Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Olympus Optical

Sinichi Saitou

Toshikazu Kato

Kenji Kimura

Ken Satoh

Seizo Watanabe

Misao Shimoda

Toyoo Nishiyama

Tutomu Shibata

Goro Kitajima

Shigeru Nemoto

Ken Ohshima

Tsutomu Shibata

Hazime Osada

Minoru Kobayashi

Misao Shimdda

An operating lever apparatus used in an electric appliance to operate in accordance with electric signals produced by signal generator, comprises a first base plate, a second base plate disposed parallel to the first base plate at a given distance therefrom, an operating lever disposed between the first and second base plates so as to be able to move along the same between first and second positions, whereby the signal generator is caused to produce an electric signal when the operating lever is located in the second position, holding member for holding the operating lever in a position just before the second position, and a driving member disposed so as to be able to move along the first and second base plates between first and second positions in a direction to intersect the moving direction of the operating lever, and having a guide bore for guiding the operating lever in movement from the first position to the position just before the second position when the driving member is located in the first position, the driving member moving in the direction to intersect the moving direction of the operating lever to shift the operating lever from the position just before the second position to the second position when the operating lever is located in the position just before the second position.

Operating lever apparatus

A magnetic recording tape driving apparatus comprises a motor, two pairs of reel shafts on which a pair of reel hubs of each of two cassette tapes are mounted, two capstans for the two cassette tapes, a head base plate supporting two magnetic heads and two pinch rollers each provided in a position corresponding to each pair of the reel shafts and movable between a first position, at which the magnetic heads and the pinch roller are all spaced apart from the magnetic tapes accommodated in the respective paired cassette tapes with the reel hubs thereof mounted on the two pairs of reel shafts, and a second position, at which the magnetic heads and the pinch rollers are all in contact with the magnetic tapes accommodated in the paired cassette tapes, and a gear train for selectively transmitting rotational power from the motor to the two capstans and the two pairs of reel shafts.

Magnetic recording tape driving apparatus

An operating lever device for a magnetic recording tape transport apparatus which uses a tape cassette and which sets a magnetic recording tape transport mode in response to an electrical signal from signal generator, comprises a first base plate, a second base plate parallel to the first base plate with a distance therebetween, a first operating lever disposed between the base plates to be movable along the base plates between a first position to stop the signal from the generator and a second position in which the generator is allowed to generate the signal, a second operating lever disposed between the base plates to be movable along the base plates between first and second positions and parallel to the moving direction of the first operating lever, an auxiliary operating lever disposed between the base plates to be movable along the base plates among first, second, third and fourth positions and perpendicularly to a direction of movement of the first and second operating levers, the auxiliary operating lever in the first position thereof being spaced apart from the first and second operating levers located in the first positions thereof in the direction of movement of the first and second operating levers from the first position to the second position thereof, the auxiliary operating lever in the second position thereof being engaged with the first operating lever located at the second position thereof, the auxiliary operating lever in the third position.

Operating lever device of magnetic recording tape transport apparatus

An operating lever device for a magnetic recording tape driving apparatus which comprises a first base plate, a second base plate disposed parallel to the first base plate, and an operating lever disposed between the base plates so as to be able to move along the base plates between first and second positions. A signal generator is caused to produce an electric signal when the operating lever is located in the second position, and when a tape cassette is set on the second base plate so that a magnetic recording tape is driven in accordance with the electric signal by a motor with the aid of a pair of reel shafts. The operating lever device features a moving member disposed between the base plates so as to be able to move slidably along the base plates between first and second positions, and having one end portion which is located outside the space between the base plates so as not to face the tape cassette when the moving member moves between the first and second positions thereof, and a coupling member located between one plane including the surface of the operating lever which faces the second base plate and the other plane including the surface of the second base plate which faces the tape cassette. The coupling member is coupled with the one end portion of the operating lever which is located outside the space between the base plates when the operating lever moves between the first and second positions, and the one end portion of the moving member so as to shift the moving member from the first position to the second position thereof as the operating lever moves from the first position to the second position thereof. The moving member shifts from the second position to the first position thereof as the operating lever moves from the second position to the first position thereof.

Operating lever device of a magnetic recording tape driving apparatus

A signal detection operating lever device comprises a first base plate, a second base plate parallel to the first base plate, a first operating lever between the base plates movable between a first position in which signal generator stops generating signal to stop running of a recording tape and a second position in which the signal generator generates the signal to determine a recording tape transport mode in the tape recorder, a second operating lever having a magnetic head and disposed between the base plates to move the magnetic head between a first position in which the head is separated from a tape and a second position in which the head comes in contact with the tape, an accidental erasure preventive lever movable between a first position in which the second operating lever is prohibited to move from the first position to the second position thereof, and a second position in which the second operating lever is allowed to move from the first position to the second position thereof, a third operating lever between the base plates movable between a first position which allows movement of the accidental erasure preventive lever between the first and second positions thereof, and a second position in which the accidental erasure preventing lever is kept at the second position thereof, a function selecting switch connected to the second and third operating levers for allowing the head to function as an erase head upon movement of the second operating lever to the second position thereof and for allowing the head to function as a signal detecting head upon movement of the third operating lever to the second position thereof.

Signal detection operating lever device of magnetic recording tape

A plate rocking-coupling apparatus comprises a first plate member having in the peripheral surface of the first plate member an indentation with an opening, the length of the opening along the longitudinal direction of the peripheral surface being shorter than the length of the indentation along the longitudinal direction at a position off the opening, and a second plate member having a projected portion protruding from the peripheral surface of the second plate member and fitted in the opening so as to be in slide contact with the peripheral surface of the indentation along the circumferential direction of the peripheral surface.

Plate rocking-coupling apparatus

A reel shaft/reel hub fitting apparatus for fitting a reel hub of a tape cassette and reel shaft of a magnetic recording tape running apparatus comprises at least one engaging projection mounted on the outer circumferential surface of the reel shaft and having two side faces which edge away from each other along the circumferential direction as the side faces extend in the direction in which the reel shaft is fitted in said reel hub, walls formed on the reel hub and engaging the reel shaft along the axis of rotation thereof when the reel hub is fitted on the reel shaft, thereby defining the position of the reel hub relative to the reel shaft along the axis of rotation, and at least one engaged projection formed on the inner circumferential surface of the reel hub and located within the locus of rotation of the two side faces of the engaging projection when the position of the reel hub relative to the reel shaft along the axis of rotation is defined by the walls.

Reel shaft/reel hub fitting apparatus

A tape cassette is provided with a pair of guide rollers for limiting the position of travel in the vertical direction. Holes which serve to determine the position of the tape cassette and into which cassette guides arranged on a chassis of tape recorder can be inserted are formed, respectively, under their corresponding guide rollers. The horizontal distance between the position determining hole and the corresponding guide roller is reduced to a minimum.

Tape cassette

This invention is for a tape cassette having window for insertion of a magnetic head and a pinch roller formed extending from a peripheral wall of the housing of the tape cassette to one of the holding plates which holds a pair of reel hubs in place. The device according to this invention has a shutter member, and a resilient metal wire housed in the housing. The shutter member has projections which are to be engaged with an engaging member provided on a tape cassette holder member of the magnetic tape transport apparatus. The metal wire urges the shutter member to close a portion of the window formed in the holding plate. When the cassette is loaded into the loading member, the projections engage with the engaging member and the shutter member releases the closing state of the holding plate forming portion of the window against an urging force of the wire. When the cassette is removed from the loading member, the shutter member closes the holding plate forming portion to prevent the tape from being damaged by an external force.

Magnetic record tape protective device for a tape cassette

A tape cassette for use in a tape recorder having a head inserting window portion, a pair of hubs arranged in the cassette, a magnetic tape wound around these hubs, fed from one of these hubs and taken up to the other hub, turning rollers for guiding the tape along the window of the cassette, and a tape guide portion provided with a roller guide and a fixed guide adjacent to each other in front of the turning roller positioned on the side of feeding the tape so as to turn in the running direction of the tape as the tape is fed from the hub so as to be guided by the fixed guide through the roller guide.

In a magnetic tape-automatic tracking method, at least one of the positions of the upper and lower edges of a magnetic tape is detected by an assembly of a tape edge position sensor and light-emitting diode. Any displacement of the running magnetic tape from its standard vertical position is determined from detected data. A generally vertical tape edge position-compensating post which applies a tensile force to the magnetic tape in contact therewith is rotated in a vertical plane by a reversible motor in accordance with the detected extent of the displacement of the running magnetic tape from its standard vertical position. The magnitude of a tensile force applied by the tape edge position-compensating post to the magnetic tape is varied, by the extent of the rotation of the reversible motor. As a result, the magnetic tape is vertically moved in the desired direction to regain its standard vertical position.

Method and apparatus for automatically tracking a magnetic tape

First and second capstans are rotated at respective speeds by first and second motors. The speeds of revolution of the first and second motors are detected as detection signals, and the revolution speed of at least one of the first and second motors is controlled in accordance with a difference between the detection signals. An offset voltage is added to one of the detection signals corresponding to the revolution speeds of the first and second motors for the control of tape tension.

Double-capstan tape driving device

A tape cassette according to this invention comprises at least three guide rollers disposed inside the housing of the tape cassette. The at least three guide rollers define a position of the magnetic recording tape of the tape cassette relative to the housing across the thickness thereof while the tape is travelling from one of two reel hubs held by the housing along a path extending adjacent a front wall of the housing, the front wall having openings for the insertion of a magnetic head and a pinch roller.

A cassette tape that can detect when the end of the tape has been reached and possesses a cassette tape case comprised of a window portion for inserting the magnetic head and a window portion for inserting the capstan, a pair of hubs arranged in the cassette case, a tape that is guided along the abovementioned window portion of the cassette case at the same time that it is wound between the two hubs and a tape end detector which can detect the movement of the tape end when the advancing of the tape between the abovementioned hubs is complete.

A magnetic cassette tape record and play apparatus wherein the magnetic head thereof is fixed, comprises a push member cooperating with an operation button and which is so disposed as to abut against a pad spring received in a tape cassette. When the tape cassette is loaded or ejected in the stop mode, the push member is pressed against the pad spring to deform it against its urging force, thereby locking the cassette tape in a position untouched by the magnetic head. When the operation button is depressed for the recording or reproduction mode, then the push member is removed from the pad spring, thereby causing the pressure pad to be pressed against the magnetic head with the cassette tape disposed between the pressure pad and the magnetic head.

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Hachioji, Japan

Sinichi Saitou