Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus is provided which comprises a deck mounted with a drum motor and a capstan shaft, a main sliding member slidably installed on the deck and being driven by a driving force of the drum motor, a pivot lever rotatably installed on the deck and supporting a pinch roller for guiding a tape to be in contact with the capstan shaft, a review arm rotatably installed on the deck and being connected to the pivot lever by means of an elastic member, and a compressing lever for connecting the review arm and the sliding member. The compressing lever is driven by a driving force from the sliding member, and compresses the review arm in a direction such that the elastic member is stretched. The pivot lever is then rotated by the stretched elastic member and adheres the pinch roller closely to the capstan shaft.

Abstract: A pinch roller unit of a magnetic recording/reading apparatus disposed on a main deck on which a head drum and a capstan are disposed to move in association with a sub-deck which is disposed to slide on the main deck. The pinch roller unit operates to bring a tape into close contact with the capstan, and comprises a pivoting lever rotatably disposed on the main deck to pivot towards the capstan in relation to movement of the sub-deck being loaded, a pinch roller rotatably disposed at an end of the pivoting lever and brought into contact with the capstan at the time of loading process, and a torsion spring stressed by being pushed by the sliding member sliding along the left and right directions of the main deck for pushing the pivoting lever towards the capstan.

Abstract: A pinch roller which includes a cylindrical elastic body formed of a polymer blend including acrylonitrile butadiene copolymer rubber (NBR), and at least one of a highly saturated copolymer rubber containing nitrile group obtained by hydrogenating a butadiene part of said acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber, and ethylene-&agr;-olefin type copolymer rubber, and a resin sleeve press-fitted in the elastic body. The elongation of the elastic body is set to be at least 5% and not more than 15%. A pinch roller apparatus includes this pinch roller.

Abstract: In a magnetic tape apparatus, a cylinder motor and a capstan motor are provided separately. A family processing is realized by fabricating a stator core of the capstan motor by using the same die which is used for fabricating a stator core of the cylinder motor. Each of attachment pieces is fitted into the corresponding one of recess portions provided at a flange-shaped attachment portion of a bearing holder and the inner end of the attachment piece is engaged with a rib provided at the flange-shaped attachment portion. The inner end portion of the attachment piece is screwed with the flange-shaped attachment portion.

Abstract: A capstan shaft cleaning device has a cleaning member removing dirt attached to a capstan shaft and a moving mechanism moving the cleaning member between a position at which the cleaning member contacts the capstan shaft and a position at which the cleaning member is separated from the capstan shaft, the cleaning member having at least two points of contact contacting a periphery of the capstan shaft.

Abstract: An apparatus of the present invention is a magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus for winding a magnetic tape around a rotary head cylinder, having a rotary head, for a predetermined arc, for recording/reproducing the magnetic tape. The magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus includes: a capstan shaft for driving the magnetic tape; and a pinch roller for pressing the magnetic tape against the capstan shaft. When the magnetic tape is being reproduced, the capstan shaft is rotated in a forward direction with the pinch roller pressing the magnetic tape against the capstan shaft. When a pause operation of pausing the reproduction of the magnetic tape is performed, a tension acting upon the magnetic tape is reduced.

Abstract: A video cassette recorder including a drive member 6 rotatingly drivable by a motor, and a slide member 7 reciprocatingly drivable by the rotation of the drive member 6. The slide member 7 is provided with a rib 71 for pushing a side face 55 of a tape drawing-out lever 54 with a movement of the slide member 7 in one direction to rotate the lever 54 toward a tape drawing-out direction. The slide member 7 and a pinch roller mechanism 8 have engaged portions provided with a cam mechanism for driving a pinch roller 19 toward a capstan 18 with a movement of the slide member 7 in the above-mentioned one direction subsequent to the movement thereof in this direction.

Abstract: A tape transport system for positioning magnetic tape over a tape head includes a carrier ribbon with edges defining a channel for carrying the tape. Ribbon guides bring the carrier ribbon into contact with the tape as the tape moves near the tape head. A separation guide is positioned to allow the tape to separate from the carrier ribbon as the tape passes the tape head.

Abstract: A film-engaging sprocket drive for use with an edge-perforated filmstrip having successive uniform-pitch film perforations includes a set of two coaxial sprocket wheels each having a series of uniform-pitch film-engaging teeth that are similarly shaped to engage the filmstrip within the film perforations and that are arranged in successive pairs of one tooth from one sprocket wheel and another tooth from the other sprocket wheel. The sprocket wheels each are rotatable relative to the other to similarly increase the pitch of the two teeth in the respective pairs of teeth to greater than the pitch of the film perforations. A return spring is arranged to rotate one sprocket wheel relative to the other sprocket wheel to decrease the pitch of the two teeth in the respective pairs of teeth substantially to the pitch of the film perforations.

Abstract: A capstan motor which includes: a stator yoke having a multiple number of coils provided on a circle centered about a rotational shaft; and a rotor yoke having an annular magnet opposing the multiple number of coils and rotating integrally with the rotational shaft, and is constructed such that a hysteresis plate is provided opposing the rotor yoke on the side opposite the multiple number of coils for receiving leakage of the magnetic flux from the magnet and is attached rotatably relative to the rotary shaft; and driving force for rotation is extracted from the hysteresis plate, and a tape driving system using it.

Abstract: An apparatus having a read/write head for reading and/or writing information on an information carrier which may be in the form of a tape or disc. The head is mounted on a drum which is supported on a shaft which axially rotates the drum so as to move the head relative to the information carrier, which in the case of a tape winds around the drum. The drum is supported in the axial direction by a thrust bearing and in the radial direction by fluid bearings (25) and (26). The thrust bearing has adjoining surfaces of which at least one is made of cemented tungsten carbine, the other possibly being of steel. Thus, there is low friction and low wear. During operation of the apparatus the bearing surfaces remain in contact, thereby forming an electrical coupling to a grounding frame of the apparatus so as to limit static charging of the rotating drum.

Abstract: A deck mechanism of a headphone stereo which is capable of minimizing a tension working on a belt and of controlling a rotation torque transmitted to a reel in an FF or REW mode by transmitting a driving force of a driving motor by a power transmission gear unit, includes a power transmission gear unit for transmitting a driving force of the driving motor, a mode selector for transmitting the driving force transmitted by the power transmission gear unit according to a selected mode, a reel driver for driving a reel according to the selection of the mode selector, a power transmission idler unit moving according to the play direction of the reel driver, and a capstan driver for driving a capstan through a belt transmission by a selective engagement of the power transmission idler unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus using dry cleaning techniques for cleaning a read/write head of the contact transducing type such as found on computer data backup tape drive systems. The apparatus includes a housing enclosing a supply reel holding a supply of cleaning tape, a takeup reel for holding used or soiled cleaning tape, and a gear train for transmitting rotary power at a reduced rotational speed from an external power source such as the tape drive capstan to the takeup reel. The gear train includes a plurality of gears that constitute a gear reduction system such that the cleaning tape can be driven past the head at an effective cleaning speed which is substantially less than the normal read/write speed of the tape drive. The apparatus further includes a movable shutter mechanism for blocking one of a pair of light paths between a light emitter and a light sensor forming part of the tape drive system, thereby providing a unique signal to the tape drive.

Abstract: A VCR having a capstan brake device has a flywheel having a friction plane on the lower portion thereof. The flywheel is installed to one end of a capstan shaft piercing through a chassis, and a brake member is installed to one side of the flywheel for swinging toward the friction plane. The brake member is installed with a hinge-coupled fixing rod and a fixedly-coupled operating rod and support rod. The support rod sets the brake member to an applying state by a spring, and the operating rod sets the brake member to a releasing state by a cam having a guide groove and an operating groove. Thus, rotating speed of the flywheel is constantly decelerated, and the operation of the brake member is promptly and accurately carried out.

Abstract: A pinch roller driving device including a vertical moving member which has a holder for moving a pinch roller upward and downward, and an arm formed integrally with the holder for attaching the pinch roller. The pinch roller driving device is composed of the vertical moving member having such an improved structure including: a rotating member for moving the vertical moving member upward and downward, and a horizontal moving member for moving the vertical moving member toward a capstan shaft. According to this invention, it is possible to precisely maintain the squareness that has an effect on the stable transfer of the video tape, and to avoid the tape damage and noise occurrence during video recording and reproducing.

Abstract: A film transport apparatus for selectively advancing a film out of, or rewinding a film onto, a spool shaft of a cartridge. The apparatus has:a) a rotatable member which engages the spool shaft;b) a first drive assembly for pulling on film remote from the cartridge to assist in advancing the film out of the cartridge;c) a transmission assembly to thrust film from the spool shaft and rewind it onto the spool shaft, comprising:a rewind gear positioned to rewind the rotatable member, and a thrust gear positioned to advance the rotatable member through a directional clutch such that when film is pulled from the spool shaft by the first drive assembly the thrust gear will disengage from the rotatable member; anda gear train which selectively engages the thrust or rewind gear; andd) a drive to drive the first drive assembly and the gear train.

Abstract: Films to be fed to a photographic printing apparatus are continuously fed one after another without being spliced together. A continuous film feed device has a case, a film core rotatably mounted in the case, and film presser arms each having a presser roll for pressing the films toward the center of the film core. The films are wound around the film core with their ends overlapped by putting a leading end of each film under a trailing end of the preceding film.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus using dry cleaning techniques for cleaning a read/write head of the contact transducing type such as found on computer data backup tape drive systems. The apparatus includes a housing enclosing a supply reel holding a supply of cleaning tape, a takeup reel for holding used or soiled cleaning tape, and a gear train for transmitting rotary power at a reduced rotational speed from an external power source such as the tape drive capstan to the takeup reel. The gear train includes a plurality of gears that constitute a gear reduction system such that the cleaning tape can be driven past the head at an effective cleaning speed which is substantially less than the normal read/write speed of the tape drive. The apparatus further includes a movable shutter mechanism for blocking one of a pair of light paths between a light emitter and a light sensor forming part of the tape drive system, thereby providing a unique signal to the tape drive.

Abstract: A tape drive has a belt drive mechanism to rotate a cartridge roller. The belt drive mechanism includes a motor rotating a wheel mounted on a separate shaft using a belt. The movement of the belt is directly transferred to the cartridge roller due to the friction between the belt and the cartridge roller. A cushion of an elastomeric material is wrapped around the periphery of the wheel to cushion the belt and allows the belt to wrap slightly around the cartridge roller to increase the contact area of the belt on the cartridge roller and increase the life of the belt. Alternatively, the wheel may be of a rigid material and the belt of an elastomeric material.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving film out of and rewinding film back into a thrust film cartridge. The drive mechanism comprises: a nest for holding the thrust cartridge in a predetermined position; a first clutch having a drive shaft designed for engaging the spool for transferring rotational movement to the spool; a pair of metering rolls for receiving the filmstrip therebetween for advancing the film strip out of the thrust cartridge, one of the metering rolls having a drive shaft; a second clutch connected to the drive shaft of one of the metering rolls; a single drive motor; a connecting linkage for connecting the drive motor to the first and second clutches so as to impart rotational mode to the drive shafts; and a switching device for selectively activating the first and second clutches so as to drive the metering rolls and spool in the appropriate sequence.

Abstract: An improved brake mechanism for use with magnetic-drum tape machines is disclosed. It comprises a take-up reel, a supply reel, each having a gear and a roller body, and a friction device to provide frictional force during relative rotation between the respective pair of the gear and the roller body. The supply reel has a partial cylindrical portion, and a swing gear mechanism selectively engages with the gear of the take-up reel or the supply reel. A brake plate is mounted on the swing gear mechanism; it includes an auxiliary brake and a plurality of clutch teeth. When the swing gear mechanism is engaged with the supply reel or the take-up reel, the brake plate is driven in rotation to enable the clutch teeth to engage with the gear of the take-up reel or to enable the auxiliary brake to hold against the partial cylindrical portion of the supply reel to produce a brake force, and a main brake to engage with the supply reel.

Abstract: A tape loading mechanism having a guide member provided on a pinch roller unit to prevent a cam follower provided on the pinch roller unit from coming off a cam groove, and capable of smoothly moving the pinch roller unit. A sliding face provided on the pinch roller unit moves sliding along the rim of a cam to impart rotating force to the pinch roller unit so that the pinch roller moves away from a capstan shaft, and therefore the pinch roller can be moved completely away from the capstan shaft.

Abstract: A magnetic tape drive device includes coils wound about a stator core secured to a base board; a rotor case containing a drive magnet secured to the inner surface thereof, the drive magnet being disposed facing the stator core; and a drive member for transmitting the rotation of rotor case to a roller, the drive member positioned on an outer peripheral surface of the rotor case.

Abstract: A bearing housing of a capstan motor, for supporting a rotating shaft of the capstan motor. The housing is formed from sheet metal and has a flange member, a housing body extending from the flange member in an axial direction of the rotating shaft and a deep recess for exposing the rotating shaft. The housing also has a bearing collar made of metal mounted on the housing body for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft. This collar has a flange portion which abuts against an inside surface of the housing body and another portion press-fitted with a mounting hole formed through said housing body. A mounting board is mounted on one surface of the flange member and a motor board is mounted on another surface of the flange member. A component mounted on the mounting board is protected from interference by an escape portion on the flange member.