JPS61175982A - Storing shelf for magnetic tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To minimize intervals between shelves and to achieve highly dense storage by installing comb shaped plural ribs on a separator, installing oppositely a pair of cell blocks equipped with a projection-like fall-prevention stopper at a rib tip and supporting both ends of the bottom surface of a magnetic tape cartridge with the aid of the rib. CONSTITUTION:Respective cell blocks 4a-4c are constituted by installing laterally-extending comb-shaped plural ribs 41 on the both sides of the vertically- extending separator 40 and by installing the stopper 42 at the tips of the rib parts. The cell blocks are then fitted to a wall face 5 at a spacing a little wider than the width of the short-hand direction of the cartridge 3, and constitute the storing shelf 4 by arranging oppositely the respective rib parts 41.The opposite rib parts 41 support and hold the both ends of the bottom face of the cartridge 3, and the interval between the rib parts 41 constitutes a cutout type space, thereby affording a space for the motion of a hand 2. Thus, the hand 2 of an automatic handling mechanism can find its position without receiving any constraint form the top and bottom faces of the cartridge 3, and the easy taking-out and storing of the cartridge 3 is made possible.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf for storing rectangular magnetic tape cartridges, and particularly to a magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf for storing oblate magnetic tape cartridges, and in particular, a mechanical hand mechanically inserts and removes magnetic tape cartridges. The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf used in an automatic warehouse type device.

In recent years, with the increase in the capacity of databases, large-capacity storage devices (
Mass storage systems) have been developed and are available for use. Such a large-capacity storage device is provided with a storage shelf that stores a large number of magnetic tape cartridges.The magnetic tape cartridges are stored in this storage shelf, and the magnetic tape cartridges that require a mechanical hand are taken out from the storage shelf. A kind of automatic device configured to carry a magnetic tape cartridge to a read/write station, read/write the magnetic tape cartridge, take it out from the read/write station after reading/writing, and store it in a storage shelf. It is made up of warehouses.

Conventionally, special cylindrical magnetic tape cartridges have been used for such magnetic tape cartridges, but in recent years, proposals have been made to reduce costs by using rectangular magnetic tape cartridges, which are used for video tapes. has been done.

[Conventional technology]

In order to use such magnetic tape cartridges, conventional storage shelves are provided with storage holes 10a to 10C configured with wall surfaces arranged in a lattice pattern as shown in FIG. 4(A), and magnetic tape cartridges ( (hereinafter referred to as cartridge)
It was configured to accommodate 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the mechanical hand 2a grips the cartridge 3,
Cartridge 3 for accommodation hole 10a of storage shelf 1 ~ IOC
The cartridge 3 was taken out and stored by putting it in and taking it out.

In such conventional storage shelves, a structure is generally provided to prevent the cartridges 3 from popping out or falling off due to earthquakes or mechanical vibrations, and for this reason, the storage holes 10
As shown in FIG. 4(C), springs 11 for clamping the cartridge 3 were provided inside a to 10c.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In such conventional storage shelves, when the cartridge 3 is inserted or removed, the cartridge surface slides against the falling-off prevention spring, which causes wear on the cartridge surface and generates fine powder that is harmful to magnetic recording systems. There was a problem in that fine powder adhered to the magnetic tape of the cartridge, damaging the read/write head and causing reading errors, reducing reliability. Further, if the spring force is increased to prevent the cartridge from falling off due to shelf vibration, the above problem will be exacerbated, and there is also the problem that a sufficient effect of preventing the cartridge from falling off cannot be obtained.

Moreover, in order to take in and out items using the mechanical hand 2a, it is necessary to ensure that the storage holes 10a to 10c are sufficiently wide so that the hand 2 does not come into contact with the left and right walls in each of the storage holes 108 to IOC. There was also the problem that the size of the storage shelves was unavoidable.

[Means for solving problems]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf that can prevent cartridges from falling off without generating fine powder and can store cartridges at high density even when automatically handled by hand.

For this reason, the present invention provides a magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf in which magnetic tape cartridges are stored and taken in and out by an automatic handling mechanism, in which a plurality of comb-shaped ribs are provided on the separator plate, and a protrusion is provided at the tip of the rib. The present invention is characterized in that a pair of cell blocks provided with drop-off prevention stoppers are provided facing each other, and both ends of the bottom surface of the magnetic tape cartridge are supported by the ribs of the pair of cell blocks.

[Function] In the present invention, a pair of cell blocks facing each other are constructed by providing a plurality of comb-like ribs on a separator plate that laterally separates each magnetic tape cartridge, and providing a protruding stopper at the tip of the rib to prevent falling off. The ribs of the cell block support both ends of the bottom of the magnetic tape cartridge, providing a space for an automatic handling mechanism in the center, and the stopper prevents the magnetic tape cartridge from falling off at the entrance. It is something to do.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
A side view and a top view of the diagram configuration, and FIG. 3 are block diagrams of a mass storage device in which the present invention is used.

First, the overall configuration will be explained with reference to FIG. In Figure 3, LGSRG is a left garage and a right garage, which are installed at both ends of the device and are equipped with a main control circuit, an accessor drive circuit, etc., and HF is a honeycomb frame, with magnetic tape cartridges on both walls. A storage shelf 4 is provided, and guide rails RLU and RLL of accessors, which will be described later, are provided at the upper and lower parts, and the magnetic tape cartridges set in some honeycomb frames HF are read/written. A read/write station run (not shown), an entry station CBS for inputting a new magnetic tape cartridge from the outside, and an exit station CFS for discharging unnecessary magnetic tape cartridges to the outside are provided. There is. LA and RA are a left accessor and a right accessor, respectively, which drive the hand 2 in the vertical direction and rotational direction to access the storage shelves 4 on both sides, and also drive the hand 2 in the vertical direction and the rotational direction to access the storage shelves 4 on both sides.
With G as the home position, upper and lower rails RLU, RL
It moves within the honeycomb frame HF along L.

To explain the operation of the embodiment in FIG.
Move the hand 2 in the X direction on the L, and then drive the hand 2 in the Y (up and down) direction to position the hand 2 at the desired position of the cartridge 3 on the storage shelf, and at that position, drive the hand 2 to place the cartridge 3. The cartridge 3 is taken out and gripped, and then the accessors LA and RA move to the read/write station to convey the cartridge 3, and the hand 2 is driven to set the cartridge 3 in the read/write station. After the read/write is completed, take out the cartridge 3 from the read/write station with the hand 2 and grasp it.
Transport it in the same way and store it in the original storage shelf. The same applies when transporting the cartridge 3 from the entry station CBS to the storage shelf 4 and from the storage shelf 4 to the transfer station CFS.

Therefore, in the mass storage device, the accessors LA and RA use the hands 2 to take out a desired cartridge 3 stored in the storage shelf 4 in the honeycomb frame HF, transport it to the read/write station, and store the cartridge 3. , read/write the cartridge 3, and after reading/writing, take out the cartridge 3 from the read/write station with the hand 2, and use the accessors LA, R.
It operates so that it is transported at A and stored and returned to the original storage shelf 4.

Next, the storage shelf according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 0, 4a, 4b, and 4c are cell blocks, which are attached to the wall surface 5 of the honeycomb frame facing each other, Reference numeral 40 denotes the separating plate, which is for laterally separating the cartridge 3; 41 is the rib portion thereof, which is arranged in multiple stages in a comb shape on both sides of the separating plate; the entrance part is narrow, and the inner part is narrow. The stopper 42 is provided at the tip (inlet portion) of each rib portion 41 and has a protrusion shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, each cell block 4a to 4C is constructed by providing a plurality of comb-shaped rib portions 41 extending in the horizontal direction on both sides of a separator plate 40 extending in the vertical direction, and providing a stopper 42 at the tip of the rib portion. do. The intervals between the plurality of rib portions 41 are as shown in FIG.
As shown in the side view of A), the length is set to be slightly larger than the height of the cartridge 3, while the height of the protrusion of the stopper 42 is set to a height that prevents the cartridge 3 from popping out when stored.

Then, such cell blocks 4a to 4C are shown in FIGS.
As shown in Figure (B), each cell block 4 is attached to the wall 5 at intervals slightly longer than the width of the cartridge 3 in the short direction
The storage shelf 4 is configured by making the rib portions 41 of a to 4c face each other, and the shelf is configured by two pairs of opposing rib portions 41.

The storage shelf 4 configured in this way has opposing rib portions 41
supports both ends of the bottom surface of the cartridge 3 to hold the cartridge 3, and a notch-like space is formed between the rib portions 41, providing a space for the movement of the hand 2 as shown in FIG. 2(B). On the other hand, since the distance between the stopper 42 and the upper rib portion is greater than the height of the cartridge 3 as shown in FIG. When the cartridge 3 is released and the bottom surface of the cartridge 3 is held in contact with the rib portion 41, the protrusion of the stopper 42 acts as an obstacle to prevent the cartridge 3 from jumping out.

That is, each pair of rib portions constitutes a shelf, and
A space is formed in the center of the storage bottom of this structured shelf,
The hand 2 of the automatic handling mechanism can be positioned on the upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge 3 without being constrained, and the cartridge 3 can be easily taken out and stored.

Furthermore, by combining each cell block, a large number of shelves can be formed.

Moreover, each cell block can be integrally formed by resin molding, and can be manufactured in large quantities at low cost. Furthermore, the rib portion 41
Because the width of the shelf is small, there is no need to provide a special tapered surface to facilitate the removal (separation) of the resin molding, so the tapered surface can be made thinner, resulting in higher storage efficiency of the storage shelf. I can do it.

In the above embodiment, the rib portions are provided on both sides, but they may be provided on one side, and the use is not limited to external storage of computers.

Although the present invention has been described above using one embodiment, the present invention can be modified in various ways according to the gist of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, in a magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf that stores magnetic tape cartridges and is loaded and unloaded by an automatic handling mechanism, a plurality of comb-shaped ribs are provided on the separator plate, and the ribs are A pair of cell blocks each having a protruding drop-off prevention stopper at the tip thereof are provided facing each other, and both sides of the bottom surface of the magnetic tape cartridge are supported by the ribs of the pair of cell blocks, thereby forming a shelf. Since a space is provided between the pair of ribs, the hand of the automatic handling mechanism operates using this space, so there is no need to prepare a special space for the hand, and the overall shelf spacing can be reduced. This has the effect of enabling high-density storage. In addition, a protruding sp)7 is provided at the tip of the rib to prevent film thinning, so no harmful particles are generated when inserting or removing the cartridge, resulting in stable magnetic recording/removal.
This has the effect of guaranteeing reading, and greatly improves the reliability of such a device.

Furthermore, the structure can be easily formed by integral molding, etc., and it has an excellent practical effect of being able to provide an inexpensive storage shelf.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a large-capacity storage device used in the embodiment configuration of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional configuration. In the figure, 2--hand (automatic handling mechanism), 3-
Magnetic tape cartridge, 4--Storage shelf, 40--Separator, 41--Rib, 42--Stopper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A cell block in which a plurality of comb-shaped ribs are provided on a separator plate and a protruding stopper is provided at the tip of the rib in a magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf in which magnetic tape cartridges are stored and taken in and out by an automatic handling mechanism. A magnetic tape cartridge storage shelf characterized in that a pair of magnetic tape cartridges are provided facing each other, and both ends of the bottom surface of the magnetic tape cartridge are supported by the ribs of the pair of cell blocks.