A helical tape guide around a stationary drum encasing a rotating scanner assembly, the tape guide has a plurality of curved plates arranged around and displaced from the drum and a series of spatially positioned pins projecting from the plates into corresponding holes in the drum, the pins being arranged in a helical path around the drum forming a guide path for the lead end of a tape leader threaded around the drum by a tape mechanism.
A tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the type having a tape guide drum with a circumferential slot through which at least one rotary transducer projects for recording and/or reproducing signals on a tape running against the periphery of the drum in a path which extends about at least a portion of such periphery; is provided with a tape guide assembly which includes a rigid guide, for example, constituted by an axially facing shoulder on the drum, engageable by the lower longitudinal edge of the tape for establishing the direction and location of the tape path, and spaced apart resilient guide elements extending radially on the top surface of the drum and being secured to the latter, at their inner ends, while the free end portions of the resilient guide elements project beyond the guide drum periphery and act yieldably against the upper longitudinal edge of the tape for holding the latter against the rigid guide with each resilient guide element flexing in a plane substantially at right angles to the tape path for accommodating variations and changes in the tape width. Further, a device is provided which acts simultaneously on all of the resilient guide elements for adjustably limiting the movements thereof in the direction toward the tape path.
A tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the type having a tape guide drum with a circumferential slot through which at least one rotary transducer projects for recording and/or reproducing signals on a tape running against the periphery of the drum in a path which extends about at least a portion of such periphery; is provided with a tape guide assembly which includes a rigid guide, for example, constituted by an axially facing shoulder on the drum, engageable by the lower longitudinal edge of the tape for establishing the direction and location of the tape path, and resilient guide elements mounted on the drum so as to act yieldably against the upper longitudinal edge of the tape for holding the latter against the rigid guide while accommodating variations and changes in the width of the tape. In disclosed embodiments, each of the resilient guide elements is constituted by a length of spring wire bent to a U-shaped configuration to provide an anchoring end portion adjustably secured in a respective first radial bore of the drum, a contact end portion engageable with the upper edge of the tape and being movable in a respective second radial bore of the drum, and an intermediate portion extending along the drum periphery between the anchoring and contact end portions.
A compliant tape guide in a tape cartridge loads edge of a tape with an optimum pressure and a minimum of vibration by a series of compliant spring arms which transmit a guiding load to the edge through a flexible metal foil. The metal foil contacts the tape over a specified arc length in which the tape is supported by a curved guide bearing.
