A tape loading device having a tape loading mechanism including a guide drum and other associated parts, the mechanism being movable with respect to the tape driving device on which the tape cassette is mounted. The guide drum is movable into the tape cassette beyond the opening formed in the tape cassette, so that the tape loading mechanism including the guide drum is housed within the outside dimension of the tape cassette, thus attaining a ultra-miniaturized mechanism.
A rotary digital audio tape recorder having a rotary cylinder of a predetermined diameter driven at a predetermined rotation rate, a pair of recording/reproducing heads disposed in proximity of each other on the rotary cylinder, and a magnetic tape kept in contact with the peripheral surface of the rotary cylinder through a predetermined lap angle, wherein a recording or reproducing operation is performed on the magnetic tape with the rotation of the cylinder and the relative motion of the magnetic tape. The rotation rate of the cylinder and the lap angle of the magnetic tape thereto are selectively so set as to retain interchangeability with any magnetic tape recorded or reproduced by a conventional rotary cylinder with two magnetic heads disposed opposite to each other at an angular interval of 180.degree.. Since the diameter of the rotary cylinder is thus rendered smaller, the whole structure can be dimensionally reduced while a sufficiently high head output is obtainable with a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio being retained.
A magnetic tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprises a rotary cylinder having a plurality of magnetic transducer heads on a cylindrical surface thereof and rotatable about an axis tilted to the vertical for producing obliquely scanned paths on a magnetic tape. A first tape loading mechanism includes a first post movable along a first guide groove extending from a first inital position in which it engages with a tape from a cassette to a first terminal position adjacent the rotary cylinder. A second tape loading mechnism includes a second post movable along a second guide groove extending from a second initial position in which it engages with the tape to a second terminal position adjacent the rotary cylinder. The first and second tape loading mechanisms are driven to that the first and second posts move from the initial positions to the terminal positions to cause the tape to be pulled out of the cassette and form an arc of a predetermined angle on the cylindrical wall of the rotary cylinder. A locking mechanism is provided for locking the first and second posts in the first and second terminal positions such that the axes of the first and second posts are parallel with the axis of rotaion of the rotary cylinder.
A slant post driving device for a video cassette includes a slide member provided integrally to a take-up reel side loading ring and to which slant bases for a guide roller and a slant post, guiding means having an Y-shaped guide slot for guiding both the slant bases, and a guide piece disposed at a branched position of the guide slot to separate the travel of the slant bases being guided by the guide slot, whereby both the slant bases for the guide roller and the slant post are simultaneously moved along the single guide slot comprising a guide slot portion for the guide roller and a branched guide slot portion for the slant post so that it is simple in construction, thereby providing compaction of the product and enhancing accuracy of operation.
A signal recording-reproducing apparatus for use with a cassette includes a reel chassis slidably provided on a main chassis and stoppable at least at three positions, i.e., a standby mode position where the reel chassis is to be loaded with the cassette, a play mode position closer to the cylinder device of the apparatus than the standby mode position, and an empty mode position closer to the cylinder device than the play mode position. In the empty mode, the reel chassis is not loaded with a cassette, and the apparatus has a minimum depthwise length compared to the other modes.
A rotary head type tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprises a rotary head drum having a rotary head for recording and/or reproducing information signals onto or from a magnetic tape helically wrapped around the rotary head drum with a predetermined wrap angle and an outer peripheral surface of the drum being free of leads for restricting the movement of the wrapped magnetic tape in the width direction; a pair of tape guides having flange portions which are located near both sides of the rotary head drum and restrict the movement of the magnetic tape in the width direction; and a head drum supporting and moving arrangement for fixing the rotary head drum and the pair of tape guides and moving so as to be in contact with or away from a cassette loading arrangement which loads and supports a tape cassette in which the magnetic tape is enclosed.
