FR2703500A1 - Magnetic tape storage system. - Google Patents

Abstract

The automatically controlled storage system according to the invention for magnetic tapes 2, 2 'of the cartridge type is characterized in that it comprises: a storage part for magnetic tapes 2,2'; a reading unit 4,4 'for reading said magnetic tapes; transfer means 3,3 'for transferring said magnetic tapes between the storage part and the reading unit, the storage part, the reading unit and the transfer means being installed in each of a plurality of storage spaces 1.1 '; and a magnetic tape supply unit 6 disposed between said storage spaces 1 and 1 'so that a magnetic tape 2,2' located in any of said storage spaces can be read by a reading unit 4, 4 'of another storage space.

Description

The present invention relates to a system for

  automatically controlled storage for magnetic tapes.

  We will describe, with reference to Figs 6 and 7, a system

  conventional storage system with automatic control for magnetic tapes The reference numeral 2 designates

  one of a large number of cartridge-type magnetic tapes

  che that are stored in either of two parts

  located opposite one another such

  the manner in which a central passage is arranged between them The reference numeral 3 designates a robot or automaton for handling or handling magnetic tapes, this robot being able to move on a rail which is located in the central passage; the reference numeral 3 a designates an arm

  manipulation belonging to robot 3; and the nu-

  meric 4 designates magnetic tape read heads which read magnetic tapes 2 located

  in either of the two storage parts.

  In the automatic control storage system for magnetic tapes of the cartridge type shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a magnetic tape 2 of the cartridge type is stored in a storage part at a given address,

  and it is extracted using robot 3, then it is placed

  created in a unit 4 for reading magnetic tapes for reading. The magnetic tape 2 of the cartridge type which has been used is stored in the storage part at a

  given address, and this by reverse operations.

  In the conventional system with automatic control

  as shown in Figs 6 and 7 for storage of ban-

  magnetic cartridge type, when it becomes necessary

  to increase the storage capacity, it is necessary

  that a new set be added in the longitu-

  line or in the transverse direction of the system.

  In the case where a new storage system is installed in the longitudinal direction of the central rail,

  that the same robot 3 can be used with the pro-

  along the rail, the magnetic strips 2 of the car type

  keys which are loaded in the new system can be read by any of the reading units 4 which have been installed Conversely, magnetic tapes 2 of the cartridge type which are loaded in any

  of the two systems can be read by units 4 of lec-

ture of the new system.

  However, in the case where the new storage system is installed in the transverse direction of the rail, that is to say in the case where the new system is installed

  storage parallel to the storage system already in place

  ce, the units 4 for reading the magnetic tapes of the first system and the units 4 for reading the magnetic tapes of the new system are used independently of each other.

  others so that they read only the magnetic tapes

  managed in only one of the two systems, so that they are not interchangeable Consequently, the performance becomes insufficient even though a new system has been added

  This difficulty is commonly encountered not only

  In the case where a new storage system is added

  ge, but also in the case where there are storage systems parallel to each other for a new installation. The present invention has been designed for the purpose of solving the above difficulties, and it aims to provide an automatically controlled storage system for tapes

  magnetic which improves the efficiency of

  storage system even when storage systems

  are installed parallel to each other, that is

ie transversely.

  To this end, the system according to the invention with control

  automatic storage of magnetic tapes is characteristic

  terized in that it comprises: a storage part for

  cartridge type magnetic tapes; a reading unit

  re to read magnetic tapes; transfer means for transferring the magnetic tapes between the storage part and the magnetic tape reading unit, the storage part, the magnetic tape reading unit and the transfer means being arranged in each of a plurality of storage spaces, and the system further comprising a magnetic tape supply unit which is located between the respective storage spaces such that a magnetic tape loaded in any one

  storage space can be read by a read unit

another storage space.

  In addition, in the automatically controlled storage system for magnetic tapes, the magnetic tape supply unit can preferably rotate around a

vertical axis.

  According to another characteristic, in the system according to the invention, posts are arranged on both sides of the end of a plurality of storage spaces which are

  located opposite, and the tape supply unit

  tick is located in a space defined between the posts.

  According to yet another feature of the system

  according to the invention, the unit for supplying the magnetic tapes

  ques is located in an intermediate part between the plura-

lity of storage spaces.

  In the automatic control system according to the

  vention for the storage of magnetic tapes, in case a magnetic tape of the cartridge type, loaded in

  any of the storage spaces is read by a

  reading tee located in another storage space, the

  of magnetic charged in a storage space is transferred

  from the storage part to the position of the magnetic tape supply unit by the transfer means, such that the magnetic tape is received by the magnetic tape supply unit and, thereafter, the

  magnetic tape is delivered to the transfer means ins-

  talled in another storage space by the furnace unit

  niture, to then be transferred to the position of a reading unit installed in another storage space, the magnetic tape being then loaded into the

  reading for reading Unlike the above operations

  above, in case the magnetic tape of the cartridge type

  che, loaded in another storage space, is read by the reading unit installed in a storage space, the

  operations are done in the same way but in the order

pours.

  In addition, in the automatic control system se-

  lon the invention for the storage of magnetic ty-

  eg cartridge, when the magnetic strip of any one

  that storage space is read by the reading unit

  another storage space, the face of the magnetic tape

  that is inverted by the tape supply unit

  ticks in such a way that the magnetic strip can be

  read by the reading unit of another storage space such as

what it is.

  The tape supply unit is located

  in an area which does not influence storage and handling

lation of magnetic tapes.

  The above objects, advantages and features of the present invention, as well as others, will become more apparent.

  clearly from the description which follows, and with reference

  to the drawings which form part of the description and in the-

  which: Fig 1 is a schematic plan view showing an automatic control system according to one embodiment

  of the present invention for the storage of magnetic tapes

  ques Fig 2 is a schematic vertical section of the system along line A-A of Fig 1; Fig 3 is a schematic perspective view of a magnetic tape of the cartridge type in the storage position; Fig 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the handling of a magnetic tape and its loading in a magnetic tape reading unit;

  Fig 5 is a side view in vertical section shown

  trant the tape supply unit; Fig 6 is a schematic plan view of a system

  conventional automatic control for storage of ban-

  magnetic; and Fig 7 is a schematic vertical section of the system

in Fig 6.

  A preferred embodiment of a system according to the invention with automatic control for the storage of magnetic tapes will now be described, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

  cartridge type Numerical references 1 and 1 'desi-

  generate storage spaces or systems that are located parallel to each other, and the numerical references 2

  and 2 'respectively designate magnetic ty-

  cartridge cartridges which are stored in the storage parts

  ge of spaces 1 and 1 ', the storage parts of each space

  pace being located opposite one another so as to

  finish a central passage between the storage parts.

  Numerical references 3 and 3 'denote robots

  or machines for handling or handling banners

  magnetic, these robots can each move on a rail arranged in the central passage of each storage space; the reference numerals 3 a and 3 a 'denote

  manipulator arms of robots 3 and 3 'The means of trans-

  fert are constituted by the robots 3 and 3 'and the arms 3 a

  and 3 a 'for handling the magnetic tapes.

  Numerical references 4 and 4 'denote units

  for reading the magnetic tapes located at the rear respectively

  storage spaces 1 and 1 ′, so that the

  reading units 4 and 4 'can read the magnetic tapes

  ques 2 and 2 'In Fig 4, the reference numeral 5 designates

  an insertion input for the magnetic tape type car-

  button, which is formed in units 4 and 4 'of reading the

magnetic tapes.

  The reference numeral 7 designates four posts located at the four corners of the storage space 1; the reference numeral 7 'designates four posts located at the four corners of the storage space 1', so that a space 8

  be defined between two posts 7 on the side of the sto-

  ckage 1 which is adjacent to two posts 7 ', and that a space 8' is defined between two posts 7 'on the side of the space of

  storage 1 'adjacent to two posts 7.

  The reference numeral 6 designates a supply unit

  ture of the magnetic tapes which is located in the space 8 above mentioned in such a way that it can rotate

  around a vertical axis, and the reference numeral 9 desi-

  creates an intermediate part between the storage spaces

1 and 1 '.

  We will now describe concretely the operation of the automatic control storage unit for tapes.

  magnetic shown in Figs 1 to 5.

  In the case of usual work in simple series, the

  robot 3 circulates in the central passage of the sto-

  ckage 1 to the storage part, then it controls the arm

  3 a, as shown in FIG. 2, for gripping a magnetic strip

  that 2 of the cartridge type of the storage part Then, it controls the rotation of the arm 3 a in such a way that the

  magnetic strip 2 of cartridge type is placed horizontally

  After which the robot 3 moves through the central passage.

  tral of the storage space 1 to go towards the unit 4 for reading the magnetic tapes so that the

  arm 3a is activated so that the magnetic strip 2 of the ty-

  eg cartridge is loaded in unit 4 reading the ban-

  Magnetics through the insertion input 5 of the reading unit 4 Then, the reading of the magnetic tape 2 of the cartridge type is carried out After the end of the reading operation, the above operations are repeated from the same way but in reverse order, so that the cartridge type magnetic tape 2 is stored in the

  storage part of the storage space 1

  mentioned above relates to storage space 1, but it is understood that the same operation occurs

for storage space 1 '.

  In the above work in simple series, there exist

  te a case for which, for storage space 1 ', we must

  use the reading unit 4 of the storage space 1 ad-

adjacent to the storage space 1 '.

  In this case, the robot 3 'of the storage space 1' circulates in the central passage of the storage space 1 'to go towards the storage part, after which the

  arm 3 a 'is actuated in such a way that the magnetic strip

  that 2 'of the cartridge type is taken from the sto-

  ckage Then, the robot 3 'moves to a correct position.

  corresponding to that of unit 6 for supplying ma-

  magnetic so that the magnetic strip 2 of the type

  cartridge is delivered by the robot 3 'to the supply unit

  ture 6, after which arm 3 has robot 3 from the sto space

  ckage 1 is actuated in such a way that the arm 3 a receives the magnetic strip 2 'from the supply unit 6, the robot 3 moves in the central passage from the storage space 1 to the reading 4 Then, arm 3 a is

  actuated in such a way that the magnetic strip 2 is charged

  read in the reading unit 4 through the insertion input of the reading unit 4, so that the magnetic strip 2 is read. After the read operation ends, the above operations are repeated in the same way but in order

  reverse, so that the magnetic strip 2 is sto-

  ckée in the storage part of storage space 1 '.

  There is a case where the magnetic strip 2 is sto-

  ckée in another part of storage.

  The above description was made for the case where,

  for storage space 1 ', the reading unit 4 is used

  installed in the adjacent storage space 1 The same function

  This is applicable to the case where, for the 1 'storage space, the installed 4' reading unit is used.

  in the adjacent storage space 1 '.

  The above-mentioned magnetic strip 2 of the cartridge type has a front and a back, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 When the magnetic strip 2 is loaded in the reading unit 4, it must be placed in one direction or one direction given In other words, the placement of the magnetic tapes 2 and 2 'in the storage spaces 1 and 1', at the time of storage, is determined according to the relationship between the magnetic tapes 2 and 2 'and the units

reading 4 and 4 '.

  For this reason, when the magnetic strip 2 of the storage space 1 is read by the reading unit 4 'of the storage space 1', it is necessary that the face of the

  magnetic strip 2 is returned when the strip is trans-

  from storage space 1 to storage space 1 'Similarly, when the magnetic tape 2' from storage space 1 'is read by the reader unit 4 from the space

  storage 1, it is necessary that the face of the tape

  genetic 2 'is returned when the tape is transferred from

  storage space 1 'to storage space 1.

  For this reason, the magnetic tape supply unit 6 is of the rotating type and, in the case where the magnetic tape 2 'of the storage space 1' is read by the reading unit 4 of the storage space storage 1, after the unit

  supply 6 received the magnetic tape 2 'from the storage space

  ckage 1 ', the supply unit 6 rotates 1800 in the direction of the arrow in Fig 5 so that the front and back of the magnetic strip 2' are interchanged, the strip 2 'then being delivered to the robot 3 of the storage space 1 On the contrary, in the case where a magnetic strip

  2 of the storage space 1 must be read by the read unit

  ture 4 ′, the supply unit 6, after having received the magnetic tape 2 from the storage space 1, is turned 1800 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5 in such a way

  that the front and back of the magnetic strip 2 are invisible

  tervertis, after which the magnetic strip 2 is delivered to the

  robot 3 'from storage space 1'.

  Supply unit 6 must be located in a location which does not influence operations

  storage and handling of magnetic tapes 2 and 2 '.

  For this reason, the space 8 between the two posts 7 is

  used to place the supply unit 6.

  In the above-mentioned embodiment, the uni-

  tee 6 for supplying the magnetic tapes is located on a single part; however, if necessary, several supply units 6 can be placed in a plurality of locations.

  Furthermore, it is not necessary to install the uni

  supply tee 6 in storage space 1 On the contrary,

  the supply unit 6 can be placed in the space 8 ′ if-

  killed between the two 7 'posts, or in the inter-

  middle 9 between the two storage spaces 1 and 1 '.

  As described above, by virtue of the automatically controlled storage system for magnetic tapes produced in accordance with the present invention, in the case where a cartridge-type magnetic tape loaded in any of the storage spaces is read by a reading unit installed in another storage space, the magnetic tape loaded in a storage space is transferred from the storage part to the location of the supply unit by the transfer means, so that the tape magnetic is received by the supply unit and,

  then, the magnetic tape is delivered to the means of trans-

  fert installed in another storage space by the supply unit, then it is transferred to the location of the reading unit installed in another storage space,

  after which the magnetic strip is read by the reading unit.

  Conversely, in the case where a magnetic tape loaded in another storage space is read by the reading unit of another storage space, the operation occurs in the same way but in the reverse order Par therefore,

  even when storage spaces are installed in parallel

  each other, the operational efficiency of the space

  overall storage can be improved.

  The above description of a pre-

  fairy of the invention was made simply for the purpose of it-

  lustration and explanation Of course, it is not

  intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to this mode of

  realization, and modifications and variants are on the contrary

  re possible according to the teachings and the implementation of the invention The above embodiment was chosen and described so as to explain the characteristics

  and practical application to allow its implementation.

Claims (4)

  1 storage system with automatic control for magnetic tapes (2,2 ') of the cartridge type, characterized in that it comprises: a storage part for magnetic tapes (2,2'); a reading unit (4,4 ') for reading said magnetic tapes; transfer means (3,3 ') for transferring said magnetic tapes between the storage part and the reading unit, the storage part, the reading unit and transfer means being installed in each of a plurality storage spaces (1.1 '); and a magnetic tape supply unit (6) disposed between said storage spaces (t and 1 ') so that a magnetic tape (2,2') located in any one of said storage spaces can be read by a reading unit   (4.4 ') from another storage space.   2 System according to claim 1, characterized in that the unit (6) for supplying the magnetic tapes can rotate around a vertical axis.   3 System according to one of claims 1 and 2,   characterized in that it further comprises posts (7, 7 ') located on both sides of an end portion of the storage spaces facing each other, the supply unit (6) being located in a space (8.8 ') defined between said posts.   4 System according to one of claims 1 and 2,   characterized in that the supply unit (6) is located in an intermediate part (9) between said spaces of storage.