JP3388366B2 - Tape cartridge and method of assembling leaf spring to tape cartridge - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cartridge provided with a front lid for protecting the tape and a method for assembling a leaf spring to the tape cartridge, and before holding the front lid in a closed posture when not in use. It is an improvement of the lid lock mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A tape cartridge of this type is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-37788. There, there is provided a front lid lock mechanism that holds the front lid in a closed posture when not in use. This front lid lock mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. 3. A recess 10 is provided on the inner surface side of one side piece 6b of the front lid 6, and a locking tool 11 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the recess 10 is provided.
It is composed of a leaf spring 12 for holding the lock tool 11 in a locked posture. The lock tool 11 is formed with a lock claw 15 which is engageable with and disengageable with the recess 10 of the front lid 6 at the tip end side thereof, and a release protrusion 16 behind and below the lock claw 15.

In the lock tool 11, the release projection 16 is projected outward from the opening 17 of the main body case 1 so as to be retractable.
The lock position where the lock claw 15 engages with the recess 10 and the recess 1
It is incorporated for translation between unlocked positions that deviate from zero. As described above, by incorporating the locking tool 11 so as to be movable in parallel, the pushing stroke required for removing the locking claw 15 from the recess 10 can be reduced as much as possible, and the locking tool 11 can be compactly stored even in a narrow space. .

As shown in FIG. 9 (A), the leaf spring 12 is formed by bending a stainless thin leaf spring into a substantially V-shape from the beginning to form a central bent portion 12a and an expanded width from the central bent portion 12a. It is formed to have arms 12b and 12b connected so as to face each other with a widening width larger than that. This leaf spring 12 has a central bent portion 12a directed upward, and a lock tool so that an action point a of an arm portion 12b on a side contacting the lock tool 11 is located below a center S of a release protrusion 16 of the lock tool 11. It is incorporated between 11 and the spring receiving wall 20. In this assembled state, a space T is formed between the leaf spring 12 and substantially the upper half of the lock tool 11. This space T is secured as wide as possible by making the expansion width of the central bent portion 12a of the leaf spring 12 smaller than that between the opposed arm portions 12b and 12b.

In such a case, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the VTR-side releasing operation member P contacts the taper 16a of the releasing protrusion 16 from below, the releasing protrusion 16 is indicated by an arrow F.
The pressing force acts in the direction. At this time, the locking tool 11 is tilted in the space T by the moment M acting on it, and with this tilting, the locking claw 15 positioned above the release projection 16 is quickly released from the recess 10 of the front lid 6. As a result, VT
Even in the case where the release operation member P on the R side is pressed against the release protrusion 16 from below, the front lid 6 is forcibly opened without releasing the lock because the release timing of the lock tool 11 is delayed. It tries to solve the problem of deformation and damage being added.

In order to assemble the leaf spring 12 between the lock 11 and the spring receiving wall 20 as described above, the leaf spring 12
Each of them was formed into a substantially V-shape from the beginning, and as shown in FIG. 10, a large number of them were stacked and the leaf springs 12 were individually assembled on the automatic assembly line.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the tip of the arm portion 12b of the leaf spring 12 is simply brought into contact with the lock tool 11, the release projection 16 is formed. When the arm 12b is pushed and the arm 12b bends, the point of action a thereof easily moves. Therefore, even if the release protrusion 16 is pushed, the lock claw 15 may not be released from the recess 10 of the front lid 6, and the lock may not be released. The purpose of the term was not fully achieved. Further, in the automatic assembly of the leaf springs 12, the leaf springs 12 are closely contacted with each other, causing a problem such as taking two sheets, resulting in a decrease in operating rate.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problem of the unlocking of the front lid and to ensure the unlocking. Another object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem of a decrease in the operating rate of assembly and to improve the assemblability of the leaf spring.

[0009]

A tape cartridge on which the present invention is based assumes a tape loading pocket 5 on the front side of a main body case 1 containing a reel 3 around which a tape 2 is wound, as shown in the illustrated example. Is provided. The front lid 6 for opening and closing the pocket 5 has left and right side pieces 6b, and the side pieces 6b are pivotally attached to the main body case 1 so as to be openable and closable about an axis 7. On the inner surface side of the side wall 9 of the main body case 1, a lock tool 11 for holding the front lid 6 in a closed posture is arranged. The locking tool 11 has a lock claw 15 which is engageable with and disengageable with a recess 10 provided on the inner surface of the one side piece 6b of the front lid 6 at the tip side thereof, and the opening of the side wall 9 below the lock claw 15 at the rear side. Releasing protrusions 16 projecting outward from the respective protrusions 17 are provided. Then, between the lock tool 11 and the main body case 1, the lock tool 11 is locked by the lock claw 15 as the release projection 16 is retracted.
A guide means is provided for substantially parallel movement in the thickness direction of the side wall 9 between a lock position for engaging the recess 10 and an unlock position for removing the recess from the recess 10. Further, it has a leaf spring 12 that constantly urges the locking tool 11 to move in the direction of the lock position.
The main body case is formed in a substantially V shape having arms 12b and 12b connected to each other so as to face each other with a widening width larger than the widening width from 2a, and the central bent portion 12a faces upward. It is interposed between the lock tool 11 in 1 and the spring receiving wall 20 provided so as to face the lock tool 11.

In addition, according to the present invention, the claw piece 12 is provided at the tip of the arm portion 12b of the leaf spring 12 which is in contact with the lock tool 11.
c is bent and formed in a direction opposite to the direction of the load acting on the arm portion 12b when the release projection 16 is pressed,
It is characterized in that the tip of c is engaged with a position lower than the center S of the release projection 16 of the lock tool 11.

Further, in the method of assembling the leaf spring to the tape cartridge of the present invention, in the above-mentioned tape cartridge, the leaf spring 12 prepared in advance has approximately 180 from the central bent portion 12a to the arm portions 12b and 12b before the assembling. ° Connected to each other in an expanded state, the claw piece 12 is attached to the tip of one arm 12b.
c is bent and the tips of the other arm 12b are continuously connected to each other by a connecting portion 12d. At the time of assembling, the leaf spring 12 is separated from the connecting portion 12d without a sheet of spring 12 and the lock 11 and the spring receiving wall 20. By pressing the claw piece 12c between the claw piece 12c and the claw piece 12c, the claw piece 12c is engaged at a position lower than the center S of the release projection 16 of the lock tool 11.

[0012]

When the release projection 16 is pushed, a load is applied to the leaf spring 12 to bend the arm portion 12b, but the claw piece 12c at the tip of the arm 12b is bent so as to face the load-bearing direction. The tip of 12c is in a state of being caught by the lock tool 11, that is, it is strongly engaged so as to dig into the surface of the lock tool 11, so that the point of action a thereof does not move and the position is lower than the center S of the release projection 16 of the lock tool 11. Will certainly be maintained.

When assembling the leaf springs 12, a large number of leaf springs 12 formed in a continuous shape are connected to each other, and the connecting portion 12 is provided.
Since the process is performed separately from d, it is possible to reliably supply one by one without the problem of taking two.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a plastic upper case 1a and a plastic lower case 1b
Tapes 2 on the left and right sides of the main body case 1
The reels 3 and 4 around which is wound are rotatably arranged. The tape 2 is fed from one reel 3 into a tape loading pocket 5 on the front side of the case, and the other reel 4
To be wound up. A front lid 6 is rotatably attached to the front side of the main body case 1 so as to cover the front outer side of the tape 2 drawn out to the pocket 5 when not in use so as to protect the tape 2 and can be opened and closed. The left and right side pieces 6b, 6b of the front lid 6 are pivotally attached to the outside of the side walls 9, 9 of the upper case 1a via shafts 7, 7.
The front lid 6 is opened and closed around the shaft 7. A torsion coil spring 8 is mounted on one shaft 7, and the spring 8 constantly biases the front lid 6 to rotate in the closing direction.

When not in use, the front lid 6 is held in the closed posture by the front lid locking mechanism. The front lid lock mechanism is provided with a recess 10 on the inner surface side of one side piece 6b of the front lid 6, and includes a lock tool 11 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the recess 10 and a leaf spring 12 that holds the lock tool 11 in a locked posture. The lock tool 11 and the leaf spring 12 are incorporated in the side wall 9 of the main body case 1 toward the inside front side. As shown in FIG. 5, the locking tool 11 is a plastic molding as a whole, and a flexible arm portion 14 is extended forward from an upper portion of a base portion 13 made of a flat rectangular plate, and a locking claw is provided at a tip of the arm portion 14. 15 is projected outward,
A pyramid-shaped release projection 16 is provided on the outer surface of the base portion 13 on the lower side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lock tool 11 has a lock claw 1 on the inner surface side of the side wall 9 of the upper case 1a.
5 is installed so as to move substantially parallel to the thickness direction of the side wall 9 via the guide means between the locked position where the recess 5 is engaged with the recess 10 and the unlocked position where the recess 5 is disengaged from the recess 10. That is, at the location where the lock tool 11 is housed in the main body case 1, an opening 17 is provided in a part of the side wall 9 thereof, and a position regulating rib 19 is formed on the inner surface of the upper wall 18 thereof so as to run in the thickness direction of the side wall 9. It is provided so as to be located right above the opening 17. A spring receiving wall 20 is provided so as to project downward from the inner surface of the upper wall 18, and the spring receiving wall 20 and the side wall 9 are connected by a rib 21. The spring receiving wall 20 utilizes a screwing boss when the upper case 1a and the lower case 1b are butted and fastened with a screw 22. On the other hand, a lock holder 23 is provided on the inner surface side of the side wall of the lower case 1b. Thus, the lock tool 11 is installed in the front-rear direction along the inner surface of the side wall 9 of the upper case 1a, the release projection 16 is projected from the opening 17 to the outside of the side wall 9, and the groove 24 provided at a part of the upper edge of the base 13 is provided. Is slidably fitted to the position regulation rib 19, and the lock claw 15 is engaged with the recess 10 of the front lid 6.
Then, as will be described later, the leaf spring 12 is interposed between the base portion 13 of the lock tool 11 and the spring receiving wall 20, and then the upper case 1a is covered on the lower case 1b to lock the lock tool 11 on the lock tool cradle 23. Support above.

The leaf spring 12 is interposed between the base portion 13 of the lock tool 11 and the spring receiving wall 20, and the spring force constantly moves and urges the lock tool 11 in the lock position direction along the inner surface of the side wall 9. Thus, the protruding state of the release protrusion 16 and the engaged state of the lock claw 15 are maintained. The leaf spring 12 has a chevron-shaped central bent portion 12a as shown in FIG. 6 formed by pressing an extremely thin hoop material made of stainless steel of about 0.05 to 0.06 mm before being assembled, This central bent portion 12
The arm portions 12b and 12b are connected to each other in a state where the arm portions 12b and 12b are expanded by approximately 180 °, and the claw piece 12c is bent at the tip of one arm portion 12b in the same direction as the protruding direction of the central bending portion 12a, and Continuously connecting the ends of the arms 12b to each other 1
It is formed to be connected by 2d. This continuous leaf spring 12 is wound around a reel R as shown in FIG. 7 and installed on an automatic assembly line.

Thus, at the time of assembly, the leaf springs 12 are intermittently taken out from the reel R by utilizing the holes 25 arranged in the connecting portion 12d, and the leaf springs 12 are cut line by line at the cutting position of the automatic assembly line. It separates from the joint part 12d along C. The leaf spring 12 thus separated is turned upside down as shown in FIG. 8 and is placed on the spring receiving wall 20 of the upper case 1a and the lock tool 11 which is incorporated in advance.
Place 2a so that it faces downward. Next, when the central bending portion 12a is pushed downward by a pushing tool (not shown), it is pushed between the lock tool 11 and the spring receiving wall 20 in a substantially V-shape elastically deformed state, and the claw piece 12c of the lock tool 11 is pushed. The release protrusion 16 engages with the position above the center S.

When the upper case 1a in which the leaf springs 12 are thus assembled is inverted and put on the lower case 1b, the leaf springs 12 are centrally bent 12 as shown in FIG.
One of the arm portions 12b and 12b, whose a is facing upward and which is wider than the widening width of the central bent portion 12a, is provided with the spring receiving wall 2
0, and the claw piece 12c at the tip of the other arm 12b is brought into a state of being engaged at a position lower than the center S of the release projection 16 of the lock tool 11. In this case, the claw piece 12 of the leaf spring 12
c is in a state of being bent and formed in a direction opposite to the direction of the load acting on the arm portion 12b when the release projection 16 is pressed. Further, in addition to making the expansion width of the central bent portion 12a smaller than that between the arm portions 12b and 12b, only the tip end of the claw piece 12c is abuttingly engaged with the lock tool 11 so that the leaf spring 12 and The space T can be formed as wide as possible between the lock tool 11 and the upper half thereof.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the release operation member P on the VTR side comes into contact with the taper 16a of the release protrusion 16 from below, the arrow F is applied to the release protrusion 16.
Pressing acts in the direction. At this time, even when the arm portion 12b of the leaf spring 12 on the side in contact with the lock tool 11 bends, the point of action a does not move on the surface of the lock tool 11. This is because when the release protrusion 16 is pushed, a load is applied to the leaf spring 12 to bend the arm portion 12b.
Since c is bent in the direction of receiving the load,
This is because the surface of the lock tool 11 is strongly bitten into a hooked state.

Therefore, the point of action a is always maintained at a position lower than the center S of the release projection 16 of the lock tool 11, and the expansion width of the central bent portion 12a is set to the arm portion 12b.
.In addition to being smaller than that between 12b, claw piece 1
A space T as wide as possible is secured by 2c, so that the lock tool 11 is surely tilted into the space T by the moment M acting on it, and this tilt causes the lock claw 15 located above the release projection 16 to move. Recess 1 of front cover 6
Leave from 0. In many cases, the release operation member P has finished sliding on the taper 16a of the release protrusion 16 and has been moved to the flat surface 16b.
At this point, when the release projection 16 is completely pushed in (loading completed state), the lock tool 11 is translated to the original unlock position as shown in FIG. 2B. As a result, even if the release operation member P on the VTR side is pressed against the release protrusion 16 from below, the front lid 6 is forced to be released without releasing the lock due to a delay in release timing of the lock tool 11. You can surely solve the problem that it can be opened.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Leaf spring 1 for urging the lock 11 to move toward the lock position
The claw piece 12c at the tip of the second arm portion 12b is bent in the direction opposite to the load direction applied to the leaf spring 12 by pressing the release projection 16. Therefore, the point of action a can always be reliably maintained at a position lower than the center S of the release protrusion 16 of the lock tool 11, and the release operation member P on the VTR side can be surely maintained.
Even if the lock projection 11 is pressed against the release projection 16 from below, the lock tool 11 is rotated in the lock release direction in which the lock claw 15 is disengaged from the recess 10 of the front lid 6 and is substantially parallel to the unlock position. Since the lock release timing can be set early, the lock release function of the front lid 6 can be achieved with high reliability and reliability.

Further, when the leaf springs 12 are assembled, a large number of leaf springs 12, which are continuous, are connected to each other at a connecting portion 12d.
Since they are separated from each other, they can be reliably supplied and assembled one by one without the problem of taking two sheets, and the assembling operation rate can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an operating state corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inside of the whole.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lock tool.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the leaf spring before assembly.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a leaf spring before being assembled is wound around a reel.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an assembled state of a leaf spring.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a main part of a conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a stacked state of conventional leaf springs.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 body case 2 tapes 3 reel 5 pockets 6 front lid 9 Side wall 10 recess 11 Locking tool 12 leaf spring 12a central bent portion 12b arm 12c nail piece 12d joint part 15 lock claws 16 Release protrusion 17 openings 20 spring receiving wall

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G11B 23/087 529

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pocket 5 for loading a tape is provided on the front side of a main body case 1 containing a reel 3 around which a tape 2 is wound, and a front lid 6 for opening and closing the pocket 5 has left and right side pieces 6b. Have
The side piece 6b is pivotally attached to the main body case 1 so as to be openable and closable about an axis 7, and on the inner surface side of the side wall 9 of the main body case 1, a lock tool 11 for holding the front lid 6 in a closed posture is arranged. The locking tool 11 has a lock claw 15 which is engageable with and disengageable with a recess 10 provided on the inner surface of the side piece 6b of the front lid 6 on the tip side thereof, and is located behind the lock claw 15 and below the side wall. 9 each have a release projection 16 that projects outward from the opening 17 of the lock piece 9, and between the lock tool 11 and the main body case 1 the lock tool 11 locks with the retracting projection 16. 15 for recess 10
A guide means for substantially parallel movement in the thickness direction of the side wall 9 is provided between a lock position engaged with the lock position and an unlock position removed from the recess 10, and the leaf spring 12 for constantly urging the lock tool 11 toward the lock position. The leaf spring 12 has a central bent portion 12a.
And a central V-shaped portion having a pair of arms 12b and 12b connected from the central bent portion 12a so as to face each other with an expanded width larger than the expanded width.
Locking tool 1 in main body case 1 in a posture with 2a facing upward
In the tape cartridge that is interposed between the spring receiving wall 20 and the spring receiving wall 20 that is arranged opposite thereto, the claw piece 12c is provided at the tip of the arm portion 12b of the leaf spring 12 that comes into contact with the lock tool 11, and the release projection 16 Is bent in a direction opposite to the direction of the load acting on the arm portion 12b by the pressing operation, and the tip of the claw piece 12c is formed at the release protrusion 1 of the lock tool 11.
6. A tape cartridge characterized in that the tape cartridge is engaged at a position lower than the center S of 6. 2. A tape loading pocket 5 is provided on the front side of a main body case 1 containing a reel 3 around which a tape 2 is wound, and a front lid 6 for opening and closing the pocket 5 has left and right side pieces 6b. Have
The side piece 6b is pivotally attached to the main body case 1 so as to be openable and closable about an axis 7, and on the inner surface side of the side wall 9 of the main body case 1, a lock tool 11 for holding the front lid 6 in a closed posture is arranged. The locking tool 11 has a lock claw 15 which is engageable with and disengageable with the recess 10 provided on the inner surface of the one side piece 6b of the front lid 6 on the front end side thereof, and the side wall below and behind the lock claw 15. 9 each have a release projection 16 that projects outward from the opening 17 of the lock piece 9, and between the lock tool 11 and the main body case 1 the lock tool 11 locks with the retracting projection 16. 15 for recess 10
A guide means for substantially parallel movement in the thickness direction of the side wall 9 is provided between a lock position engaged with the lock position and an unlock position removed from the recess 10, and the leaf spring 12 for constantly urging the lock tool 11 toward the lock position. The leaf spring 12 has a central bent portion 12a.
And a central V-shaped portion having a pair of arms 12b and 12b connected from the central bent portion 12a so as to face each other with an expanded width larger than the expanded width.
Locking tool 1 in main body case 1 in a posture with 2a facing upward
1 and the spring receiving wall 20 arranged opposite thereto, the claw piece 12c is provided at the tip of the arm portion 12b which is engaged with the release projection 16 of the lock tool 11 at a position lower than the center S thereof. The tape spring is formed in a tape cartridge that is bent in a direction opposite to the load direction that acts on the arm portion 12b when the release projection 16 is pressed.
Before assembling, the leaf spring 12 connects the central bent portion 12a to the arms 12b and 12b in a state where the arms 12b and 12b are expanded by approximately 180 °.
In addition, the claw piece 12c is bent at the tip of one arm 12b, and the tips of the other arm 12b are continuously connected by the connecting portion 12d, and one leaf spring 12 is connected from the connecting portion 12d during assembly. By separating and pushing it between the lock tool 11 and the spring receiving wall 20, the whole is elastically deformed into a V-shape, and the claw piece 12c is locked.
1. A method of assembling a leaf spring to a tape cartridge, characterized in that the releasing protrusion 16 of No. 1 is engaged with a position lower than the center S.