JP2014116042A - Medium processing system and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medium processing system which achieves stable medium transport control regardless of specifications of a medium drive.SOLUTION: A medium processing system includes: a medium transport mechanism 40 having a transport arm 42 for transporting a medium M; a medium drive 20 for performing reading/writing from/to the medium M; a drive information database 121 in which drive identification information assigned to each of medium drives and distance information of distances from a home position of the transport arm 42 to drive trays of respective medium drives are stored in association with one another; a drive identification information acquisition unit 123 which acquires the drive identification information from the medium drive 20; a distance information acquisition unit 124 which acquires the distance information from the drive information database 121 on the basis of the drive identification information; and a transport position information calculation unit 127 which calculates transport position information on the basis of the distance information. The medium transport mechanism 40 controls transport of the medium M on the basis of the calculated transport position information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a media processing system that transports media such as a CD and a DVD to a tray of a media drive and performs various processes on the transported media, and a control method for the media processing system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, media processing apparatuses that perform data reading / writing and label printing on media (optical disks) such as CDs and DVDs are known. In this type of media processing apparatus, the media stored in the media stacker is controlled by the media transport mechanism to be transported to the media drive to write the data, and the media on which the data has been written is transported to the label printer to be printed on the label surface. Printing is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-181676 A

  By the way, in the media processing apparatus as described above, there is a case where the media drive is replaced due to a failure or a life of the media drive. However, even if the external dimensions of the media drive are the same, the position of the drive tray with respect to the media drive may differ depending on the model number of the media drive, even if the manufacturer or the same manufacturer. For this reason, when the media drive is replaced, the tray position changes (in other words, the position where the media is picked up and released by the media transfer mechanism changes), and there is a problem that the media cannot be accurately transferred to the drive tray. .

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a media processing system and a control method for the media processing system that can realize stable media transport control regardless of the specifications of the media drive.

  A media processing system according to the present invention includes a media transport mechanism having a transport arm that grips and transports media, a media drive that reads and writes media, drive identification information assigned to each media drive, A drive information database that stores the distance information in the height direction from a predetermined home position to the drive tray of each media drive in association with each other, a drive identification information acquisition unit that acquires drive identification information from the media drive, and the acquired drive A distance information acquisition unit that acquires distance information from the drive information database based on the identification information; a conveyance position information calculation unit that calculates conveyance position information indicating a position where the media is picked up and released based on the acquired distance information; The media transport mechanism , And controlling the transport of the media based on the calculated transfer position information.

  A control method of a media processing system according to the present invention includes a media transport mechanism having a transport arm that grips and transports media, a media drive that reads and writes media, drive identification information assigned to each media drive, and transport A method of controlling a media processing system, comprising: a drive information database that stores information relating to a distance in a height direction from a predetermined home position of an arm to a drive tray of each media drive; A step of obtaining information, a step of obtaining distance information from the drive information database based on the obtained drive identification information, and calculating transport position information indicating a position where the media is picked up and released based on the obtained distance information. Step to do , Characterized by comprising the steps of: transporting the media by the media transportation mechanism based on the calculated transfer position information.

According to the configuration of the present invention, the distance information corresponding to the target media drive is acquired from the drive information database, and the transport position information (information indicating the media pickup and release position) calculated based on the acquired distance information Based on the above, media conveyance control is performed. Thus, when the media drive is replaced, even if the height of the drive tray relative to the media drive changes (in other words, the height of the position where the media is received and delivered (media delivery position) in the media drive) Even if it changes, the user can reliably grasp the media pick-up and release position with respect to the drive tray without performing complicated work. As a result, the media can be accurately conveyed to the drive tray, and stable media conveyance can be realized. .
The drive identification information may be any information that can identify the media drive, such as the model number of the media drive or the product name of the media drive.

  In the media processing system of the present invention, the media processing system further includes a measurement unit that measures a distance in the height direction from a predetermined home position of the transport arm to a drive tray of the media drive, and the measurement unit acquires the drive acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit If the identification information is not registered in the drive information database, the distance in the height direction from the home position to the drive tray is measured, and the transport position information calculation unit calculates the transport position information based on the measurement result by the measurement unit. It is preferable to do.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the medium is transported based on the actually measured value of the distance in the height direction from the home position of the transport arm to the drive tray of the media drive. As a result, for example, even when the media drive to be used is a new product and the corresponding drive identification information and distance information are not registered in the drive information database, the user can perform stable operations without performing complicated operations. Media transport can be realized.

  In the media processing system of the present invention, it is preferable that the media processing system further includes a drive information registration unit that associates the measurement result of the measurement unit with the drive identification information of the media drive that is the measurement target, and registers it in the drive information database.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the drive information database is automatically updated based on the measurement result of the measurement unit. This eliminates the need for the user to manually register (update) the drive identification information and distance information in the drive information database even when using a new media drive. Since forgetting etc. can be prevented, stable media conveyance can be realized.

  In the media processing system of the present invention, the media processing system includes at least a first device having a drive identification information acquisition unit, a distance information acquisition unit, and a transport position information calculation unit, and a second device having a drive information database, The first device includes a first storage unit that stores the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit and the distance information acquired from the drive information database based on the acquired drive identification information in association with each other, and the distance information When the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit matches the drive identification information stored in the first storage unit, the acquisition unit acquires distance information from the first storage unit. It is preferable to obtain distance information from the drive information database.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, each processing unit (drive identification information acquisition unit, distance information acquisition unit, and transport position information calculation unit) gives priority to the information in the local storage unit (first storage unit of the first device). Therefore, it is not necessary to access the drive information database existing in another device (second device) every time, and the processing speed can be improved. In particular, when the drive information database is in a server on the Internet, it is not necessary to access the database via the Internet every time, and the processing speed can be improved.

It is an external appearance perspective view when the door of the media processing apparatus of this embodiment is made into an open state. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of a media processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the distance sensor mechanism with which a conveyance arm is provided. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the media processing system of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining a media creation process. It is a flowchart explaining a media creation process. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the media processing system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the media processing system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the media processing system of 4th Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the media processing system of 5th Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a media processing system and a control method for the media processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an open / close door 3 of a media processing device 1 (disc publisher) that is a component of the media processing system of the present embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows an internal structure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the distance sensor mechanism 44 provided in the transfer arm 42.

  The media processing apparatus 1 reads and writes data from / to a disk-shaped medium M (information recording medium) such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a BD (Blu-ray Disk), and the label of the medium M It is a device that prints label images (characters, figures, images, etc.) on its surface, and includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 2. Opening and closing doors 3 and 4 that can be opened and closed left and right are attached to the front surface of the housing 2, and a display unit 5 that indicates various states of the media processing device 1 is provided at the upper left end of the housing 2. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the open / close door 3 opens and closes when the medium M is set in the media processing apparatus 1 or removed from the media processing apparatus 1. On the other hand, the opening / closing door 4 opens and closes when the ink cartridge 31 of the label printer 30 shown in FIG. 2 is replaced. The display unit 5 notifies the media processing apparatus 1 of the power ON / OFF state, the ink remaining amount state of the ink cartridge 31, the state of media creation processing (processing in progress / error occurrence), and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of media stackers 10 (in the present embodiment, the first media stacker 11, the second media stacker 12, and the third media stacker 13 are illustrated) inside the media processing apparatus 1. And a plurality of media drives 20 (two are exemplified in this embodiment), a label printer 30, and a media transport mechanism 40 (autoloader).

  The first media stacker 11 and the second media stacker 12 are configured to be detachable at predetermined positions of the media processing apparatus 1, and each can store several tens (for example, about 50) media M. On the other hand, the third media stacker 13 is a recess formed in a drawer tray 14 slidably attached to the lower front portion of the media processing apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1), and a small amount (for example, about 5 sheets) of media M Used for storage. In addition, a separate media stacker 15 (see FIG. 2) can be attached to and detached from the third media stacker 13, whereby several tens (for example, about 50) media M can be accommodated. .

  Each of these media stackers 11, 12, and 13 includes a supply stacker that stores unused media M, a discharge stacker that stores media M that has been subjected to data writing processing, printing processing, and the like, data writing processing, It is used as an error media discharge stacker that discharges media M in which an error has occurred in a printing process or the like. This assignment can be changed as appropriate according to user settings.

  The label printer 30 has a printer tray 32 on which the medium M is placed and an ink jet printing mechanism (not shown) that performs printing on the label surface of the medium M, and the label surface of the medium M conveyed to the printer tray 32. In response, the label image specified by the user is printed.

  The media drive 20 executes a data writing process for writing data on the recording surface (data recording layer) of the medium M and a data reading process for reading data written on the medium M. Each media drive 20 includes a drive main body 21 and a drive tray 22. The drive tray 22 is provided so as to be freely drawable (can be moved back and forth) in the drive main body 21 and moves between a data recording position where data is read from and written to the medium M and a medium delivery position where the medium M is received and delivered. . The drive tray 22 is formed with a substantially circular concave media placement surface 23 on which the media M is placed.

  Each media drive 20 is configured to be detachable by being inserted into or pulled out from a drive bay (not shown) provided in the media processing device 1. A drive stay (drive rail) (not shown) that functions as a guide when the media drive 20 is mounted in the drive bay is attached to the side surface of each media drive 20, and can be mounted at a fixed position in the drive bay. It has become.

  The media transport mechanism 40 can be moved up and down along the vertical guide shaft 41 by driving a vertical guide shaft 41 vertically provided between the main body frame 51 and the top plate 53 of the chassis 52 and a drive motor (not shown). In addition, it has a transport arm 42 that can pivot left and right about the vertical guide shaft 41.

  The transfer arm 42 is capable of turning in the direction indicated by the arrow 45 in FIG. 2 and moving up and down in the direction indicated by the arrow 46. Then, the transport arm 42 combines these turning and raising / lowering operations, and each media stacker 11, 12, 13 and each media drive 20 (drive tray 22) with reference to a predetermined home position (standby position). The media M is transported by moving between the media delivery position and the media delivery position of the label printer 30 (printer tray 32).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the transport arm 42 is a distance sensor mechanism 44 for measuring the distance between the grip portion 43 that grips the medium M and the drive tray 22 (media placement surface 23) of the media drive 20. And have. The gripping portion 43 includes three columnar holding claws 43a to 43c arranged at equal intervals in the same circle. The medium M is held in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the center hole of the medium M by being pushed outward.

  The distance sensor mechanism 44 includes a lever main body 71a whose rear end 71c is supported around a horizontal axis and whose front end is swingable up and down, and a detection terminal portion where the front end of the lever main body 71a is bent downward and protrudes downward. This is a contact-type sensor mechanism that includes a detection lever 71 having a contact portion 71b as a transmission optical sensor 72 and a transmissive optical sensor 72 provided on the side of the detection lever 71.

  FIG. 3A shows a state where the contact portion 71b of the detection lever 71 is not in contact with an object, for example, a state where the transport arm 42 is at the home position. In this case, the abutting portion 71b is in a state of projecting a predetermined length on the side that holds the medium M (lower side in the figure), and a detection plate (not shown) on the side surface in the vicinity of the distal end side of the lever body 71a. Since the sensor 72 is located within the detection region of the sensor 72 and blocks the sensor light (detection light), the detection signal of the sensor 72 is turned off. From this state, when the transport arm 42 descends and the media placement surface 23 of the drive tray 22 contacts the contact portion 71b at the tip of the detection lever 71, the detection lever 71 swings upward and the detection lever 71 is moved. The detection plate is removed from the detection region of the sensor 72, and the detection signal of the sensor 72 is switched on (see FIG. 3B). That is, the distance from the home position of the transport arm 42 to the media placement surface 23 can be measured by lowering the transport arm 42 from the home position to a position where the detection signal of the sensor 72 is turned on.

  Next, the functional configuration of the media processing system SY to which the above-described media processing device 1 is applied will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the media processing system SY includes a media processing device 1 and an information processing device 100 that is communicably connected to the media processing device 1.

  The information processing apparatus 100 includes, as main components, a media creation application 111, a data storage unit 112, a conveyance processing control unit 113, a recording processing control unit 114, a printing processing control unit 115, a communication unit 116, and a general component. It has a hardware configuration mounted on the computer. These units execute various processes under the control of a CPU (not shown) of the information processing apparatus 100.

  The media creation application 111 is a user who creates and designates data necessary for media creation processing by the media processing apparatus 1 (designation of data to be written on the recording surface of the media M and creation and designation of a label image to be printed on the label surface). In addition to providing an interface, a series of processes related to media creation are scheduled, and the conveyance process control unit 113, the recording process control unit 114, and the print process control unit 115 are instructed to execute the process.

  The data storage unit 112 stores recording data to be written on the recording surface of the medium M and a label image to be printed on the label surface of the medium M. The communication unit 116 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various data and various commands to and from the media processing device 1.

  The conveyance processing control unit 113 includes a drive information database (drive information DB) 121, a conveyance command issuing unit 122, a drive identification information acquisition unit 123, a distance information acquisition unit 124, a measurement processing request unit 125, a drive information registration unit 126, a conveyance position. An information calculation unit 127 and a conveyance position information transmission unit 128 are included.

  The drive information database 121 is assigned to each media drive, and includes drive identification information (such as a media drive model number and product name) for identifying the media drive, and the media in the drive tray of the media drive from the home position of the transport arm 42. The distance information in the height direction to the mounting surface (hereinafter referred to as “drive distance information”) is stored in association with each other. Note that the drive identification information and the drive distance information are information registered in advance by the provider of the media processing system SY and the like, and various media drives sold in general (can be mounted (installable) on the media processing apparatus 1). Information regarding various media drives) is registered. In addition, as the drive distance information, the number of steps of the drive motor necessary for lowering the transport arm 42 from the home position to the medium placement surface of the drive tray is registered.

  The transport command issuing unit 122 generates a media transport command in a format that can be processed by the media transport mechanism 40 in accordance with the media creation instruction from the media creation application 111, and transmits this to the media transport mechanism 40.

  The drive identification information acquisition unit 123 acquires drive identification information stored in the memory 142 of the media drive 20 attached to the media processing device 1.

  The distance information acquisition unit 124 accesses the drive information database 121 and acquires drive distance information corresponding to the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit 123 (using the acquired drive identification information as a key, the drive information database 121 Get drive distance information from).

  The measurement processing request unit 125 performs a measurement process of the distance from the home position of the transport arm 42 to the media placement surface 23 formed on the drive tray 22 of the media drive 20 with respect to the media transport mechanism 40 (measurement unit 154). The measurement result (distance information (drive distance information) from the home position of the transport arm 42 to the media placement surface 23) is acquired from the media transport mechanism 40. In the measurement processing request, when the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit 123 is not registered in the drive information database 121, in other words, the corresponding drive distance information is obtained from the drive information database 121 by the distance information acquisition unit 124. Execute if it cannot be obtained.

  The drive information registration unit 126 associates the measurement result (drive distance information) obtained as a response to the measurement processing request of the measurement processing request unit 125 with the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit 123, and drives information database 121 is registered. That is, information regarding the media drive 20 attached to the media processing device 1 is newly registered in the drive information database 121 and the drive information database 121 is automatically updated.

  Based on the drive distance information (number of steps of the drive motor) acquired by the distance information acquisition unit 124 or the measurement processing request unit 125, the transfer position information calculation unit 127 transfers the transfer arm 42 to the drive tray 22 at the media delivery position. Calculates information indicating a position where the medium M is picked up and released (hereinafter, this information is referred to as “conveying position information”). The transport position information is information indicating the pickup and release positions with reference to the home position of the transport arm 42, and is calculated as the number of steps of the drive motor that drives the transport arm 42. Specifically, from the drive distance information (number of steps of the drive motor) acquired by the distance information acquisition unit 124 or the measurement processing request unit 125, the number of steps of the drive motor corresponding to the thickness of the medium M (the transfer arm 42 is the medium). A value (number of steps) obtained by subtracting the number of steps of the drive motor necessary to move the distance corresponding to the thickness of M is the conveyance position information. Since the thickness of the medium M is constant, the number of steps of the drive motor corresponding to the thickness of the medium M is stored in the information processing apparatus 100 in advance. The conveyance position information transmission unit 128 transmits the conveyance position information calculated by the conveyance position information calculation unit 127 to the media conveyance mechanism 40.

  The recording processing control unit 114 generates a write command in a format that can be processed by the media drive 20 in accordance with the media creation instruction from the media creation application 111, and the media drive together with the recording data designated by the media creation application 111. 20 to send.

  The print processing control unit 115 includes a print data generation unit 131 and a print command issue unit 132. The print data generation unit 131 generates print data and a print command in a format that can be processed by the label printer 30 in accordance with a media creation instruction from the media creation application 111. The print command issuing unit 132 transmits the print data generated by the print data generating unit 131 and the print command to the label printer 30.

  On the other hand, the media processing apparatus 1 includes a media drive 20, a label printer 30, and a media transport mechanism 40 as main components. In the present embodiment, the media drive 20, the label printer 30, and the media transport mechanism 40 each function as a USB device, and can communicate with the information processing apparatus 100 via the USB hub 61 for connecting a plurality of USB devices. It is connected to the.

  The media drive 20 includes a recording control unit 141, a memory 142, and a communication unit 143. The memory 142 stores its own drive identification information. Note that the drive identification information is stored in advance by the manufacturer or the provider of the media drive 20.

  The communication unit 143 is an interface that receives a data write command, a data read command, recording data, and the like transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100 and transmits drive identification information to the information processing apparatus 100 via the USB hub 61. is there.

  The recording control unit 141 controls a pick-up lens (not shown), a spindle motor, and the like based on various commands received from the information processing apparatus 100, and the medium M placed on the drive tray 22 (medium placement surface 23). Write data to the recording surface and read data recorded on the recording surface. Further, the recording control unit 141 has a drive identification information transmission unit 144, and in response to a request from the information processing apparatus 100 (drive identification information acquisition unit 123), the drive identification information stored in the memory 142 is stored. Read and transmit this to the information processing apparatus 100.

  The label printer 30 includes a print control unit 161 and a communication unit 162. The communication unit 162 is an interface that receives a print command, print data, and the like transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100 via the USB hub 61. The print control unit 161 controls the driving of a printing mechanism including a print head (not shown), a carriage, and the like based on the print command and print data received from the information processing apparatus 100, and prints on the label surface of the medium M. Do.

  The media transport mechanism 40 includes a transport control unit 151, a memory 152, a communication unit 153, and a measurement unit 154. The communication unit 153 is an interface that transmits / receives a media conveyance command, a measurement processing request, conveyance position information regarding each media drive 20, and the like transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100 via the USB hub 61.

  The transport control unit 151 controls driving of the transport arm 42 (drive motor), the gripping unit 43, and the like based on the media transport command transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100, and transports the medium M to a predetermined position. In addition, the transport control unit 151 includes a transport position information acquisition unit 155 that acquires transport position information regarding each media drive 20 from the information processing apparatus 100 and stores the acquired information in the memory 152. As described above, the transport position information is information for specifying the pick-up and release position of the medium M with respect to each media drive 20, and the transport control unit 151 performs the pick-up operation and release of the medium M with respect to each media drive 20. When the operation is performed, drive control of the transfer arm 42 is performed based on the transfer position information stored in the memory 152.

  The measurement unit 154 measures the distance from the home position of the transport arm 42 to the media placement surface 23 of the drive tray 22 based on the measurement processing request from the information processing apparatus 100 (measurement processing request unit 125). Specifically, the distance sensor mechanism 44 (sensor 72) of the transport arm 42 is detected from the home position with the transport arm 42 moved to the home position and the drive tray 22 of the media drive 20 moved to the media delivery position. From the home position to the media placement surface 23 by lowering the transport arm 42 until the signal is turned on (by lowering the contact arm 71b at the tip of the detection lever 71 until it contacts the media placement surface 23). , That is, the number of steps of the drive motor necessary for moving the transfer arm 42 from the home position to the media placement surface 23. Further, the measurement result (drive distance information (number of steps of the drive motor)) is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 100.

  Note that, when the transport arm 42 is lowered from the home position, the measuring unit 154 starts the lowering operation after turning the transport arm 42 by a predetermined angle. This is because the media placement surface 23 (drive tray 22) is open near the center (since there is a hole near the center), and when it is lowered without turning, the contact portion 71b of the distance sensor mechanism 44 is This is to avoid this because the measurement cannot be performed without contacting the media placement surface 23. In addition, the measurement unit 154 may execute the measurement process only once, and the measurement result may be used as drive distance information, or the measurement process may be executed a plurality of times to drive the average value, maximum value, or minimum value of the measurement result. It may be distance information.

  Next, the procedure of media creation processing in the media processing system SY will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, when the information processing apparatus 100 is activated, the information processing apparatus 100 transmits an acquisition request for drive identification information to each media drive 20 of the media processing apparatus 1 (S01). Upon receiving an acquisition request from the information processing apparatus 100 (S02), each media drive 20 of the media processing apparatus 1 reads the drive identification information stored in its own memory 142 and transmits it to the information processing apparatus 100. (S03).

  When receiving the drive identification information from each media drive 20 (S04), the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether or not the received drive identification information is registered in the drive information database 121. When the corresponding drive identification information is registered in the drive information database 121 (S05; Yes), the information processing apparatus 100 acquires drive distance information associated with the drive identification information from the drive information database 121 (S06). Based on the acquired drive distance information, the transport position information of the media M for each media drive 20 is calculated (S07). Then, the information processing apparatus 100 transmits the calculated transport position information to the media transport mechanism 40 of the media processing apparatus 1 (S08).

  On the other hand, when the corresponding drive identification information is not registered in the drive information database 121 (S05; No), the information processing apparatus 100 transmits a measurement processing request to the media transport mechanism 40 (S09). When receiving the measurement processing request from the information processing apparatus 100 (S10), the media transport mechanism 40 drives the transport arm 42 so that the transport arm 42 moves from the home position to the media placement surface 23 of the drive tray 22. The number of steps of the drive motor necessary for the measurement (that is, the distance from the home point to the media placement surface 23) is measured (S11). Then, the measurement result (drive distance information) is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 100 (S12).

  The information processing apparatus 100 acquires drive distance information as a measurement result from the media transport mechanism 40 (S13), and calculates transport position information of the medium M with respect to the media drive 20 based on the acquired drive distance information (S07). Then, the information processing apparatus 100 transmits the calculated transport position information to the media transport mechanism 40 of the media processing apparatus 1 (S08). Further, the information processing apparatus 100 associates the drive distance information acquired from the media transport mechanism 40 in the process of S13 and the drive identification information acquired from the media drive 20 in the process of S04 and registers them in the drive information database 121 (S14). ). The media transport mechanism 40 receives transport position information from the information processing apparatus 100 (S15) and stores it in its own memory 152 (S16).

  Next, when the information processing apparatus 100 receives a media creation instruction from the media creation application 111 by a user operation, the information processing apparatus 100 generates a media transport instruction to transport the unused media M to the media drive 20 according to the media creation instruction. Then, it is transmitted to the media transport mechanism 40 (S17).

  The media transport mechanism 40 picks up unused media M stored in a predetermined media stacker 10 (for example, the first media stacker 11) based on the received media transport command, and transports it to the media drive 20. . When transporting to the media drive 20, the media transport mechanism 40 controls the transport arm 42 (drive motor) based on the transport position information stored in the process of S 16, and loads the medium M to the media drive 20 at the media delivery position. Release (S18).

  Next, when the transport of the medium M to the media drive 20 is completed by the media transport mechanism 40, the information processing apparatus 100 generates a data write command according to the media creation instruction from the media creation application 111, and the target recording The data is transmitted to the media drive 20 together with the data (S19). The media drive 20 performs data write processing based on the received data write command (S20).

  Next, when the data writing process in the media drive 20 is completed, the information processing apparatus 100 generates a media transport command for transporting the media M from the media drive 20 to the label printer 30 and transmits the media transport command to the media transport mechanism 40. (S21).

  The media transport mechanism 40 transports the media M from the media drive 20 to the label printer 30 based on the received media transport command. At this time, the media transport mechanism 40 controls the transport arm 42 (drive motor) based on the transport position information stored in the process of S16, and picks up the medium M from the media drive 20 at the media delivery position. And this is conveyed to the label printer 30 (S22).

  Next, when the transport of the medium M to the label printer 30 is completed by the media transport mechanism 40, the information processing apparatus 100 generates a print command in accordance with the media creation instruction from the media creation application 111, and the label printer 30 together with the print data. (S23). The label printer 30 executes printing on the label surface of the medium M based on the received print command and print data (S24).

  Next, when the printing process in the label printer 30 is completed, the information processing apparatus 100 generates a media transport instruction for transporting the media M from the label printer 30 to a predetermined media stacker 10 (for example, the second media stacker 12). Then, it is transmitted to the media transport mechanism 40 (S25). The media transport mechanism 40 transports the media M from the label printer 30 to the second media stacker 12 based on the received media transport command (S26).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the drive distance information corresponding to the target media drive 20 is acquired from the drive information database 121, and the transport position information (media M) calculated based on the acquired drive distance information is acquired. Information on the pickup and release positions of the media M) is controlled. Thereby, when the media drive 20 is replaced, even if the height position of the drive tray 22 with respect to the media drive 20 changes (in other words, even if the height of the media delivery position in the media drive 20 changes), the user However, it is possible to reliably grasp the pickup and release position of the medium M with respect to the drive tray 22 without performing complicated operations. As a result, the medium M can be accurately conveyed to the drive tray 22 and stable medium conveyance can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, the drive distance information registered in the drive information database 121 is the number of steps of the drive motor for the transport arm 42 to move from the home point to the medium placement surface 23, and the transport position information calculation unit 127 The transport position information is calculated by subtracting the number of steps of the drive motor corresponding to the thickness of the medium M from the number of steps, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as the drive distance information registered in the drive information database 121, the number of steps of the drive motor corresponding to the thickness of the medium M is calculated from the number of steps of the drive motor for the transfer arm 42 to move from the home point to the medium placement surface 23. The number of subtracted steps may be registered. Further, in the measurement unit 154, the number of steps of the drive motor corresponding to the thickness of the medium M is subtracted from the number of steps of the drive motor for the actually measured transport arm 42 to move from the home point to the medium placement surface 23. The result may be transmitted to the information processing apparatus 100 as a measurement result (drive distance information). In this case, since the drive distance information registered in the drive information database 121 and the drive distance information as a measurement result by the measurement unit 154 are the same as the conveyance position information, the conveyance position information calculation unit 127 in this embodiment is unnecessary. It becomes.

  In this embodiment, the drive distance information is defined as the number of steps. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the drive distance information may be defined as length information expressed in mm or cm.

  In this embodiment, the distance from the home point to the media placement surface 23 is measured by the contact-type distance sensor mechanism 44. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any method can be used as long as the distance can be measured. Does not matter. For example, the distance may be measured by a non-contact sensor mechanism using a laser or the like.

  Further, as drive distance information, not only the distance in the height direction (distance in the Z direction) of the drive tray 22 (media placement surface 23) from the home point, but also distance information in the forward / backward direction (X direction) of the drive tray 22; Further, distance information in a direction perpendicular to the advance / retreat direction (Y direction when the advance / retreat direction is the X direction) in the medium placement surface 23 may be included.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, the information processing apparatus 100 includes the drive information database 121. However, in the present embodiment, the media processing apparatus 1 includes the drive information database 121. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the modification applied about the component similar to 1st Embodiment is applied similarly about this embodiment.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a media processing system SY according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the drive information database 121 in the information processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment is provided in the media transport mechanism 40 of the media processing apparatus 1. In addition, the information processing apparatus 100 includes a drive information storage unit 129. That is, in the second embodiment, the “first device” corresponds to the information processing device 100, and the “second device” corresponds to the media processing device 1. The “first storage unit” corresponds to the drive information storage unit 129 of the information processing apparatus 100.

  The drive information storage unit 129 of the information processing apparatus 100 stores the drive distance information acquired by the distance information acquisition unit 124 or the measurement processing request unit 125 and the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit 123 in association with each other. That is, the acquired drive identification information and drive distance information are stored in a local storage unit of an apparatus (here, the information processing apparatus 100) in which the conveyance processing control unit 113 exists.

  By providing the drive information storage unit 129, the information processing apparatus 100 first acquires the drive identification information from the drive information storage unit 129 by the drive identification information acquisition unit 123 before accessing the drive information database 121 when acquiring the drive distance information. It is determined whether or not drive identification information exists, and if it exists, drive distance information is acquired from the drive information storage unit 129. On the other hand, if there is no corresponding drive identification information in the drive information storage unit 129, the drive distance information is obtained by accessing the drive information database 121 of the media transport mechanism 40. Thereby, every time the information processing apparatus 100 is activated, access to the drive information database 121 in another apparatus (media processing apparatus 1) can be suppressed, so that the processing speed can be improved.

  As described above, the present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the drive information database 121 is provided on the media processing device 1 side and the conveyance processing control unit 113 is provided on the information processing device 100 side.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, the information processing apparatus 100 includes the drive information database 121. However, in the present embodiment, the server (management server 200) on the Internet NT1 includes the drive information database 121. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Moreover, the modification applied about the component similar to 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment is applied similarly also about this embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of a media processing system SY according to the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the management server 200 connected to the information processing apparatus 100 via the Internet NT1 includes the drive information database 121 in the information processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. The management server 200 has a hardware configuration mounted on a general computer. In addition, the information processing apparatus 100 includes a drive information storage unit 129 (first storage unit). That is, in the third embodiment, the “first device” corresponds to the information processing device 100, and the “second device” corresponds to the management server 200. In the third embodiment, the media processing system includes the information processing apparatus 100, the media processing apparatus 1, and the management server 200 as main parts.

  In this configuration, by providing the information processing apparatus 100 with the drive information storage unit 129, every time the information processing apparatus 100 is activated, the drive information database 121 in the management server 200 is accessed via the Internet NT1. Therefore, the processing speed can be improved. Further, by providing the management server 200 on the Internet NT1 with the drive information database 121, it is possible to centrally manage and provide information on media drives.

  In this manner, the drive information database 121 is provided in the management server 200 on the Internet NT1, and the information processing apparatus 100 (distance information acquisition unit 124 and drive information registration unit 126) accesses the drive information database 121 via the Internet NT1. The present invention can also be applied to the configuration.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, one information processing apparatus 100 and the media processing apparatus 1 are directly connected. In the fourth embodiment, the media processing apparatus 400 and a plurality of information processing apparatuses 300 ( In FIG. 9, three are illustrated) are connected via a network NT2 (LAN). Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment to the third embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The modification applied to the same components as those in the first to third embodiments is similarly applied to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of a media processing system SY according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, only the media creation application 111 is installed in each information processing apparatus 300, and the conveyance processing control unit 113, the recording processing control unit 114, and the print processing control are installed on the media processing apparatus 400 side. A controller 401 (integrated control unit) including the unit 115 is provided. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the media processing system includes the media processing device 400 as a main part.

  In this configuration, the controller 401 of the media processing device 400 acquires drive identification information from the media drive 20, and acquires drive distance information corresponding to the acquired drive identification information from the drive information database 121. Then, the transport position information is calculated based on the acquired drive distance information, and processing for transmitting this information to the media transport mechanism 40 is performed. Further, in accordance with the media creation instruction transmitted from the media creation application 111 of each information processing apparatus 300, the controller 401 performs various commands (media transport command, data write command, print command), various data such as print data and record data. Data creation / acquisition is performed, and various commands and various data are transmitted to each device (the media drive 20, the label printer 30, and the media transport mechanism 40) to perform media creation processing. In the present embodiment, the controller 401 includes the drive information database 121, but the media transport mechanism 40 may be configured.

  As described above, the controller 401 that performs integrated control of the media drive 20, the label printer 30, and the media transport mechanism 40 is provided on the media processing apparatus 400 side, and only the media creation application 111 is installed in the information processing apparatus 300 (media creation The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which only an application for providing a user interface is installed.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the fourth embodiment, the media processing apparatus 400 includes the drive information database 121. However, in the present embodiment, the server (management server 200) on the Internet NT1 includes the drive information database 121. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first to fourth embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The modification applied to the same components as those in the first to fourth embodiments is similarly applied to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a media processing system SY according to the fifth embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, the management server 200 connected to the media processing device 400 via the Internet NT1 includes the drive information database 121 in the media processing device 400 of the fourth embodiment. The management server 200 has a hardware configuration mounted on a general computer. In addition, the media processing device 400 includes a drive information storage unit 129 (first storage unit). That is, in the fifth embodiment, the “first device” corresponds to the media processing device 400, and the “second device” corresponds to the management server 200. In the fifth embodiment, the media processing system includes the media processing device 400 and the management server 200 as main parts.

  As described above, the media processing device 400 includes the controller 401 that integrally controls the media drive 20, the label printer 30, and the media transport mechanism 40, the management server 200 on the Internet NT1 includes the drive information database 121, and the media processing device 400 ( The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the distance information acquisition unit 124 and the drive information registration unit 126) access the drive information database 121 via the Internet NT1.

  It is also possible to provide each component of the media processing system SY shown in the above five embodiments as a program. It is also possible to provide the program stored in a storage medium (not shown). As the recording medium, a CD-ROM, a flash ROM, a memory card (compact flash (registered trademark), smart media, memory stick, etc.), a compact disk, a magneto-optical disk, a digital versatile disk, a flexible disk, and the like can be used.

  In addition, the apparatus configuration and processing steps of the media processing system SY can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention, regardless of the above five embodiments.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,400 ... Media processing apparatus 100, 300 ... Information processing apparatus 200 ... Management server 20 ... Media drive 22 ... Drive tray 23 ... Media mounting surface 40 ... Media conveyance mechanism 42 ... Conveyance arm 121 ... Drive information database 123 ... Drive identification Information acquisition unit 124 ... Distance information acquisition unit 126 ... Drive information registration unit 127 ... Conveyance position information calculation unit 129 ... Drive information storage unit 154 ... Measurement unit M ... Media SY ... Media processing system

Claims (5)

A media transport mechanism having a transport arm for gripping and transporting media;
A media drive for reading from and writing to the media;
A drive information database for storing drive identification information assigned to each media drive and distance information in a height direction from a predetermined home position of the transfer arm to a drive tray of each of the media drives;
A drive identification information acquisition unit for acquiring drive identification information from the media drive;
A distance information acquisition unit that acquires the distance information from the drive information database based on the acquired drive identification information;
A transport position information calculation unit that calculates transport position information indicating a position where the media is picked up and released based on the acquired distance information, and
The media transport mechanism is
A media processing system that controls conveyance of the media based on the calculated conveyance position information. A measuring unit for measuring a distance in a height direction from a predetermined home position of the transfer arm to a drive tray of the media drive;
The measuring unit is
If the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit is not registered in the drive information database, measure the distance in the height direction from the home position to the drive tray,
The transport position information calculation unit
The media processing system according to claim 1, wherein the transport position information is calculated based on a measurement result by the measurement unit.   The drive information registration unit for registering the measurement result by the measurement unit and the drive identification information of the media drive that is the measurement target in association with each other. The media processing system described in 1. The media processing system includes at least a first device having the drive identification information acquisition unit, the distance information acquisition unit, and the transport position information calculation unit, and a second device having the drive information database,
The first device includes:
A first storage unit that stores the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit in association with the distance information acquired from the drive information database based on the acquired drive identification information;
The distance information acquisition unit
When the drive identification information acquired by the drive identification information acquisition unit matches the drive identification information stored in the first storage unit, the distance information is acquired from the first storage unit. The media processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the distance information is acquired from the drive information database. A media transport mechanism having a transport arm for gripping and transporting media, a media drive for reading and writing to the media, drive identification information assigned to each media drive, and each home position from a predetermined home position of the transport arm A method for controlling a media processing system, comprising: a drive information database for storing distance information in a height direction to a drive tray of a media drive;
Obtaining drive identification information from the media drive;
Obtaining the distance information from the drive information database based on the obtained drive identification information;
Calculating transport position information indicating a position where the media is picked up and released based on the acquired distance information;
And a step of transporting the medium by the media transport mechanism based on the calculated transport position information.

Images