to the positioning member can be made highly accurate. As a result, the positions of the detection target member of the cassette and the detection member of the recording / reproducing apparatus can be made highly accurate, and the pitch between the plurality of contacts and the size of the contacts can be reduced, thereby reducing the size of the cassette.

According to a fourth means, in tape cassettes of different sizes, both the large and small cassettes have a positional relationship between an opening for accommodating a member to be detected for transmitting information about the tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus and two positioning holes. It is configured to be equal between the two. Accordingly, it is not necessary to relatively move the two positioning members and the detection member of the recording / reproducing apparatus regardless of the arrangement of the two cassettes, and the position of the detection member with respect to the positioning member can be highly accurate. In particular, if the positions of the two positioning members are fixed so that both the large and small cassettes are positioned, the detected member has the same position regardless of the large and small cassettes, and therefore the detection member can be fixedly provided. . As a result, the positions of the detection target member of the cassette and the detection member of the recording / reproducing apparatus can be made highly accurate, and the pitch between the plurality of contacts and the size of the contacts can be reduced, thereby reducing the size of the cassette.

The fifth and sixth means are cassettes having different bottom surface positions when mounted on the same device, and each member to be detected and its contact portion are provided on the outer wall surface of the lower half. The heights of the contact portions in the respective cassettes are configured so that the heights of the contact portions are the same even if the respective cassettes are positioned at different heights. By doing so, even if the tape cassettes have different thicknesses, the same detection member can make contact with the contact portion. Further, since the heights are the same even if the positions of the contact portions differ depending on the selection of the arrangement of the two cassettes, the movement of the detection member can be performed in a two-dimensional plane, so that the movement mechanism is simple in structure.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a tape cassette comprising a lower half and an upper half, wherein a cassette positioning member provided in a recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted into the lower half. And a positioning hole to be used for transmitting information about the tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus, and the opening for exposing a part of the detected member is formed. The positioning hole and the opening have the same lower half. Since the mold is integrally molded, the precision can be very high. On the other hand, since the device is configured to position the cassette by inserting the positioning member into the positioning hole, it has an effect that the positional relationship between the device and the contact portion exposed from the contact opening can be made highly accurate.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is a small-sized cassette which can be similarly installed in a recording / reproducing apparatus in which a large-sized cassette is installed, and is for transmitting information about a tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus. A tape cassette characterized in that a positional relationship between an opening for exposing a part of a member to be detected and one positioning hole into which a cassette positioning member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted is equal to that of the large cassette. It is a small tape cassette,
Since the positional relationship between the positioning hole that defines the position and the detected member is the same as that of the large cassette, a connection terminal that connects the positioning member on the device side and the detected member of the cassette regardless of which cassette is positioned by the two-cassette compatibility. Since it can be moved to a predetermined position by integrating
The member to be detected of the cassette and the connection terminal on the device side can be contacted with high precision. Therefore, even in a small cassette in a system in which two tape cassettes having different sizes are mounted in the same recording / reproducing apparatus, there is an effect that the detected member can be minimized and the cassette can be downsized.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is a large-sized cassette which can be similarly installed in a recording / reproducing apparatus in which a small cassette is installed, and is for transmitting information about a tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus. A tape cassette characterized in that a positional relationship between an opening for exposing a part of a member to be detected and one positioning hole into which a cassette positioning member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted is equal to that of the small cassette. The large tape cassette is
Since the positional relationship between the positioning hole that defines the position and the member to be detected is the same as that of the small cassette, even if the position of the member to be detected differs depending on the cassette in the two-cassette compatibility, the position member on the device side and the member to be detected from the cassette are detected. Since the connection terminals connected to the member can be integrated and moved to a predetermined position, the member to be detected of the cassette and the connection terminal on the apparatus side can be contacted with high accuracy. Therefore, even in the case of a large cassette in a system in which two tape cassettes having different sizes are mounted on the same recording / reproducing apparatus, an effect that the detected member can be minimized and the cassette can be miniaturized.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present invention is a small-sized cassette which can be similarly mounted in a recording / reproducing apparatus in which a large-sized cassette is mounted, and which transmits information about a tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus. A tape cassette characterized in that the positional relationship between the opening for exposing a part of the detected member and two positioning holes into which the cassette positioning member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted is the same as that of the large cassette. It is a small tape cassette,
The positional relationship between the two positioning holes that define the position and the detected member is equal to that of the large cassette. Therefore, if the two cassettes are compatible with each other and the two positioning holes having the same positional relationship are used to position the two cassettes, the position of the detection target member of the cassettes is also two cassettes. Since it can be fixedly provided at the same position, the detection target member of the cassette and the detection member of the apparatus side can be contacted with high accuracy.
Therefore, even in a small cassette in a system in which two tape cassettes having different sizes are mounted in the same recording / reproducing apparatus, there is an effect that the detected member can be minimized and the cassette can be downsized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a large-sized tape cassette, wherein the cassette bottom surface is lower than the small-cassette bottom surface when positioned in the recording / reproducing apparatus in which the small-sized cassette is mounted. A tape cassette having an opening for exposing a part of a member to be detected which is at the same height as the small cassette, and the contact portion is provided so as to be exposed on the outer wall surface of the lower half. The detecting member can be formed at the same height position as the contact portion, facing the contact portion. Therefore, since the direction in which the contact portion faces is not the cassette thickness direction, there is no problem even if the height of the bottom surface is different between the large cassette and the small cassette. Further, since the height of the contact portion is set to be the same in both cassettes when the height is determined, the detection member can be fixed or moved in a two-dimensional plane.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a small-sized tape cassette, wherein the bottom surface of the cassette is higher than the bottom surface of the large-sized cassette when positioned in the recording / reproducing apparatus in which the large-sized cassette is mounted. A tape cassette having an opening for exposing a part of the detected member that is at the same height as the large cassette, and the detection member that comes into contact with the contact portion of the detected member exposed from the opening is Since the height of the contact portion is the same as that of the contact portion, the detection member can be fixed or moved in a two-dimensional plane.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Both the tape cassette with a long recording time (hereinafter referred to as L cassette) and the small tape cassette with a short recording time (hereinafter referred to as S cassette) are shown on the left or right, but are symmetrical unless otherwise specified. It is.

2 (a), 2 (b) and 2 (c) are external plan views of the L cassette 1. FIG. L cassette 1 is mainly upper half 2
And a lower half 3, a front cover 4 and a canopy 5. FIG. 3 is a rear view of FIG. The lower half 3 is provided with a reel hole 3a through which the reel is exposed, a reel lock hole 3b, positioning holes 3c to 3f, and a start / end LED hole 3g. Hatched portions 3h to 3k are support portions serving as a reference for cassette height, and indicate a range in which a cassette height determining pin on the recording / reproducing apparatus side can be arranged. 10 is a plan view of the lower half 3 as in FIG. 2, FIG. 11 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 10, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. It is CC sectional drawing. As shown in FIG. 11B, the positioning holes 3c and 3d are formed on the lowermost portion (a line indicated by a dashed line) serving as a support portion, while the positioning holes 3e and 3f are formed as shown in FIG. The starting and ending LED hole 3g is formed at a position d2 which is larger than d1 by d1. The positioning holes 3d and 3f are circular holes, but the positioning holes 3c and 3e are elongated holes. As shown in FIG. 16, the magnetic tape 14 whose start and end are locked by the supply reel 8 and the take-up reel 10 is wound around and guided by the tape guide portion 3 m formed on the front surface of the lower half 3. .

FIG. 1 shows the correspondence between the L cassette 1 and the traveling system. The tape guide portion 55 indicated by hatching is an area for guiding the magnetic tape, and the post 51 of the recording / reproducing apparatus must be arranged so that the incoming and outgoing magnetic tape 14 enters this area. Then, the magnetic tape 14 reaches the post 51 of the traveling system without contacting any part of the cassette from the supply reel 8 and the take-up reel 10, so that the tape traveling can be performed with extremely high accuracy.

FIGS. 5 to 7 show a reel lock mechanism. The left half of FIG. 5 shows the brake off state in which the reel lock claw 7 is separated from the supply reel 8, and the right half shows the brake on state in which the reel lock claw 7 is engaged with the claw portion 10 a of the take-up reel 10. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the brake on, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the brake off. Since the reel lock claw 7 is urged in the reel direction by the spring 9, normally, as shown in the right half of FIG.
Engages with the claw portion 10a of the take-up reel 10 to inhibit the rotation of the take-up reel 10. The take-up reel 10 has a structure in which it is difficult to rotate in the counterclockwise direction and easily rotate in the clockwise direction because it is a mechanism for winding the tape when rotating in the clockwise direction. The reverse is true for the supply reel 8. The reel lock claw 7 is provided with a recess 7b that opens downward at a reel lock hole 3b position provided in the lower half 3 of the cassette shown in FIG. When the shaft 11 of the recording / reproducing apparatus enters the recess 7b, the reel lock pawl 7 retreats against the spring 9 as shown in FIG. The respective reels are rotatable apart from the claw 8a and the claw 10a of the take-up reel 10.

Next, the structure of the supply reel 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. Upper and lower flanges are integrally formed on the supply reel 8, and the above-mentioned claw portion 8a is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange. The convex portion 8b at the upper center of the reel is urged downward by a reel pressing spring (not shown) provided in the upper half 2. FIG. 8 shows an engagement state between the supply reel 8 and the reel table 12 provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus.
A plurality of outwardly opening blades 12a provided at the tip of the reel table 12 engage with blades 8c similarly provided on the supply reel 8 to rotate integrally with the reel table 12. ing. As shown in FIG. 9, a blade portion 8c of the supply reel 8 has a cylindrical portion 8d below the blade portion 8c, and a conical portion 8e below the blade portion 8c. The cylindrical portion 8d performs centering with the reel table 12 when engaged with the reel table 12, and minimizes rotational runout when the supply reel 8 rotates. The conical portion 8e is a guide portion for smoothly engaging the supply reel 8 and the reel table 12. On the lower surface of the supply reel 8, a reel receiving portion 8f having an annular protrusion that abuts the reel table 12 and an annular ring having a concentric circular ring and slightly smaller than the reel hole 3a provided in the lower half 3 are provided. 8g is made up. In the non-engaged state with the reel table 12, the position of the supply reel 8 is the lower half 3
It is regulated by the fitting of the reel hole 3a and the reel holding portion 8g of the supply reel 8.

The lid structure for covering the magnetic tape 14a stretched over the front surface shown in FIG. 16 comprises a canopy 5, a back lid 13 and a front lid 4, as shown in FIG. Each configuration will be described with reference to the external perspective view of each lid shown in FIG. In the front lid 4, a shaft 4a provided on a side surface 4d has a cutout portion 2b of the upper half 2 and a cutout portion 3 of the lower half 3 shown in FIG.
It is sandwiched between n and is rotatably supported, and is biased in the counterclockwise direction (direction to close the lid) by a spring (not shown). A shaft 5a provided on a side surface 5b of the canopy 5 is rotatably supported in engagement holes 4b at both ends of the front cover 4. Further, a support hole 5c is formed from the center of the canopy 5,
The shaft 13a of the back cover 13 is engaged with the support hole 5c so that the back cover 1
3 is rotatable. The other axis 5d of the canopy 5 is
It is engaged and guided in a guide groove 2a formed in the side surface portion 2c of the upper half 2 shown in FIGS. The guide shaft 13b of the back cover 13 is engaged with and guided by the cam groove 3r formed in the side surface of the opening 3p of the lower half 3. As described above, the canopy 5, the back cover 13, and the front cover 4 are interlocked and guided by the upper half 2 and the lower half 3. Therefore, when the front cover 4 is rotated, the canopy 5 and the back cover 5 are continuously connected to it. The lid 13 is guided by the cam groove 3r and the guide groove 2a and moves rearward. FIG.
The opening / closing operation of the lid mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. By bringing a lid releasing member (not shown) of the recording / reproducing apparatus into contact with a part of the side surface portion 4d of the front lid 4 and lowering the tape cassette relatively, the front lid 4 moves clockwise about the shaft 4a. Rotate. Accordingly, the canopy 5 moves rearward along the guide groove 2a to the upper part of the upper half. The back cover 13 also moves upward along the cam groove 3r. When the front lid 4 is rotated by about 90 degrees, the magnetic tape 1 stretched on the front as shown in FIG.
4a is exposed.

FIG. 12 shows the DD cross section of the lower half 3 shown in FIG. 10 including the lid mechanism. The lower half 3 is provided with a recess 3s that is recessed by d3 in this portion from other portions. In the front cover 4, as shown in FIG.
3s in addition to the front face 4f and both side faces 4d covering
, A projection 4e which is a plane parallel to and at the same height as the lower half 3 is provided. Therefore, since the recess 3s is covered by the protrusion 4e of the front lid 4, the hermeticity is not impaired. As shown in FIG. 16, this recess 3s is outside the magnetic tape path from the supply reel 8 to the take-up reel 10, and it is rare that the outside air directly touches the magnetic tape.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a lid lock mechanism.
(B) is a plan view showing the front cover 4 by an imaginary line. (A) is a side view. The lid lock claw 6 provided on the side surface of the lower half 3 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 6d is urged clockwise by a spring (not shown). Therefore, the protrusion 4c of the front lid 4 and the claw portion 6a of the lid lock claw 6 are engaged with each other, and the front lid 4
The clockwise rotation of is prohibited. This lid lock claw 6
The projection 6b of the lower half 3 is configured to be exposed from a part of the lower half 3 and the front of the projection 6b of the lower half 3 is notched, so that the recording / reproducing apparatus is provided within the hatched portion 6c shown in the figure. If a release member (not shown) is inserted, the protrusion 6 of the lid lock claw 6 does not interfere with the cassette.
By contacting b, the lid lock claw 6 can be rotated counterclockwise against the spring. As a result, the front lid 4 is unlocked and can be rotated clockwise about the shaft 4a.

FIG. 16 shows a detection optical path 15 for detecting the start and end of the tape. Start and end LE of lower half 3
By inserting the light emitting element provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus into the D hole 3g and arranging the light receiving elements at positions outside the cassette on the optical path, the beginning and end of the tape can be detected. FIG.
Although the lid 7 is in the opened state, the optical path hole 16 is provided in the side surface of the lower half 3 to form an optical path between the light receiving element and the light emitting element.
This optical path hole 16 is shown in FIG. 17 only when the front cover 4 is released.
When the front cover 4 is exposed and the front cover 4 is closed,
Since the side surface 4d of the above blocks the optical path hole 16, the hermeticity can be considered.

Next, the function of transmitting / receiving the information recorded on the tape between the recording / reproducing apparatus and the cassette will be described. FIG.
18B is a sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 18, and FIG. Reference numeral 17 denotes a memory P plate serving as a detected member for transmitting information about the tape, for example, information such as a tape length, a tape thickness, and a recordable time to the recording / reproducing apparatus. The memory P plate 17 is provided with four contacts 17a for exchanging signals with the semiconductor memory and the outside. The memory P plate 17 is inserted and held from above in a slit 3t provided in the lower half 3 shown in FIGS. Since the slit portion 3t has a contact opening that is opened on the side of the opening 3p, the above-mentioned contact 17a is exposed on the side of the opening 3p. Behind the memory P board 17 is a hole 3g for start and end LEDs.
Is configured. FIGS. 19 to 21 show a contact state between the connector 18 for signal transmission and reception, which is a detection member provided in the recording and reproducing apparatus, and the memory P plate 17. Connector 18
The external view is shown in FIG. 40, and includes a light emitting element 19 and four leaf-spring-shaped connector terminals 20, and is fixedly provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus. The four connector terminals 20 have a biasing force in the clockwise direction in FIG.
The contact points 17a are contacted with each other at a constant contact pressure. Therefore, it becomes possible to write and read information to and from the semiconductor memory of the memory P plate 17 through the contact 17a. The position of the contact 17a is located below the memory P board 17, and the contact 2 between the bent portion 20a of the connector terminal 20 and the contact 17a.
By increasing the distance of 0b, the spring constant of the contact 17a is reduced. That is, even if the relative positions of the cassette and the connector 18 are varied, the contact pressure of the connector terminal 20 with respect to the memory P plate 17 is little changed, and a stable contact pressure and a highly reliable contact structure can be secured. The reason why the connector terminal 20 is formed in a U-shape and the bent portion 20a is set upward is that the cassette terminal is not deformed due to excessive force being applied to the connector terminal 20 by the mounting and removing operation of the cassette. This is for protection.

As shown in FIG. 21, the four connector terminals 20 are in contact with the contacts 17a of the memory P plate 17 facing the contact openings provided in the lower half. At this time, if the relative position of the memory P plate 17 and the connector 18 is shifted in the left-right direction, the connector terminal 20 comes into contact with the side wall of the contact opening of the lower half, and the contact failure with the memory P plate 17 and the connector After the terminal 20 is deformed, a trouble such as no contact may occur. Therefore, memory P board 1
The relative position of 7 and the connector terminal 20 must be ensured with high accuracy.

An S cassette compatible with the L cassette 1 described above will be described. FIG. 24 (a),
(B), (c), is an external plan view of the S cassette 31. Like the L cassette 1, the S cassette 31 mainly includes an upper half 32, a lower half 33, a front lid 34, and a canopy 35. Further, the recording time of the S cassette 31 is shorter than that of the L cassette 1, and the plane size of the cassette is smaller. Also in terms of thickness, the thickness H4 of the S cassette 31 has a relationship of H2> H4 with respect to the thickness H2 of the L cassette 1. FIG. 25 is a rear view of FIG. 24. The lower half 33 has a reel hole 33a, a reel lock hole 33b, a positioning hole 33.
c to 33f, and a starting and ending LED hole 33g. Further, hatched portions 33h to 33k indicate a range in which a cassette height determining pin on the recording / reproducing apparatus side can be arranged in a support portion serving as a reference of the cassette height. 26A is a sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 25, and FIG. 26B is a sectional view taken along line HH in FIG. The positioning holes 33c to 33f are formed on the lowermost surface portion (line indicated by the alternate long and short dash line) serving as a support portion, but the start and end LED holes 33g are formed at positions depressed by d4. The tape center height H1 from the lowermost surface of the lower half 3 of the L cassette 1 and the tape center height H3 from the lowermost surface of the lower half 33 of the S cassette 31 shown in FIGS. Because of the difference of L, H1> H3
Cassette 1 is larger. In such a structure, the dimensional relationship of the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31 in the cassette thickness direction is as follows.

H1−d1 = H3 (1) H1−d2 = H3−d4 (2) Equation (1) indicates that when two cassettes are considered based on the center of the tape, L The plane on which the positioning holes 3e and 3f of the cassette 1 exist is the positioning holes 33c to 33f of the S cassette 31.
And a plane where the hatching portions 33h to 33k exist, that is, a plane having the same height as the lowermost surface of the lower half 33.

The formula (2) shows that when the two cassettes are considered with the center of the tape as a reference, the plane where the starting and ending LED holes 3g of the L cassette 1 exist and the starting and ending LED holes 33g of the S cassette 31 exist. The plane indicates that they are the same height.

Since the area of the tape guide portion 53 shown in FIG. 34 is the same as 55 shown in FIG. 1, the post 54 must be provided so that the magnetic tape is guided to this area.
The magnetic tape 44, whose start and end are locked by the supply reel 38 and the take-up reel 40, is wound around and guided by a tape guide portion 33m formed on the front surface of the lower half 33. The distance L1 between the magnetic tape 44a stretched between the tape guides 33m and the positioning holes 33e and 33f is the same as the similar distance L3 of the L cassette 1 shown in FIG.

The positioning holes 33e of the S cassette 31
The distance L2 between L and 33f is the same as the distance L4 between the positioning holes 3e and 3f of the L cassette 1. This means that the positioning pins on the recording / reproducing apparatus side can be shared by the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31. As a result, as shown in FIG. 38, the magnetic tapes 4a and 44a stretched over the front surface are at the same position. Further, since the positional relationship between the positioning holes 33f, 33e, 3e, 3f and the memory P plate 17 is the same in the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31, the common connector 18 can be fixedly provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIGS. 27 to 29 show a reel lock mechanism. The reel lock mechanism is basically the same as the reel lock mechanism of the L cassette 1, and the description of the structure is omitted. Here, when the reel lock hole 33b of the S cassette 31 and the reel lock hole 3b of the L cassette 1 are arranged as shown in FIG. 38, their positions are different, so that a member fixed to the recording / reproducing apparatus cannot correspond to both cassettes. However, since it is configured to be released by members having the same shape, the shaft 11 which is a reel lock release member of the L cassette 1 is made movable, and the reel lock of the S cassette 31 is also released.

FIG. 35 shows the structure of the supply reel 38. Since the reel structure is basically the same as that of the supply reel 8 of the L cassette 1, only different parts will be described.
On the lower surface of the supply reel 38, there is provided a reel receiving portion 38f, which is an annular protrusion that contacts the reel table 42. In the L cassette 1, the reel receiving portion 8f and the reel holding portion 8g are concentrically arranged, but in the S cassette 31, only the reel receiving portion 38f has a reel hole 33a which is slightly larger than the reel receiving portion 38f. By doing so, the position of the supply reel 38 is regulated by fitting the reel hole 33a of the lower half 33 and the reel receiving portion 38f of the supply reel 38.

FIG. 41 shows a view in which the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31 are mounted on the same reel table 50. In FIG. 41, the right side shows the engagement state between the S cassette 31 and the reel table 50, and the left side shows the engagement state between the L cassette 1 and the reel table 50. Blade part 8c, cylindrical part 8d, conical part 8
As for e, the S cassette 31 and the L cassette 1 have the same structure, and can engage the reel table 50 and transmit the rotational force. On the other hand, in the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31,
As described above, the height from the center of the tape to the lower half is different, and the reel receiving portions 38f, 8f of the respective cassettes are different.
Are also different as shown in the figure. However, the diameter of the reel receiving portion 38f of the S cassette 31 is smaller than that of the reel receiving portion 8f of the L cassette 1, and the height of the reel receiving portion 8f of the L cassette 1 is set to the lowermost surface of the lower half 33 of the S cassette 31. And the reel table 50 abuts against the reel receiving portions 38f and 8f, respectively, and the reel supporting portions 50a and 50 guarantee the height of each reel.
b can be independently configured.

Next, the lid structure and the lid opening / closing operation will be described with reference to FIGS.
3, the canopy 35 and the back lid 43 are similar to the L cassette 1.
And a front cover 34. The external configuration is the same as that of the L cassette 1 shown in FIG. 23, but the only difference is the structure shown in FIG. In the L cassette 1, the lower half 3 is provided with a recess 3 s and, correspondingly, the front cover 4 is partially provided with a projection 4 e, but in the S cassette 31, the abutting portion between the front cover 34 and the lower half 33 is L There is no protrusion 4e as seen in the cassette 1, and the front cover 34 is composed of a front surface 44f and a side surface 44d (not shown, which is the same as the side surface 4d of the front cover 4 of the L cassette 1), which covers the magnetic tape 44a. It is substantially U-shaped.

FIG. 30 is a view showing a lid lock mechanism. (A) is a plan view and (b) is a side view. Since the lid lock mechanism has the same configuration as the L cassette 1, detailed description will be omitted.

FIG. 34 shows a detection optical path 45 for detecting the start and end of the tape. Beginning end L of lower half 33
By inserting the light emitting element provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus into the ED hole 33g and arranging the light receiving elements at positions outside the cassette on the optical path, the start end and the end of the tape can be detected.
Although the opening / closing of the lid of the L cassette 1 and the opening / closing of the optical path hole 16 have been described with reference to FIG. 17, the S cassette 31 has the same configuration.

FIGS. 36, 37, and 39 show a mechanism for holding the memory P plate 17. FIG. As described in the formula (2), the planes where the start and end LED holes 3g and 33g of the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31 are located at the same height with respect to the tape center. The position of the memory P plate 17 provided above the start and end LED holes 3g and 33g has the same height relationship from the tape center of the two cassettes. When arranged as shown in FIG. 38, the memory P plates 17 of the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31 are in common positions. In other words, in the recording / reproducing apparatus in which two cassettes can be mounted, one connector 18
It can support both cassettes.

The positioning of the cassette in the recording / reproducing apparatus when the S cassette 31 and the L cassette 1 are arranged as shown in FIG. 38 will be described. First, the positioning pins are located at the front position and the rear position of the cassettes in both cassettes.
3e and 3f of the L cassette 1, 33e of the S cassette 31,
A positioning pin is provided for 33f. Correspondingly, the position of the height-determining pin that guarantees the height of the cassette is
In the L cassette 1, they are respectively placed in 3h and 3i, and in the S cassette 31, they are respectively placed in 33h and 33i. Since 3h and 3i do not interfere with the S cassette 31, the height determining pin for the L cassette 1 can select an appropriate position. The height determining pin for the S cassette 31 is shown in FIG.
It is provided at the position (a). This position is, as shown in the diagram (b), the reel holding portion 8g and the reel receiving portion 8 of the reel 8.
It is in the middle of f. Since the S-cassette 31 is located at a position higher by d1 than the L-cassette 1, the height determining pin 52 of the S-cassette 31 interferes by d1, but at this position, a recess is formed between the reel holding portion 8g and the reel receiving portion 8f. , Interference can be avoided.

When the cassettes are arranged as shown in FIG. 38, L
The width G1 of the opening 3p of the cassette 1 is wider than the width G2 of the opening 33p of the S cassette 31, but the tape guide 53 largely overlaps 55. Therefore, a common post can be arranged to guide the tape of any cassette to this common part. S cassette 3
At the position of the left side surface portion 34a of the front lid 34 of No. 1, there is a recess 3s of the lower half 3 of the L cassette 1. FIG. 42 is a relational diagram in which this portion is enlarged and the cassette lid opening member 56 is provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus.

42, in order to open and close the lid of the L cassette 1, an opening pin (L) 58 is provided at a position contacting the side surface portion 4d of the front lid 4, and similarly, a left side surface portion of the side surface portion 34 of the S cassette 31. An open pin (S) 57 is provided at a position 34a slightly lower than the release pin (L) 58. The two release pins are attached to a substantially U-shaped cassette lid release member 56, and the release pin (S) 57 and the cassette lid release member 56 are located in the recess 3s of the lower half 3 of the L cassette 1, Interference with the lower half 3 is avoided.
Next, in FIG. 44, the front lid 4 by the lid release pin (S) 57 is shown.
4 shows a lid release locus of FIG. In (a) to (f), the position of the lid release pin (S) 57 is common and the cassette position is displayed. In the case of the S cassette 31, the lid is released by coming into contact with the left side surface portion 34a of the front lid 34 and does not interfere with the lid release pin (L) 58, so there is no problem. FIG. 43 shows a lid opening locus of the front lid 4 by the lid releasing pin (L) 58, and the left side surface portion 4 of the front lid 4 by the lid opening pin (L) 58.
a and the lid release, and the positional relationship between the lid release pin (S) 57, the front lid 4, and the lower half 3 in the lid opening / closing trajectory. Here, the lid release pin (S) 57 is located at the position of the recess 3 s of the lower half 3 of the L cassette 1, that is, the front lid 4.
The projection 4e and the lid release pin (S) 57 do not interfere with each other at any position, as is clear from the figures of the respective trajectory positions.

Next, an example in which such tape cassettes having different cassette sizes are mounted on a recording / reproducing apparatus will be described. FIG. 46 shows the L cassette 1 mounted on the recording / reproducing apparatus, and FIG. 47 shows the S cassette 31 mounted on the same recording / reproducing apparatus. The magnetic tapes 14 and 44 are guide posts 6
6, 61, 62, 65, a rotating head cylinder 60, a capstan 64, and a pinch roller 63. Here, the reel table 50 that engages with the supply reel 8 and the take-up reel 10 is rotatably supported about the rotation center of the relay gear 67, and when the L cassette 1 is mounted, the reel table of FIG. When the S cassette 31 is attached to the position, the S cassette 31 is moved to the reel position of FIG. 47 and positioned. The tape driving is performed by transmitting the driving force of the capstan 64 to the center gear 69 by the belt 70 and selectively driving the relay gear 67 by the driving gear 68 that contacts with the center gear 69.

The above description is based on the assumption that the S cassette 31 and the L
By arranging the cassette 1 in the openings 3p and 33p at a common position as shown in FIG. 38, the positioning holes 3e, 3f and 33
e and 33f are in the same position, and the memory P plate 17 is also in the same position. This is an example in which the relative relationship between the positioning hole and the memory P plate is the same in the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31. Nothing more than.

Next, an example in which the supply reels 8 and 38 of the L cassette 1 and the S cassette 31 are arranged at a common position will be described with reference to FIG. In the configuration shown in FIG. 38 described above, the position of the reel base must be moved by the cassette, which is very expensive, whereas in the method of FIG. 51, at least the supply reels are at the same position, There is an advantage that the moving means of the supply reel stand becomes unnecessary. However, on the other hand, there are disadvantages such as the fact that the positions of the openings 3p and 33p are different, so that the standby position of the post needs to be changed depending on the cassette. This method is VH
It has been put to practical use as an arrangement of a standard cassette and a compact cassette of S. When arranged in this way, the position of the memory P17 plate is naturally different, so the position of the connector 20 must be moved depending on the cassette. But,
As described above, since the relative positional relationship between the positioning holes 33f, 33e, 3f, 3e of the S cassette 31 and the L cassette 1 and the memory P plate 17 is the same, for example, the light emitting element 19 and the connector terminal 20 are provided integrally. The connector 18 is configured to be positioned by a positioning pin (not shown) inserted into the positioning hole 33f of the S cassette 31 and a positioning pin (not shown) inserted by the positioning hole 3f of the L cassette 1. If the connector 18 is moved in accordance with the cassette and is positioned by each positioning pin, the positional relationship between the positioning pin and the connector 18 is the same regardless of the cassette, so that the memory P plate 17 of each cassette is used.
Can be reliably and accurately contacted. Alternatively, the positioning pins may be integrated to move the connector 18 including the positioning pins according to the cassette.

As another example, the method of FIG. 52 in which the arrangement is the same as that of FIG. 38 and the openings 3p and 33p are at the same position will be described. Up to this point, an example has been described in which the memory P plate is arranged at the same position relative to the two positioning holes at the common position among the four positioning holes at each of the S cassette 31 and the L cassette 1. Next, a description will be given of an example in which the memory P plate is arranged at the same position relative to the remaining two positioning holes whose positions are not common, that is, 33d of the S cassette 31 and 3d of the L cassette 1 in FIG. . Here, as in the above example, the connector 18 (in this case,
Although the connector is not integrated with the light emitting element 19),
The positioning pins (not shown) inserted into the positioning holes 33d of the cassette 31 and the positioning pins (not shown) inserted into the positioning holes 3d of the L cassette 1 are respectively positioned. If the connector 18 is moved in accordance with the cassette and is positioned by each positioning pin, the positional relationship between the positioning pin and the connector 18 is the same regardless of the cassette, so that the memory P plate 17 of each cassette can be reliably provided with high precision. Can be contacted. Alternatively, the positioning pins may be integrated to move the connector 18 including the positioning pins according to the cassette.

[0055]

As described above, according to claim 1 of the present invention, the positioning hole into which the positioning member is inserted and the contact opening for exposing the contact part of the member to be detected are formed in the lower half. Since the positioning hole and the contact opening can be integrally molded with the mold, it is possible to achieve extremely high precision. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to consider variations in the upper and lower halves of the cassette, and the accuracy of the opening with respect to the positioning hole is uniquely determined by the accuracy of the mold and is extremely easy to manage. Since the cassette is positioned by the positioning pins provided in the device, the relative position of the detection member (connector) arranged in the device and the detected member (memory P plate) of the cassette can be highly accurate, and the connector can be made highly accurate. It is possible to prevent the trouble that the terminals interfere with the side wall of the contact opening of the lower half of the cassette to cause contact failure. Also, if sufficient accuracy can be secured, it is possible to narrow the width of the contacts and the width of the connector terminals and also the pitch of the four contacts to narrow the width of the contact openings. If this happens, it is difficult for the user to touch the contact exposed from the contact opening with a finger or the like, and contact defects are reduced. Also, if the contact pitch can be made small, the area occupied by the memory P plate can be made relatively small, and miniaturization of the cassette can be promoted.

According to the second and third aspects, in the tape cassettes having different sizes, the positional relationship between the member to be detected (memory P plate) for transmitting information about the tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus and one positioning hole is set. Since both the large and small cassettes are the same, even if the position of the memory P plate is different depending on the cassette, the respective positioning pins can be used as the connector positioning means. Alternatively, since there is no need to relatively move the positioning member and the detection member of the recording / reproducing apparatus, a mechanism can be provided in which the positioning member and the connector are integrated and moved in accordance with the cassette. Whether it is integrated or positioned by the positioning pin, the positioning pin is inserted into the positioning hole of the cassette to control the positioning of the cassette, so that the positioning pin and the positioning pin can be highly accurately secured. Therefore, according to this method, even in a situation where the connector has to be moved due to the two-cassette compatibility mechanism, it is possible to realize high accuracy comparable to that of the single cassette method which can be fixedly provided on the mechanism. . Detecting member (connector) and detected member of cassette (memory P
If the relative position of the plate can be improved with high precision, it is possible to prevent a trouble that the connector terminal interferes with the side wall of the contact opening of the lower half of the cassette and a defective contact occurs.
Further, if sufficient accuracy can be ensured, it becomes possible to narrow the width of the contacts and the width of the connector terminals and also the pitch of the four contacts to narrow the width of the contact openings. If this happens, it is difficult for the user to touch the contact exposed from the contact opening with a finger or the like, and contact defects are reduced.
Also, if the contact pitch can be made small, the area occupied by the memory P plate can be made relatively small, and miniaturization of the cassette can be promoted.

According to the fourth aspect, in the tape cassettes having different sizes, the positional relationship between the member to be detected and the two positioning holes for transmitting the information about the tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus is equal between the large and small cassettes. With this configuration, the positions of the two positioning members can be fixed. If the large and small cassettes are positioned by the positioning member, the position of the memory P plate becomes common, and it is not necessary to move the connector between the large and small cassettes, and extremely accurate contact between the connector terminal and the contact of the memory P plate of the cassette is realized. it can. If the relative position of the detection member (connector) and the detection target member (memory P plate) of the cassette can be made highly accurate,
It is possible to prevent the trouble that the contact of the connector terminal interferes with the side wall of the contact opening of the lower half of the cassette to cause a contact failure. Further, if sufficient accuracy can be ensured, it becomes possible to narrow the width of the contacts and the width of the connector terminals and also the pitch of the four contacts to narrow the width of the contact openings. If this happens, it is difficult for the user to touch the contact exposed from the contact opening with a finger or the like, and contact defects are reduced. Also, if the contact pitch can be made small, the area occupied by the memory P plate can be made relatively small, and miniaturization of the cassette can be promoted.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects, since the contact portion is provided so as to be exposed on the outer wall surface of the lower half, the detecting member contacting the contact portion is at the same height position as the contact portion. Can be configured relative to each other. Therefore, the position of the contact portion can be freely set even if the bottom surfaces of the large cassette and the small cassette have different heights. When the height of the contact portion is determined, both cassettes have the same height, and the detection member can be fixed at the same position. Even if the position of the contact point differs depending on the cassette by making the supply reel position common, etc., the height is the same, so the detection member can be moved only on a two-dimensional plane. I just need. The moving mechanism can have a simple structure and high precision.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an L cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external plan view, side view, and front view of the L cassette.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the L cassette.

FIG. 4 is a plan view and a side view of a lid locking mechanism of the L cassette.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a reel lock of the L cassette.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the L cassette during a reel lock operation.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the L cassette when the reel lock is not operated.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the L cassette when the reel is engaged with a reel table.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a reel of the L cassette.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the lower half of the L cassette.

FIG. 11 is a view showing cross sections AA, BB, and CC of FIG. 10;

12 is a view showing a cross section DD of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the lid mechanism of the L cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the lid mechanism of the L cassette.

FIG. 15 is a side view of a lid mechanism of the L cassette.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the L cassette.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the same L cassette when the lid is opened.

FIG. 18 is a plan view and a side view of the semiconductor memory unit of the L cassette.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the memory cassette of the L cassette, which is equipped with a connector for writing and writing.

FIG. 20 is a front view of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the upper and lower halves of the L cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a lid mechanism of the L cassette.

FIG. 24 is an external plan view, side view, and front view of the S cassette.

FIG. 25 is a rear view of the S cassette.

FIG. 26 is a view showing cross sections GG and HH of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a reel lock plan view of the S cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a sectional view of the S cassette during a reel lock operation.

FIG. 29 is a sectional view of the S cassette when the reel lock is not operated.

FIG. 30 is a plan view and side view of the lid lock mechanism of the S cassette.

FIG. 31 is a side view of a lid mechanism of the S cassette.

FIG. 32 is a side view of the lid mechanism of the S cassette.

FIG. 33 is a side view of the lid mechanism of the S cassette.

FIG. 34 is a plan view of the S cassette.

FIG. 35 is a side view of the S cassette when the reels are engaged with the reel table.

FIG. 36 is a front view of a semiconductor memory unit of the S cassette.

FIG. 37 is a side view of FIG. 36.

FIG. 38 is a plan view showing a plan view of the S and L cassettes in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a semiconductor memory portion of the S cassette.

FIG. 40 is a perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 41 is a side view of the engagement of the S and L cassettes with the reel table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 42 is a plan view of a lid release mechanism of the S and L cassettes.

FIG. 43 is a side view of the lid release trajectory of the L cassette.

FIG. 44 is a side view of a lid releasing mechanism of the S cassette.

FIG. 45 is a plan view and side view of the height positioning mechanism of the S cassette.

FIG. 46 is a plan view showing the application of the L cassette to a recording / reproducing device.

FIG. 47 is a plan view showing the application of the S cassette to a recording / reproducing device.

FIG. 48 is a side view of a lid opening / closing portion in a conventional tape cassette.

FIG. 49 is a side view of completion of lid release in the conventional tape cassette.

FIG. 50 is a plan view of application of two tape cassettes of different sizes to a recording / reproducing apparatus in the related art.

FIG. 51 is a plan view showing an arrangement example of S and L cassettes in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 52 is a second memory P according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Plan view of the S and L cassette arrangement of the plate configuration example

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 L cassette 2 Upper half 3 Lower half 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f Positioning hole 17 Memory P plate 18 Connector 31 S cassette 33 Lower half 33c, 33d, 33e, 33f Positioning hole

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshinori Shiomi 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Akihiro Nishimura, 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A tape cassette comprising a lower half and an upper half, wherein a positioning hole into which a cassette positioning member provided in a recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted in the lower half,
A tape cassette having an opening for exposing a part of a detected member for transmitting information about the tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus. 2. A small cassette that can be similarly installed in a recording / reproducing apparatus in which a large cassette is installed, and an opening for exposing a part of a detected member for transmitting information about a tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus. A tape cassette characterized in that the positional relationship between the portion and one positioning hole into which a cassette positioning member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted is equal to that of the large-sized cassette. 3. A large cassette that can be similarly mounted in a recording / reproducing apparatus in which a small cassette is mounted, and an opening for exposing a part of a detected member for transmitting information about a tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus. A tape cassette, wherein the positional relationship between the portion and one positioning hole into which a cassette positioning member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted is equal to that of the small cassette. 4. A small cassette that can be similarly installed in a recording / reproducing apparatus in which a large cassette is installed, and an opening for exposing a part of a detected member for transmitting information about a tape to the recording / reproducing apparatus. A tape cassette characterized in that the positional relationship between the portion and two positioning holes into which a cassette positioning member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus is inserted is the same as that of the large cassette. 5. A large tape cassette, the bottom surface of the cassette being lower than the bottom surface of the small cassette when positioned in a recording / reproducing apparatus to which the small cassette is mounted, and the same height as the small cassette. A tape cassette having an opening for exposing a part of the detection member. 6. A small tape cassette, the bottom surface of the cassette being higher than the bottom surface of the large cassette when positioned in a recording / reproducing apparatus to which the large cassette is mounted, and the same height as the large cassette. A tape cassette having an opening for exposing a part of the detection member.