JP3211313B2 - Cassette autochanger - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette for performing continuous recording and / or reproduction over a long period of time while automatically exchanging various cassettes containing a tape-shaped recording medium or a disk-shaped recording medium. It is about an autochanger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention has disclosed a cassette autochanger for a television broadcasting station which performs continuous video playback and recording / editing for a long time while exchanging a plurality of cassettes. One in which the cassette is sandwiched between a pair of cassette holding claws in the thickness direction and is taken in and out of the storage shelf and the recording / reproducing apparatus (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 3-156382), An application in which a bar code displayed on the side of the cassette is read by a bar code reader provided in the transporter when the data is loaded (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-91367) has been filed.

[0003]

However, the former cannot read bar codes displayed on a plurality of cassettes stored in a plurality of storage shelves at all. The latter is
This is a method in which a plurality of cassettes stored in a plurality of storage shelves are loaded one by one into a transporter, and the barcode of the cassette is read by a barcode reader in the transporter. Had the problem of taking a considerable amount of time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and is a cassette in which bar codes of a plurality of cassettes stored in a plurality of storage shelves can be sequentially and directly read.・ The purpose is to provide an autochanger.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cassette autochanger according to the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a plurality of cassettes accommodating a recording medium, a plurality of storage shelves accommodating the plurality of cassettes, and selectively recording and / or reproducing the plurality of cassettes A cassette / automatic changer comprising: a recording / reproducing apparatus for performing the above-described operation, and a transporter for selectively transporting the plurality of cassettes between the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing apparatus; A bar code is displayed on the end face of the cassette on the side of the transporter, and the cassette is configured to be movable in a direction of inserting and removing the cassette with respect to the storage shelf and the recording / reproducing apparatus and a direction orthogonal to the cassette shelf. A hand block for loading / unloading the recording / reproducing apparatus is mounted on the transporter, and a bar code reader for scanning and reading bar codes of the plurality of cassettes is provided. It mounted on command block, the conveyor
Along the front of the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device.
Transport unit that is raised and lowered in the vertical direction, and the transport unit body
Water above the storage shelf and the front of the recording / reproducing device
And a slider that is moved linearly in a flat direction.
It is rotatably mounted on a slider and rotates in a horizontal plane.
Provide a rotating arm that is driven to rotate, and
Attach to the tip of the above rotating arm so that it can rotate freely in the horizontal plane
The rotational movement of the rotary arm and the straight line of the slider
Move the above hand block by the combined motion
Maintained a parallel attitude to the shelf and the above recording / reproducing device
The cassettes for these storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device.
It is provided with a mechanism for performing a linear movement in the loading / unloading direction . As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, a plurality of cassettes accommodating a recording medium, a plurality of storage shelves accommodating the plurality of cassettes, and selectively recording and / or storing the plurality of cassettes are provided. A cassette autochanger comprising: a recording / reproducing device for performing reproduction; and a transporter for selectively transporting the plurality of cassettes between the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device. and the end surface of the conveyor side of said plurality of cassettes to display the bar code, the bar code scanner to read at each position the entire area of each bar code of the plurality of cassettes mounted on the hand block of the transporting machine, the The transfer machine is
Number of storage shelves and a vertical direction along the front of the recording / reproducing device.
The transporter body that is raised and lowered in the direction
In the horizontal direction parallel to the storage shelf and the front of the recording / reproducing device
A slider that is moved linearly;
To be rotatable and driven in a horizontal plane.
Provide a rotating arm to rotate the hand block
Attach freely to the end of the arm in a horizontal plane
The sum of the rotational movement of the rotating arm and the linear movement of the slider
The hand block is moved to the storage shelf and
While keeping the attitude parallel to the recording / reproducing device,
Cassettes to and from these storage shelves and recording and playback devices
A mechanism for linearly moving in the direction is provided .

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a bar code reader is provided on a plurality of cassettes stored in a plurality of storage shelves by a hand block mounted on a carrier. Therefore, the bar codes of the plurality of cassettes can be directly and sequentially read. Only
Also rotate on the slider that is moved in the horizontal direction of the transporter.
The hand block is rotatable in a horizontal plane
The rotary motion of the rotary arm and the linear movement of the slider.
A bar code reader is mounted by combining movement with movement
Hand block parallel to storage shelf and recording / reproducing device
To the storage shelf and recording / reproducing device
So that it moves linearly in the cassette
The hand block is set horizontally and the cassette is taken out.
It can be moved quickly in the insertion direction. Claim 2
Can move the barcode scanner sequentially and continuously to a fixed position for each barcode of a plurality of cassettes stored in a plurality of storage shelves by a hand block mounted on the transporter, so that the plurality of cassettes can be moved. Barcodes can be read directly sequentially and sequentially. . I
Rotate on a slider that is moved in the horizontal direction of the transporter
The hand block can be freely rotated in the horizontal plane via the arm
Attach, rotate the rotary arm and move the slider straight
A barcode scanner is installed by combining movement with movement
Hand block to storage shelf and recording / reproducing device
These storage shelves and recording and playback
Linear movement in the cassette loading / unloading direction
The hand block horizontally and cassette.
It can be moved quickly in and out direction.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic changer for a video cassette for a television broadcasting station will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0008]

[Outline of Cassette Autochanger] First, the outline of the cassette autochanger will be described with reference to FIGS.

The front of a cassette / autochanger main body (hereinafter simply referred to as main body) 1 is opened by a pair of front and rear, a total of four columns 2a and 2b, and an exterior 3 covering both left and right side surfaces and a back surface. It is constituted by a vertically long housing, and an opening / closing door 4 is attached to the front. A pair of front and rear mounting frames 5a and 5b are vertically disposed between the front and rear columns 2a and 2b.

A plurality of upper and lower storage shelves 6a to 6d are stored in the upper part of the main body 1, and a plurality of upper and lower VTRs 7a and 7b as recording / reproducing devices are stored in the lower part. . The storage shelves 6a to 6d are provided with a plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d each of which can store a plurality of types of video cassettes having different tape recording formats and sizes.
In this cassette autochanger, for example, an 8 mm cassette 9a in which the recording format of a magnetic tape as a recording medium is different from each other, an S size (small size),
Three types of digital cassettes 9b, 9c and 9d of M size (medium size) and L size (large size) (hereinafter simply referred to as S, M and L size cassettes) are unitized into a plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d by type. Mixed. The 8 mm cassette 9a has a smaller outer diameter and a smaller thickness than the S size cassette 9b. Then, the S, M, L size cassette 9
b, 9c, and 9d have the same thickness and are formed in three types of outer diameters. In addition, VTRs 7a, 7
As b, for example, S, M, L size cassettes 9b, 9
A digital VTR 7a capable of selectively recording and / or reproducing c and 9d, and an 8 mm VTR 7b for recording and / or reproducing an 8 mm cassette 9a are mixedly mounted.

Then, a plurality of storage shelf units 6a to 6d
The front surfaces of the VTRs 7a and 7b are aligned, and these front surfaces are arranged in a vertical line with the front side of the main body 1 (the lower side in FIG. 10). A self-propelled transfer device 10 is provided which is vertically moved up and down along these front surfaces. The transfer device 10 has a hand block 11 for holding the cassette from above and below in the thickness direction. are doing. Then, the storage shelf units 6a to 6d and the VTR 7
On the left side (the left side in FIG. 9) of the front surfaces of a and 7b, type detectors 12 indicating these types are arranged in a vertical line, and the transporter 10 reads these type detectors 12. A type detection sensor (such as a photocoupler) 13 is attached. The main body 1 houses the VTRs 7a and 7b and the control box 14 of the transporter 10.

In this cassette autochanger, the cassettes 9a to 9d specified in the plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d of the plurality of storage shelf units 6a to 6d, respectively.
Is previously stored by hand by an operator. Then, the transporting machine 10 is transported up and down, and as shown in FIG. 20, the type detecting sensor 13 scans the all types detecting section 12 to detect the types of the storage shelves 8a to 8d and the VTRs 7a and 7b. Then, the storage shelf 8a specified by a pair of upper and lower cassette holding pins (described later) of the hand block 11 of the transporter 10
The cassettes 9a to 9d designated from among the cassettes 9a to 9d are selectively nipped from above and below and automatically extracted. Then, the extracted cassettes 9a to 9d are stored in designated VTRs 7a and 7b.
After the transport, the VTRs 7a and 7b are automatically inserted into the cassette insertion ports 15a and 15b to perform recording and / or reproduction. By repeating this operation, the cassettes 9a to 9a having different recording formats and sizes are different from each other.
It is possible to perform continuous video playback, recording and editing, etc. over a long period of time while skillfully using 9d.

[0013]

[Description of Storage Shelf Unit] Next, the storage shelf units 6a to 6d will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, FIGS. 12 to 14 show a storage shelf unit 6d for storing a large cassette 9d which is a large cassette.
A pair of left and right vertical shelf frames 42 attached at large intervals corresponding to the length in the left and right direction of the L-size cassette 9d is attached to both left and right sides in the unit main body 41. On the opposing surface, for example, upper and lower three-level horizontal shelf plates 43 are formed so as to face each other.
3 form three upper and lower storage shelves 8d. The open ends of the respective storage shelves 8d, which are the front ends of the shelf frame 42 and the shelf plate 43, are provided with tapered surfaces 44a, 44b
Are formed.

The left and right side plates 4 of the unit body 41
A pair of left and right brackets 45 fixed to the left and right sides of the front side of 1a are detachably fixed to a plurality of mounting holes 21 on the front side of the pair of left and right mounting frames 5a on the front side by a pair of upper and lower screws 46. The storage shelf unit 6d is exchangeably mounted at a desired vertical position in the main body 1. At this time, a pair of left and right mounting frames 5
A pair of left and right brackets 45 are inserted into a pair of left and right positioning pins 47 attached at the same pitch as the mounting holes 21 on the front side of a, and the storage shelf unit 6d is positioned vertically and horizontally. Also, the left bracket 45
The type detection unit 12 is attached at a predetermined height position on the front side of the device.

Next, FIGS. 15 and 16 show a storage shelf unit 6c for storing an M size cassette 9c as a middle cassette.
It is shown. This storage shelf unit 6c has a pair of left and right shelf frames 42 mounted in a unit main body 41 having the same shape as the storage shelf unit 6d at a medium interval corresponding to the length of the M size cassette 9c in the left and right direction. Is the same as that of the storage shelf unit 6d.

Next, FIGS. 17 and 18 show a storage shelf unit 6b for storing a small cassette 9b as a small cassette.
It is shown. This storage shelf unit 6b is a small unit in which a pair of left and right, a total of four shelf frames 42 are arranged at two locations on the left and right inside a unit body 41 having the same shape as the storage shelf unit 6d to the length in the left and right direction of the S size cassette 9b. For example, three horizontal storage shelves 8b are formed at two locations on the left and right, for example, three stages in the upper and lower stages, and a total of six storage shelves 8b are provided.

Therefore, these storage shelf units 6b to 6b
According to FIG. 4d, since the sizes of the unit main bodies 41 are the same and the mounting methods for the mounting frames 5a and 5b are the same, these storage shelf units 6b to 6d can be freely moved to desired positions in the main body 1, respectively. Can be replaced and mounted. And each storage shelf unit 6b-6d
S, M, and L size cassettes 9b are stored in each of the storage shelves 8b to 8d.
To 9d.

As described above, according to this cassette autochanger, a plurality of types of cassettes 9a to 9d having different recording formats and sizes and recording and / or
Alternatively, a plurality of types of VTRs 7a and 7b to be reproduced can be set freely and extremely easily according to the user's desire.

The description of the storage unit 6a of the 8 mm cassette 9a is omitted, but this storage shelf unit 6a is also the same size as the storage shelf units 6b to 6d and is replaceably mounted on the mounting frame 5a by the same mounting method. Have been. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the storage shelf unit 6a is configured to store a total of 12 8-mm cassettes 9a having a small thickness, for example, four rows vertically and three rows horizontally. The VTR 7b is also mounted on the mounting frame 5 by the same mounting method as the storage shelf units 6a to 6d.
a is exchangeably attached to a. The type detection unit 12 is mounted on the front surface of the bracket 45 on the left side of these storage shelf units 6a to 6d at a predetermined height.

[0021]

[Explanation of mechanism for discriminating insertion of different kinds of cassettes into storage shelves]
A mechanism for determining the insertion of different kinds of cassettes into the storage shelves 8a to 8d will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the horizontal distances L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6 between the shelf frame 42 and the shelf plate 43 constituting each of the storage shelves 8b to 8d of the storage shelf units 6b, 6c, 6d.
Are set to three sizes in accordance with the length of the S, M, and L size cassettes 9b, 9c, and 9d in the left-right direction. A pair of left and right erroneous insertion prevention levers 51 are provided on the back plate 41b of each unit main body 41 of the storage shelf units 6b, 6c, 6d within the same height as the storage shelves 8b, 8c, 8d.
Is attached. As shown in FIG. 14, these erroneous insertion prevention levers 51 are rotatably attached to the back plate 41b via horizontal fulcrum pins 52 in the directions of arrows b and b ', which are the up and down directions, to allow these erroneous insertions to be performed. Prevention lever 5
A shutter 53 is integrally formed at a rear end of the shutter 1. Each erroneous insertion prevention lever 51 is configured to rotate in the direction of arrow b by its own weight and stop in a horizontal state. A cassette sensor (photocoupler or the like) 54 that is turned on and off by the shutter 53 of each of the erroneous insertion prevention levers 51 is attached to the back plate 41b. Each storage shelf 8b is provided inside the back plate 41b.
Each pair of cushion rubbers 55 is located within the same height as 8c and 8d.
At the front end of each shelf plate 43, a cassette stopper 56 is attached via a horizontal fulcrum pin 57 so as to be rotatable in the up and down directions indicated by arrows c and c '. Rotationally biased. In addition, three sets of cassette pick-out sensors 59a and 59b common to all the storage shelf units 6a to 6d are respectively provided at three locations, that is, a center portion and left and right sides on the front side of the storage shelf units 6a to 6d from above and below, respectively. They are arranged facing each other. In addition, each of these cassette exposing sensors 59
Reference numerals a and 59b denote optical sensors each including a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

The correct insertion of the L-size cassette 9d into the storage shelf 8d will now be described with reference to FIGS.

First, a cut surface 92 is formed above the front end surface 91 of the cassette 9d. Therefore, as shown in the middle of FIG. 14, the cassette 9d is correctly inserted horizontally into the pair of left and right shelf plates 43 of the storage shelf 8d from the direction of arrow d with the cut surface 92 facing forward.

Then, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 14, the pair of left and right erroneous insertion prevention levers 51 ride on the cut surface 92 of the cassette 9d, and the pair of left and right erroneous insertion prevention levers 51 is pushed up in the direction of arrow b '. Then, the pair of left and right cassette sensors 54 are simultaneously turned off by these shutters 53, and it is confirmed that the cassette 9d is correctly inserted into the storage shelf 8d.
Is detected by That is, the pair of left and right cassette sensors 54 detects the cut surface 92 of the cassette 9d. When the cassette 9d is completely inserted into the storage shelf 8d, the front end surface 91 of the cassette 9d is brought into contact with the pair of left and right cushion rubbers 55, and at the same time, the pair of right and left cassette stoppers 56 is moved by the torsion spring 58 by the arrow. Rotating in the direction c ', the rear end surface 93 of the cassette 9d is positioned by these cassette stoppers 56, and all three sets of cassette protrusion sensors 59a and 59b are turned ON, and the cassette 9d is correctly placed in the storage shelf 8d. And it is detected that the insertion has been completed.

Next, erroneous insertion of the cassette 9d into the storage shelf 8d will be described.

As shown by the chain line in the upper part of FIG. 14, the cassette 9d is reversed in the front-rear direction, or the cassette 9d is reversed in the vertical direction (at this time, the cut surface 92 is at the lower side). At the time of an erroneous insertion, the pair of left and right erroneous insertion prevention levers 51 cannot ride on the cut surface 92, so that the pair of left and right cassette sensors 54 is kept ON and the erroneous insertion is detected. At this time, 3
The set cassette exposing sensors 59a and 59b are also OFF.
The state is maintained, and the protrusion of the cassette 9d is detected.

Since the space L2 in the left and right direction of the shelf frame 42 of the storage shelf 8b is smaller than the M and L size cassettes 9c and 9d, it is impossible to insert the cassettes 9c and 9d into the storage shelf 8b by mistake. .

However, it is possible to erroneously insert an M-size cassette 9c, which is a heterogeneous cassette, into the storage shelf 8d and erroneously insert an S-size cassette 9b, which is a heterogeneous cassette, into the storage shelf 8c. However, each of these erroneously inserted cassette 9
Since c and 9d cannot ride over a pair of left and right shelf plates 43 of the storage shelves 8d and 8c, the storage shelves 8d and 8c
Cannot be simultaneously turned off, and erroneous insertion of a different kind of cassette is detected.

A 3/4 inch digital cassette 9
In the case of 1/2 inch cassettes having the same size on the left and right as b, 9c, and 9d, these can be erroneously inserted into a pair of left and right shelf plates 43 of the storage shelves 8b to 8d.
However, since the 1/2 inch cassette is smaller in thickness than the 3/4 inch digital cassettes 9b, 9c, 9d,
The pair of left and right erroneous insertion prevention levers 51 is pushed up in the direction of arrow b ', and the pair of left and right cassette sensors 54 are simultaneously turned off.
In this case, the wrong insertion of a different kind of cassette is detected.

As described above, in this cassette autochanger, a plurality of types of cassettes 9a to 9d having different recording formats and sizes are mixedly loaded in one cassette autochanger, and these cassettes are respectively dedicated VDs.
It is possible to prevent erroneous insertion of different kinds of cassettes 9a to 9d having different recording formats and sizes into a plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d while selectively recording and / or reproducing data by the TRs 7a and 7b. As a result, there is no accident that the transporter 10 erroneously inserts the different kinds of cassettes 9a to 9d into the respective VTRs 7a and 7b.

[0032]

[Description of self-propelled transfer machine and travel guide] Next, FIGS.
Referring to FIG. 23, a self-propelled transporter and a traveling guide will be described.

First, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a pair of left and right racks 71 is vertically installed over the entire vertical movement space of the transporter 10. And
At the rear of the pair of left and right racks 71, a slide rail 72 and a fixed rail 73 are provided.
a, 74b and installed vertically.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 19 to 23, a pinion shaft 76 is horizontally mounted on the rear side of the transfer machine main body 75 so as to penetrate left and right.
A pair of left and right pinions 77 fixed to both right and left ends of the rack 6 are engaged with a pair of left and right racks 71.

Next, the slide rail 72 includes a vertical slider guide 78 fixed to one mounting frame 74a and having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a slider 79 slid vertically within the slider guide 78. have. Then, the movement (rack) of the slider 79 in the slider guide 78 in the left-right direction (arrows f and f 'directions) perpendicular to the cassette loading / unloading direction and the front-back direction (arrows g and g' directions) in the cassette loading / unloading direction. Is regulated, so that the slider 78 can smoothly slide only in the direction of the arrow e which is the vertical direction in the slider guide 79. Then, a pair of left and right brackets 8 are provided at both left and right end portions on the rear side of the transporter main body 75.
3a and 83b are fixed, and one bracket 83
A slider 79 is fixed to the outside of a. In addition, a vertical fixed guide rail 73 in which a total of four guide rollers 84, a pair of front and rear, upper and lower, mounted on the outside of the other bracket 83b, are fixed to the other mounting frame 74b.
It is in contact with both front and rear sides. The slide rail 72, the fixed guide rail 73 and the guide roller 84 form a pair of left and right traveling guides 85a and 85b.

Next, a bracket 94 is provided in the transporter body 75.
And a gear 96 fixed to the motor shaft 95a is meshed with a gear 98 fixed to the intermediate shaft 97. The intermediate shaft 97 is orthogonal to the pinion shaft 76, and the worm 99 fixed to the intermediate shaft 97 is meshed with the worm wheel 100 fixed to the pinion shaft 76. The intermediate shaft 97 is supported by a substantially U-shaped mounting frame 101 mounted on the inside of the transporter main body 75. Note that a pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 102 are horizontally mounted on upper portions of both right and left ends of the transporter body 75.

In the transporter 10 configured as described above, a pair of left and right pinions 77 are rotationally driven by a motor 95 via gears 96 and 98, an intermediate shaft 97, a worm 99, a worm wheel 100, and a pinion shaft 76. By rolling these pinions 77 along the left and right racks 71 in the direction of arrow e, which is the vertical direction, the transporter 1 is guided by a pair of left and right travel guides 85a and 85b.
0 runs smoothly at high speed in the vertical direction of arrow e.

At this time, one of the pair of left and right travel guides 85a and 85b of the transporter 10 is constituted by the slide rail 72, and the other is constituted by the fixed guide rail 73 and the guide roller 8
The slide rail 72 regulates the movement (rack) of the transporter 10 in the left-right direction (arrows f and f 'directions) and the front-rear direction (arrows g and g' directions). The left and right mounting frames 74a and 74b are configured to be able to absorb the bending and the like by the sliding of the guide roller 84 in the directions of the arrows f and f 'with respect to the fixed rail 73 of the other traveling guide 85b. Therefore, even if the pair of left and right mounting frames 74a and 74b are bent, the transporter 10 can be smoothly guided without any trouble, and furthermore, space saving can be achieved. it can.

[0039]

[Overview of the drive mechanism of the hand block] Next, FIG.
21 and 23, the driving mechanism of the hand block 11 will be described.

The hand block 11 attached to the upper part of the transporter main body 75 has a slider 121 as a driving member.
And storage arms 8a to 8d and V
The cassette is movably mounted on a horizontal plane in two directions, that is, the directions of arrows g and g 'which are the cassette insertion / removal directions with respect to the TRs 7a and 7b, and the directions of arrows f and f' which are orthogonal thereto.

That is, a feed screw 124 and a guide shaft 125, which are parallel to the directions of arrows f and f ', are horizontally mounted between a pair of left and right mounting plates 123 fixed in the transporter main body 75,
Nut 126 horizontally attached to slider 121
And the thrust bearing 127 include the feed screw 124 and the guide shaft 1
25. Then, the timing belt 131 is wound around the outer periphery of the timing pulley 129 fixed to the motor shaft 128a of the motor 128 mounted in the transporter main body 75 and the timing pulley 130 fixed to the end of the feed screw 124. I have. Then, the feed screw 124 is rotationally driven by the motor 128 via the timing belt 131, and the nut 126 is screw-fed, so that the slider 121 is linearly moved in the direction of arrow f along the guide shaft 125 in the transporter main body 75. It is configured to be slidably driven.

A motor 132 with a speed reducer is vertically mounted on the slider 121, and one end 122a of a horizontal rotary arm 122 is fixed to an output shaft 132a vertically protruding from the upper end of the motor 132. Mounting shaft 1 perpendicular to the upper end of the other end 122b of the rotating arm 122
The hand block 11 is attached via 33. Then, the rotary arm 122 is driven to rotate integrally with the output shaft 132a of the motor 132 in the directions of arrows h and h '. Then, the hand block 11 is linearly moved in the directions of arrows f and f 'by the slider 121, and the rotational movement of the rotary arm 122 in the directions of arrows h and h' and the linear movement of the slider 121 in the directions of arrows f and f '. The hand block 11 is configured to move linearly in the directions of arrows g and g 'by a combined movement with the movement.

At this time, a motor 132 with a speed reducer is vertically and vertically fixed below the slider base 121a of the slider 121, and its output shaft 132a projects vertically above the slider base 121a. One end 122a of the horizontal rotating arm 122 is fixed to the output shaft 132a. A fixed timing pulley 148 arranged coaxially on the outer periphery of the output shaft 132a via a bearing (not shown) has a slider base.
It is fixed on the scan 121a.

Next, the lower end of a mounting shaft 133 perpendicular to the other end of the rotary arm 122 is inserted from above and supported rotatably. A rotation timing pulley 156 having the same diameter as the fixed timing pulley 148 is fixed to the outer periphery of the lower end of the mounting shaft 133, and a timing belt 157 serving as rotation control means is provided on the outer periphery of the fixed timing pulley 148 and the rotation timing pulley 156. Is wrapped around. The timing belt 157 is tensioned by a pair of tension pulleys 158a and 158b attached to the rotating arm 122. The rotary arm 122 is formed in a cover shape that covers the outer periphery of the fixed timing pulley 148, the rotary timing pulley 156, and the timing belt 157 from above.

Then, the hand block 11 is attached to the mounting shaft 13.
The hand block 11 is inserted from above into the outer periphery of the upper end of the upper arm 3 and is attached so as to rotate integrally with the attachment shaft 133.

The hand block 1 configured as described above
According to the drive mechanism 1, as shown in FIG.
When the output shaft 132a is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions in the directions of arrows i and i 'by 32, the rotary arm 122 is driven to rotate forward and backward in the directions of arrows h and h' integrally with the output shaft 132a. At this time, since the rotating arm 122 is rotated around the outer periphery of the fixed timing pulley 148 fixed on the slider pace 121a, the rotation of the rotating arm 122 causes the timing belt 1 around the outer periphery of the fixed timing pulley 148 to rotate.
The phase of 57 changes. Then, the timing belt 15
7 is attached to the mounting shaft 133 via the rotation timing pulley 156.
Is the arrow k which is the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the output shaft 132a,
The rotation is driven by the same rotation angle in the k 'direction. Then, the hand block 11 is driven to rotate integrally with the mounting shaft 133 in the directions of arrows k and k '.

As a result, the amount of rotation of the output shaft 132a is canceled by the amount of reverse rotation of the mounting shaft 133, and the hand block 11 keeps its posture parallel to the directions of the arrows f and f '. The parallel movement is performed in the h and h 'directions.

Therefore, according to this cassette autochanger, as shown in FIG. 20, the rotation of the rotary arm 122 in the directions of arrows h and h 'is synchronized with the linear movement of the slider 121 in the directions of arrows f and f'. By taking the above, by the synthetic motion of these rotational motion and linear motion,
Always keep the hand block 11 in the storage shelves 8a to 8d or the VTR 7
With the posture kept parallel to a and 7b, it is possible to make a linear movement in the directions of the arrows g and g ', which are the cassette loading / unloading directions. Further, the hand block 11 can be linearly moved between the pair of left and right sliding guides 102 in the directions of arrows f and f 'which are orthogonal to the cassette insertion / removal direction.

In this embodiment, the timing belt 157 is used as a means for controlling the rotation of the mounting shaft 133.
Fixed timing pulley 148 and rotating timing pulley 1
Both the gears 56 may be changed to gears, and the rotation control means may be constituted by a gear train in which these gears are connected by gears.

[0050]

[Description of Hand Block] Next, the details of the hand block 11 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the hand block body 181 is formed in a substantially T-shape in plan view, and is formed in a vertically long rectangular frame shape in front view. And the hand block body 1
A pair of left and right parallel cassette holding pins 182 and 183 forming a pair of upper and lower cassette holding portions, which are the thickness direction of the cassette, are horizontally mounted on the front surface 181a of the 81 at intervals vertically. At this time, the pair of left and right cassette holding pins 182 at the upper portion has a small interval in the left and right direction (the left and right direction in FIG. 24) , and is fixed at right angles to the front of the vertical slider 184. Are configured to be able to move up and down in the directions of arrows m and m ′. Also, a pair of left and right cassette holding pins 183 at the bottom
Is large in the horizontal direction, and the hand block body 181
Are fixed at right angles to both left and right positions of the front surface 181a of the front panel 181a.

Next, the upper and lower walls 181b of the hand block body 181, a pair of left and right guide shafts 185 between 181c and one of the feed screw 186 is mounted vertically and parallel triangular arrangement. The slider 184 is inserted vertically through a pair of left and right guide shafts 185 via a thrust bearing 184 a so as to be able to move up and down, and a nut 187 embedded in the slider 184 is screwed into a feed screw 186. The motor 1 is located in the hand block body 181.
88 and a vertical intermediate shaft 189 are attached, and a gear 190 fixed to the motor shaft 188a is attached to the intermediate shaft 189.
Meshes with the torque limiter gear 191 loosely fitted to the
A gear 1 in which a torque limiter 192 is interposed between the torque limiter gear 191 and the intermediate shaft 189 and a gear 193 fixed to the intermediate shaft 189 is fixed to a feed screw 186
94. An encoder 197 that is an opening amount control unit is configured by a shutter disk 195 fixed to the intermediate shaft 189 and a sensor (photocoupler or the like) 196 mounted in the hand block main body 181. An upper limit sensor 199 and a lower limit sensor 200 that are turned on and off by a shutter plate 198 attached to the slider 184 to detect the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the cassette holding pin 182 are mounted in the hand block main body 181.

As shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B, as an example of the torque limiter 192, a cylindrical outer ring 202 is press-fitted into a cylindrical portion 191a formed integrally with the torque limiter gear 191. To fix the intermediate shaft 18
9 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 189 by pins 204, and the inner and outer rings 202, 2
03, a plurality of rollers 205 parallel to the intermediate shaft 189, for example, four rollers 205 are inserted.
Four compression coil springs 20 held in two recesses 206
7, a roller type torque limiter configured to press between the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 203 and the four wedge-shaped friction surfaces 208 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 202 is employed. The seal 209 is provided at the open end of the cylindrical portion 191a.
Is attached.

Then, the torque limiter 192
When the input-side torque limiter gear 191 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow n, the rotation torque is transmitted to the output-side intermediate shaft 189 via the roller 205, but the load on the intermediate shaft 189 is equal to or less than a certain torque value. Sometimes, when the intermediate shaft 189 is rotated integrally with the torque limiter gear 191 and the load on the intermediate shaft 189 exceeds a certain torque value, the rotation of the intermediate shaft 189 with respect to the torque limiter gear 191 is caused by the sliding of the roller 205 against the friction surface 208. Generate. When the torque limiter gear 191 reversely rotates in the direction of the arrow n ', the above-mentioned rotational slip does not occur at all, and a non-slip state is established. Rotate to.

[0055]

[Description of operation of hand block] Next, hand block 1
1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0056]

[Origin Search Operation] First, when power is supplied to the cassette autochanger, the motor 188 is rotated forward,
The feed screw 186 is driven to rotate forward through gears 190 and 191, a torque limiter 192, an intermediate shaft 189, and gears 193 and 194. Then, the slider 184 is guided by the pair of left and right guide shafts 185 and is lowered in the direction of the arrow m ′ by the screw feeding operation of the nut 187 by the feed screw 186, and the cassette holding pin 182 is integrated with the slider 184 in the direction of the arrow m ′. Is lowered. The position at which the lower limit sensor 200 detects the shutter plate 198 is the origin corresponding to the lower limit position of the cassette holding pin 182. When the pair of left and right cassette holding pins 182 is lowered to this origin, the motor 188 is stopped.

[0057]

[Cassette clamping operation] Next, when a cassette clamping command is issued, the motor 188 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the feed screw 186 is driven in the reverse rotation. And the nut 1 by the feed screw 186
The slider 184 is guided by a pair of left and right guide shafts 185 by the screw feed operation of 87 and is raised in the direction of arrow m.
82 is raised in parallel with the arrow m direction, and the cassette pin 182 is opened upward with respect to the cassette pin 183. At this time, the rotation direction of the torque limiter 192 is the direction of the arrow n 'shown in FIG.
Is rotated in a non-slip state, and the cassette holding pin 1 with respect to the cassette holding pin 183 by the encoder 197.
The opening amount H1 of 82 is accurately counted.

At the time when the cassette holding instruction is issued, the thickness information of the cassette designated to be held is known, and based on the thickness information of this cassette,
Cassette holding pin 18 with respect to cassette holding pin 183
The opening amount H1 of 2 is counted by the encoder 197, adjusted to a predetermined value, and the motor 188 is stopped. Note that runaway of the slider 184 in the direction of the arrow m is prevented by the upper limit sensor 199.

Then, the cassette holding pins 182 and 183
26 and FIG. 27, when the cassette tilt sensor (not shown) detects that the cassettes 9a, 9d, etc. having different thicknesses have been inserted horizontally from the direction of the arrow g ', as shown in FIGS. Then, the motor 188 is rotated forward again, and by the forward rotation of the feed screw 186, the cassette pin 182 is lowered together with the slider 184 in the direction of arrow m 'again in parallel. As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, cassettes 9a, 9d and the like having different thicknesses by a pair of left and right cassette holding pins 182 on the lower left and right pair of cassette holding pins 183 correspond to these thicknesses. Thus, the cassettes 9a, 9d, etc. are held in the most stable posture by the parallel cassette holding pins 182, 183 regardless of the change in the thickness so that the cassettes 9a, 9d, etc. are pressed in parallel from the direction of the arrow m '.

At this time, when a cassette holding command is issued, the opening amount H1 of the cassette holding pin 182 with respect to the cassette holding pin 183 is set to an optimum value according to the thickness of the cassette designated to be held in advance. Therefore, after the cassettes 9a, 9d, etc. having different thicknesses are horizontally inserted between the cassette holding pins 182, 183, the cassette holding pins 182 are lowered only by a very small amount in the direction of the arrow m '. Cassettes 9a and 9d of different sizes can be instantly held. Therefore, even if the thickness of the cassette to be clamped changes each time, the clamping operation of the cassettes having different thicknesses can always be performed quickly.

In FIG. 28, the cassette pin 182 is driven downward in the direction of arrow m 'to
As shown in FIG. 7, when holding the cassettes 9a, 9d, etc.,
The rotation direction of the torque limiter 192 is the direction indicated by the arrow n in which a rotational slip shown in FIG. 29B can occur. Then, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the cassette holding pins 182 are placed on the cassette holding pins 183.
When d and the like are sandwiched from the direction of the arrow m ', a repulsive force in the direction of the arrow m, that is, a load acts on the cassette holding pin 182. Then, when this load exceeds a certain torque value, a rotational slip occurs on the intermediate shaft 189 on the output side of the torque limiter 192, and an arrow m 'of the cassette pinching pin 182 is generated.
Automatically stops the downward drive in the direction. Then, when the encoder 197 detects that the intermediate shaft 189 has stopped due to the rotational slip, the completion of clamping the cassettes 9a and 9d by the cassette clamping pins 182 and 183 is detected, and the motor 188 is stopped.

Therefore, according to this cassette autochanger, cassettes having different thicknesses can always be held stably with a constant holding force, and the cassette holding force becomes excessive due to the change in the thickness of the cassette. Thus, an accident that the cassette is unexpectedly damaged can be prevented beforehand.

According to the cassette autochanger, since the feed screw 186 having large friction is used at the final stage of the drive system for linearly driving the cassette pin 182 in the directions of arrows m and m ', the cassette Pin 1
Even if the power supply of the cassette autochanger is unexpectedly turned off while the cassette is held between the rollers 82 and 183, the cassette holding pin 182 is held by the weight of the cassette.
Is pushed up in the direction of the arrow m and unexpectedly opens, so that the inconvenience of dropping the sandwiched cassette does not occur at all.

Further, although the cassette holding force in the direction of arrow m 'is applied to the cassette holding pin 182 by the feed screw 186, the holding force of the cassette can always be maintained at a constant value by the torque limiter 192. When the cassette is clamped, no accident occurs in which the nut 187 of the slider 184 bites into the feed screw 186 and locks the feed screw 186.

[0065]

[Description of Operation of Entire Cassette Autochanger] Next, the operation of the entire cassette autochanger will be described with reference to FIGS.

The transporter 10 moves by itself in the direction of arrow e, which is the vertical direction, to the designated positions of the plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d. Next, the hand block 11 is linearly moved in the direction of arrow g, and as shown in FIGS. 15, 25 and 26,
The designated cassettes 9a to 9d are inserted between the cassette holding pins 182 and 183, and these cassette holding pins 1 are inserted.
82 and 183 selectively hold from the vertical direction which is the thickness direction. Next, the hand block 11 is linearly moved in the direction of the arrow g 'to selectively remove the designated cassettes 9a to 9d from the storage shelves 8a to 8d in the direction of the arrow g'.
At this time, for the largest L-size cassette 9d,
The hand block 11 is linearly moved in the directions of arrows g and g 'on the center of the transfer device 10 in the directions of arrows f and f' so that the left and right ends of the clamped cassette 9d are moved (arrows F and F ').
Both ends in the f 'direction) A pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 102
Pull it out in the direction of arrow g 'by sliding it upward. For the other cassettes 9a to 9d, the hand block 11 is moved between the pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 102 so that the cassettes 9a to 9d are aligned with the center positions of the cassettes 9a to 9d in the directions of the arrows f and f '. The cassettes 9a to 9d are removed in the direction of the arrow g 'by moving and adjusting in the direction of the arrow f' so as to linearly move in the directions of the arrows g and g '. Next, the VTRs 7a and 7
b to the designated cassettes 9 a to 9 d sandwiched by the hand block 11.
It is transported to TRs 7a and 7b. Next, the cassettes 9a to 9d held by the hand block 11 are
It is selectively inserted into the TRs 7a and 7b from the direction of arrow g.
Finally, after opening the cassette holding pins 182 and 183 to separate the cassettes 9a to 9d, the hand block 11 is pulled back in the direction of arrow g '. By repeating this operation, the cassettes 9a to 9d having different recording formats and sizes are sequentially recorded and / or reproduced sequentially by using the VTRs 7a and 7b, so that continuous video reproduction or recording for a long time is performed. Edit.

[0067]

[Description of Bar Code Reader Using Bar Code Reader] Next, a bar code reader using a bar code reader will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, a horizontally long barcode label 211 is attached to the rear end face 93 which is the end face of the plurality of cassettes 9a to 9d stored in the plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8b on the side of the transporter 10 in the directions of arrows f and f '. It is pasted along. And
A bar code 212 is displayed on each of these bar code labels 211 by printing or the like, and the bar code 211 has a recording format, a recording content, a recording location and time of each of the cassettes 9a to 9b, and a storage shelf. Various data such as addresses are recorded.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a bar code reader 213 is attached to one side of the hand block 11 in the directions of the arrows f and f '. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the bar code reader 231 reflects light emitted from a light emitting element 214 such as an LED on a bar code label 211 and outputs the light to a bar by a light receiving element 215 such as a phototransistor. A method of reading data of the code 212 or, as shown in FIG. 4B, light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting elements 214 such as LEDs is reflected by a barcode label 211, and is reflected by a phototransistor via an optical system 216. A non-scanning sensor such as a method of reading the data of the barcode 212 with the light receiving element 215 is used.

Next, when reading the bar codes 212 of the plurality of cassettes 9a to 9d stored in the plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d, as shown in FIGS. The arrow f along each barcode 212 of each cassette 9a-9d by block 11;
The bar code reader 213 scans each bar code 212 by linearly translating the bar code 212 in the f ′ direction.
These data are read. At this time, the cassettes 9a to 9a stored in the storage shelves 8a to 8d, respectively.
Since the rear end surface 93 of 9d is accurately positioned by the cassette stopper 56, the bar code reader 213 is moved to the rear end surface 93 by a certain readable distance L7.
By linearly moving in the directions of arrows f and f 'while keeping within the range, the data of each bar code 212 can be accurately read.

Next, FIG. 1 illustrates a method of continuously reading the bar codes 212 of a plurality of types of cassettes 9a to 9d stored in a plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d by a bar code reader 213. , FIG. 1A shows, for example, L
Like the size cassette 9d and the M size cassette 9c,
When a plurality of cassettes are stored in a vertical line, these barcodes 212 are indicated by horizontal arrows f and f '.
The figure shows a method of reading sequentially and continuously in a zigzag manner in the direction. FIG. 1B shows an example in which, when a plurality of cassettes are stored in a plurality of left and right rows, such as an S size cassette 9b or an 8 mm cassette 9a, these barcodes 212 are indicated by arrows in each horizontal row. This figure shows a system in which reading is performed sequentially and continuously in a zigzag manner in the f and f 'directions.

As described above, according to this bar code reader, the bar code reader 213 is moved to the plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d by the hand block 11 mounted on the transporter 10.
End surface 9 of plural kinds of cassettes 9a to 9d stored in
3 can be transported in the direction of the arrows f and f 'in parallel with the barcode 212 of FIG.
d while a plurality of types of cassettes 9a to 9d are stored therein,
These barcodes 212 can be directly and sequentially read. Therefore, the barcodes 2 of all the cassettes 9a to 9d stored in the cassette autochanger are stored.
12 can be read in a very short time.

The bar code reading operation is performed when the power supply to the cassette autochanger is turned on.
This is automatically performed when the operator replaces the 8d cassettes 9a to 9d, when new cassettes 9a to 9d are added, and when the open / close door 4 of the main body 1 is opened. In addition, the operation can be performed for specific storage shelves 8a to 8d through a computer of the system according to an instruction of the operator.
The data of the barcode 212 read by the barcode reader 213 is stored and managed in a database, and is used for system control of automatic cassette exchange.

[0074]

[Explanation of a bar code reader using a bar code scanner] Next, a bar code reader using a bar code scanner will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a bar code scanner 218 is attached to one side of the hand block 11 in the directions of the arrows f and f '. The barcode scanner 218 has, for example, the configuration shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the entire barcode label 211 is irradiated with a plurality of light emitting elements 219 such as LEDs to form a barcode 212.
Is formed on the linear CCD 221 through the lens system 220, and the inside of the CCD 221 is
8 and a method of reading data of the barcode 212 by electrically scanning with a half mirror 224 as shown in FIG.
Reflected by the reflecting mirror 225 to irradiate the bar code 212, and the reflected light is reflected by the reflecting mirror 225 and the half mirror 224.
And a light receiving element 227 such as a phototransistor through a lens system 226 to receive light.
An automatic scanning sensor such as a method of automatically scanning the light emitted from 3 in the longitudinal direction of the barcode label 211 by the reflecting mirror 225 and reading the data of the barcode 212 from the light receiving element 227 is used.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bar code scanner 218 is moved by the hand block 11 to the arrow f of each bar code 212 of each of the cassettes 9a to 9d.
At the fixed position which is the center in the f 'direction,
The bar code scanner 218 automatically scans each bar code 212 to read these data by positioning the bar code within a certain readable distance L8 with respect to.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a bar code 2 of a plurality of types of cassettes 9a to 9d stored in a plurality of storage shelves 8a to 8d.
FIG. 5A illustrates a continuous reading method using the twelve barcode scanners 218. FIG. 5A illustrates a case where a plurality of cassettes are vertically arranged in a line, for example, an L size cassette 9d and an M size cassette 9c. When stored, these barcodes 212 are indicated by arrows e
A method of sequentially and sequentially reading in the direction is shown. Also,
FIG. 5B shows, for example, an S size cassette 9b or 8 mm.
In a case where a plurality of cassettes are stored in a plurality of left and right rows like a cassette 9a, a method of sequentially reading these barcodes in a zigzag manner in the direction of arrow e for each column is shown.

The bar code reader using the bar code scanner 218 configured as described above has the same effects as the bar code reader using the bar code reader 213 described above.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the technical concept of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the video cassette auto-changer, but can be applied to various other cassette auto-changers containing various tape-shaped recording media and disc-shaped recording media.

[0080]

The cassette autochanger of the present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

A bar code is displayed on an end face of the plurality of cassettes stored in the plurality of storage shelves on the side of the transporter, while the cassette is mounted on the transporter and puts the cassette in and out of the storage shelf and the recording / reproducing apparatus. A bar code reader is mounted on a hand block that is configured to be movable in the
The bar code reader is transported along the bar codes of a plurality of cassettes stored in a plurality of storage shelves by a hand block, and the bar codes of the plurality of cassettes are directly and sequentially read. Can be. Moreover, a slider that is moved in the horizontal direction of the transporter
Rotate hand block in horizontal plane via rotating arm
It can be mounted freely, and the rotating motion of the rotating arm and the slider
The bar code reader is installed by the combined motion with the linear motion of
Place the hand block on the storage shelf and recording / reproducing device.
The storage shelf and record
Move the cassette linearly in and out of the cassette
So that the hand block can be moved horizontally and
It can be quickly moved in and out of the slot.
Therefore, while the plurality of cassettes are stored in the plurality of storage shelves, the barcodes of the plurality of cassettes are sequentially and sequentially displayed.
Since it can be read directly quickly, the time required to read barcodes of all cassettes stored in multiple storage shelves can be greatly reduced , and multiple storage shelves and recording and playback devices can be used.
The time required for automatic cassette exchange with the device is also greatly reduced.
be able to.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a bar code is displayed on the end face of the plurality of cassettes stored in the plurality of storage shelves on the side of the transporter, and the entire area of each bar code of the plurality of cassettes is read at a fixed position. since it mounted on the hand block of the transporting machine bar code scanner which can, hand
A bar code scanner is sequentially and continuously moved to a fixed position for each bar code of a plurality of cassettes stored in a plurality of storage shelves by a block , and the bar codes of the plurality of cassettes are directly and sequentially read directly. Can be. In addition, the swivel moved in the horizontal direction of the transporter
The rider puts the hand block on a horizontal surface via the rotating arm
Rotatably mounted inside the rotary arm, and
Barcodes by combined movement with rider's linear movement
Storage and storage of hand blocks with canners
These storages are performed while maintaining a parallel posture to the playback device.
Directly insert and remove the cassette from the shelf and the recording / reproducing device.
Since the hand block is configured to move linearly,
It can be moved quickly in the horizontal direction and the cassette
Can be. Therefore, the barcodes of the plurality of cassettes can be directly and sequentially read directly and quickly while the plurality of cassettes are stored in the plurality of storage shelves, so that the barcodes of all the cassettes stored in the plurality of storage shelves can be read. Scanning time can be greatly reduced and multiple storage shelves
The time required for automatic cassette exchange between the
Can be reduced to width.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a reading operation of a barcode reading apparatus using a barcode reader of a cassette autochanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating a scanning position of a bar code reader with respect to the bar code according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a barcode reader.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a reading operation of a barcode reading device using a barcode scanner.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating a scanning position of a barcode scanner with respect to the barcode of the above.

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a barcode scanner.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the entire cassette autochanger.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the entire cassette autochanger.

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of the entire cassette autochanger.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a storage shelf unit of the L size cassette.

13 is a horizontal sectional plan view of FIG.

14 is a vertical sectional side view of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a front view of a storage shelf unit of the M size cassette.

16 is a horizontal sectional plan view of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a front view of a storage shelf unit of the S size cassette.

18 is a horizontal sectional plan view of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a front view of the transporter.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of the transporter.

FIG. 21 is a side view of the transporter.

FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a driving unit of the transporter.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a hand block and a rotating arm of the transfer device.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a hand block.

FIG. 25 is a front view of a hand block.

FIG. 26 is a side view of a hand block holding a large cassette.

FIG. 27 is a side view of the hand block holding the small cassette.

FIG. 28 is a schematic sectional side view for explaining an opening / closing mechanism of a cassette holding pin of the hand block.

29 (A) is a vertical sectional side view of a torque limiter in the opening / closing mechanism of the above, and FIG. 29 (B) is a plan view taken along line AA of FIG. 29 (A). It is.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7a, 7b VTR (Recording / reproducing device) 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d Storage shelves 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d Cassette 10 Transporter 11 Hand block 182, 183 Cassette holding pin (cassette holding section) 212 Bar code 213 Bar code reader 218 Bar code scanner f, f 'Direction perpendicular to cassette insertion / removal direction g, g' Cassette insertion / removal direction

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-2-146142 (JP, A) JP-A-63-241755 (JP, A) JP-A-55-122263 (JP, A) (58) Investigation Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G11B 15/68 G11B 17/26

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of cassettes accommodating a recording medium;
A plurality of storage shelves storing the plurality of cassettes; a recording / reproducing device for selectively recording and / or reproducing the plurality of cassettes; and the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device. A cassette autochanger comprising a transporter for selectively transporting cassettes, wherein a barcode is displayed on an end face of the plurality of cassettes stored in the storage shelf on the transporter side; A hand block that is configured to be movable in and out of the cassette with respect to the cassette and a direction perpendicular to the cassette, and that mounts the hand cassette for holding the cassette and taking the cassette in and out of the storage shelf and the recording / reproducing apparatus; a bar code reader for reading by scanning the code loaded into the hand block, the conveyor is of the multiple storage shelves and said recording Of raw devices
The transporter body that is raised and lowered vertically along the front
The front of the storage shelf and the recording / reproducing device on the carrier unit
And a slider that moves linearly in a horizontal direction parallel to
Equipped, rotatably attached to the slider above, in a horizontal plane
Provide a rotating arm that is driven to rotate in the horizontal direction.
In mounted rotatably, linear movement of the rotary motion and the slider of the rotary arm
With the combined movement of the hand block and the storage shelf
And a posture parallel to the above recording / reproducing device.
Also, cassettes for these storage shelves and recording / reproducing devices
A cassette autochanger having a mechanism for linearly moving in and out of the cassette. A plurality of cassettes accommodating a recording medium;
A plurality of storage shelves storing the plurality of cassettes; a recording / reproducing device for selectively recording and / or reproducing the plurality of cassettes; and the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device. A cassette autochanger comprising a transporter for selectively transporting cassettes, wherein a barcode is displayed on an end face of the plurality of cassettes stored in the storage shelf on the transporter side, and each bar of the plurality of cassettes is displayed. Ha bar code scanner of the conveyor for reading the entire area code in each place
Mounted on a command block , and the transporter is provided for the plurality of storage shelves and the recording and reproducing device.
The transporter body that is raised and lowered vertically along the front
The front of the storage shelf and the recording / reproducing device on the carrier unit
And a slider that moves linearly in a horizontal direction parallel to
Equipped , rotatably attached to the slider above, in a horizontal plane
Provide a rotating arm that is driven to rotate in the horizontal direction.
In mounted rotatably, linear movement of the rotary motion and the slider of the rotary arm
With the combined movement of the hand block and the storage shelf
And a posture parallel to the above recording / reproducing device.
Also, cassettes for these storage shelves and recording / reproducing devices
A cassette autochanger having a mechanism for linearly moving in and out of the cassette.