Sony Corporation

Masahiro Kiko

Junya Endo

Jun Hirai

Masanori Maehara

Shuuji Moro

Kentaro Shingai

Mutsuko Ochiai

Tamami Mishiro

Yoshio Tamaru

Tadashi Ooami

A head drum device of the present invention prevents a magnetic tape ( ) from clinging to the head drum device ( ) due to electrostatic charge by using a carbon-containing synthetic resin as the material of an upper drum ( ) in order to reduce the manufacturing cost for the upper drum. Also, setting the outside diameter of the upper drum ( ) smaller than that of an intermediate drum ( ) eliminates the need for a high-level of manufacturing precision in the manufacture of the upper drum ( ). Thus, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost for the upper drum ( ).

Head drum device with carbon-containing synthetic resin upper drum and larger diameter intermediate drum

A magnetic record/playback apparatus for continuously recording at least two tracks of data conforming to a digital recording format applied to a first magnetic tape having a first tape width onto one track formed on a second magnetic tape having a second tape width larger than the first tape width, and for reproducing the data from the second magnetic tape. This apparatus includes a fixed drum and a rotating drum adapted to be rotated relative to the fixed drum. The rotating drum has a record/playback head for recording and/or reproducing the data with respect to the second magnetic tape and an erase head for erasing the data recorded on the second magnetic tape. A plurality of grooves extending in a direction of rotation of the rotating drum are formed on the outer circumference of the rotating drum, and each of the grooves has a width of 0.21 mm&plusmn;0.02 mm. Further, the head width of the erase head as measured in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the rotating drum is larger than that of the record/playback head.

Magnetic record/playback apparatus

A rotary-head drum device for use in a video tape recorder or the like includes a fixed drum and a rotatable drum rotatably mounted on the fixed drum. Magnetic heads are mounted on the rotatable drum for sliding contact with a magnetic tape guided around the fixed drum and the rotatable drum. The fixed drum has an air outlet defined as a recess therein near a tape exit point where the magnetic tape leaves the fixed drum and the rotatable drum, for ejecting air against the magnetic tape to keep the magnetic tape in good contact with the magnetic heads near the tape exit point.

Rotary-head drum device for guiding a tape therearound

A tape recording apparatus is capable of operation in either a normal recording mode or a high band recording mode. Detecting holes to indicate whether a tape cassette loaded into the recording apparatus is designed for the normal recording mode or the high band recording mode are formed in the tape cassette. The kind of cassette is detected from the detecting holes, and the high band recording mode or the normal recording mode is automatically set in accordance with the kind of tape cassette detected. The automatic setting can be selectively cancelled, however, in which case the recording can be executed in the normal recording mode even if a tape cassette designed for the high band recording mode has been loaded into the recording apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Masahiro Kiko