JPH01192052A - Stacking rack for cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase a guide margin in an up-and-down direction at the time of inserting a cartridge and to guide a large number of cartridges in a small space by providing simple oblique planes on the partition part of a stacking rack and the cartridge, and devising the shape of the guide plane of the partition part. CONSTITUTION:At the time of inserting a rectangular thin box type cartridge 30 made of synthetic resin which houses a disk 31 that is a recording medium in its inside to the stacking rack 20, firstly, the cartridge 30 is placed on the flat plane 23 of the partition part 22 provided in the rack 20. In such a constitution, the oblique plane 32 is provided on the upper end of the side plane of the inserting directional plane of the cartridge 30, and the oblique plane 24 slidable for the above oblique plane 32 is provided on the lower end of the inserting side plane of the cartridge of the partition part 22. By constituting a device in such way, the cartridge can be housed in a normal position by the oblique planes 32 and 24 even when it is deviated upward from the intermediate position of the partition part 22 at the time of inserting the cartridge 30, then, the guide margin in the up-and-down direction can be increased. Also, the horizontal deviation of the cartridge 30 can be corrected by the horizontal guide plane 2 of the side plane 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a stack shelf that stores a large number of recording medium cartridges in parallel, and is ideal for a stack shelf for disc cartridges in, for example, a disc autochanger. It is.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention provides a cartridge in which a recording medium cartridge is guided above or below the partition by an upper guide surface or a lower guide surface at the front end of the partition, and the cartridge is inserted between the partitions in parallel. In this stack shelf, at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the partition is formed with a slope, and a cartridge having a slope corresponding to the slope is used, and the upper guide surface and the lower guide surface of the partition are formed with a slope. By sloping the ridge lines inward, it is possible to increase the vertical guide margin when inserting cartridges, and to greatly improve the space factor when stacking a large number of cartridges. be.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an autochanger for disc cartridges, a carriage is used to transport the cartridges between a stack shelf storing a large number of cartridges and a disc recording/reproducing device. For this reason, it is important that the stack shelf in the autochanger be able to accommodate as many cartridges as possible in as small a space as possible.

Therefore, a first conventional example of this type of stack shelf will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. This stack shelf 1 has a large number of partitions 3 arranged in parallel on the inner surfaces of a pair of left and right side plates 2.
A cartridge 6 containing a disk 5 as a recording medium is inserted between each partition 3 in parallel. The partition part 3 has a rectangular cross section, projects from the side plate 2 at a right angle, and has a thickness of d. And at the front end of the partition part 3,
An upper guide surface 8 that slopes upward toward the rear and a lower guide surface 9 that slopes downward are provided. Note that the upper and lower guide surfaces 8
．． A portion of the side plate 2 corresponding to 9 is a lateral guide surface 10 that slopes outward toward the front. Further, in the conventional cartridge 6, the upper and lower squares of the side end portion 6a are at right angles.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the cartridge 6 is held by a carriage (not shown) and inserted into the stack 81 from the direction of arrow a.

If the cartridge 6 is displaced upward from the intermediate position between the two partitions 3, the front end upper edge 6b of the cartridge 6 will be guided by the lower guide surface 9 of the upper partition 3 as it is inserted, so the cartridge 6 is inserted between the two partitions 3 while moving downward. On the other hand, if the cartridge 6 is shifted downward from the intermediate position between the two partitions 3, the front lower edge 6c of the cartridge 6 will be guided by the upper guide surface 8 of the lower partition 3 as it is inserted. The cartridge 6 is inserted between the two partitions 3 while moving upward. Lateral displacement of the naori-tridge 6 is corrected by the lateral guide surfaces 10 of the side plates 2.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when the partition portion 3 and the upper and lower guide surfaces 8.9 are provided as in the first conventional example described above, the upper and lower halves of the front end of the partition portion 3 are the upper and lower guide surfaces 8.9, so that the cartridge 6
The vertical guide margin (tolerable amount of deviation) when the cartridge is inserted is d/2 on the upper side and d/2 on the lower side with respect to the thickness of the partition part 3, that is, the gap d between each cartridge 6. becomes.

In other words, if the cartridge 6 is further shifted in the vertical direction, it cannot be inserted, and the positioning accuracy of the carriage must be made extremely high accordingly.

For this reason, when inserting a cartridge 6 into the stacking shelf 1, it is necessary to take into consideration that other cartridges 6 may or may not be stacked above or below it, and guide the cartridge 6 in the vertical direction. Margin is d on top
It is desirable that d be below 1. This also makes it possible to lower the accuracy of positioning the carriage.

However, if this is applied to the first conventional example, the thickness of the partition portion 3 must be set to 2d, which increases the gap between each cartridge 6 and deteriorates the space factor.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a stack shelf 12 of a second conventional example is considered. This stack shelf 12 is almost the same as the stack shelf l of the first conventional example, but the thickness of the partition part 3 is 2 d with respect to the gap d between each cartridge 6.
It becomes. Then, the side end 6a of the cartridge 6 is
This widened side end 6a is provided with a horizontal groove 14. and cartridge 6
The groove portion 14 is inserted into the partition portion 3.

According to this second conventional example, the cartridge 6
When the groove part 14 is inserted, the front end upper edge 14a and the front end lower edge 14b are respectively guided by the upper and lower guide surfaces 8.9 of the partition part 3, and the thickness of these upper and lower guide surfaces 8.9 is d. Therefore, the guide margin in the vertical direction when inserting the cartridge 6 is d on the upper side and d on the lower side. However, in this second conventional example, the cartridge 6
Since the groove portion 14 is provided at the side end 6a of the
must be widened by W, which increases the width of the cartridge 6. As a result, the width of the stack shelf 12 becomes large and the space factor deteriorates.

Therefore, the present invention enables a large number of cartridges to be stacked by increasing the vertical guide margin when inserting the cartridges without increasing the gap between each cartridge or increasing the width of the cartridge. This makes it possible to significantly improve the space factor when

[Means to solve the problem]

In the above-described stack shelf for cartridges, the present invention uses a cartridge in which at least one of the upper surface or the lower surface of the partition part is formed with a slope, and a slope corresponding to the slope is formed on the side end. The ridgeline between the upper guide surface and the lower guide surface of the partition is inclined inward from the front end toward the rear end.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, by providing slopes corresponding to the partitions and the cartridges, the thickness of the entire partition group can be made twice as large as the gap between each cartridge without increasing the width of the cartridges. . A top and bottom guide surface is provided at the front end of this partition, and the ridgeline of the top and bottom guide surface is inclined inward, so that the cartridge is guided along the slope of the partition by the ridgeline and the edge of the slope of the cartridge. It is possible to guide it to the side. Therefore, when inserting a cartridge, the guide margin in the vertical direction can be set to the gap between each cartridge on both the upper and lower sides.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a stack shelf for disk cartridges will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 6.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this stack shelf 20 has a large number of partitions 2 on the inner surfaces of a pair of left and right side plates 21.
2 are integrally provided in parallel. The partition portion 22 protruding from the side plate 21 has a trapezoidal cross section and a total thickness of 2d.

The upper surface of the partition portion 22 is formed by a horizontal flat surface 23, and the lower surface is formed by an inclined surface (so-called 0 surface) 24 inclined at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. As shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the partition portion 22 is provided with an upper guide surface 25 that slopes upward toward the rear and a lower guide surface 26 that slopes downward.

Therefore, the partition part 2 having the flat surface 23 and the upper guide surface 25
The thickness of the upper half of 2 is d, and the slope 24 and the lower guide surface 2
The thickness of the lower half of the partition portion 22 having 6 is also d. The ridgeline 27 between the upper guide surface 25 and the lower guide surface 26 is
It is formed so as to be inclined inward from the front end to the rear end. Note that the portion of the side plate 21 corresponding to the upper and lower guide surfaces 25 and 26 has a lateral guide surface 28 that slopes outward toward the front.
It becomes.

Next, the cartridge 3 is inserted into the stack shelf 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, the box 0 is formed into a thin rectangular box made of, for example, synthetic resin, and a disk 31 as a recording medium is rotatably housed inside. A slope (so-called 0 surface) 32 is formed at each of the upper two corners of the side end 30a of the cartridge 30, and the slope 32 corresponds to the slope 24 of the partition portion 22, and has an approximately 45mm slope.
It is inclined at an angle of @. Further, a protrusion 33 is provided near the rear end of one of the slopes 32. Note that 34 is an opening for inserting an optical head and a spindle provided on both upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge 30, and 35 is a shutter for opening and closing the opening 34. Moreover, 36 is an engagement recessed portion when held by a carriage (not shown).

According to the stack shelf 20 configured as described above, the first
As shown in the figure, when the cartridge 30 is inserted, the cartridge 30 is placed on the flat surface 23 of the partition part 22,
The slope 32 of the cartridge 30 abuts the slope 24 of the partition 22. Therefore, the gap between each cartridge 30 is d
It becomes.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cartridge 30 is held by the carriage and placed on the stack shelf 20.
is inserted from the direction of arrow a. Here cartridge 30
If the front edge 3 of the slope 32 of the cartridge 30 deviates upward from the intermediate position between the two partitions 22, the front edge 3 of the slope 32 of the cartridge 30 will
2 a contacts the ridgeline 27 of the upper partition portion 22 . Since this ridge line 27 is inclined inward, the cartridge 30 is guided by this ridge line 27 and the front edge 32a of the slope 32.
is urged downward and guided by the lower guide surface 26.

As a result, the cartridge 30 moves downward and
It is inserted between two partitions 22. Since the thickness of the slope 32 of the cartridge 30 is d corresponding to the thickness of the lower half of the partition portion 22, the guide margin at the time of insertion is d on the upper side.

On the other hand, if the cartridge 30 is shifted downward from the intermediate position between the two partitions 22, the cartridge 30 will
The upper guide surface 25 of the partition portion 22 whose front lower edge 30b is the lower side
, the cartridge 30 is inserted between the two partitions 22 while moving upward. The thickness of the upper guide surface 25 is d corresponding to the thickness of the upper half of the partition part 22.
Therefore, the guide margin at the time of insertion is d on the lower side.

In this way, by devising the shapes of the partition part 22 and the upper and lower guide surfaces 25 and 26 of the stack shelf 20, the gap between each cartridge 30 can be increased and the cartridge 3
The vertical guide margin at the time of insertion can be set to d on the upper side and d on the lower side without increasing the width of the 0. Lateral displacement of the naori-tridge 30 is corrected by the lateral guide surfaces 28 of the side plates 21.

Furthermore, by providing the slope 24 on the partition 22, the vertical width of the base of the partition 22 increases, so the slope 24 also serves as reinforcement for the partition 22, increasing the strength of the partition 22. It can be made extremely large.

Note that since the slopes 32 of the cartridge 30 are provided only at two locations on the upper side, if the cartridge 30 is turned upside down, it cannot be inserted into the stack shelf 20, and the slopes 32
2 also serves as a structure to prevent erroneous insertion on the front and back sides. Since this cartridge 30 is designed to be used on one side, the slope 32 is useful for visually and tactilely distinguishing between the front and back sides. Furthermore, since the protrusion 33 is provided near the rear end of one of the slopes 32, not only erroneous insertion from the front to the back, but also erroneous insertion from the front to the rear is prevented.

Next, FIGS. 5 and 6 show a modified stack shelf 40, in which a slope (so-called C-plane) 41 is also formed on the upper surface of the partition portion 22 and slopes at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Corresponding to the upper and lower slopes 4124, slopes (so-called C
surface) 32. This modification also provides the same effects as described above.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various effective changes can be made to the present invention based on the technical idea.

For example, in the embodiment, a case where a large number of cartridges are stacked horizontally is shown, but it is also applicable to a case where a large number of cartridges are stacked vertically. Note that the present invention is not limited to disk cartridges, but can also be applied to tape cartridges and the like.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention provides a simple slope between the partition part of the stack shelf and the cartridges, and by devising the shape of the guide surface of the partition part, the gap between a large number of cartridges can be increased. It is possible to increase the vertical guide margin when inserting a cartridge without increasing the horizontal width of the cartridge. Therefore, the cartridges can be guided extremely efficiently and a large number of cartridges can be accommodated in as small a space as possible. The space factor can be greatly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 6 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a stack shelf for disk cartridges, in which FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is a main part. 4 is a perspective view of the entire cartridge, FIG. 5 is a front view of a modified example, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the same. 7 to 10 show conventional examples of stack shelves for disk cartridges, in which FIG. 7 is a front view of the first conventional example, FIG. 8 is a side view of the same, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the conventional example, and FIG. 1O is a side view of the same. In addition, in the symbols used in the drawings, 20--...--------Stack shelf 21--
・・・−・・・−・−−−−−−One side plate 22・・・−・
・・・−・・−−−−One partition part 23−−−−−−−−−−−−−−・Flat surface 24−−−−−−−−−−
−−−−1−−Slope 25・・・−−m−−・−・−・−
・-Upper guide surface 26--Lower guide surface 27-----Ridge line 30--
・−・・・・−１−−−−−−・Car) IJ
Soji 30a...-----...--side end 31
・−・−・・・−・・・・−・−Disc 32−・
−・−・−−−1～・・−・・−Slope 40−・・・−
・−・・・−・−Stack shelf 41−・・・・・・・−・
−・−−−1−・It is a slope.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A number of partitions are provided for supporting a number of recording medium cartridges in parallel, and an upper guide surface for guiding the cartridges above the partitions and a lower guide surface for guiding the cartridges downward. In the stack shelf for cartridges, the guide surface is provided at the front end of the partition, at least one of the top or bottom surface of the partition is formed with a slope, and a slope corresponding to the slope is formed at the side end. 1. A stack shelf for cartridges, characterized in that the ridge line between the upper guide surface and the lower guide surface of the partition section is inclined inward from the front end toward the rear end.