JP2011170966A - Disk carrying device and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gripping mechanism for gripping a disk without causing a failure in gripping a disk or damage to a disk even if variations occur in the stop position of gripping claws inserted into the central hole of the disk. <P>SOLUTION: An arm base 55a fitted with gripping claws 101-103 is connected to a belt grip 152 fixed to a timing belt 64 on the lifting and lowering mechanism side so as to be relatively movable upward with respect to the belt grip 152, and its movement is inhibited by a spring member 151 in a normal state. If supporting pins 111-113 to which the gripping claws are fitted come into contact with the surface of the disk when the gripping claws are inserted into the central hole of the disk, the spring member 151 is elastically deformed, mitigating the colliding force acting on the disk. The movement of the arm base 55a is stopped by the elastic deformation of the spring member 151 so that there is no damage to the disk caused by the supporting pins 111-113 pressing against the disk 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  In the present invention, a plurality of gripping claws are inserted into the center hole of the disc to be gripped, and the gripping claws are spread in the radial direction of the center hole and pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the center hole to grip the disc. The present invention relates to a gripping mechanism of a configured disk. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disc gripping mechanism capable of appropriately performing the operation of inserting a gripping claw into the center hole of the disc without causing damage to the disc or poor insertion of the gripping claw.

  In general, there are many disk processing apparatuses such as a disk dubbing apparatus for writing data on a disk such as a large number of blank CDs and a CD / DVD publisher capable of issuing a disk produced by performing data writing and label printing. A single blank disc or a created disc is stored in the stacker in a state of being stacked in the thickness direction. As a gripping mechanism for gripping the disk stored in the stacker in such a state, three gripping claws are inserted into the center hole of the disk to be gripped, and these are relatively expanded in the radial direction of the center hole. A configuration is known in which the disc is gripped by pressing them against the inner peripheral surface of the center hole.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a CD transport mechanism. In this CD transport mechanism, three gripping pieces (grip claws) are inserted into the center hole of the CD, and these are expanded in the radial direction to form the inner periphery of the center hole. The CD is gripped by pressing against the surface. In order to spread the three gripping pieces in the radial direction, the two gripping claws are fixed, and the one gripping piece is moved away from them so that the circumscribed circle of the three gripping pieces Is trying to spread. The arm to which the grip piece is attached is equipped with a position sensor for detecting the surface of the CD. Based on the output of the position sensor, three grip pieces are inserted into the center hole of the CD. I try to detect that.

US Pat. No. 6,802,070

  Here, if the position sensor cannot accurately detect that the gripping piece has been inserted into the disc center hole, there is a possibility that problems such as gripping failure and disc breakage may occur.

  For example, due to manufacturing errors of the gripping piece, arm, etc., mounting error of the position sensor with respect to the arm, detection error of the position sensor itself, etc., the gripping piece is not fully inserted into the disc center hole. When the insertion is detected and the insertion is stopped, the disk cannot be securely gripped by the gripping piece, and there is a problem that the disk falls when the disk is lifted and transported. Conversely, if the detection that the gripping piece is inserted is delayed, the hub or other part to which the gripping piece is attached will collide with the edge of the disc center hole, damaging the disc surface and possibly damaging the disc. There is also a possibility to do.

  Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate the variation in the stop position of the gripping piece due to the position sensor, but the variation in the stop position of the gripping piece caused by the manufacturing error, mounting error of each part, detection error of the position sensor itself, etc. It is very difficult to eliminate.

  In view of this point, the problem of the present invention is that the disc can be gripped without causing a disc gripping failure or a disc breakage even when the stop position of the gripping claw inserted into the center hole of the disc varies. Is to propose a simple gripping mechanism.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention inserts a plurality of gripping claws into a center hole of a disc to be gripped, and spreads these gripping claws in the radial direction of the center hole to form an inner peripheral surface of the center hole. A supporting unit that supports a gripping member provided with the gripping claw so as to be movable in a direction opposite to a direction of insertion into the center hole of the disc in a disc gripping mechanism that grips the disc by pressing. And an elastic member that prevents movement of the gripping member by the support portion.

  In the gripping mechanism of the present invention, the insertion amount for inserting the gripping claw into the center hole of the disc to be gripped should be set slightly larger in consideration of manufacturing errors of parts, assembly errors thereof, and the like. Thus, the gripping failure of the disc by the gripping claws is eliminated. In addition, when inserting the gripping claws, if the gripping members hit the disk surface, the elastic members are elastically deformed, and the collision force acting on the disk is alleviated. Further, after the gripping member hits the disc, the elastic member is elastically deformed and the gripping member does not move in the insertion direction any more. Therefore, the disc is not damaged by the holding member. Therefore, even if there is a variation in the stop position when inserting the gripping claws, gripping failure, disk damage, etc. do not occur.

  Here, in the case where the arm to which the gripping member is attached is configured to move by a moving mechanism, the support portion is between the gripping member and the arm and between the arm and the moving mechanism. It can arrange | position to at least one among.

  In this case, a disk detection mechanism for detecting the stop position of the gripping claw inserted into the center hole of the disk may be mounted on the arm.

  In the gripping mechanism of the present invention, the gripping member provided with the gripping claws is supported by the support portion in a state in which the gripping claws can move in the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the gripping claws, and the movement is normally prevented by the elastic member. Yes. When the gripping claw is inserted into the disc center hole to be gripped, if the gripping member provided with the gripping claw hits the disk surface, the elastic member is elastically deformed and the collision force thereof is alleviated. Further, the elastic member is elastically deformed and the gripping member does not move any more. Therefore, even if there is a variation in the stop position when inserting the gripping claws, the disk will not be damaged. Further, by setting the insertion amount of the gripping claw in consideration of the variation in the stop position, it is possible to eliminate the disc gripping failure caused by the gripping claw.

It is a schematic block diagram of CD publisher to which the present invention is applied. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the specific example of CD publisher. It is a perspective view in the state where the opening-and-closing door in CD publisher opened. It is a perspective view for showing an internal structure of a CD publisher. It is a perspective view which shows the disc conveyance part of CD publisher. It is a disassembled perspective view of the conveyance arm of a disk conveyance part. It is a side view which shows the gripping mechanism of the conveyance arm of a disk conveyance part. It is a top view of a gripping mechanism. It is sectional drawing and a top view which show the holding nail | claw of a gripping mechanism. FIG. 6 is a perspective view and an exploded perspective view showing a connection mechanism between a transport arm and a timing belt. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the disk gripping operation | movement of a disk conveyance part. It is a perspective view which shows the printer of CD publisher. It is a top view which shows the printer tray of a printer.

  An example of a disk processing apparatus provided with a disk gripping mechanism to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a CD publisher to which the present invention is applied. The CD publisher 1 in this example has a disk storage unit 3 for storing disks 2 such as CDs and DVDs (blank disk 2A and created disk 2B), data writing to the disk 2, and data from the disk 2 The disc drive 4 for reading the data, the label printer 5 for printing the label including the title indicating the write data, the date of writing, etc. on the label surface 2a of the disc 2 on which the data has been written, and the disc 2 And a control unit 7 for controlling the driving of each unit. The control unit 7 is connected to a higher-level device 8 such as a management server or a personal computer via a communication line such as a LAN. From the device 8 side, a disk production request (data write request, data additional write request), disk issue Requests are entered.

  The disk 2 is transferred to the disk tray 71 of the disk drive 4 by the disk transport unit 6 while being pulled to the disk transfer position 71A. Data is written to and read from the disk 2 delivered to the disk tray 71 at the processing position 71B drawn into the disk drive 4.

  The label printer 5 is disposed below the disk drive 4 and includes a printer tray 81 for conveying the disk 2. The printer tray 81 reciprocates between the printing position 81B by the label printer 5 and the disk delivery position 81A. The disc 2 is delivered by the disc transport section 6 at the disc delivery position 81A. In this example, the disk transfer position 81 A of the printer tray 81 is directly below the disk transfer position 71 A of the disk tray 71 of the disk drive 4.

  The disk storage unit 3 includes first and second stackers 11 and 12 that store the disk 2 in a stacked state in the thickness direction. In this example, the first stacker 11 and the second stacker 12 are arranged vertically in a coaxial state. Usually, the first stacker 11 functions as a blank disk stacker for storing the blank disk 2A. The 2 stacker 12 functions as a created disk stacker for storing the created disk 2B.

  A typical disc creation operation of the CD publisher 1 is as follows. When a data write request is received from the host device 8, the blank disk 2A is taken out from the first stacker 11 of the disk storage unit 3, set in the disk drive 4, and the write data supplied together with the data write request is written. Next, the written disc 2 is set in the label printer 5, and the label print information supplied together with the data write request is printed on the label surface. The created disc 2B after printing is stored in the second stacker 12 of the disc storage unit 3. When there is a disk issuance (removal) request, the disk transport unit 6 ejects the target created disk 2B from the second stacker 12 and ejects it to the disk ejection port 13. As a result, the created disk 2B can be taken out of the apparatus from here.

(Specific configuration example of CD publisher)
Next, a specific configuration example of the CD publisher 1 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the CD publisher 1. The CD publisher 1 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 31, and open / close doors 32 and 33 that can be opened and closed on the left and right are attached to the front surface of the casing 31. An operation surface 34 in which display lamps, operation buttons, and the like are arranged is formed at the lower right end of the open / close doors 32 and 33, and the disc discharge port 13 is opened next to the operation surface 34.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the CD publisher 1 with the open / close doors 32 and 33 opened. The left open / close door 32 is locked in a closed state, and personal authentication means such as a fingerprint sensor is arranged on the operation surface 34 so that only a registered person can open and close it. Alternatively, it can be opened and closed by a command from the host device 8. On the other hand, the right open / close door 33 is used to open / close the ink cartridge of the label printer 5 when the ink cartridge is replaced. When the open / close door 33 is opened, the cartridge mounting portion 36 is exposed. In this example, two upper and lower cartridge mounting portions 36 are formed.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the CD publisher 1 with the doors 32 and 33 and the casing 31 partially removed. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the blank disc stacker 11 and the created disc stacker 12 are arranged in a coaxial state in the housing 31 of the CD publisher 1 on the left side thereof. ing. The blank disk stacker 11 includes a slide plate 41 that can be pulled out horizontally forward, and a pair of left and right arc-shaped frame plates 42 and 43 arranged vertically on the slide plate 41. Thus, a stacker is configured that can receive the disk 2A from above and can be stored in a stacked state in the thickness direction. The operation of storing or replenishing the disc 2A in the blank disc stacker 11 can be easily performed by opening the door 32 and pulling the slide plate 41 forward.

  The prepared disc stacker 12 on the lower side has the same structure, and includes a slide plate 44 that can be pulled out horizontally forward, and a pair of left and right arc-shaped frame plates 45 and 46 arranged vertically on the upper surface. Accordingly, a stacker is configured that can receive the disk 2B from the upper side and can be stored in a coaxially stacked state.

  On the rear side of the blank disk stacker 11 and the created disk stacker 12, a disk transport unit 6 is arranged. The disk transport unit 6 includes a chassis 51 that is vertically attached to the housing 31, a vertical guide shaft 54 that is vertically stretched between upper and lower horizontal support plate portions 52 and 53 of the chassis 51, And a transfer arm 55 attached to the vertical guide shaft 54. The transport arm 55 can move up and down along the vertical guide shaft 54 and can turn left and right about the vertical guide shaft 54.

  A disk drive 4 is disposed on the upper side and a label printer 5 is disposed on the lower side of the disk transport unit 6 from the side to the rear. 3 and 4, the disk tray 71 of the upper disk drive 4 is in the disk delivery position 71A pulled out to the front, and the printer tray 81 of the lower label printer 5 is in the disk delivery position 81A on the front side. A state is shown. The label printer 5 is an ink jet printer, and each color ink cartridge 82 is used as an ink supply source. These ink cartridges 82 are mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36 from the front.

  Here, a gap is formed between the pair of left and right frame plates 42 and 43 of the blank disc stacker 11 and the created disc stacker 12 and between 45 and 46 so that the transport arm 55 of the disc transport unit 6 can be moved up and down. Has been. Further, a gap is opened between the upper and lower stackers 11 and 12 so that the transfer arm 55 can be rotated horizontally and positioned directly above them. Further, when the upper disk tray 71 is pushed into the disk drive 4, the transport arm 55 of the disk transport unit 6 is lowered to access the printer tray 81 at the disk delivery position. Therefore, the disk 2 can be transported to each part by a combined operation of raising and lowering the transport arm 55 and turning left and right.

(Disc transport section)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing only the disk transport unit 6. As described above, the disk transport unit 6 includes the chassis 51 that is vertically attached to the housing 31, and the vertical guide shaft is interposed between the upper and lower horizontal support plate portions 52 and 53 of the chassis 51. 54 is attached. A transport arm 55 is supported on the vertical guide shaft 54 in a state where it can be raised and lowered and turned.

  The raising / lowering mechanism of the transfer arm 55 includes a raising / lowering motor 56 as a driving source, and the rotation of the motor 56 causes a pinion 57, a composite transmission gear 58, and a transmission gear 59 attached to the output shaft of the motor to move. It is transmitted to the drive pulley 61 via the reduction gear train provided. The driving pulley 61 is supported in a freely rotatable state around a horizontal rotation shaft (not shown) at a position near the upper end of the chassis 51. A driven pulley 63 is supported at a position near the lower end of the chassis 51 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal rotating shaft 62. A timing belt 64 is interposed between the driving pulley 61 and the driven pulley 63. It is laid over. The rear end portion of the transport arm 55 is connected to one of the left and right belt portions of the timing belt 64. (The structure of this connecting portion will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 and the like.) Therefore, when the motor 56 is driven, the timing belt 64 moves in the vertical direction, and the transport arm 55 attached thereto moves the vertical guide. It moves up and down along the axis 54.

  Next, the turning mechanism of the transfer arm 55 includes a turning motor 65 that is a drive source. A pinion (not shown) is attached to the output shaft of the motor 65, and the rotation of the pinion is as follows. It is transmitted to a fan-shaped final gear 69 through a reduction gear train having two composite transmission gears 66 and 67. The fan-shaped last stage gear 69 can turn left and right around the vertical guide shaft 54. In addition, the final stage gear 69 is mounted with a chassis 51 in which components of the lifting mechanism of the transfer arm 55 are assembled. When the motor 65 is driven, the fan-shaped final stage gear 69 pivots left and right, so that the chassis 51 mounted here pivots left and right around the vertical guide shaft 54. As a result, the transfer arm 55 held by the lifting mechanism mounted on the chassis 51 turns left and right around the vertical guide shaft 54.

(Transfer arm and gripping mechanism)
6 is an exploded perspective view showing the main part of the transfer arm 55, FIG. 7 is a side view showing the internal structure, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the internal structure.

  The transfer arm 55 includes an elongated arm base 55a having a semicircular tip, and an arm case 55b having the same contour shape that covers the arm base 55a. Further, a gripping mechanism 100 for gripping the disk 2 is incorporated in the arm base 55a, and this gripping mechanism 100 is covered with an arm case 55b.

  The gripping mechanism 100 includes three cylindrical gripping claws 101 to 103 arranged at equal angular intervals on the same circle, and these gripping claws 101 to 103 are formed at the distal end portion of the arm base 55a. It protrudes vertically downward from the circular hole 55c. The disc 2 can be gripped by inserting these three gripping claws 101 to 103 into the center hole 2b of the disc 2 and pushing it outward in the radial direction.

  Each grip claw 101-103 is attached to the lower end of support pins 111-113 having a larger diameter than these. Each of the support pins 111 to 113 passes through the circular hole 55c of the arm base 55a and extends upward, and is attached to the three swiveling plates 121 to 123 disposed on the upper surface of the arm base 55a. The pivot base shafts 131 to 133 are vertically fixed to the arm base 55a at equal angular intervals on the same circle so as to surround the circular hole 55c. Each swivel plate 121-123 is supported in a state in which it can swivel about these swivel center axes 131-133.

  Each of the swiveling plates 121 to 123 has front and rear arm portions 121a, 121b, 122a, 122b, 123a, 123b extending substantially in the circumferential direction of the circular hole 55c along the arm base 55a, and the circular hole 55c from the swivel center. Support arms 121c to 123c projecting inward are provided. Support pins 111 to 113 are fixed vertically to the back surfaces of the tips of the support arms 121c to 123c, respectively.

  The rear end of the arm portion 122b on the rear side of the swivel plate 122 is in contact with the front end surface of the arm portion 121a on the front side of the swivel plate 121 in a slidable state. Similarly, the rear end of the arm portion 123b on the rear side of the swing plate 123 is in contact with the front end surface of the arm portion 122a on the front side of the swing plate 122 in a slidable state. The rear end of the arm portion 121b on the rear side of the swivel plate 121 is in contact with the front end surface of the arm portion 123a on the front side of the swivel plate 123 in a slidable state. Here, by appropriately setting the inclination angle of the front end surfaces of the front arm portions 121a to 123a, the revolving plates 121 to 123 turn in the same direction.

  A tension coil spring 124 is bridged between the front arm portion 121a of the swivel plate 121 and the front arm portion 122a of the swivel plate 122a. Due to the tensile force of the tension coil spring 124, the swiveling plates 121 to 123 are held in contact with each other without rattling, and the direction indicated by the arrow R1 in FIG. (In the direction of spreading)).

  In this state, the circumscribed circle of the gripping claws 101 to 103 attached to the tips of the support arms 121 c to 123 c of the revolving plates 121 to 123 is larger than the inner diameter of the center hole 2 c of the disk 2. In this state, when one swivel plate, for example, the swivel plate 121 is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow R2, the other two swivel plates 122 and 123 are swung in the same direction by the same angle. As a result, the support arms 121c to 123c of the swivel plates 121 to 123 move toward the center of the circular hole 55c, and the gripping claws 101 to 103 attached to these tips can be inserted into the center hole 2c of the disk 2. It can be narrowed to a state. In this state, when the gripping claws 101 to 103 are inserted into the center hole 2c of the disk 2 and then the turning plates 121 to 123 are turned in the reverse direction R1, the gripping claws 101 to 103 are pushed outward in the radial direction. As a result, they are pressed against the inner peripheral surface 2d of the center hole 2c of the disk, and the disk 2 is held.

  In the gripping mechanism 100 of this example, the following mechanism is provided for turning the turning plates 121 to 123. The swivel plate 121 is formed with an operation arm 121d extending on the opposite side to the support arm 121c. The distal end of one arm portion 125a of the L-shaped link 125 is connected to the distal end portion of the operating arm 121d in a rotatable state. The L-shaped link 125 can turn around its bent portion, and the distal end portion of the arm portion 125b on the opposite side is connected to the operating rod 126a of the electromagnetic solenoid 126. When the electromagnetic solenoid 126 is in the off state, the operating rod 126a is in the protruding state shown in FIG. When the electromagnetic solenoid 126 is switched on, the operating rod 126a is retracted against the spring force of the built-in spring, and the L-shaped link 125 is turned. The turning motion of the L-shaped link 125 is transmitted to the turning plate 121, the turning plate 121 turns in the R2 direction, and the other two turning plates 122 and 123 also turn in the same direction by the same angle. As a result, the gripping claws 101 to 103 are spread out.

  As described above, in the gripping mechanism 100 of this example, the three gripping claws 101 to 103 move in the radial direction, respectively, so that the disc can be inserted into the center hole 2c of the disc 2 and the inside of the disc center hole 2c. It is positioned at the disc gripping position pressed against the peripheral surface 2d. By securing a sufficient stroke amount for these gripping claws 101 to 103, the gripping claws 101 to 103 can be inserted into the center hole 2c without touching the surface of the disk 2. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a long inclined surface in the vertical direction in order to guide the disk 2 to the tip portions of the gripping claws 101 to 103, and the length of each gripping claw 101 to 103 is substantially equal to the thickness of the disk 2. Can be as short as possible.

  Further, the swiveling plates 121 to 123 arranged in the plane direction are held in contact with each other, and when one swiveling plate 121 swivels, the other two swiveling plates 122 and 123 are also interlocked. It is configured to turn in the same direction by the same angle. Therefore, the turning mechanism of each turning plate 121-123 can be configured flat. In other words, a mechanism for moving the gripping claws 101 to 103 can be configured flat.

  As described above, in this example, the gripping claws 101 to 103 can be shortened, and a mechanism for moving them can be configured flat, so that the gripping mechanism 100 can be thinned. Furthermore, the swivel plates 122 and 123 have the same shape, and these parts can be shared. Therefore, it is advantageous for cost reduction.

(Gripping claw)
Next, the gripping claws 101 to 103 of this example will be described with reference to FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of the grip claws 101 and 103, and FIG. 9B is a plan view of the grip claws 101 to 103. FIG. The gripping claws 101 to 103 are formed of cylindrical pins 101a to 103a projecting downward from the lower end surfaces 111a to 113a of the support pins 111 to 113, and an elastic made of rubber or the like surrounding the pins 101a to 103a in a concentric state. Cylinders 101b to 103b are provided, and large diameter heads 101c to 103c for retaining are formed at the lower ends of the pins 101a to 103a.

  The circular outer peripheral surfaces 101 d to 103 d of the elastic cylinders 101 b to 103 b of the gripping claws 101 to 103 are disk contact surfaces that can contact the inner peripheral surface 2 d of the center hole 2 c of the disk 2. The axial lengths of the grip claws 101 and 102 are longer than the axial length of the grip claws 103 and at least longer than the thickness of the inner peripheral surface 2d of the disc 2 to be gripped. In this example, the length of the elastic cylinders 101b, 102b of the gripping claws 101, 102 is as shown in FIG. 9 (a), and the entire inner peripheral surface 2d of the upper disk 2 (1) that is stacked, The length is set to at least the upper part of the inner peripheral surface 2d of the lower disk 2 (2). On the other hand, the length of the elastic cylinder 103b of the gripping claw 103 is a dimension that is not more than the thickness of the inner peripheral surface 2d of the disc 2 to be gripped, in this example, slightly shorter than the thickness of the inner peripheral surface 2d. Is set to

  When the gripping claws 101 to 103 are inserted into the center hole 2c of the uppermost disk 2 (1) of the disks stacked in the thickness direction and pushed outward in the radial direction, the state shown in FIG. Is formed. That is, the disk contact surface formed by the elastic members 101b and 102b of the long grip claws 101 and 102 is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 2d of the disk center hole 2c and elastically deformed. However, the portions 101e and 102e (only the portion 101e are shown in the figure) projecting from the disc center hole 2c on the disc contact surface to the back side thereof are not elastically deformed and are not elastically deformed. It will be in a state where it bites into the back side. In other words, a state is reached in which the gap between the back surface of the upper disk 2 (1) to be grasped and the surface of the lower disk 2 (2) is bitten. The lower end portions 101f and 102f (only the lower end portion 101f are shown in the figure) of the elastic cylinders 101b and 102b are pressed against the upper end portion of the inner peripheral surface 2d of the center hole 2c of the lower disk 2 (2). It becomes a state. In contrast, the disk contact surface of the short gripping claw 103 is pressed only against the inner peripheral surface 2d of the center hole of the uppermost disk 2 (1).

  The upper disk 2 (1) is securely held by the three holding claws 101-103. In addition, the elastic deformation of the disk contact surfaces of the two gripping claws 101 and 102 ensures that the gripping claws 101 and 102 are securely gripped so that they do not fall off in the disk thickness direction. On the other hand, the disk contact surfaces of the two long gripping claws 101 and 102 are only partially in contact with the lower disk 2 (2). Therefore, when the gripping claws 101 to 103 are lifted, only the upper disk 2 (1) is lifted.

  Further, when the gripping claws 101 to 103 are spread in the radial direction, the upper disk 2 (1) is fixed in the disk plane direction by the three gripping claws 101 to 103, but the lower disk 2 ( In 2), since the two long gripping claws 101 and 102 are in contact with each other, they are pushed in the disk plane direction. As a result, the lower disk 2 (2) slides slightly laterally relative to the upper disk 2 (1). Even if the upper and lower disks 2 (1) and 2 (2) are stacked in close contact with each other, the lower disk 2 (2) slides and air enters between them. The adhesion state of is relaxed or released. For this reason, it is possible to reliably lift only the upper disk 2 (1).

  Furthermore, since the disc contact portions of the three gripping claws 101 to 103 are formed from the elastic cylinders 101b to 103b, there is an advantage that the disc 2 is not damaged when the disc 2 is gripped.

  Note that the number of gripping claws is generally three, but can be four or more. Even in the case of four or more, the gripping claws are such that when they are spread out in the radial direction, the position of the upper disk in the plane direction is fixed, and the lower disk slides in the plane direction by the long gripping claws. It is sufficient to set the arrangement of.

(Disc detection mechanism)
Next, the clipping mechanism 100 includes a disk detection mechanism for controlling a stop position (insertion amount) when the gripping claws 101 to 103 are inserted into the center hole 2 c of the disk 2. Referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the disk detection mechanism 140 of this example includes a disk detection lever 141 and a disk detector 142 formed of a photocoupler. The disc detection lever 141 is an L-shaped lever having a linear main body portion 141a and a front end portion 141b bent downward from the front end thereof at a right angle. The rear end portion of the main body portion 141a is formed on the upper surface of the arm base 55a. It is attached so that it can rotate in the vertical direction. The main body portion 141a of the disc detection lever 141 is on the upper surface of the arm base 55a, and the tip portion 141b penetrates the opening 55d opened in the arm base 55a and protrudes downward from the back surface side thereof. Further, a detection plate 141c protruding in the lateral direction is formed on the side surface of the main body 141a. The detection area 142a of the disk detector 142 is arranged on the movement locus of the detection plate 141c accompanying the vertical movement of the disk detection lever 141.

  When the disk 2 is not gripped, the disk detection lever 141 is in a horizontal posture on the arm base 55a. In this state, the detection plate 141c is located in the detection region 142a of the disk detector 142, and the detection light is blocked off from the detection light passing through the detection region 142a. When the transport arm 55 is lowered and the gripping claws 101 to 103 are inserted into the center hole 2c of the disk 2, the front end portion 141b of the disk detection lever 141 hits the surface of the disk 2, and the disk is detected along with the insertion. The lever 141 is pushed up.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 (a), the gripping claws 101 to 103 are completely inserted into the center hole 2 c of the disk 2, and the lower end surfaces 111 a to 113 a of the support pins 111 to 113 that support them are the disk 2. In a state immediately before contacting the surface, the detection plate 141c is removed from the detection area 142a, and the disk detector 142 is turned on. Thereby, it is detected that the gripping claws 101 to 103 are inserted into the center hole 2 c of the disk 2.

(Connection mechanism of transfer arm and timing belt)
Here, when the insertion position of the gripping claws 101 to 103 is controlled using such a detection mechanism 140, a manufacturing error of the disk detection lever 141, an assembly error of the disk detection lever 141, Due to the assembly error, the detection error of the disk detector 42 itself, and the like, the gripping claws 101 to 103 are completely inserted into the center hole 2c of the disk 2 as shown in FIGS. There are cases where the insertion of the gripping claws 101 to 103 cannot be stopped accurately at the time. If the insertion is insufficient, the disc 2 cannot be gripped by the gripping claws 101 to 103, and gripping failure may occur. On the other hand, when inserted excessively, the lower end surfaces 111a to 113a of the support pins 111 to 113 to which the gripping claws 101 to 103 are attached hit the surface of the disk 2, damaging the disk 2 and possibly damaging the disk. there is a possibility. In order to avoid such an adverse effect, the present embodiment employs a connecting mechanism in which the transport arm 55 is connected to the timing belt 64 of the lifting mechanism via an elastic member.

  FIG. 10A is a partial perspective view showing a portion of the coupling mechanism, and FIG. 10B is an exploded perspective view thereof. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 10, the transport arm 55 is connected to a belt clip 152 fixed to the timing belt 64 via a spring member 151. At the rear end of the arm base 55a of the transfer arm 55, a downward top surface 153 and a columnar support shaft 154 extending vertically downward from the top surface 153 are formed. The belt clip 152 is connected and fixed to the timing belt 64 and an upper end surface 152a capable of coming into contact with the top surface 153 on the arm base side from below, a shaft hole 152b extending from the upper end surface 152a through the belt clip 152, and the timing belt 64. And a fixing portion 152c.

  The belt clip 152 is attached to the rear end portion of the arm base 55a with the support shaft 154 passing through the shaft hole 152b and the upper end surface 152a contacting the top surface 153 from below. Accordingly, the transport arm 55 is connected to the belt clip 152 fixed to the timing belt 64 in a state of being movable upward through a support portion including the support shaft 154, the shaft hole 152b, the top surface 153, and the upper end surface 152a. Has been. That is, the gripping claws 101 to 103 can move in a direction in which the gripping claws 101 to 103 are pulled up from the center hole 2 c of the disk 2.

  Further, a groove 152d for receiving the spring member 151 from the lower side is formed in a portion of the bottom surface of the belt clip 152 in front of the shaft hole 152b. The spring member 151 is attached to a spring hook 155 formed at the rear end of the arm base 55a, and always urges the belt clip 152 upward. Therefore, the arm base 55a is pressed against the belt clip 152 by the spring member 151 and is prevented from moving upward.

  When the timing belt 64 is driven by the elevating motor 56 (see FIG. 5), the belt clip 152 fixed to the timing belt 64 moves up and down together. In a state where an excessive load is not applied, the arm base 55 a is also moved up and down along the vertical guide shaft 54 together with the belt clip 152 fixed to the timing belt 64 by the spring force of the spring member 151.

  Here, when the transport arm 55 is lowered and the gripping claws 101 to 103 at the leading end thereof are inserted into the center hole 2c of the disk 2, the gripping claws are detected before the disk 2 is detected by the disk detection mechanism 140 described above. It is assumed that the lower end surfaces 111 a to 113 a of the support pins 111 to 113 supporting 101 to 103 collide with the surface of the disk 2.

  In this case, an excessive load temporarily acts on the transfer arm 55, and the spring member 151 is elastically deformed and crushed in the vertical direction. The impact force is alleviated by the elastic deformation of the spring member 151. Thereafter, even if the belt clip 152 is lowered, the spring member 151 is elastically deformed, and the transport arm 55 remains in that position without being lowered. As a result, problems such as the disk 2 being excessively pushed by the transfer arm 55 and being damaged are avoided.

  For example, the amount of insertion of the gripping claws 101 to 103 into the disk center hole 2c is determined based on the detection error of the disk detection mechanism 140 due to component manufacturing errors, their assembly errors, etc. ), And set a little more. As a result, the disc gripping failure of the gripping claws 101 to 103 is eliminated. Further, when the gripping claws 101 to 103 are inserted, if the support pins 111 to 113 (gripping members) to which the gripping claws 101 to 103 hit the disk surface 2b, the spring member 151 that is an elastic member is elastically deformed. The collision force acting on the disk 2 is alleviated. Furthermore, after the support pins 111 to 113 hit the disk 2, the spring member 151 is elastically deformed and crushed in the vertical direction, and the transport arm 55 does not move further in the insertion direction. Therefore, the disk 2 is not damaged by the support pins 111 to 113.

  In this example, the transport arm 55 supporting the gripping claws 101 to 103 is movably connected to the timing belt 64 of the lifting mechanism, and the movement is always prevented by a spring member. Yes. Instead of this, for example, the swivel plates 121 to 123 to which the support pins 111 to 113 of the gripping claws 101 to 103 are attached are attached so as to be movable up and down with respect to the swivel center shafts 131 to 133 and moved by an elastic member. It is also possible to prevent this.

(Disk gripping operation)
FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart showing a disk gripping operation by the disk transport unit 6 having the above-described configuration.

  For example, a case will be described in which the blank disk 2A stored in the blank disk stacker 11 is gripped and lifted and conveyed to another part. In this case, the transfer arm 55 is positioned at a predetermined height position directly above the blank disk stacker 11 under the control of the control unit 7.

  In this state, the electromagnetic solenoid 126 of the gripping mechanism 100 incorporated in the transport arm 55 is turned on (step ST1). When the electromagnetic solenoid 126 is switched on, the operating rod 126a is retracted, and this movement is transmitted to the swivel plate 121 via the L-shaped link 125, and the swivel plate 121 is moved by a predetermined amount in the direction of the arrow R2 in FIG. Turn. The remaining swiveling plates 122 and 123 also swivel in the same direction by the same angle, and the gripping claws 101 to 103 attached to the tips of the support arms 121c to 123c of the three swiveling plates 121 to 123 approach each other. To the state where it can be inserted into the center hole 2c of the disk 2A.

  Thereafter, the transport arm raising / lowering motor 56 is driven to start the lowering operation of the transport arm 55 (step ST2). When the transport arm 55 descends and approaches the uppermost blank disk 2A, the detection lever 141 of the disk detection mechanism 140 mounted on the transport arm 55 hits the surface of the blank disk 2A. Thereafter, the detection lever 141 moves relatively upward as the transport arm 55 descends, the detection plate 141c of the detection lever 141 is disengaged from the detection area 142a of the disc detector 142, and the disc detector 142 is turned on. (Step ST3). Thereafter, the transfer arm 55 is lowered by a predetermined amount to stop the transfer arm 55, and the gripping claws 101 to 103 of the gripping mechanism 100 incorporated in the transfer arm 55 are inserted into the center hole 2c of the blank disc 2A. The formed state is formed (step ST4). For example, when a stepping motor is employed as the transport arm raising / lowering motor 56, the transport arm 55 is positioned according to the number of steps of the stepping motor.

  After the insertion process of inserting the three gripping claws 101 to 103 into the center hole 2c of the blank disc 2A to be gripped in this way is completed, the gripping claws 101 to 103 inserted into the center hole 2c are moved to the center hole 2c. 2c is expanded in the radial direction and pressed against the inner peripheral surface 2d of the center hole 2c. That is, the electromagnetic solenoid 126 is switched off, and the operating rod 126a is returned to the protruding position (step ST5). As a result, the swivel plate 121 connected to the operating rod 126a via the L-shaped link 125 swivels in the direction of arrow R1 in FIG. 8 by the spring force of the tension coil spring 124 and returns to the original position. In conjunction with this, the remaining two swiveling plates 122 and 123 also turn by the same angle in the same direction and return to their original positions. Therefore, the gripping claws 101 to 103 attached to the swiveling plates 121 to 123 are spread outwardly in the center hole radial direction, and the disc gripping state is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 2d of the center hole of the blank disc 2A. It is formed.

  After the disc gripping process is completed in this way, a disk lifting process is performed in which the gripping claws 101 to 103 are pushed and expanded in the radial direction, the transport arm 55 is lifted, and the gripped blank disk 2A is lifted. (Steps ST11 to ST15).

  In the disk lifting process of this example, the transport arm 55 is intermittently moved until the transport arm 55 is lifted by a predetermined amount, that is, until the gripping claws 101 to 103 move by a predetermined amount in the direction opposite to the insertion direction. I try to raise it. That is, the raising operation for raising the transfer arm 55 by a predetermined amount at a predetermined speed and the stopping operation for stopping the transfer arm 55 for a predetermined time are repeated a predetermined number of times (steps ST11 to ST13). If the transport arm raising / lowering motor 56 is a stepping motor, the amount of increase may be managed by the number of steps.

  After performing such an intermittent movement process, based on the output of the disk detection mechanism 140, it is detected whether or not the blank disk 2A is gripped and lifted by the gripping claws 101 to 103 (step ST14). When the blank disk 2A is lifted, the detection lever 141 of the disk detection mechanism 140 is moved upward by the lifted blank disk 2A, and the disk detector 142 is on. Therefore, based on the output of the disk detection mechanism 140, it is possible to detect whether or not the blank disk 2A is reliably gripped and lifted by the gripping claws 101 to 103.

  If the blank disk 2A is not lifted, the process returns to step ST1 again, and the blank disk 2A is gripped and lifted again from the beginning. When the blank disk 2A is lifted, a high-speed continuous movement process is performed in which the transfer arm 55 is continuously lifted to a predetermined height position at a speed higher than the transfer arm ascending speed in the intermittent movement process (step S1). ST15).

  In this example, when the transport arm 55 is raised, it is first raised intermittently at a slow speed. As described above, the transport arm 55 is connected to the timing belt 64 that is a driving member of the lifting mechanism via the spring member 151. Even if the insertion stop positions of the gripping claws 101 to 103 by the disc detection mechanism 140 vary, the gripping claws 101 to 103 are inserted into the disc center hole 2c without damaging the disc 2A due to elastic deformation of the spring member 151. A state is formed in which the lower end surfaces 111a to 113a of the support pins 111 to 113 to which they are attached are in contact with the disk surface.

  In this state, the transfer arm 55 is pressed against the disk surface side by the spring force of the spring member 151. That is, the blank disc 2A is pressed against the lower blank disc 2A by the spring force of the spring member 151 from the upper side. In this state, when the gripping claws 101 to 103 are spread out, if the frictional force between the upper and lower blank discs 2A is larger than the force that pushes the gripping claws 101 to 103, the blank disc 2A is moved sideways. Cannot move in the direction. As a result, it may not be possible to form a state in which the inner peripheral surface 2d of the blank disc center hole 2c is reliably gripped from the inside by the three gripping claws 101 to 103.

  In particular, in this example, as shown in FIG. 9, the long gripping claws 101 and 102 are hooked on the inner peripheral surfaces of the two disks, and when these disks are pressed from above, There are cases where the gripping claws 101, 102 cannot be expanded by pushing in the lateral direction.

  In order to avoid such an adverse effect, in the gripping operation of this example, when the transport arm 55 is lifted, first, the operation of intermittently lifting is repeated. By repeating the operation of lifting and stopping the transfer arm 55 slightly, the force pressing the blank disc 2A is gradually relaxed. When the pressing force of the blank disk 2A is eased to some extent or when it is released, the blank disk 2A can be pushed out by the gripping claws 101 to 103 in the lateral direction. As a result, as described with reference to FIG. 9, the upper and lower blank discs 2 </ b> A are relatively slid by the gripping claws 101 to 103, and only the upper blank disc 2 </ b> A is securely gripped. . Since the blank disk 2A is securely gripped by this intermittent movement process, it is possible to avoid the adverse effects such as the blank disk 2A dropping while the blank disk 2A is being lifted.

(Specific examples of label printers)
12 and 13 are a perspective view showing a specific example of the label printer 5 and a plan view showing the printer tray 81 thereof. The configuration of the label printer 5 will be described with reference to these drawings.

  The label printer 5 includes a chassis 83, and a carriage guide shaft 84 is horizontally stretched between left and right side plate portions on the rear side of the chassis 83, and an inkjet head (not shown) is mounted along the carriage guide shaft 84. The head carriage 85 can be reciprocated in the left-right direction. The carriage driving mechanism is provided with a timing belt 86 that extends horizontally in the left-right direction and a carriage motor 87 for driving the timing belt 86.

  The ink jet head mounted on the head carriage 85 has a nozzle surface facing downward, and the printer tray 81 can reciprocate horizontally in the front-rear direction at the lower position of the ink jet head. The printer tray 81 has a right end supported by a guide shaft 88 extending horizontally in the front-rear direction, and a left end supported by a guide rail 89 extending horizontally in the front-rear direction in a slidable state. . The drive mechanism for the printer tray 81 is also provided with a timing belt 90 that extends horizontally in the front-rear direction and a tray motor 91 for driving the timing belt 90.

  The printer tray 81 is provided with a circular shallow recess 81a for placing the disk 2 on the upper surface of a rectangular plate. In addition, three vertical claws 92 to 94 arranged at intervals of 60 degrees on the same circle are provided at the center of the concave portion 81a. One vertical claw 94 is movable in the radial direction, and the remaining two vertical claws 92 and 93 are arranged at fixed positions. One vertical claw 94 is moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

  When the disc 2 is dropped into the concave portion 81a with the label surface 2a facing upward, as shown in FIG. 13, the three vertical claws 92 to 94 are inserted into the center hole 2c of the disc 2. . Thereafter, when the vertical claw 94 is slightly moved outward in the radial direction, the three vertical claws 92 to 94 are pressed against the inner peripheral surface 2d of the center hole 2c of the disk 2 from the inside. As a result, the disk 2 is held on the printer tray 81. In this state, the tray motor 91 is driven, and the printer tray 81 can be moved rearward along the guide shaft 88 to move into the print area of the inkjet head. Thereafter, predetermined printing can be performed on the printing surface of the disk 2 by the ink jet head.

  1 CD publisher, 2 discs, 2A blank disc, 2B created disc, 2c center hole, 2d inner peripheral surface, 3 disc storage unit, 4 disc drive, 5 label printer, 6 disc transport unit, 7 control unit, 8 host device , 11 First stacker (blank disc stacker), 12 Second stacker (prepared disc stacker), 13 Disc discharge port, 54 Vertical guide shaft, 55 Transport arm, 55a Arm base, 55b Arm case, 56 Motor, 64 Timing belt, 65 motor, 100 gripping mechanism, 101-103 gripping claw, 101a-103a pin, 101b-103b elastic cylinder, 111-113 support pin, 121-123 swivel plate, 131-133 swivel central axis, 140 disc detection mechanism 141 disc detecting lever, 141c detection plate, 142 disk detector, 142a detection area 151 spring member 152 belt clip, 152a upper surface, 152 b shaft hole, 153 top, 154 pivot.

Claims (3)

A gripping mechanism for a disk that grips the disk by inserting a plurality of gripping claws into the center hole of the disk to be gripped, expanding the gripping claws in the radial direction of the center hole, and pressing the gripping claws against the inner peripheral surface of the center hole In
A support part that supports the gripping member provided with the gripping claws so as to be movable in the direction opposite to the direction of insertion into the center hole of the disc;
And a gripping mechanism for the disc, wherein the gripping member is prevented from moving by the support portion. In claim 1,
An arm to which the gripping member is attached;
A moving mechanism for moving the arm in a direction in which the gripping claw is inserted into the center hole of the disk;
The disc gripping mechanism, wherein the support portion is disposed at least one of the gripping member and the arm and between the arm and the moving mechanism. In claim 2,
A disc detection mechanism for detecting the stop position of the gripping claw inserted into the center hole of the disc to be gripped;
A disc gripping mechanism, wherein the disc detection mechanism is mounted on the arm.

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