JP2005149628A - Automatic loader for tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic loader for tape cartridges which can house a plurality of tape cartridges, has a simple and compact structure and does not take labor and time at the time of exchanging a plurality of backed-up tapes with new tapes. <P>SOLUTION: In the automatic loader 100 for the tape cartridges, cartridge housing parts 1 are continuously arranged at a prescribed inclination angle to a cartridge drive 4, and a carrying means 2 is constituted so as to change a posture between the posture of taking the tape cartridge in and out of the cartridge housing part 1 and the posture of taking the tape cartridge in and out of the cartridge drive 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape cartridge autoloader for automatically transporting a tape cartridge to a cartridge drive. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cartridge autoloader including a cartridge housing portion that houses a plurality of tape cartridges, and a transport unit that transports the tape cartridge between the cartridge housing portion and the cartridge drive.

  It is common knowledge that important electronic data handled by corporations is backed up in case of data corruption. There are various media such as a hard disk, an optical disk, and a tape as means for backing up data. However, in many cases, a tape is used from the viewpoint of operation cost and transfer speed. Recent tape standards include, for example, LTO (Linear Tape Open) and AIT (Advanced Intelligent Tape), and the next-generation products that enable high-speed and large-capacity data recording are released one after another. It is being done.

  The backup operation to tape is usually performed about once a day as a routine work. In addition, such backup work is often automated using a device such as an autoloader.

  The conventional autoloader for backup tape stores the tape in a plurality of tape accommodating portions provided in the main body, and connects the tape accommodating portions with a drive belt or the like so that the tape circulates in the main body. When performing backup work, the mainstream configuration is to move the tape holder containing the target tape to the vicinity of the drive, take out the tape by the take-out means, and then deliver the tape to the drive. Met.

  As an example of such a case, a plurality of accommodating portions for accommodating a tape are arranged on a circular track, the accommodating portions are rotated along the circular track, and the accommodating portion containing the target tape is placed in the circular track. There is a tape autoloader that moves to the entrance of a cassette slot at the center of the tape (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the autoloader of Patent Document 1, the respective accommodating portions on the circular track are connected by a belt, and the tape put in the accommodating portion is circulated and moved by driving the belt.

  There is also a tape autoloader that stores a plurality of tapes and includes a magazine that can be attached to and detached from the main body (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In the autoloader of Patent Document 2, four parallelly arranged tapes are stacked in two layers and stored in a magazine, and a total of eight tapes are circulated and moved in a horizontal and vertical direction by a belt drive together with the tape storage unit in the magazine. I am letting. When recording on a tape, the tape in the magazine is circulated and moved to a position where the target tape can be taken out, and then the tape is transported to the drive by the take-out means.

JP 2002-197758 A JP 2003-115146 A

  By the way, the backup operation of electronic data may be performed with, for example, one week as one cycle. In this case, it is necessary to replace all tapes with new unrecorded tapes every week.

  However, in the autoloader of Patent Document 1, when the backup data has been taken on all the tapes and the recorded tapes are to be replaced with new tapes, the tapes are only loaded one by one from the cassette slot in the center of the circular track. Since it could not be taken out, it took time and effort. In addition, since the autoloader disclosed in Patent Document 1 is driven by connecting a receiving portion for storing a tape with a belt, the number of parts of the device increases and a failure easily occurs, and the size of the device itself increases. Therefore, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high.

  On the other hand, the autoloader of Patent Document 2 is advantageous in comparison with the autoloader of Patent Document 1 in that a plurality of tapes can be exchanged at one time because the tape is accommodated in a magazine that can be detached from the main body. However, such a detachable magazine causes a new trouble that the magazine must be attached to and detached from the autoloader body before and after the tape replacement. Considering this, it can be said that even an autoloader having a detachable magazine as in Patent Document 2 does not contribute so much to reducing the labor of tape replacement as a whole.

  In addition, an autoloader that employs such a detachable magazine and that has a configuration in which tapes are horizontally arranged and stacked as in Patent Document 2, in general, is an autoloader that includes a fixed type magazine. Is weak to external forces such as vibration and shock, and the storage position accuracy and stability of the tape stored in the magazine are adversely affected by vibrations and shocks from itself or externally. There is a concern that an error will occur.

  Furthermore, since the autoloader of Patent Document 2 is driven by driving the tape housing portion with a belt in the same manner as the autoloader of Patent Document 1, the operation when selecting a tape is large. Therefore, there is still a problem that a failure is likely to occur, and further, the size of the device itself is increased and the manufacturing cost is increased.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a simple and compact structure while being capable of accommodating a plurality of tape cartridges, and a plurality of tapes that have been backed up are replaced with new tapes. It is an object of the present invention to provide an autoloader for a tape cartridge that does not require time and effort when exchanging it. It is another object of the present invention to provide an autoloader for a tape cartridge that can be stably stored with little misalignment of the tape when the tape cartridge is stored.

  A first characteristic configuration of a tape cartridge autoloader according to the present invention includes a cartridge housing portion for housing a plurality of tape cartridges to be recorded / reproduced by a cartridge drive, and between the cartridge housing portion and the cartridge drive. The cartridge housing portion is continuously disposed with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the cartridge drive, and the transporting portion includes the cartridge housing portion. On the other hand, the posture can be changed between the posture in which the tape cartridge is taken in and out and the posture in which the tape cartridge is taken in and out of the cartridge drive.

  According to the tape cartridge autoloader having the first characteristic configuration, since the cartridge housing portion is continuously arranged with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the cartridge drive, the tape cartridge is placed in the cartridge housing portion. In the accommodated state, the bottom surface and the side surface of the tape cartridge securely contact the inner bottom surface and the inner surface of the cartridge housing portion, and as a result, positional deviation of the tape cartridge is regulated, so that the tape cartridge can be stably accommodated. It becomes possible. In addition, with such a configuration, the overall configuration of the tape cartridge autoloader is simplified, so that the possibility of failure can be reduced, and a specified size tape cartridge can be installed in a space limited by the standard. Can be accommodated compactly and efficiently. In addition, since the cartridge housing portion does not circulate and move the tape cartridge in the magazine, it is not necessary to use a driving means such as a belt, and in this respect as well, an increase in the size of the apparatus can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the tape cartridge autoloader of this configuration, the conveying means can be changed in posture between the posture in which the tape cartridge is taken in and out of the cartridge housing portion and the posture in which the tape cartridge is taken in and out of the cartridge drive. Since it is configured, the tape cartridge can be conveyed in conformity with the above two different postures, and the inclination angle of the cartridge housing portion can be arbitrarily set.

  In the second characteristic configuration of the tape cartridge autoloader according to the present invention, the conveying means may have a hooking portion engageable with the tape cartridge.

  In the tape cartridge autoloader having the second characteristic configuration, for example, when the hooking portion of the conveying means engages with the concave portion located at the lower portion of the tape cartridge, the lower portion of the center of gravity of the tape cartridge is hooked. As a result, it is possible to stably carry out the removal and movement of the tape cartridge.

  In the third characteristic configuration of the tape cartridge autoloader according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fixing means for biasing the tape cartridge in at least one of the cartridge housing portion and the transport means.

  In the tape cartridge autoloader having the third characteristic configuration, in the state where the tape cartridge is accommodated in the cartridge accommodating portion and / or the conveying means, the tape cartridge is fixed to the cartridge accommodating portion and / or the conveying means. The tape cartridge in the housed state is stable because it is pressed against the inner wall, and when the tape cartridge is pulled in and out by hooking under the tape cartridge, the tape cartridge does not lift up and operates. It can be stabilized.

  In a fourth characteristic configuration of the tape cartridge autoloader according to the present invention, the fixing means releases the bias to the tape cartridge when the hooking portion is engaged with the tape cartridge, and It is also possible to urge the tape cartridge when the hook portion is detached from the tape cartridge.

  In the tape cartridge autoloader having the fourth characteristic configuration, for example, the concave portion provided in the tape cartridge and the hooking portion are engaged with each other during the movement of the tape cartridge. Even when the hook is temporarily removed from the recess of the tape cartridge to insert or remove the tape cartridge into or out of the cartridge housing or the cartridge drive, the fixing means fixes the tape cartridge during that time. Or the risk of rattling. Accordingly, the tape cartridge is always maintained in a stable state and can be accurately conveyed.

  In the fifth characteristic configuration of the tape cartridge autoloader according to the present invention, the inner peripheral surface of the opening peripheral portion of the cartridge housing portion can be processed into a taper shape.

  With the tape cartridge autoloader having the fifth characteristic configuration, the tape cartridge can be smoothly inserted into the cartridge housing portion. In addition, even if a slight misalignment occurs between the tape cartridge and the opening peripheral edge of the cartridge housing portion when the tape cartridge is inserted, the tape cartridge may interfere with or collide with the opening peripheral edge. This reduces the number of problems that hinder the insertion and removal of tape cartridges.

  In a sixth characteristic configuration of the tape cartridge autoloader according to the present invention, the transport means may include angle adjusting means for adjusting the predetermined inclination angle.

  With the tape cartridge autoloader having the sixth characteristic configuration, the inclination angle of the conveying means can be made to exactly match the predetermined inclination angle at which the cartridge housing portion is disposed. Further, even when the inclination angle of the cartridge housing portion is changed, the angle change can be handled by only a relatively simple adjustment of the angle adjustment means. No additional measures such as adding new parts are required, and cost increases can be suppressed. Further, the degree of freedom in designing the inclination angle of the cartridge housing portion can be expanded.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure described in the following embodiment and drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an autoloader 100 for a tape cartridge according to the present invention. The tape cartridge autoloader 100 automatically transports the tape cartridge 3 (for example, indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 4) from the cartridge housing portion 1 to the cartridge drive 4 or from the cartridge drive 4 to the cartridge housing portion 1. It is a device that makes it possible to return to The tape cartridge autoloader 100 is driven by receiving power from the power supply 30, and its operation is controlled by the controller 31. The tape cartridge autoloader 100 of the present invention can be used for tapes of various standards such as LTO, AIT, S-AIT, DLT, SDLT, VXA, DLT72, and DDS. As will be described later, the transport of the tape cartridge 3 by the tape cartridge autoloader 100 according to the present invention engages with the recess 24 provided at the lower portion of the tape cartridge 3 or the end of the tape cartridge 24. This is done by reciprocating the conveying lever 20 in the state. Hereinafter, the tape cartridge autoloader 100 will be described in detail.

  The tape cartridge autoloader 100 includes a cartridge housing portion 1 and a conveying means 2. The cartridge housing unit 1 houses a tape cartridge 3 that is recorded / reproduced by the cartridge drive 4. A plurality of cartridge accommodating portions 1 are installed, and they are continuously arranged with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the cartridge drive 4 (see FIG. 7). In the present embodiment, the cartridge housing portion 1 is arranged in the lateral direction (the direction indicated by the double arrow b in FIG. 1), and the predetermined inclination angle is about 32 degrees with respect to the horizontal installation surface of the cartridge drive 4. did. In this case, eight cartridge accommodating portions 1 can be installed in an area having a height of 2 U (about 88 mm) and a width of 445 mm, which is inevitably determined by the standards of the tape cartridge 3 and the cartridge drive 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this standard, and is one feature of the present invention “the cartridge housing portion 1 is continuously arranged with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the cartridge drive 4. This configuration can also be realized in a tape cartridge having an arbitrary size and another tape cartridge autoloader using a cartridge drive.

  One of the advantageous effects obtained by the present embodiment is that the cartridge housing portion 1 is continuously arranged with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the cartridge drive 4, so that the tape is placed on the cartridge housing portion 1. In the state in which the cartridge 3 is accommodated, the bottom surface and the side surface of the tape cartridge 3 are surely brought into contact with the inner bottom surface and the inner surface of the cartridge housing portion 1, and as a result, the positional deviation of the tape cartridge 3 is regulated. 3 can be accommodated stably. In addition, with such a configuration, the overall configuration of the tape cartridge autoloader 100 is simplified, so that the possibility of failure can be reduced, and the standard-sized tape cartridge 3 is limited by the standard. The space can be accommodated compactly and efficiently. In addition, since the cartridge housing portion 1 does not circulate and move the tape cartridge 3 in the magazine, it is not necessary to use a driving means such as a belt. In this respect as well, an increase in the size of the apparatus can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the conveying means 2 can be changed in posture between the posture in which the tape cartridge 3 is taken in and out of the cartridge housing portion 1 and the posture in which the tape cartridge 3 is taken in and out of the cartridge drive 4. Since it is configured, the tape cartridge 3 can be transported in conformity with the above two different postures, and the inclination angle of the cartridge housing portion 1 can be arbitrarily set.

  A fixing means 5 can also be provided in the cartridge housing part 1. FIG. 7 shows the cartridge housing portion 1 provided with a fixing spring as the fixing means 5. (A) of FIG. 7 is a side view of the cartridge housing part 1 and shows a state in which eight inclined cartridge housing parts 1 are continuously arranged in the lateral direction, and (b) shows the cartridge housing part 1. It is the partially expanded view which showed one of these. The fixing means 5 provided in the cartridge accommodating portion 1 acts to press the tape cartridge 3 against the inner wall of the cartridge accommodating portion 1 in a state where the tape cartridge 3 is accommodated in the cartridge accommodating portion 1. As a result, the tape cartridge 3 in the accommodated state is stabilized, and when the tape cartridge 3 is hooked under the tape cartridge 3 to be taken in and out, the tape cartridge 3 does not float up and the operation can be stabilized. it can.

  The fixing means 5 provided in the cartridge housing 1 may employ mechanical fixing means or the like in addition to the urging means such as the fixing spring. Usually, a fixing spring or a resin clamp is sufficient for the fixing means 5, but when the tape cartridge 3 is moved by the transport lever 20, the engagement is quickly released so that a smooth operation is performed, and the transport lever 20. It is considered effective to use a mechanical fixing means so that the tape cartridge 3 can be securely and firmly fixed, for example, when the movement of the tape cartridge 3 has stopped once.

  It is effective to process the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral edge of the cartridge housing 1 into a taper shape so that the tape cartridge 3 can be smoothly inserted into the cartridge housing 1. With such a configuration, even when a slight misalignment occurs between the tape cartridge 3 and the opening peripheral portion of the cartridge housing portion 1 when the tape cartridge 3 is inserted, the tape cartridge 3 can be The trouble that the insertion and removal of the tape cartridge 3 is hindered due to interference or collision with the portion is also reduced.

  Further, if an opening / closing door 33 as shown in FIG. 1 is provided outside the cartridge housing portion 1, the plurality of cartridge housing portions 1 can serve as a fixed magazine as they are. Therefore, for example, when the routine work for one cycle per week is completed and all the recorded tape cartridges are to be replaced, it is not necessary to pull out the magazines one by one and perform the replacement work. Can be reduced.

  Next, the conveying means 2 for conveying the tape cartridge 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. The transport unit 2 is a unit for transporting the tape cartridge 3 between the cartridge housing portion 1 and the cartridge drive 4. The tape cartridge 3 conveyed by the conveying means 2 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the cartridge drive 4 when accommodated in the cartridge accommodating portion 1, but is horizontal when inserted into the cartridge drive 4. Need to keep. In order to cope with such two different posture states of the tape cartridge 3, the conveying means 2 is inclined when the tape cartridge 3 is taken in and out of the cartridge housing portion 1 (see FIG. 4A and FIG. 5). ) And a horizontal posture (see FIGS. 4B and 6) when the tape cartridge 3 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge drive 4 so that the posture can be changed. . 2 is a top view of the conveying means 2 in a horizontal posture, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the conveying means 2 in FIG. A specific configuration of the swingable transport unit 2 is as follows.

  The conveying means 2 is moved in the vertical direction (the direction of a double arrow a in FIG. 1) by the rotation of the vertical movement screw 11 and in the horizontal direction (the direction of the double arrow b in FIG. 1) by the rotation of the horizontal movement screw 12. Each of the tape cartridges 3 can be moved. The longitudinal movement screw 11 (for example, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) receives a driving force from the driving motor 13 via the transmission shaft 23 and can rotate in both the left and right directions. The lateral movement screw 12 can be rotated in both the left and right directions by receiving a driving force from the driving motor 14. The drive motors 13 and 14 are independently controlled by the controller 31. In addition, operation information such as the amount of movement of the tape cartridge 3 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction (that is, the amount of rotation of the drive motors 13 and 14) performed by the transport unit 2 can be stored in advance in the controller 31, for example. .

  The swinging operation of the conveying means 2 is that the swinging screw 16 rotates in response to the driving force from the swinging motor 15 and the support member 32 provided on the swinging screw 16 reciprocates on the swinging screw 16. It is realized by. Hereinafter, the swinging operation of the conveying means 2 will be described in detail.

  The transport means 2 is configured to be swingable as described above, and specifically, can be in the inclined posture (a) and the horizontal posture (b) shown in FIG. Further, the conveying means 2 includes an angle adjusting means for adjusting an inclination angle when performing the swinging operation. This angle adjusting means has a pair of sensors 17a and 17b as shown in FIG. 4, for example. The sensors 17 a and 17 b are arranged at predetermined intervals in parallel along the axis of the swing screw 16. Further, the detection plate 18 is attached to the support member 32 provided on the rocking screw 16, and when the rocking screw 16 rotates, the detection plate 18 moves in either the left or right direction together with the support member 32. The position of each component is determined so that the detection plate 18 and the sensor 17a or 17b react. In FIG. 4, the sensor 17 a reacts with the detection plate 18 in the inclined posture of the transport means 2 when the tape cartridge 3 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 1, and the tape cartridge 3 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge drive 4. The sensor 17b and the detection plate 18 are arranged so as to react in the horizontal posture of the conveying means 2 in FIG. As described above, if the posture of the transport unit 2 can be controlled by the sensor, the tilt angle of the transport unit 2 can be accurately matched to the predetermined tilt angle at which the cartridge housing unit 1 is disposed. Become.

  When the inclination angle of the cartridge housing portion 1 is to be changed, the installation locations of the sensors 17a and 17b are moved along the axial direction of the swing screw 16 so that the positions at which the sensors 17a and 17b react with the detection plate 18 are changed. Alternatively, the angle change can be dealt with by a relatively simple adjustment method of changing the length of the detection plate 18. As described above, in the present invention, the angle change can be dealt with only by relatively simple adjustment of the sensors 17a and 17b. Therefore, the parts related to the attitude change of the conveying means 2 can be exchanged or new parts can be added. Measures such as do not need to be done and the cost increase can be suppressed. In addition, the degree of freedom in designing the inclination angle of the cartridge housing portion 1 can be increased.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (b) or FIG. 6 (b), in the conveying means 2, a support wheel 25 is provided on the opposite side of the rocking screw 16, and the conveying means 2 is supported from below. The operation of the transport unit 2 during transport of the tape cartridge 3 can be further stabilized.

  In the present invention, the conveying means 2 can also be provided with the fixing means 5. Even in this case, the same effect as that of the fixing means 5 of the cartridge housing portion 1 can be obtained in the relationship between the tape cartridge 3 and the conveying means 2. 2 and 3 show an example of the fixing means 5 provided in the conveying means 2. The fixing means 5 includes a fixing spring having a sliding member provided at one end, and is configured such that the fixing spring applies a biasing force to the tape cartridge 3 in response to a command from the controller 31. Specifically, when the tape cartridge 3 is to be fixed, the sliding member provided at one end of the fixing spring slides in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 3, whereby the fixing spring is bent and fixed to the tape cartridge 3 side. A spring comes into contact with the tape cartridge 3.

  Next, the operation of inserting and removing the tape cartridge 3 with respect to the cartridge housing part 1 or the cartridge drive 4 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The conveyance means 2 includes a conveyance lever 20 having hooking portions 21a and 21b attached to the inside thereof so as to be movable in parallel with the vertical movement screw 11. The movement of the tape cartridge 3 can be performed by the transport lever 20 using, for example, the recess 24 located at the lower portion of the tape cartridge 3 or the end of the tape cartridge 3. The hooks 21a and 21b of the transport lever 20 are alternately engaged with the recess 24, and the transport lever 20 is moved in the vertical direction (direction of arrow p or q in FIG. 8), or the end of the tape cartridge 3 is moved. This is done by pushing or pulling the part with the hooking parts 21 a and 21 b of the transport lever 20.

  In the present embodiment, the operation of the transport lever 20 is repeated several times, and the tape cartridge 3 is inserted or removed in multiple stages. As an example, an operation for transporting the tape cartridge 3 from the cartridge housing portion 1 to the cartridge drive 4 will be described below. In FIG. 8, the cartridge housing portion 1 is shown horizontally for easy understanding, but as described so far, the cartridge housing portion 1 is actually inclined at a predetermined inclination angle. .

≪Tape cartridge transport operation≫
(1) The transport unit 2 moves in front of the cartridge housing unit 1 and the transport unit 2 is inclined.
(2) The transport lever 20 moves in the q direction, and the hooking portion 21b is positioned below the tape cartridge 3 housed in the cartridge housing portion 1.
(3) The hook portion 21b of the transport lever 20 is engaged with the concave portion 24 of the tape cartridge 3 (state shown in FIG. 8A).
(4) The tape cartridge 3 is partially removed from the cartridge housing portion 1 by the transfer lever 20 moving in the p direction with the hook portion 21 b engaged with the recess 24.
(5) The engagement between the recess 24 and the hook portion 21 b is released, the transport lever 20 moves in the q direction, and the hook portion 21 b is hooked on the rear end portion of the tape cartridge 3.
(6) When the transport lever 20 moves in the p direction, the tape cartridge 3 is completely removed from the cartridge housing portion 1.
(7) The conveying means 2 is in a horizontal posture and moves in front of the cartridge drive 4.
(8) The transport lever 20 moves in the q direction, and the hooking portion 21a is positioned below the tape cartridge 3.
(9) The hooking portion 21a of the transport lever 20 is engaged with the concave portion 24 of the tape cartridge 3 (the state shown in FIG. 8B).
(10) The tape cartridge 3 is partially inserted into the cartridge drive 4 when the conveying lever 20 moves in the p direction with the hook portion 21a engaged with the recess 24.
(11) The engagement between the recess 24 and the hook portion 21 a is released, the transport lever 20 moves in the q direction, and the hook portion 21 b comes into contact with the rear end portion of the tape cartridge 3.
(12) The tape cartridge 3 is completely inserted into the cartridge drive 4 by moving the transport lever 20 in the p direction.
(13) The transport lever 20 moves in the q direction, and the transport operation is completed.

  In the present embodiment, the operation as described in the above (1) to (13) can be performed by the above-described configuration, so that the hooking portions 21a and 21b of the transport unit 2 are located at, for example, the lower portion of the tape cartridge 3. When engaged with the recessed portion 24, the tape cartridge 3 is hooked below the center of gravity, and the tape cartridge 3 can be stably put in and out and moved.

  By the way, when the engaging portions 21a and 21b of the conveying lever 20 are alternately engaged with the recess 24 of the tape cartridge 3, the state where the engagement between the recess 24 and the engaging portions 21a and 21b is temporarily disengaged occurs. It is also conceivable that the tape cartridge 3 becomes unstable. However, in this embodiment, when the hooking portions 21 a and 21 b are engaged with the recesses 24 provided in the tape cartridge 3, the fixing means 5 provided in the cartridge housing portion 1 and / or the conveying means 2 is engaged. It can be configured that the tape cartridge 3 is urged when the urging of the tape cartridge 3 is released and the hooking portions 21 a and 21 b are disengaged from the recess 24 provided in the tape cartridge 3. Therefore, during the movement of the tape cartridge 3, the concave portion 24 provided in the tape cartridge 3 and the hooking portions 21a and 21b are engaged with each other, and the operation is smoothly performed. When the hooks 21a and 21b are temporarily removed from the recess 24 of the tape cartridge 3 when the tape cartridge 3 is taken in and out, the fixing means 5 fixes the tape cartridge 3 during that time. There is no risk of slipping or rattling. Therefore, the tape cartridge 3 is always maintained in a stable state and can be accurately conveyed.

  Note that operation information such as the amount of movement of the transport lever 20 can be stored in advance in the controller 31 or the like, for example, and this operation information can be appropriately changed depending on the type of the tape cartridge or the like. is there. The timing of fixing the tape cartridge 3 by the fixing means 5 and the timing of fixing by engaging the hooks 21a and 21b of the transport lever 20 and the recess 24 of the tape cartridge 3 are also controlled by the controller 31, for example. , Both timings can be controlled to be exactly reversed.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, for example, the size and the pulling of the transport lever 20 so that the insertion or removal of the tape cartridge 3 can be completed by only one operation of the transport lever 20. Of course, it is possible to appropriately change the design of the position and number of the hanging portions 21a and 21b.

  By the way, in the operation of moving the hooking portions 21 a and 21 b of the transport lever 20 by engaging with the concave portion 24 of the tape cartridge 3, only one concave portion 24 is provided on the side of the lower portion of the tape cartridge 3. In such cases, the following problems may occur.

  That is, when the tape cartridge 3 having the recess 24 on only one side of the lower part of the tape cartridge 3 is moved in the above-described procedure, when the hooking portion 21a or 21b is engaged and the urging of the tape cartridge 3 is started, A rotational moment is generated in the direction from the side with the recess 24 to the side without the recess 24. For this reason, when the tape cartridge 3 is inserted into the cartridge housing portion 1 or the cartridge drive 4, the tape cartridge 3 is slightly inclined with respect to the insertion direction, and the corner of the tape cartridge 3 has the cartridge housing portion 1 or the cartridge There is a risk of interference with or collision with the periphery of the drive 4. In the present invention, assuming such a situation, when the concave portion 24 is provided only on one side of the lower portion of the tape cartridge 3, the insertion position of the tape cartridge 3 with respect to the cartridge housing portion 1 or the cartridge drive 4 is set to the tape By slightly shifting the cartridge 3 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the cartridge 3 tries to rotate, troubles such as interference and collision are prevented. Note that the displacement amount of the insertion position can also be stored in advance in the controller 31 or the like.

  It is of course possible to provide recesses on both bottom sides of the tape cartridge and move the tape cartridge using two transport levers simultaneously. With such a configuration, the problem that the tape cartridge is inclined as described above hardly occurs, so that it is possible to realize a more stable operation of transporting the tape cartridge.

<< Another Embodiment >>
The angle adjusting means for adjusting the predetermined inclination angle of the conveying means 2 encodes the rotation angle of the motor corresponding to the target inclination angle in the oscillating motor 15 that drives the oscillating screw 16, and the oscillating motor 15. The angle can be adjusted only by rotating the lens. With such a configuration, the sensor configuration and the detection plate are not required, and the device configuration is further simplified.

The perspective view which showed the autoloader for tape cartridges of this invention Top view of conveying means provided with fixing means Bottom view of conveying means provided with fixing means (A) Inclined posture, (b) Perspective view of transport means in horizontal posture (A) Top view and (b) Side view of conveying means in an inclined posture (A) top view and (b) side view of the conveying means in a horizontal posture (A) side view and (b) partially enlarged view of the cartridge housing portion Schematic diagram showing how the tape cartridge is transported from the cartridge housing to the cartridge drive

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cartridge accommodating part 2 Conveying means 3 Tape cartridge 4 Cartridge drive 5 Fixing means 11 Longitudinal moving screw 12 Lateral moving screw 13 Drive motor 14 Drive motor 15 Oscillating motor 16 Oscillating screw 17a, 17b Sensor 18 Detection plate 23 Transmission shaft 30 Power supply 31 Controller 32 Support member 33 Opening / closing door 100 Tape cartridge autoloader

Claims (6)

A cartridge housing portion for housing a plurality of tape cartridges to be recorded / reproduced by the cartridge drive;
A transport means for transporting the tape cartridge between the cartridge housing portion and the cartridge drive;
The cartridge housing portion is continuously arranged with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the cartridge drive,
For the tape cartridge, the conveying means is configured to be capable of changing the posture between a posture in which the tape cartridge is inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion and a posture in which the tape cartridge is inserted into and removed from the cartridge drive. Autoloader.   The tape cartridge autoloader according to claim 1, wherein the transporting unit has a hooking portion engageable with the tape cartridge.   3. The tape cartridge autoloader according to claim 1, wherein a fixing means for biasing the tape cartridge is provided in at least one of the cartridge housing portion and the conveying means.   The fixing means releases the bias to the tape cartridge when the hooking portion is engaged with the tape cartridge, and biases the tape cartridge when the hooking portion is detached from the tape cartridge. The autoloader for a tape cartridge according to claim 3, which is configured as follows.   The tape cartridge autoloader according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an inner peripheral surface of an opening peripheral edge portion of the cartridge housing portion is processed into a taper shape.   The tape cartridge autoloader according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit includes an angle adjusting unit that adjusts the predetermined inclination angle.

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