JPH0584579B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of invention] The present invention relates to improvements in tape drives.

[Prior art]

The present inventor previously developed a so-called annular tape drive device (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-27371 and Japanese Patent Application No. 59-27842). Briefly, the annular tape drive device includes a plurality of elongated first rollers extending parallel to each other at equal intervals along the circumference of a circle, and a first roller located at the center of the circle. The tape comprises an elongated second roller extending parallel to the , a plurality of tapes each wound around the corresponding first roller from one end and collectively wound around the second roller from the other end, and roller rotation means. Tape drive means of this type operate satisfactorily and very quickly to recall the desired portion of the tape into position.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to improve the tape drive described above, reduce the number of tapes by half, and provide an even more inexpensive tape drive with a simpler structure.

[Structure of the invention]

According to a preferred embodiment, the tape drive of the present invention, similar to the tape drive described above according to the prior art, is arranged so that the tape drives rotate at substantially equal intervals along the circumference of a circle (for each pair). a plurality of pairs of elongated first
rollers and an elongated second roller located at the center of the circle and extending parallel to the first roller, with one tape associated with each pair of two first rollers. Then, for each pair of first rollers (roller A, roller B), the corresponding tape is wrapped around roller A from one end with one side inside, and the tape is wrapped around roller B with the other side inside. As shown, the tape is wrapped together from the other end and wound around the second roller. In such a configuration, by utilizing both sides of the tape, it is sufficient to provide one tape for each of the two first rollers, so the number of tapes is halved compared to the above-described tape drive device according to the prior art.

〔Example〕

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, to briefly explain the annular tape drive device previously developed by the present inventor, as shown in FIG. a plurality of elongated first
A roller 1, an elongated second roller 2 located at the center of the circle and extending parallel to the first roller 1, and a second roller 2 that is wound from one end to the corresponding first roller 1 and brought together from the other end to the second roller 2. It consists of a plurality of tapes 3 wound around each other and suitable known drive means (not shown) for rotating these rollers 1, 2 synchronously. Although this annular tape drive works satisfactorily, there are as many tapes as there are first rollers, making the device relatively cumbersome and somewhat expensive to assemble.

On the other hand, the tape drive device of the present invention has a second
As shown in the figure, each pair has circular or regular polygonal cross sections extending parallel to each other and located at substantially equal intervals along the circumference of one circle C (in the figure, A plurality of pairs of elongated first rollers 11 (for each pair, a roller 11A,
rollers 11B), a tape 13 associated with each pair of first rollers, and an elongated second roller 12 located at the center of circle C and extending parallel to the first rollers 11.
and suitable known drive means (FIG. 3) for rotationally driving the first and second rollers 11, 12.
For each corresponding pair of rollers 11A and 11B, the tape 13 is wound around the roller 11A from one end with one side F inside, and is supported and guided by the roller 11B with the other side of the tape inside, and is wound around the roller 11B. Pass. The tape 13 extends to the second roller 12 and is wound around the second roller together from the other end of the tape. An example of a known driving means for rotationally driving these tapes 13 is, as shown in FIG. 3, gears 16 of the same diameter that are fixed to the end shafts 14A, 14B of the first rollers 11A, 11B and mesh with each other. , 17 and a central gear 18 that is fixed to the end shaft 15 of the second roller 12 and meshes with an idler gear 19 that meshes with the gear 16.
If the gear 18 is rotated in one direction (in the direction of the arrow) using a step motor or a pulse motor (not shown),
The tape 13 is simultaneously wound around the second roller 12,
By rotating the gear 18 in the opposite direction, the tape is simultaneously wound around each first roller 11A. The other surface of the tape is exposed to the outside on the surface of the first roller 11A, and the one surface F of the tape is exposed to the outside on the surface of the first roller 11B. Similar to the tape drive device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-27844, both sides of the tape are used simultaneously.

Therefore, compared to the annular tape drive described above, the tape drive of the present invention has half the number of tapes and performs substantially the same function as the annular tape drive.

Although the present invention has been described based on preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, the shape of the first roller may be a regular triangular cross section, a regular pentagonal cross section, or another regular polygonal cross section, and the roller driving means may be any suitable known means (for example, a ring gear). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the paired first rollers 11 may be arranged at regular intervals (for each pair) along the circumference of the regular polygon P instead of a circle.

The tape drive device of the present invention, like the series of annular tape drive devices previously developed by the present inventor, can move all the tapes simultaneously by the same amount extremely quickly and position the tape accurately. selector (multifunction keyboard),
It can be used in telephone exchanges, map systems, image files, and various other applications.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Due to the above configuration, the present invention provides a tape drive device that requires only half the number of tapes, has a simple structure, and is inexpensive.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an annular tape drive device previously developed by the present inventor. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a tape drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view showing one example of roller driving means. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the tape drive of the present invention showing another roller arrangement. 11A, 11B...pair of first rollers, 12
...Second roller, 13...Tape.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A plurality of pairs of elongated first rollers extending parallel to each other along a circle or a regular polygon and having a circular cross section or a regular polygon cross section, and located at the center of the circle or regular polygon. a second elongate roller extending parallel to the first roller; a tape associated with each pair of first rollers;
In a tape drive device comprising a roller and a drive means for rotationally driving the second roller, each tape has a pair of first and second rollers starting from one end with one side thereof inside.
The tape is wrapped around one of the rollers and passed around the other pair of first rollers with the other side inside.
A tape drive device characterized in that the tape reaches a roller and is wound together from the other end of the tape around the second roller. 2. The tape drive device according to claim 1, wherein the first roller has a regular pentagonal cross section. 3. The tape drive device according to claim 1, wherein the first roller has a regular triangular cross section.