JP5187516B2 - Disk storage amount detection apparatus and disk processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a disk storage amount detection apparatus and a disk processing apparatus.

  In a disk processing apparatus that writes data on a large number of disks such as CDs and DVDs and prints labels, a large number of disks are handled. As shown in FIG. 4, the discs are stored in a stacker as a disc storage unit in a state of being stacked in the thickness direction.

  Conventionally, when a disk is transported by such a processing apparatus, a disk transport unit is used. The disc transport unit includes a disc holding unit that holds a disc and a moving unit that moves the disc holding unit along a predetermined movement path. The disk holding portion has, for example, three gripping claws and an opening / closing mechanism for the three gripping claws. The three gripping claws are inserted into the center hole of the disk, and are expanded in the radial direction so that the inner peripheral surface of the center hole. Hold the disc by pressing it against.

The disk holding unit of the disk transport unit is provided with a disk holding sensor that detects whether or not the disk is held. In Patent Document 1, when the unprocessed disk is taken out from the disk storage unit, the remaining amount of the unprocessed disk and its presence are detected from the disk storage unit using this disk holding sensor.
JP 2008-97670 A JP 2008-135148 A

  By the way, the disk processing apparatus needs to notify the user when the maximum number of processed disks is stored in the stacker. For this reason, in Patent Document 2, a sensor that is pressed by the uppermost medium of the disk stored in the maximum storage number is provided in the disk storage unit. However, since the number of parts increases, the size and cost of the disk are reduced. There is a problem that it is disadvantageous to Even if the number is less than the maximum number, the sensor may react and there is a problem in detection accuracy. Further, although Patent Document 1 detects the remaining amount of unprocessed disks and the presence / absence of the unprocessed disks, it cannot be applied to detecting a disk full (full) when a processed disk is accommodated. There's a problem.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and uses a disk storage amount detection device capable of detecting a certain amount of disks stored in a disk storage unit using a disk holding sensor, and the same. An object is to provide a disk processing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention releases the disk holding by the disk holding part at the disk holding release position of the disk storage part, and stores the disk in the disk storage part when the disk is stacked and stored. In the disk storage amount detecting device for detecting that a certain number of disks are stored in the disk unit, the disk holding unit is attached to the disk holding unit and is displaced against a disk surface held by the disk holding unit, and the disk holding unit is thereby displaced. A disk holding sensor for detecting whether or not the disk is held on the disk, and releasing the disk holding by the disk holding part when the disk holding part is positioned at the disk holding release position, and the disk is placed in the disk storage part. A release control unit to be stored, and the release control unit at the disc holding release position. The output of the disk holding sensor before and after releasing the disk holding by the unit is on, and the output of the disk holding sensor at a position away from the disk holding releasing position after the release by a predetermined amount is off And a disk storage amount determination unit that determines that the predetermined number of disks are stored in the disk storage unit.

  Further, in the present invention, the disc storage amount determination unit releases the disc holding, and the output of the disc holding sensor at the disc holding release position is on before releasing the disc holding by the release control unit. When the latter is off, it is further determined that the amount of the disc in the disc storage portion is less than the predetermined number. In addition, the disc storage amount determination unit is ON when the output of the disc holding sensor before and after the release control unit releases the disc holding at the disc holding release position, and the disc holding release position after the release. When the output of the disk holding sensor at a position away from the disk by a predetermined amount is also ON, it is further determined that the disk holding release error. Note that the predetermined number is preferably the maximum number of sheets stored in the disk storage unit.

The present invention stacks and stores unprocessed disk storage units that store unprocessed disks in a stack, a processing unit that processes the unprocessed disks, and processed disks that have been processed by the processing units. A processed disk storage section and a disk holding section for detachably holding the disk; and transporting the disk between the unprocessed disk storage section, the processing unit, and the processed disk storage section A disk transport unit; and a disk storage amount detection device that detects that a predetermined number of disks have been stored in the disk storage portion, wherein the disk storage amount detection device is attached to the disk holding portion, and Whether or not the disc is held by the disc holding portion due to the displacement by hitting the disc surface held by the holding portion. A disk holding sensor for detecting the disk, and when the disk holding part is positioned at a disk holding release position for storing the disk in the disk storage part, the disk holding by the disk holding part is released, and the disk is The release control unit to be stored in the disk storage unit, and the output of the disk holding sensor before and after the release control unit releases the disk holding at the disk holding release position are ON, and the disk holding release after the release A disk storage amount determination unit that determines that the fixed number of disks have been stored in the processed disk storage unit when the output of the disk holding sensor at a position away from the position by a predetermined amount is off. The processing unit is preferably a data recording device for recording data on the unprocessed disk and / or a label printer for printing on the unprocessed disk.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily detect a storage amount of a disk such as a disk full or less than a disk full, a disk holding release (release) error, a normal release end, and the like using a disk holding sensor.

  A processing apparatus for automatic data writing and label printing of a disk (hereinafter referred to as a disk processing apparatus) according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a disk processing apparatus 10 is a label that is mounted on and mounted on an L-shaped box-shaped apparatus main body 11 as viewed from the side and an upper surface 11a of a recessed portion at the rear of the apparatus main body 11. And a printer 12. The label printer 12 can be detached from the apparatus main body 11, and in this case, it can be a data writing processing apparatus in which the label printing function is omitted.

  The apparatus main body 11 includes a frame 15 (see FIG. 2), a case 16 that covers the frame 15, and an upper panel 17 and a lower panel 18 that are attached to the frame 15 and cover the front surface of the case 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper panel 17 is attached to the frame 15 via a hinge 19 so as to be opened and closed, and covers a substantially upper half of the front surface of the case 16. The lower panel 18 is detachably attached to the frame 15 by a locking means using a locking claw and covers a substantially lower half of the front surface of the case 16.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus main body 11 is provided with a data writing unit 20, a disk transport unit 23, a disk sorter unit 25, and a controller 27 for controlling these units. A tray opening 24 through which the tray 12 a from the label printer 12 enters and exits is formed on the back surface of the case 16. From the tray opening 24, the tray 12a of the label printer 12 protrudes horizontally into the apparatus main body 11, and the disk D on which data has been recorded is set on the tray 12a.

  The label printer 12 is constituted by a known thermal transfer type printer or the like, and the tray 12a provided on the front surface moves in the horizontal direction to open and close, and the tray 12a is closed with the disk D placed on the tray 12a in the open position. When moved to the position, the disc D is accommodated in the label printer 12 and label printing such as illustrations and logo marks is performed on the label surface. When the label printing is completed, the tray 12a is moved to the open position, and the printed disk D can be taken out.

  The data writing unit 20 includes a well-known DVD writing device 21 that records information by irradiating the recording surface of the disk D with a laser beam, and a tray 21a provided on the front surface moves horizontally to open and close, When the tray 21a is moved to the closed position with the empty disk D placed on the tray 21a at the open position, the empty disk D is accommodated in the DVD writing device 21, and data can be written. When the data writing is completed, the tray 21a moves to the open position, and the data-recorded disc D can be taken out. The data writing unit 20 may be composed of a CD writing device.

  The data recording processing time of the data writing unit 20 is generally longer than the printing processing time of the label printer 12 for one disk. Therefore, in this embodiment, three DVD writing devices 21 are arranged for one label printer.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the trays 12a and 21a of the label printer 12 and the DVD writing device 21 are set to the open position, the center of the disk D set on the trays 12a and 21a is the vertical line CL2 (shooter The label printer 12 and the DVD writing device 21 are arranged so as to coincide on the position raising / lowering line (see FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 17 a that exposes the operation panel unit 30 (see FIG. 2) is formed in the upper part of the upper panel 17. As shown in FIG. 2, a front plate 14 is attached to the frame 15. The front plate 14 has a first opening 14a to a fourth opening 14d. The first opening 14a is formed at a position corresponding to the opening 17a of the upper panel 17, and the operation panel unit 30 is attached to the opening 14a. A connection connector (not shown) is disposed at the rear of the apparatus main body 11. The connection connector unit is for transferring write data or label printing data from a personal computer (PC) to the controller 27, for example, and a LAN cable or other various cables can be connected. Further, the operation panel unit 30 is provided with a power switch, a power lamp, other switches, and the like, so that various operations can be performed. Further, the operation panel unit 30 is provided with a display for displaying the processing state of the apparatus.

  Transparent windows 17b and 17c are formed on the upper panel 17. As shown in FIG. 2, the second and third openings 14 b and 14 c are formed in the upper right portion of the front plate 14 at positions corresponding to the transparent windows 17 b and 17 c. In the second and third openings 14b and 14c, first and second disk storage portions 33 and 34 are arranged in two stages in the vertical direction. The fourth opening 14d of the front plate 14 is used for maintenance.

  The first disk storage section 33 is for storing unrecorded and unprinted DVD disks (hereinafter referred to as “empty disks”) D, a storage chamber 36 provided integrally with the frame 15, The first stacker 37 is inserted into and removed from the storage chamber 36. The first stacker 37 is formed in a container shape having an open upper surface, and is integrally provided with a handle 37 a that is used when the first stacker 37 is taken into and out of the storage chamber 36. For example, 50 empty disks D are stacked and stored in the first stacker 37. In this embodiment, a DVD disk is used as the disk, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other disks such as a CD can also be used. The second disk storage section 34 is also configured in the same manner as the first disk storage section 33 and includes a storage chamber 38 and a second stacker 39.

  At the rear of the first and second stackers 37 and 39, an opening for taking out the disc is formed. In addition, an opening for projecting an actuator of disk empty sensors 33b and 34b (see FIG. 4) for detecting that the unprocessed disk is empty is formed at the bottom. In a state where the stackers 37 and 39 are attached to the storage portions 33 and 34, disk empty sensors 33b and 34b (see FIG. 4) are attached in the storage portions 33 and 34 corresponding to the actuator protruding openings. Signals from the disk empty sensors 33b and 34b are sent to the controller 27. Note that the disk empty sensors 33b and 34b may be detected by other types such as a photo sensor instead of the mechanical type having an actuator. Further, instead of providing the disk empty sensors 33b and 34b in the storage units 33 and 34, a disk empty sensor having an actuator may be provided on the holding arm 40 of the disk transport unit 23 described later. In this case, when the actuator provided on the holding arm 40 enters the opening for projecting the actuator formed at the bottom of the first and second stackers 37 and 39 and the actuator does not operate, it is detected that the unprocessed disk is empty. it can. Further, when a detection end 65a of a disk detection lever 65 of a disk holding sensor 64 described later enters an actuator protruding opening, the disk detection lever 65 does not rotate upward, and a disk holding signal cannot be obtained. It may be detected that the disc is empty.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lower panel 18 has first to third openings 18 a to 18 c. The first opening 18 a is formed in a substantially lower half right side portion of the front surface of the lower panel 18. As shown in FIG. 2, a third disk storage portion 45 is disposed in the frame 15 at a position corresponding to the first opening 18a. The third disk storage unit 45 includes a storage chamber 46 and a third stacker 47 that is placed in the storage chamber 46.

  As shown in FIG. 5, processed disks D are stacked and stored in the third stacker 47. The third stacker 47 includes a bottom plate 47a, a front plate 47b, and an accumulation guide rod 47c. The accumulation guide rod 47c is attached substantially perpendicularly to the bottom plate 47a at a substantially central portion of the bottom plate 47a. For example, about 100 discs D can be accommodated on the accumulation guide rod 47c with the center hole Dh of the disc D being inserted. The bottom plate 47a and the front plate 47b are made of transparent plastic, and the accumulated disc D can be seen from the outside. The front plate 47b is configured to cover the first opening 18a when the third stacker 47 is placed in the storage chamber 46. A handle 47d is provided on the front plate 47b.

  In each of the disk storage portions 33, 34, 45, stacker sensors (see FIG. 4) 33a, 34a for detecting whether or not the stackers 37, 39, 47 are set in the storage chambers 36, 38, 46, respectively. 45a are attached, and signals from the stacker sensors 33a, 34a, 45a are sent to the controller 27. The stacker sensors 33a and 34a may be omitted. This is because even when the stackers 37 and 39 are not set, the disk empty sensor can detect that the disk is empty.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second opening 18b is formed on the left side of the first opening 18a. As shown in FIG. 2, a disk sorter unit 25 is attached to the frame 15 at a position facing the second opening 18b, and each sorter tray 28 is exposed from the second opening 18b. As shown in FIG. 3, the disk sorter unit 25 includes a sorter body 51, a movable shooter (guide member) 52, and an interlocking mechanism 53 (see FIG. 18) as a shooter moving unit. A double door opening / closing lid 18d is attached to the second opening 18b and can be opened during use to take out the disc D from the sorter tray 28. The opening / closing lid 18d may be omitted, and the second opening 18b may be always open.

  The third opening 18c is formed vertically long on the left side of the second opening 18b. As shown in FIG. 2, a DVD recording / reproducing device 26 for a controller of the disk processing device 10 is attached to the frame 15 at a position facing the third opening 18c, and the tray 26a is taken in and out from the third opening 18c. be able to.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the disc transport unit 23 includes a holding arm 40 as a disc holding unit, an elevating unit 56 that elevates and lowers the holding arm 40, and an elevating unit 56 within a predetermined angle, for example, 90 degrees. It is comprised from the rotation part 57 rotated by.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the holding arm 40 includes an arm main body 59 having a U-shaped cross section, a cover 59 a that covers the upper surface of the arm main body, and a chuck 60 provided at the tip of the arm main body 59. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the chuck 60 includes three locking claws 61 a to 61 c, an opening / closing mechanism 62 that opens and closes the locking claws 61 a to 61 c, and a solenoid 63 that drives the opening / closing mechanism 62. ing. The opening / closing mechanism 62 opens and closes the locking claws 61 a to 61 c by turning on and off the solenoid 63.

  As shown in FIG. 10, at the position where the disk is held, the disk is held by moving outward in the radial direction in the state where the locking claws 61a to 61c are in the center hole Dh of the disk. As shown in FIG. 11, at the position where the holding of the disk D is released, the locking claws 61a to 61c are closed so as to be positioned on a small concentric circle. As a result, the locking of the disc is released, and the disc falls downward from the holding arm 40. The solenoid 63 has a coil spring 63a. The coil spring 63a urges the core 63b to protrude. By this coil spring 63a, the locking claws 61a to 61c are always open. When the solenoid 63 is turned on, the core 63b is drawn into the solenoid 63 against the bias of the coil spring 63a, and the locking claws 61a to 61c are closed.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the arm main body 59 is provided with a disk holding sensor 64 in addition to the chuck 60 and the solenoid 63. The disk holding sensor 64 includes a disk detection lever 65, a photo sensor 66 that is turned on / off by its displacement, and a coil spring 67. The disc detection lever 65 includes a detection end portion 65 a that protrudes from the lower surface of the arm main body 59, and is swingably attached to the arm main body 59 via a bracket 68 and an attachment shaft 69. The coil spring 67 biases the disc detection lever 65 so that the detection end portion 65a protrudes downward.

  When the disk D is held by the chuck 60, as shown in FIG. 9, the detection end portion 65a abuts on the surface of the disk and rotates so that the disk detection lever 65 is lifted upward. A disc holding signal is sent to the controller 27 by detecting the displacement caused by the rotation by the photo sensor 66. The photo sensor 66 is a photo interrupter, for example, a transmissive type.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the elevating unit 56 includes a frame 71, a guide rod 72, an endless belt 73, and a belt driving pulse motor (elevating motor) 74. The frame 71 and the guide bar 72 are arranged in the vertical direction. An endless belt 73 is stretched around the frame 71 in the vertical direction. The holding arm 40 is attached to the guide rod 72 and the frame 71 by a guide sleeve 76 and a guide roller 77 so as to be movable up and down. The endless belt 73 is rotated forward and backward by a lifting motor 74. The holding arm 40 is fixed to the endless belt 73. Accordingly, for example, when the lifting motor 74 rotates in the forward direction, the holding arm 40 is raised, and when the lifting motor 74 is reversed, the holding arm 40 is lowered.

  The lift 56 is provided with a lift initial position sensor (see FIG. 4) 56a for detecting the lift position of the holding arm 40. By controlling the number of pulses of the lifting motor 74 based on the initial position from the sensor 56a, the holding arm 40 can be stopped at an arbitrary lifting position. Instead of the lift position control by the number of pulses, a sensor may be provided at each lift position, and the holding arm may be stopped at each lift position by this sensor.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rotation unit 57 rotates the holding arm 40 and the lifting unit 56 around the vertical line CL <b> 3 (see FIG. 12) within a range of 90 degrees, for example. The speed reduction mechanism 83 includes a rotation base 81 to be attached and a pulse motor (rotation motor) 82 that rotates the rotation base 81. A rotation initial position sensor 57a (see FIG. 4) for detecting the initial position of the rotation base 81 is attached to the frame 15. By controlling the number of pulses of the rotation motor 82 with reference to the initial position from the rotation initial position sensor 57a, the center of the chuck 60 of the holding arm 40 is positioned at the stacker position raising / lowering line CL1 as shown in FIG. And the shooter position raising / lowering line CL2. As a means for transmitting the drive of the rotation motor 82 to the rotation base 81, a belt drive system, a gear drive system, or the like is appropriately used.

  The stacker position raising / lowering line CL1 is a vertical line passing through the center of each stacker 37, 39, 47, and by raising and lowering the chuck 60 of the holding arm 40 along the raising / lowering line CL1, the first and second stackers 37, The disk D can be taken out from the disk 39 and the disk D can be accumulated in the third stacker 47.

  The shooter raising / lowering line CL2 is a vertical line passing through the disk center in the tray 12a of the label printer 12, the disk center in the tray 21a of each DVD writing device 21, and the disk guide surface of the movable shooter 52. By moving the holding arm 40 up and down along the path, it is possible to carry out the delivery of the disk to and from the trays 12a and 21a and the discharge of the received disk D to the movable shooter 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the sorter main body 51 includes a sorter frame 85 (see FIG. 12) bent in a U-shape and, for example, five plate-shaped sorter trays 28. The sorter trays 28 are arranged side by side in the sorter frame 85 so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Mounting shafts 86 are formed on both sides of the rear end portion of each sorter tray 28 so as to protrude. With this mounting shaft 86, the sorter tray 28 is swingably mounted on both side plates 85a of the sorter frame 85. Further, a swing restricting pin 88 is formed protruding from the center of the side edge guide portion 87a (see FIG. 15) of the side plate of the sorter tray 28. The swing restricting pin 88 is engaged with the edge of the movement restricting opening 85b of the sorter frame 85, and the swing range of the sorter tray 28 is restricted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the sorter tray 28 has a normal position when the disc is ejected (indicated by a solid line) and a retreat position when the sorter tray 28 is lifted to take out the disc from the sorter tray 28 immediately below. It swings between (two-dot chain line display). For example, the normal position is such that the inclination angle θ1 of the sorter tray 28 with respect to the vertical line is in the range of 40 to 85 degrees, and preferably in the range of 50 to 70 degrees. The opening / closing angle θ2 obtained by subtracting the inclination angle θ1 at the normal position from the inclination angle at the retracted position is, for example, in the range of 20 degrees to 60 degrees, and preferably in the range of 30 to 40 degrees. If the sorter tray 28 swings beyond the horizontal line when it is lifted, the disk D may drop out backward, which is not preferable.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the sorter tray 28 has a rectangular plate shape. The sorter tray 28 includes a tray main body 28a and dropout prevention guides 87 formed on both side edges of the tray main body 28a and serving as side plates. The drop-off prevention guide 87 includes a side edge guide part 87a and a front edge guide part 87b. The side edge guide portion 87a is formed to protrude upward so as to cover both side edges of the tray body 28a. The front edge guide portion 87b is continuous with the side edge guide portion 87a and has a shape curved with substantially the same curvature as the periphery of the disk D so as to reach the front end edge of the tray body 28a. Similarly, it is formed to protrude upward.

  The tray main body 28a includes a disk receiving surface 28b composed of a pair of inclined surfaces having a center part in the sliding direction of the disk as a boundary line and a low center part and high side edges. Since the disk D slides down on the pair of disk receiving surfaces 28b, only the peripheral edge of the disk D contacts the disk receiving surface 28b, and the recording surface of the disk D does not contact the tray body 28a. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the recording surface of the disk D from being scratched during sliding.

  A finger insertion hole 28f is formed at the center of the tray body 28a so as to be hooked into the disc hole when the disc is taken out. Also, a finger insertion opening 28g that is hung on the peripheral edge of the disk is formed at the center of the front edge. Also, finger hooks 91 for lifting the sorter tray 28 are formed at both front corners of the tray body 28a. As shown in FIG. 14, for example, by lifting the second sorter tray 28 from the top upward as shown in FIG. 14, the lower part opens wide, and the disk D can be easily removed from the lower third sorter tray 28. Can be taken out.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a stopper 90 for preventing return is formed on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the tray main body 28a so as to protrude from the disk receiving surface 28b. The stopper 90 has an inverted L shape when viewed from the side, and has an upper end projecting forward. The stopper 90 prevents the disk D stored in the sorter tray 28 from tilting rearward and dropping back when the sorter tray 28 is lifted.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, a disk sensor 92 for detecting a disk stored in the sorter tray 28 is attached to the bottom surface of each sorter tray 28. Further, a cord holding bracket 28d for holding a cord 93 for sending a signal from the disk sensor 92 to the controller 27 is integrally formed so that the cord 93 does not hang downward from the bottom of the sorter tray 28. . The disk sensor 92 is for preventing the second disk D from being discharged to the sorter tray 28 based on the disk detection signal.

  As shown in FIG. 14, an impact buffer member 94 is disposed via a bracket 85c at the edge of the movement restricting opening 85b of the sorter frame 85 where the swing restricting pin 88 contacts. The impact buffer member 94 is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, a rubber material, or a composite material thereof, and cushions an impact when the swing restriction pin 88 comes into contact. As a result, when the sorter tray 28 is lifted upward and the disc is taken out and then the sorter tray 28 is released, the sorter tray 28 returns from the substantially horizontal state to the inclined state. When the disc D is discharged to the lifted sorter tray 28, the disc D may jump up and jump out in the tray 28 due to the impact caused by the contact at this time, but this is surely prevented. Can do.

  A fixed sorter tray 95 is disposed below the lowermost sorter tray 28 and below the sorter main body 51. In this fixed sorter tray 95, a defective disk D for which printing or recording has failed is ejected. When taking out a defective disk from the fixed sorter tray 95, all sorter trays are swung upward by lifting the sorter tray directly above, so that the disk can be easily removed from the fixed sorter tray.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the movable shooter 52 is disposed at the rear part of the sorter main body 51 and is attached along the pair of guide bars 100 so as to be movable up and down. As shown in FIG. 18, the movable shooter 52 has a guide surface 52 a having the same inclination angle as the sorter tray 28. Further, both side edge guides 52b and 52c are formed on both sides so as to prevent the disk D from sliding down in the lateral direction. The width of the guide surface 52 a of the movable shooter 52 is formed slightly wider than the width of the sorter tray 28. As shown in FIG. 17, the installation pitch L1 in the apparatus width direction between the first to third stackers 37, 39, 47 and the sorter main body 51 is such that the center position of the disk tray of each processing apparatus and the third stacker This is because it is slightly longer than the installation pitch L2 in the apparatus width direction (L1> L2). In the movable shooter 52, the side edge guide 52c on the right side in FIG. 17 is bent at a substantially central portion in the apparatus depth direction so that the width dimension of the front end portion on the sorter tray 28 side is substantially the same as the width dimension of the sorter tray 28. The width gradually decreases from the approximate center in the depth direction of the apparatus toward the tip on the sorter tray 28 side. Accordingly, the disk D can be slid down while being shifted to the left in FIG. 17 by the side edge guide 52c, and the disk D can be discharged to the sorter tray 28.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the movable shooter 52 includes an interlocking mechanism 53. The interlocking mechanism 53 interlocks the movable shooter 52 and the holding arm 40 and uses the elevating part 56 as a drive part of the movable shooter 52. Thereby, the movable shooter 52 can be positioned on the sorter tray 28 to which the disk is fed. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a separate drive mechanism, and the configuration is simplified.

  In the present embodiment, the locking part 110 is used as the interlocking mechanism 53. The locking portion 110 includes a locking claw 111 bent in an L shape provided on the lower surface of the holding arm 40 and a claw receiving surface 112 provided on the movable shooter 52 and locked by the locking claw 111. Has been. 17 and 18, when the holding arm 40 descends on the shooter position raising / lowering line CL2 and approaches a movable shooter 52 located at an initial position, which will be described later, and is positioned above it, The claw 111 can be locked to the claw receiving surface 112. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, as the holding arm 40 is raised, the locking claw 111 is locked to the claw receiving surface 112, so that the movable shooter 52 can be raised by raising the holding arm 40.

  As shown in FIG. 16, when the leading edge of the movable shooter 52 is positioned slightly above the rear edge of the sorter tray 28 to be ejected, the raising of the holding arm 40 stops and the movable shooter 52 is positioned at the guide position. can do. At the guide position, the movable shooter 52 is set at a high position with respect to the sorter tray 28 so that the stopper 90 on the sorter tray 28 does not contact the disk D. Accordingly, the disk D smoothly slides down from the guide surface onto the sorter tray 28 without contacting the stopper 90, and stops at the front edge guide portion 87b.

  After the disk D is released and dropped, the holding arm 40 is lowered. As the holding arm 40 is lowered, the movable shooter 52 is also lowered. When the movable shooter 52 is positioned at the initial position (the two-dot chain line display position in FIG. 16) where the disk D is dropped onto the fixed sorter tray 95, the movable shooter 52 is locked to the stopper 115 and stops at this position. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 19, after the holding arm 40 is rotated by the rotating unit 57 to the position where the locking of the locking unit 110 is released, the holding arm 40 is raised by the elevating unit 56. At this time, since the locking of the locking portion 110 is released, the movable shooter 52 does not rise in conjunction with the holding arm 40. When the holding arm 40 is lifted, the holding arm 40 stops at the initial raising / lowering position, and waits for the next disk transfer, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the disk full detection device 140 includes a disk holding sensor 64 of the holding arm 40, an elevating unit 56, a chuck 60, a release control unit 141 configured in the controller 27, and a disk full determination unit ( Disk storage amount determination unit) 142. The release control unit 141 controls the elevating unit 56 to position the holding arm (disk holding unit) 40 at the release position, and then controls the chuck 60 to release the disk D and store it in the third stacker 47.

  The disk full determination unit 142 detects that the third stacker 47 is full with the disk D by the processing procedure as shown in FIG. A full state or a release error of the disk D is detected.

  The disk full detection process is performed every time the disk D is released in order to store the disk D in the third stacker 47. First, in step 151, the holding arm 40 is set at the disc release position of the third stacker 47. At the disk release position, the chuck 60 of the holding arm 40 is in the vicinity of the guide bar 47c of the third stacker 47, and the released disk D is a position where the released disk D falls along the guide bar 47c. After the holding arm 40 reaches the disk release position, in step 153, the solenoid 63 is turned on to release the disk D. As a result, the disc D is guided by the guide rod 47c and dropped and stored in the third stacker 47 in a state where the guide rod 47c is inserted into the hole Dh of the disc D.

  As shown in steps 152 and 154, the disk full determination unit 142 acquires the sensor signal before release at the release position (first signal) and the sensor signal after release at the release position (second signal). Next, after releasing the disk D in step 153, as shown in step 155, the lifting / lowering unit 56 is controlled to raise the holding arm 40 by a predetermined amount, for example, the thickness of one disk to release the disk. Stop at the check position. In step 156, the sensor signal (third signal) of the photo sensor 66 of the disk holding sensor 64 is acquired at the disk release confirmation position.

  As shown in step 157, the disk full determination unit 142 determines whether the release of the disk D is completed based on the first to third signals based on the determination table 145 shown in FIG. Determine whether.

  FIG. 21 shows an example of the determination table 145 in the disk full determination unit 142. When the first to third signals are sequentially on, off, and off, it is determined that the disk release is normally completed and that the stacker is free. Further, when the first to third signals are sequentially on, on, and off, it is determined that the disk is full. Furthermore, when the first to third signals are sequentially on, on, and on, it is determined as a release error.

  The third signal is acquired in a state where it is stopped at the disk release confirmation position. However, it is sufficient that the third signal can be acquired at a timing when it passes the disk release confirmation position. You may get it.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described below. The disk processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is used by connecting to a PC and executing software installed in the PC to instruct data writing and label printing and control each unit. Note that the same software as described above may be installed in the controller 27 without using such an external PC, and each unit may be controlled based on this software.

  First, as shown in FIG. 12, a blank disk D is set in the first disk storage section 33, and the power of the disk processing apparatus 10 is turned on. The holding arm 40 is in an initial position (see FIG. 5) where the disk D can be taken out from the first stacker 37, and is positioned on the stacker position raising / lowering line CL1. When data writing and label printing are instructed from the PC, the holding arm 40 is lowered to hold the empty disk D in the first stacker 37. Thereafter, the holding arm 40 moves upward and further rotates in the A direction so as to be positioned on the shooter position raising / lowering line CL2. Next, the holding arm 40 descends and transports an empty disk D to the tray 21 a of the DVD writing device 21. When the empty disk D is conveyed to the tray 21a, the tray 21a is in the closed position, and data is written to the empty disk D by the DVD writing device 21. By repeating the same processing, an empty disk D is set in each DVD writing device 21.

  When the data writing is completed in each DVD writing device 21, the tray 21a moves to the open position, and the holding arm 40 holds the disk D on which data has been recorded from the tray 21a, and conveys it to the tray 12a of the label printer 12. At this time, the tray 12a of the label printer 12 is in the closed position so as not to obstruct the disc conveyance, and after the data-recorded disc D passes through the label printer 12, the tray 12a is moved to the open position. The disk D is conveyed to the tray 12a. After the disc is conveyed, the tray 12a is stored in the main body, and label printing is performed by the label printer 12. When the label printing is finished, the tray 12a is in the open position, and the disc D on which the label printing is finished is held by the holding arm 40.

  Thereafter, the holding arm 40 is lowered. At this time, the trays 12a and 21a are in the closed position so as not to obstruct the disc conveyance. In the middle of the lowering, as shown in FIG. 19, the holding arm 40 is rotated to the unlocking position by the rotating portion 57. Thereafter, when approaching the movable shooter 52 and reaching the lockable position, as shown in FIG. 17, the holding arm 40 is rotated to the lock position, and the lock claw 111 is engaged with the claw receiving surface 112. It becomes possible to stop. Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the holding arm 40 is raised and, for example, the disk D is released after being raised to the guide position of the uppermost sorter tray 28. As a result, the disk D falls from the holding arm 40 and is guided to the uppermost sorter tray 28 via the movable shooter 52. Thereafter, the same processing is repeated, whereby the processed discs D after data recording and label printing are sequentially ejected to each sorter tray 28.

  In addition, a new blank disk D is set in the data writing unit 20 after the data recording is completed. The data-recorded disc D is transported to the label printer 12 by the same transport operation, and after label printing is performed here, it is discharged to each sorter tray 28.

  When the processed disc D is discharged to each sorter tray 28, the operator can open the door 18d and take out the disc D. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, when taking out the disk D from, for example, the third sorter tray 28 from the top, the pick-up piece 91 of the second sorter tray 28 just above is lifted upward to remove the disk D. The upper part of the target sorter tray 28 is wide open, and the disc D can be easily taken out by inserting a finger.

  Further, by the operator's operation at this time, the first or second sorter tray 28 from the top is set to the retracted position, but the first or second sorter tray 28 from the top does not contain the disk D and is empty. If so, the next processed disk D may be ejected to the first or second sorter tray 28 from the top. In the present embodiment, the movement restricting opening 85b restricts the swing of the sorter tray 28 so that the horizontal line is not exceeded even at the retracted position. Therefore, the first or second sorter tray 28 from the top is at the retracted position. However, the ejected disc D can be accommodated.

  At an appropriate time, such as when the disc D is ejected to all the sorter trays 28, or when the disc D is completely ejected with the remaining one sorter tray 28 remaining, an alarm is sounded by the alarm device 96, and the disc is sent to the operator. You can call out attention to the removal. Further, instead of the alarm process or in combination with the alarm process, after the disks D are discharged to all the sorter trays 28, the processed disks D may be discharged to the third stacker 47. Further, the processed disks D may be accumulated in the third stacker 47 without using the sorter tray 28 depending on the mode selection.

  When all the empty disks D are transported from the first stacker 37, the empty disks D are transported from the second stacker 39 based on the detection signal of the disk empty sensor 33b. When the first stacker 37 becomes empty, an alarm is issued by the alarm device 96. Thereby, the empty disk D is replenished by the operator, and the disk processing is continuously and smoothly performed.

  When a data recording failure or printing failure occurs, the defective disk D is not discharged to the sorter tray 28 but is discharged to the lowermost fixed sorter tray 95 so as not to be confused with the processed disk. Has been.

  Each time the processed disk D is accumulated in the third stacker 47, the disk full detection device 140 of the present invention performs a disk full determination process. The disk full determination process is performed as shown in FIG. 20, and the first to third signals are acquired from the photo sensor 66 of the disk holding sensor 64 in steps 152, 154 and 156. The determination table 145 as shown in FIG. 21 determines whether the disk release is normally completed, the stacker is empty, the disk is full, and the release error is determined. When the disk full is detected, an alarm is issued by the alarm device 96, and the disk transport process is interrupted when the disk process is completed. By the alarm processing, the operator removes the third stacker 47 from the third disk storage unit 45, and sets the empty third stacker 47. Thereafter, the operation is resumed by the input of the operation resumption instruction. In addition, it may replace with the input of driving | operation restart instruction | indication and may restart driving | operation automatically.

  In this embodiment, when the disk D is stored in the third stacker 47, the disk full of the third stacker 47 is determined, and the operator can empty the third stacker 47 while the disk is full. In this case, the disk processing is performed after the resetting, the processed disk D is transported to the third stacker 47, and as a result, the disk D is stored in the third stacker 47 exceeding the maximum storage number. There is a risk of being. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the third disk storage section 45 includes a disk empty sensor 45b. The disk empty sensor 45b is provided to face the bottom surface of the third stacker 47, and detects whether the third stacker 47 is empty, for example, by infrared rays. It should be noted that a weight sensor can be used as the disk empty sensor 45b. The controller 27 determines whether or not the third stacker 47 is empty based on the output of the disk empty sensor 45b when the third stacker 47 becomes full and the operator resets the third stacker 47. If it is not empty, an alarm is issued again by the alarm device 96 or the disk processing is stopped.

  In the present embodiment, the disk D is stored in the third stacker 47 with the central hole Dh of the disk D inserted into the stacking guide bar 47c, but the stacking guide bars like the first and second stackers 37 and 39 are used. The disk empty sensor 45b can be omitted if the disk D is stored without using the disk D. That is, if the stacking guide bar 47c is not used, the holding arm 40 can be lowered to the vicinity of the bottom surface of the third stacker 47, and the disc detection lever 65 can detect that the stacker 47 is empty as described above. It is.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a stacking device that stacks discs such as CDs and DVDs. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be a stacking device that stacks discs that have the same external shape. Can be applied as well.

  In the above embodiment, the disk full determination device is provided in the disk processing device. However, any device may be used as long as it can detect disk full when the disks are stacked and stored, and is not limited to the disk processing device. The present invention can be applied.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the disk full is determined has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to a case where it is determined whether or not the disk storage unit has reached a predetermined amount. In this case, instead of the disk full position, a fixed amount position is set, and it can be determined whether or not the fixed amount position has been reached.

1 is an external perspective view of a disk processing apparatus. It is a front view which shows the state which open | released the upper panel and lower panel of the disk processing apparatus. It is a left view of the state which removed the case of the disk processing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows control of a disk processing apparatus. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship among a disk transport unit, a sorter unit, and a third stacker 47, showing a state in which a holding arm performs a disk holding operation. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship among a disk transport unit, a sorter unit, and a third stacker 47, showing a state in which a holding arm performs a disk ejection operation. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a disc conveyance part. It is a perspective view which shows the inside of a holding | maintenance arm, The disk holding | maintenance sensor has shown the state of OFF. It is a perspective view which shows the inside of a holding | maintenance arm, and has shown the state in which a disk holding | maintenance sensor is ON. It is the perspective view which looked at the chuck | zipper of a disk holding state from the lower side. It is the perspective view which looked at the chuck | zipper of a release state from the lower side. It is a schematic perspective view for demonstrating a motion of a disc conveyance part. It is a side view of the sorter main body shown by notching a part of the side plate. It is a side view of the sorter main body which shows the state which raised a part of sorter tray upwards. It is a perspective view which shows a sorter tray. It is a right view which shows the relationship between a sorter main body, a movable shooter, and a holding arm. It is a top view which shows the state which the holding arm and the movable shooter have latched. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the holding arm and the movable shooter have latched. It is a top view which shows the state which the holding arm rotated to the latch release position. It is a flowchart which shows a disk full determination process. It is a determination table of disk full determination processing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Disc processing apparatus 11 Apparatus main body 12 Label printer 20 Data writing part 21 DVD writing apparatus 23 Disc conveyance part 25 Disc sorter part 27 Controller 28 Sorter tray 33,34,45 Disc storage part 37,39,47 Stacker 40 Holding arm 51 Sorter main body 51
52 movable shooter 53 interlocking mechanism 56 elevating part 57 rotating part 60 chuck 94 impact buffering member 110 locking part 111 locking claw 112 claw receiving surface 140 disk full detection device 141 release control part 142 disk full determination part

Claims (6)

When the disc holding portion is released from the disc holding release position of the disc storage portion and the discs are stacked and stored in the disc storage portion, a certain number of discs are stored in the disc storage portion. In the disc storage amount detection device to detect,
A disk holding sensor that is attached to the disk holding part and is displaced by hitting a disk surface held by the disk holding part, and detects whether or not the disk is held by the disk holding part by this displacement;
A release control unit that releases the disc held by the disc holding unit when the disc holding unit is positioned at the disc holding release position, and stores the disc in the disc storage unit;
The output of the disk holding sensor before and after releasing the disk by the release control unit at the disk holding release position is on, and the position at a position away from the disk holding release position after the release by a predetermined amount. A disk storage amount detection device comprising: a disk storage amount determination unit that determines that the predetermined number of disks are stored in the disk storage unit when the output of the disk holding sensor is off.   The disc storage amount determination unit is ON when the output of the disc holding sensor at the disc holding release position is on before releasing the disc holding by the release control unit and is off after releasing the disc holding. The disk storage amount detection device according to claim 1, further determining that a disk in the disk storage section has a storage capacity of less than the predetermined number.   The disk storage amount determination unit is configured such that the output of the disk holding sensor before and after the release control unit releases the disk holding at the disk holding release position is on, and the disk holding amount determination unit is above the disk holding release position after the release. 3. The disk storage amount detection device according to claim 1, wherein when the output of the disk holding sensor at a position apart by a predetermined amount is also ON, it is further determined that the disk holding release error has occurred.   4. The disk storage amount detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number is a maximum storage number of the disk storage unit. An unprocessed disk storage unit for storing unprocessed disks in a stack;
A processing unit for processing the unprocessed disk;
A processed disk storage section for storing the processed disks processed by the processing unit,
A disk holding unit that detachably holds the disk; a disk transport unit that transports the disk between the unprocessed disk storage unit, the processing unit, and the processed disk storage unit;
A disk storage amount detection device for detecting that a predetermined number of disks are stored in the disk storage unit,
The disk storage amount detection device includes:
A disk holding sensor that is attached to the disk holding part and is displaced by hitting a disk surface held by the disk holding part, and detects whether or not the disk is held by the disk holding part by this displacement;
Release control for releasing the disk holding by the disk holding section and storing the disk in the disk storage section when the disk holding section is positioned at a disk holding release position for storing the disk in the disk storage section. And
The output of the disk holding sensor before and after releasing the disk by the release control unit at the disk holding release position is on, and the position at a position away from the disk holding release position after the release by a predetermined amount. A disk processing apparatus comprising: a disk storage amount determination unit that determines that the fixed number of disks are stored in the processed disk storage unit when the output of the disk holding sensor is off. 6. The disk processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit is a data recording apparatus that records data on the unprocessed disk and / or a label printer that performs printing on the unprocessed disk.

Images