Arvin Industries, Inc.

Alexander R Maxey

A scanning type magnetic tape recorder comprises a deck including a rotatable scanning assembly mounted and at least one transducer and at least one capstan mounted in spaced relation to one side of the scanning assembly. A rotary drive is connected to rotate the transducer and the capstan at correlated speeds. A cassette, having a supply hub and a take-up hub in spaced relation, contains a quantity of tape movable between the hubs, and a drive belt passing in contact with portions of the tape wound on both the hubs. The cassette having an opening at one end of a size to fit around said scanning assembly. Guides in the cassette locate a length of the tape between the hubs, away from the belt and across the opening in position to form a turn around the scanning assembly in response to placement of the cassette on said deck. A first roller guides a length of the belt where separated from the tape to one side of said opening for driving by the one capstan. In one embodiment the cassette has supply and take-up hubs mounted in side by side relation spaced from the opening, and in a second embodiment the supply and take-up hubs are mounted in longitudinally spaced relation with respect to each other and to the opening. The cassettes of each embodiment have one end of common dimensions compatible with the receiver on said deck.

Scanning type magnetic recorder and cassette

A method and apparatus for video signal recording comprises helically scanning a plurality of transducer heads (20-23) sequentially along separate parallel paths (30-32) of equal width on a record medium (10) at a rate such that a plurality of the scans occur within a field interval, and diverting the signal in predetermined sequence to different ones of the heads. The scanning of said heads and diverting of the signal to different heads is arranged to cause some redundant recording of information in different ones of the paths, information recorded in a path that is adjacent an edge of the medium having corresponding redundant information recorded in an internal path that is bounded by other parallel paths. The apparatus includes a rotary scanner (12) having at least three transducer heads spaced along and around the axis of rotation of the scanner whereby each head scans along a different circular orbit and at a different time across a segment of a cylindrical surface defined by the plural orbits, and a transport for moving a recording tape across a segment of such cylindrical surface in timed relation to scanning rotation of the heads and at an angle to the axis of rotation such that each head traces a series of helical scans on the medium within non-overlapping paths along the direction of motion of the medium. The heads rotate at a speed sufficient to separate each scan of a head along the corresponding path.

Method and apparatus for video signal recording

A method and apparatus for video signal recording comprises helically scanning a plurality of transducer heads sequentially along separate parallel paths of equal width on a record medium at a rate such that a plurality of the scans occur within a field interval, and diverting the signal in predetermined sequence to different ones of the heads. The scanning of said heads and diverting of the signal to different heads is arranged to cause some redundant recording of information in different ones of the paths, information recorded in a path that is adjacent an edge of the medium having corresponding redundant information recorded in an internal path that is bounded by other parallel paths. The apparatus includes a rotary scanner having at least three transducer heads spaced along and around the axis of rotation of the scanner whereby each head scans along a different circular orbit and at a different time across a segment of a cylindrical surface defined by the plural orbits, and a transport for moving a recording tape across a segment of such cylindrical surface in timed relation to scanning rotation of the heads and at an angle to the axis of rotation such that each head traces a series of helical scans on the medium within non-overlapping paths along the direction of motion of the medium. The heads rotate at a speed sufficient to separate each scan of a head along the corresponding path.

A variable ratio drive employs an elastic extensible control belt which changes its cross-section in relation to induced changes in its length, according to Poisson's ratio. The control belt is introduced between a pulley and a drive belt, and a mechanism employing a gear head control motor, or the like, acts to change the length of the control belt in a precise manner. This in turn changes the thickness of the control belt in a precise way, and the effective radius of the pulley/control belt, acting on the drive belt, operates to change the ratio of the pulley and drive belt system. A specific embodiment is disclosed in a lightweight video tape recorder, used to change the drive ratio between a motor and a tape transport capstan, according to control signals.

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Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Alexander R Maxey