Reel capable of winding tape without side stairs and tape drive having the reel

Abstract

A reel for winding a magnetic recording tape used to record/reproduce information or data. The reel comprises a hub and a pair of flanges extending from axial ends of the hub in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the hub. The hub has a taper in shape such that the outer diameter of the hub is gradually reduced form an axial end to the other axial end thereof.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a magnetic recording tape drive (tape drive) for driving a magnetic recording tape (tape) contained in a tape cartridge for recording/reproducing data or information to/from the tape and, in particular, to a reel, adopted to such a magnetic tape drive, for winding the tape thereon.

[0002] As tape drives of the type, there have been known a variety of linear tape storage drives, such as DLT (Digital Linear Tape) and LTO (Linear Tape Open). The tape drives have been developed as “backup” memories for computer systems. Such a tape drive comprises a reel called a take-up reel and is adapted to receive loading of a tape cartridge having a single reel (for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,014). When the tape cartridge is loaded as a supply reel in the tape drive, a magnetic tape is pulled out from the supply reel and is taken up by or wound onto the take-up reel, which is rotating at a high speed, through a magnetic head. An example of the tape cartridge is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 149491/2000.

[0003] The reel mounted in the existing tape drive of the type comprises a central cylindrical shaft, a central ring, or a hub and a pair of flanges extending from opposite axial ends of the hub in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the hub. The tape is wound around and on the hub and between the two flanges. The hub has an axial length extending between opposite inner surfaces of the two flanges. The axial length is usually made slightly larger in size than the width of the tape wound on the reel. The hub also has an outer diameter constant over its axial length.

[0004] When the tape is taken up or wound onto the existing reel, a roll of the tape wound is apt to have irregularities or stairs in its side surface due to the difference in size between the axial length of the hub and the tape width, which will be referred to as side irregularities or side stairs.

[0005] When the tape is wound on the reel with the side irregularities or stairs, the tape running to the take-up reel deviates in a direction perpendicular to the running direction, that is, in a direction of a width of the tape, so that a recording track of the tape is deviated from a magnetic head in the width direction of the tape. This deviation of the tape may cause a problem that data are not correctly recorded or reproduced in or from the tape.

[0006] In the tape cartridge, if a tape is wound on a reel in the cartridge with the side irregularities or stairs, the similar problem is caused because the tape taken out from the cartridge deviates in the tape width direction due to the side irregularities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a reel capable of winding a tape without side irregularities or stairs on the reel.

[0008] Further, it is another object of this invention to provide a tape drive having the reel capable of winding a tape without side irregularities or stairs on the reel.

[0009] The other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become clear as the following description proceeds.

[0010] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reel for winding a magnetic recording tape used to record/reproduce information or data. The reel comprises a hub for winding the magnetic recording tape thereon and a pair of flanges extending from axial ends of the hub in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the hub. The hub has a taper such that it has an outer diameter gradually reduced in size along the axis from a first one to the other second one of the axial ends.

[0011] In the reel, the pair of flanges are provided with inner surfaces faced to each other, and one of said pair of flanges extending from said first axial end of said hub is finished flat substantially without warp and roughness.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic recording tape drive for drive the magnetic recording tape. The drive comprises a reel. The reel comprises a hub for winding the magnetic recording tape thereon and a pair of flanges extending from axial ends of the hub in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the hub. The hub has a taper such that it has an outer diameter gradually reduced in size along the axis from a first one to the other second one of the axial ends.

[0013] In an embodiment of the magnetic recording tape drive, the reel is arranged in a tape drive with an orientation so that the hub extends in the vertical direction with the first axial end being positioned upper than the second axial end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIGS. 1A and 1B are a top plan view and a sectional view, respectively, showing an existing reel with tape wound;

[0015] FIGS. 2A and 2B are a top plan view and a sectional view, respectively, showing a reel with a tape wound according to an embodiment of the present invention, providing that the reel is mounted in a tape drive with an orientation shown by an arrow;

[0016] FIGS. 3A and 3B are a top plan view and a sectional view, respectively, showing the reel with a tape wound, providing that the reel is reversely mounted up and down with respect to the orientation in FIGS. 3A and 3B; and

[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a tape drive having the reel of FIGS. 2A and 2B mounted therein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] In order to facilitate an understanding of the present invention, description will at first be made about the existing reel mounted in the existing tape drive with reference to the drawing.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, an example of the existing reel 30 is provided with a hub 31 having a cylindrical shape and a pair of flanges 32 formed on axial ends of the hub 31. The hub 31 is straight, in other words, the hub 31 has an outer diameter constant along the axial direction. The flanges 32 extend from the axial ends of the hub in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the hub 31. Each of the flanges 32 is formed in a general rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 1A, but can be made in a disk shape or any other shape as is desired.

[0020] A tape 33 is wound around the hub 31 and between the flanges 32 to form a tape roll. Side surfaces of the tape roll are not always made smooth and flat, but often or rather always made in an irregular surface with side stairs 33a. This is because the axial length of the hub 31 and a distance left between the two flanges 32 are set slightly larger in size than a width of the tape 33. The side irregularities or side stairs 33a of the wound tape roll have a problem as described in the preamble of the description.

[0021] If the axial length of the hub 31 and the distance between the flanges 32 would be made equal to the width of the tape, the side irregularities or stairs are removed but there occurs another problem that side edges of the tape 33 engage and collide to the flanges 32 and are thereby worn and/or damaged.

[0022] Now, preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawing.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a reel 10 according to an embodiment of this invention is similar to the existing art shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and is used for winding a magnetic recording tape used to record/reproduce information or data and installed in a magnetic recording tape drive as shown in FIG. 4. The reel 10 is different from the existing reel 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that a hub 11 having a cylindrical shape is not straight as the hub 31 of the existing reel 30 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, but is formed in a tapered shape where the outer diameter of the hub 11 gradually reduces from an axial end to the other axial end. Thus, the hub 11 has a large-diameter axial end 11a and a small-diameter axial end 11b.

[0024] A distance left between inner surfaces 321 of the flanges 32 is also designed slightly larger in size than the width of the tape 33, which is similar to that in the existing reel shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0025] In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the reel 10 is arranged in the tape drive shown in FIG. 4 so that the axis of the hub 11 extends in a vertical direction while the small-diameter end 11b is upper than the large-diameter end 11a.

[0026] When the tape 33 is taken up and wound on the reel 10, side edges of the tape 33do neither engage nor collide the flanges 32, and the tape 33 is wound on the hub to gradually close to the inner surface of the lower one of the flanges 32a that extends from the large-diameter end 11a of the hub 11. This can be understood from a fact that the tape tension is larger in a side edge portion of the tape 33 wound on the vicinity of the large-diameter end 11a of the hub 11 than in the opposite side edge portion of the tape 33 wound on the vicinity of the small-diameter end 11b of the hub 11.

[0027] Thus, the tape 33 is wound so that the lower side edge of the tape 33 is corrected to close to the inner surface of the lower flange 32a. Accordingly, the tape 33 can be wound into a roll without the side irregularities and/or side stairs. In the state wound, the upper side surface of a roll of the tape 33 wound can resultantly be flat and face to the inner surface of the upper flange 32b, which extends from the small-diameter end 11b of the hub 11, with a clearance a left therebetween.

[0028] As the lower flange 32a engages the side edge of the tape 33, the inner surface of the lower flange 32a preferably be finished smooth and flat substantially without any warp and/or roughness.

[0029] Next, the reel 10 can be made to reversely be set up and down in the tape drive.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the reel 10 is arranged in the tape drive shown in FIG. 4 so that the large-diameter end 11a of the hub 11 is upper than the small-diameter 11b of the hub 11.

[0031] In the setting condition of the reel 10, when the tape 33 is wound on the reel 10, the tape is gradually close to the inner surface of the upper flange 32a which extends from the large-diameter end 11a of the hub 11, in the similar manner as in the condition shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Therefore, the tape 33 is wound in a roll of the tape 33 with a flat side surfaces without side irregularities and/or side stairs. It will be under stood that there is formed a clearance c between the underside of the roll of the tape 33 and the inner side of the lower flange 32b.

[0032] When the tape 33 is further wound into the reel 10 and increases the diameter of the roll of the tape 33 wound, the weight of the tape roll cannot be ignored. An outer portion of the tape roll gradually descends so that the clearance c between the underside of the roll and the inside of the lower flange 32b is gradually reduced while a clearance b is gradually generated and increased between the upper side of the roll and the inside of the upper flange 32a. Consequently, the lower edge of the tape 33 is not touched to the inner surface 321 of the upper flange 32a. Thus, the tape 33 becomes more smoothly wound on the reel 10, because no friction resistance occurs between the flanges 32 and the tape 33.

[0033] Thus, the roll of the tape 33 wound has smooth side surfaces without side irregularities and/or side stairs.

[0034] In FIGS. 2A to 3B, the hub 11 has the outer diameter that is linearly changed, but it may be hanged non-linearly as long as the diameter reduces from one end to the other end of the hub.

[0035] It is preferable that flanges of the reel is made from a material low in friction coefficient.

[0036] Next, a DLT as an example of a magnetic recording tape drive using the reel 10 shown in FIGS. 2A to 3B will be described with reference to the drawing.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 4, the tape drive 50 of the DLT is adapted to removably receive a tape cartridge (not shown) having a magnetic tape. The tape drive 50 includes a take-up reel 20 in the interior thereof. The reel 10 shown in FIGS. 2A-3B is used as the take-up reel 20, in the setting condition shown in FIGS. 2A and 2b or in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

[0038] The tape drive 50 comprises a substantially rectangular housing 52 having a common base 52a. The housing 52 comprises a sheet metal chassis made of an iron-based magnetic material. The base 52a has first and second spindle motors 53 and 54.

[0039] The first spindle motor 53 is connected to the reel 20 mounted to the base 52a. The reel 20 is dimensioned to accept a magnetic tape (not shown) streaming at a relatively high speed. The first spindle motor 53 may be called a take-up reel motor. The second spindle motor 54 is adapted to drive the tape cartridge. The second spindle motor 54 may be called a supply reel motor.

[0040] The tape cartridge is manually or automatically inserted in the tape drive 50 via a slot 52b formed on the housing 52 of the drive 50 along an inserting direction depicted by an arrow A. When the tape cartridge is inserted in the tape drive 50, the tape cartridge is engaged with the second spindle motor 54 by a loading mechanism (not shown). Prior to rotation of the first and the second spindle motors 53 and 54, the magnetic tape is connected to the reel 10 mounted as the take-up reel 20 or a leader tape pulled out therefrom. When the first and the second spindle motors 53 and 54 are driven, the magnetic tape moves at a high speed and guided to a position between the flanges 32 of the reel 10 to be taken up on the hub 11. A plurality of guide rollers 56 defines a tape path between the tape cartridge and the reel 10 and guide the magnetic tape as it streams at a relatively high speed.

[0041] The tape drive 50 further comprises a head assembly 60 having a magnetic head for recording and reproducing data to and from the magnetic tape. The head assembly 60 is positioned to face the tape path defined by the guide rollers 56. During operation of the tape drive 50, the magnetic tape streams on the tape path, coming into close proximity to the head assembly 60 while streaming along the tape path. Thus, data exchange between the magnetic tape and the magnetic path is enabled.

[0042] While the present invention has thus far been described in conjunction with the embodiments thereof, it will readily be possible for those skilled in the art to put the present invention into practice in various other manners.

Claims

1. A reel for winding a magnetic recording tape used to record/reproduce information or data, said reel comprising:

a hub for winding the magnetic recording tape thereon and, said hub having first and second axial ends and having a taper in shape such that said hub has an outer diameter gradually reduced in size along the axis from the first axial end to the second axial end; and

a pair of flanges extending from first and second axial ends of the hub, respectively, in a direction perpendicular to an axis of said hub.

2. The reel according to claim 1, wherein said pair of flanges are provided with inner surfaces faced to each other, and first one of said pair of flanges extending from said first axial end of said hub is finished flat substantially without warp and roughness.

3. A magnetic recording tape drive for drive the magnetic recording tape, said drive comprising a reel, said comprising:

a hub for winding the magnetic recording tape thereon and, said hub having first and second axial ends and having a taper in shape such that said hub has an outer diameter gradually reduced in size along the axis from the first axial end to the second axial end; and

a pair of flanges extending from first and second axial ends of the hub, respectively, in a direction perpendicular to an axis of said hub.

4. The magnetic recording tape drive according to claim 3, wherein said reel is arranged in the tape drive with an orientation so that said hub extends in the vertical direction with the first axial end being positioned upper than the second axial end.

5. The magnetic recording tape drive according to claim 3, wherein said reel is arranged in the tape drive with an orientation so that said hub extends in the vertical direction with the second axial end being positioned upper than the first axial end.