JPH0328922A - Picture file device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the replacing frequency of optical disks by giving a request requiring no replacement of optical disks with highest priority, and designating successively the request requiring the replacement of optical disks with preference toward the optical disk distant from an optical disk drive from that near the disk drive. CONSTITUTION:A process request register control means 7 registers with control a process request corresponding to either one of optical disks into a queue in response to a prescribed input operation. A priority designating means 8 gives the highest priority to the request requiring no replacement of optical disks among those requests registered in the queue and designates the requests requiring the replacement of optical disks with higher priorities given to the requests of the disks stored in the positions nearer an optical disk device 5. Then a process execution control means 9 carries out the process requests based on the priority shown by the means 8. In such a constitution, no duplicated operation occurs substantially for replacement of optical disks and the replacing frequency of optical disks can be extremely reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image file device, and in particular, to an image file device that stores a plurality of optical discs and performs writing and reading operations on the optical disc in response to processing requests. The present invention relates to an improvement of an image file device using an optical disc autochanger that automatically replaces an optical disc in an optical disc drive.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, this type of image file device has been widely used to record huge image files related to medical use, and when reading images from an optical disk, images of a specific patient are recorded. An optical disk is searched, an optical disk obtained as a result of the search is set in an optical disk drive, and an image read from the optical disk corresponding to the processing request is stored on a magnetic disk or the like.

Such processing operations are performed for all target patients during diagnosis.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in conventional image file devices of this type, processing is executed in the order of processing requests, regardless of the type of request that does not require replacement of the optical disk or the type of request that requires replacement. It is something that

Therefore, if a processing request targeting the same optical disk is interposed with a processing request targeting another optical disk, or if a processing request targeting two optical disks near the optical disk drive is intervening, the optical disk drive Even if there is an intervening processing request that targets an optical disk that is far away from the source, the processing will be executed in the order of the processing requests, and in this case, the optical disk replacement operation will involve many duplicate operations. It will be done.

On the other hand, from the viewpoint of the entire computer system operating this type of image file device, the optical disc is a slow recording medium, and the optical disc autochanger takes time to load the optical disc.

Therefore, in the case of a conventional image file device of this kind, as the number of optical disks targeted for each request increases, the time lost due to the redundant operation of changing optical disks increases, and the system throughput time becomes enormous. There was a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide an image file device that can significantly reduce the number of times the optical disk must be replaced.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores a plurality of optical discs, and writes and reads data to and from the optical discs corresponding to processing requests. In an image file device using an optical disc autochanger that automatically changes optical discs to an optical disc drive, control is provided to sequentially register processing requests corresponding to any of the optical discs in a queue in response to a predetermined input operation. Among the plurality of processing requests registered in the queue, a processing request registration control means gives top priority to a request that does not require optical disk replacement, and places the request that requires replacement in a storage location near the optical disk drive. A priority order specifying means for specifying the optical disc with higher priority, and a process execution control means for controlling execution of the process corresponding to the processing request according to the priority order indicated by the priority order specifying means.
It is characterized by comprising:

(Function) With the configuration of the image file device according to the present invention, processing execution is controlled for each processing request registered in the queue under the control of the processing request registration control means according to the priority order indicated by the priority order specifying means. Since the means performs control to execute the process corresponding to the processing request, the optical disk designated as having the highest priority by the priority specifying means is replaced.After the unnecessary request is first processed, the optical disk at the storage location near the optical disk drive is replaced. The processing is executed sequentially with priority given to the requests.

Therefore, there is hardly any redundant operation involved in the optical disk changing operation, and accordingly, according to the present invention, the number of optical disk changing operations can be significantly reduced compared to the prior art.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing an image file device according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

The image file device of this embodiment includes an optical disc autochanger 1 and a computer system 2, and the computer system 2 is equipped with a keyboard 3.

Specifically, the optical disc autochanger 1 is configured as shown in the perspective view in FIG. 2, and includes a slot section 4 that stores a plurality of optical discs, and an optical disc drive that writes and reads from and to optical discs corresponding to processing requests. 5, and an operating mechanism 6 for taking out the optical disc stored in the slot part 4 and setting it in the optical disc drive 5, or removing the optical disc set in the optical disc drive 5 and storing it in the slot part 4.

The computer system 2 functions as a control center for the entire system, and also functions as a processing request registration control means 7, a priority order designation means 8, and a processing execution control means, and has a built-in memory section 10.

The processing request registration control means 7 performs control to sequentially register processing requests corresponding to any one of the optical discs of the optical disc autochanger 1 in the queue of the memory unit 10 in response to a predetermined manual operation using the keyboard 3. .

The priority order specifying means 8 periodically refers to a plurality of processing requests registered in the queue of the memory unit 10 during a period when the computer system 2 is performing a search operation by operating the keyboard 3, and selects unfinished processing requests. When a processing request is found, a request that does not require replacing the optical disk is given the highest priority, and a request that requires replacing the optical disk is specified with priority given to a request for an optical disk stored at a storage position in a slot part 4 nearer to the optical disk drive 5.

The processing execution control means 9 controls the memory unit 1 every time the computer system 2 enters a search operation by operating the keyboard 3.
0 hay enable signal is sent, which causes the memory unit 10 to
The optical disc autochanger 1 performs processing corresponding to the processing request according to the priority order indicated by the priority ordering means from the queue of the optical disc autochanger 1.
control so that it can be done.

In an embodiment of the present invention including such parts,
In the memory unit 10, a request table 11, a drive information table 12, and a slot information table 13 as schematically shown in FIG. 3 are created.

The request table 11 corresponds to a queue and is created by the processing request registration control means 7, and the drive information table 12 and slot information table 13 are created by the priority order designation means 8.

Then, in the request table 11, the optical disk numbers corresponding to the processing requests for each address i to N are OD(i) to OD.
(N).

In the drive information table 12, the flag FLAG is “0”
In this case, it is assumed that there is no optical disc in the drive. That is, the fact that no optical disc is set in the optical disc drive 5 is indicated by FLAG-"0". Also, flag FL
When AG is '1#', it is determined that there is an optical disc in the drive, indicating that an optical disc is set in the optical disc drive 5. Then, the flag FLAG “0” 1
” is changed in response to an instruction from the priority order specifying means 8.

The slot information table 13 includes a flag f for each address j −M of each storage position of the optical disk in the slot unit 4.
lag (j) ~ ffiag (M) as well as slot position information OD (j) ~ (OD (M)), and flags f, lag (j) ~ fla
When g(M) is "0", it indicates that there is no optical disc in the slot section 4, and when it is "1", it indicates that there is an optical disc in the slot section 4.

By using such tables 11 to 13, each section functionally configured as shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a system as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4.

The computer system 2 updates the request table 1 every time there is a processing request for the optical disk (Yes at step 401).
The optical disc numbers are sequentially registered in 1. Registration of the optical disc number corresponding to this processing request is performed at any time regardless of the search for the processing request.

Note that if there is no processing request (No in step 401), the process waits for a processing request to be issued.

Then, when a search start operation is performed using the keyboard 3 in a state where optical disc numbers corresponding to a plurality of processing requests are registered in the request table 11, step 4
Proceeding to the routines 02 to 404, the optical disk numbers corresponding to the plurality of processing requests registered in the request table 11 are
will be referred to regularly.

When an unprocessed request is found through regular reference to the request table 11, the FLAG of the drive information table 12
among the unprocessed requests in the request table 11, processing requests that do not require optical disk replacement are sequentially checked (steps 402 to 404). 402 affirmative)
, write/read processing is executed on the optical disc that is set in the optical disc drive 5 and does not require replacement (step 405).

In this way, after all the write/read processing corresponding to the request that does not require replacing the optical disk is completed, the optical disk number is obtained from the slot information table 13, and the step
The routine advances to steps 407-411.

In this routine of steps 407 to 411, when the target is a processing request that requires changing the optical disk, that is, when the optical disk is not set in the optical disk drive 5, or when the optical disk in the optical disk drive 5 is
If o and the optical disk number of the requested table 11 do not match, the processing request that requires the optical disk replacement is sequentially checked by referring to the FLAG of the drive information table 12 (steps 407 to 409), and at the same time, the Comparisons are made with the optical disc numbers in the request table 11 in order from the optical disc numbers corresponding to the optical discs in the storage position near the optical disc drive 5 (steps 407 to 411). Each time a processing request for which this comparison match is recognized (step 407
Yes) and perform the optical disc replacement operation (step 41).
2) At the same time, update the drive information table 13 and execute write/read processing on the optical disc (
Step 405).

In this way, when all the slot information is completed and there are no unprocessed requests in the evaluation table 11 (step 4
11 (affirmative), the search operation ends.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the image file device of the present invention gives top priority to requests that do not require replacement of optical discs among a plurality of processing requests registered in the queue, and performs the replacement. Since the system configuration is such that the write/read processing is performed by sequentially assigning and prioritizing the necessary requests from the optical disk in the storage location close to the optical disk drive to the optical disk in the storage location farthest from the optical disk drive, redundant operations are included in the operation of changing optical disks. The difference is significantly smaller than before.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the number of optical disk replacement operations is reduced compared to the conventional system, and the throughput of the entire system is improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the outline of an image file device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an optical disc autochanger, and Fig. 3 shows the state of each table in the memory section. The schematic diagram shown in FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the system operation of an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Optical disc autochanger 2... Computer system 3... Keyboard 4... Slot portion 5... Optical disc drive 6... Operation mechanism 7... Processing request registration control means 8... Priority order Specifying means 9...Process execution control means 10...Memory section 11...Request table 12...
・Drive information table 13...Slot information table

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an image file device using an optical disk autochanger that stores a plurality of optical disks and automatically changes optical disks to an optical disk drive in order to write and read from the optical disk corresponding to processing requests, the above-mentioned a processing request registration control means for controlling sequentially registering processing requests corresponding to any one of the optical disks in a queue in response to a predetermined input operation; A priority order designation means for giving top priority to requests that do not require optical disk replacement, and giving priority to requests that require replacement for optical disks stored at locations closer to the optical disk drive; 1. An image file device comprising: processing execution control means for controlling the execution of processing corresponding to a processing request according to the indicated priority order.