Quick removal magnetic head-wheel rotor assembly

Claim 1

A device for the recording and playback of signals on magnetic tape, comprising a motor having a stator structure supported on a base, and a rotor having a shaft operably and axially insertable and positionable concentrically into and within said stator structure, and axially shiftable for removal from said stator structure; said stator structure embodying a cylindrical winding structure disposed concentrically around a central axis of rotation of the motor; with an end bearing disposed and supported coaxially at each end of said stator structure to support the rotor shaft, one of said two bearings being located at the front end of said stator structure and having a larger open inner bearing diameter to permit the insertion of the rotor, and the other of said two bearings being located at the back end of said stator structure with an iNner diameter to receive the corresponding back end of the rotor shaft; said rotor shaft having a small stepped bearing at its back end to fit said back stator bearing, and the front end of the rotor shaft having a stepped bearing dimension appropriate to fit operably in said front end bearing of said stator structure; head-wheel means mounted coaxially at the front end of said shaft and serving to carry a plurality of magnetic heads for engaging an external magnetic tape; and electric signal transfer means supported on a peripheral region of said rotor shaft to be rotated in a circular path concentric to said operating axis and to transfer signal energy between said signal transfer means and cooperating stationary signal transfer means supported on said stator structures; said signal transfer means being disposed at the back end of the rotor shaft distant from the head-wheel and circuit connections are provided between and connecting said magnetic heads and said signal transfer means, and said circuit connections are disposed within a longitudinal axial bore within said rotor shaft; whereby all of said rotor structure being thereby axially shiftable as a unit into working position into and between the bearings, to place the head-wheel in operative position, and said rotor structure being conversely removable as a unit by axial shifting from working position when the magnetic heads are to be replaced.

Claim 2

A device for the recording and playback of signals on magnetic tape, comprising a motor having a stator structure supported on a base, and a rotor having a shaft operably and axially insertable and positionable concentrically into and within said stator structure, and axially shiftable for removal from said stator structure; said stator structure embodying a cylindrical winding structure disposed concentrically around a central axis of rotation of the motor; with an end bearing disposed and supported coaxially at each end of said stator structure to support the rotor shaft, one of said two bearings being located at the front end of said stator structure and having a larger open inner bearing diameter to permit the insertion of the rotor, and the other of said two bearings being located at the back end of said stator structure with an iNner diameter to receive the corresponding back end of the rotor shaft; said rotor shaft having a small stepped bearing at its back end to fit said back stator bearing, and the front end of the rotor shaft having a stepped bearing dimension appropriate to fit operably in said front end bearing of said stator structure; head-wheel means mounted coaxially at the front end of said shaft and serving to carry a plurality of magnetic heads for engaging an external magnetic tape; and electric signal transfer means supported on a peripheral region of said rotor shaft to be rotated in a circular path concentric to said operating axis and to transfer signal energy between said signal transfer means and cooperating stationary signal transfer means supported on said stator structures; said signal transfer means being disposed at the back end of the rotor shaft distant from the head-wheel and circuit connections are provided between and connecting said magnetic heads and said signal transfer means, and said circuit connections are disposed within a longitudinal axial bore within said rotor shaft; whereby all of said rotor structure being thereby axially shiftable as a unit into working position into and between the bearings, to place the head-wheel in operative position, and said rotor structure being conversely removable as a unit by axial shifting from working position when the magnetic heads are to be replaced.