JP5938694B2 - Insertion / removal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an insertion / extraction device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a magazine tray insertion / extraction apparatus for inserting / removing the magazine tray into / from a magazine provided with a magazine tray loaded with a plurality of discs (disc-shaped information storage media such as CDs and DVDs). For example, the present invention relates to a magazine tray insertion / extraction device that can be used in a disk device that supplies a disk to each of a plurality of disk drives.

  Conventionally, as this type of disk device, for example, a device described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-204311) is known. The disk device of Patent Document 1 includes a magazine that stores a plurality of trays that store one disk, and a plurality of disk drives. The disk device of Patent Document 1 is configured to pull out an arbitrary tray from a magazine, suck and hold one disk stored in the pulled-out tray by a suction pad, and place it on the tray of an arbitrary disk drive. Has been.

  Since the disk device of Patent Document 1 is configured to store one disk in one tray, the number of disks stored in the magazine is small. In order to increase the number of disks stored in the magazine, it is considered effective to directly stack a plurality of disks without using a tray and reduce the number of trays.

  However, in this case, adjacent disks are brought into close contact with each other and cannot be easily separated. As a technique for solving this problem, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-117553). Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a claw portion is inserted between two adjacent disks so that the two disks are separated from each other, and the separated disks are sucked and held by a suction pad. Yes.

JP 2011-204311 A JP 2000-117553 A

  In the disk device, a further increase in the number of stored disks is required. Increasing the number of magazines is an effective way to increase the number of discs stored. For this reason, a magazine box for storing a plurality of disc storage magazines in a removable manner is prepared, and a plurality of such magazine boxes are accommodated side by side. It is conceivable to provide a magazine stocker.

  In a disk device equipped with such a magazine stocker, by providing an automatic insertion / removal device capable of automatically removing / inserting a magazine from / to a magazine box, a desired disk can be transferred to a predetermined disk without bothering humans. It becomes possible to supply to the drive, and the convenience for the user can be greatly improved.

  In this case, the magazine is composed of a magazine tray loaded with a plurality of discs and a case for storing the magazine tray so that the magazine tray can be removed, and when the disc is supplied to the disc drive, the case is placed in the magazine box. With the remaining state, it is conceivable that only the magazine tray is selectively removed from the magazine box by the chuck mechanism of the automatic insertion / extraction device and conveyed to the disk drive side.

  With such an automatic insertion / removal device, the desired magazine tray can be smoothly removed from the magazine box without trouble, and the magazine tray can be smoothly inserted into the original magazine box case after use. When the apparatus is stopped before the demounting operation, it is necessary to stop the automatic insertion / removal apparatus in a state of being aligned with high accuracy with respect to the magazine in the magazine box. In order to realize such a high stop position accuracy, a highly accurate and expensive sensor, a precise and robust guide rail and the like are usually required.

  However, there is a strong demand for the disk device to be low in cost and to have a compact configuration, and a sufficient space for installing guides for guiding the operation of the automatic insertion / removal device is sufficiently secured. Therefore, it is generally difficult to obtain a highly accurate guide performance. Therefore, it is generally difficult to keep the position accuracy of the automatic insertion / extraction device at a sufficiently high accuracy. For this reason, there has been a problem that it is difficult to stably perform a reliable chucking operation when the magazine tray is chucked (gripped) by the chuck mechanism of the automatic insertion / removal device.

  In view of the technical problems as described above, even if a certain amount of deviation occurs in the stop position of the insertion / extraction device with respect to the magazine in the magazine box, the chuck mechanism of the insertion / extraction device can stably perform a reliable chuck operation. The basic purpose is to be able to do it.

Therefore, the insertion / extraction device includes an insertion / extraction mechanism that can insert / extract a magazine tray loaded with a plurality of discs, and the insertion / extraction mechanism reciprocates and conveys the chuck means in the insertion / extraction direction. And an engaging groove extending along the insertion / extraction direction of the magazine tray. The guide means includes: a chuck conveying means; and a guide means for regulating a posture of the chuck means during conveyance of the chuck means. Bei example, said chuck means comprises a protrusion that engages with the engaging groove, the engagement groove is the protrusion is slidably guided in the insertion direction, the previous SL chuck means In the vicinity of the position for gripping the magazine tray , the groove width of the engagement groove is widened in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion / extraction direction .

  The chuck means is rotatably supported by the chuck conveying means, and has a degree of freedom in guiding by the guide means at a position where the chuck means grips the inserted / extracted object. Therefore, even if a certain amount of deviation (that is, within the range of the freedom of the chuck means) occurs in the relative position of the chuck means with respect to the inserted / removed object, the chuck means is engaged with the magazine tray along the inserted / removed object side. Can be combined. That is, even if a certain amount of deviation occurs in the stop position of the insertion / extraction device with respect to the inserted / extracted object, the chuck means can stably perform a reliable chucking operation.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a disk device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a magazine provided in the disk device of FIG. 1. It is a magazine exploded perspective view of Drawing 2A. It is a perspective view of the picker with which the disk apparatus of FIG. 1 is provided. It is a top view which shows the structure of the drive system of the lifting platform with which the picker of FIG. 3 is provided. It is the perspective view which looked at the picker of FIG. 3 from diagonally downward. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the picker of FIG. 3 has moved to the front of a magazine selected from a plurality of magazines. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing how the picker of FIG. 3 pulls out a magazine tray from a magazine. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing how the picker of FIG. 3 pulls out a magazine tray from a magazine. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing how the picker of FIG. 3 pulls out a magazine tray from a magazine. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing how the picker of FIG. 3 pulls out a magazine tray from a magazine. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing how the picker of FIG. 3 pulls out a magazine tray from a magazine. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where the picker of FIG. 3 has pulled out a magazine tray from the magazine. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the picker of FIG. 3 transports a magazine tray to the vicinity of a plurality of disk drives. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the picker of FIG. 3 transports a magazine tray to the vicinity of a plurality of disk drives. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the picker of FIG. 3 has moved the magazine tray above a lifter included in the disk device of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the picker of FIG. 3 has moved in front of a target magazine in the disk device according to the present embodiment. It is a whole perspective view of the raising / lowering stand unit which shows the state which hold | maintained the magazine tray with the chuck | zipper. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the upper surface side of the lifting / lowering base unit of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the back surface side of the lifting / lowering base unit of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state in which the lifting platform faced the front of the magazine. FIG. 20B is a plan view showing the chuck of the lifting platform in FIG. 20A seen through. It is a top view which shows the state just before a chuck chucks a magazine tray. FIG. 21B is a plan view showing the chuck of the lifting platform in FIG. 21A seen through. It is a top view which shows the state in which the chuck | zipper hold | maintained the magazine tray with the hook. FIG. 22B is a plan view illustrating the chuck of the lifting platform in FIG. 22A. It is a top view which shows the state in the middle of drawer | drawing-out of the magazine tray by a chuck | zipper. It is a top view which shows the drawer completion state of the magazine tray by a chuck | zipper. It is a top view which shows the state which the chuck | zipper returned the magazine tray. It is a top view which shows the state which a chuck | zipper retracts after returning a magazine tray. FIG. 26B is a plan view illustrating the chuck of the lifting platform in FIG. It is a perspective view of the chuck | zipper unit which shows the state holding the magazine tray based on other embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the upper base of the chuck unit 60 of FIG. FIG. 28 is an exploded perspective view of the chuck unit of FIG. 27. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the state which looked at the chuck unit of FIG. 27 from the downward direction. It is a top view of FIG. FIG. 28 is a bottom view showing a state where the lower base is removed from the chuck unit 60 of FIG. 27. FIG. 32 is a front view of FIG. 31. It is AA sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 28 is a plan view showing a state where the chuck unit is positioned at a regular position with respect to the magazine tray of FIG. 27. It is a top view which shows the state which moved the hook to the separation position from FIG. FIG. 37 is a plan view showing a state where the chuck unit is advanced from FIG. 36. FIG. 38 is a plan view showing a state in the middle of gripping the magazine tray by the chuck unit from FIG. 37. FIG. 38 is a plan view showing a state in which the magazine tray is gripped by the chuck unit from FIG. 37. FIG. 28 is a plan view showing a state where the chuck unit is displaced from the normal position with respect to the magazine tray of FIG. 27. It is a top view which shows the state which advanced the chuck unit from FIG. It is a top view which shows the state which made the hook approach from FIG. 41 and the hook part of one hook was located in the engagement recessed part. It is a top view which shows the state which made the hook approach further from FIG. 42, and was located in the holding position.

  The insertion / extraction apparatus can take the following aspects based on the above-described configuration.

  That is, the chuck conveying means includes a slider capable of reciprocating and sliding along the conveying direction of the chuck means, and a conveying driving means for driving the slider in the conveying direction. The slider can be configured to be pivotably engaged via a pivot fulcrum.

  According to this configuration, the chuck means is engaged with the slider that can reciprocally slide along the conveyance direction of the chuck means via the pivot fulcrum, so that the chuck means with respect to the magazine can be operated. Even if a deviation within the rotation range of the chuck means occurs at the relative position, the chuck means can be engaged with the object to be inserted following the magazine side.

  In addition, the guide means includes an engagement groove extending along the insertion / extraction direction of the insertion / extraction object, and the chuck means includes a protrusion that engages with the engagement groove, The protrusion is slidably guided, and has a clearance that generates a degree of freedom with respect to the protrusion in the vicinity of a position where the chuck means grips the insertion / extraction object. can do.

  According to this configuration, the guide means that regulates the posture of the chuck means during the conveyance of the chuck means includes the engagement groove extending along the insertion / extraction direction of the inserted / extracted object, The protrusion of the chuck means is slidably guided, and has a clearance that generates a degree of freedom with respect to the protrusion near the position where the chuck means grips the inserted / extracted object. Therefore, even if a deviation within the range of the degree of freedom of the chuck means occurs in the relative position of the chuck means with respect to the magazine, the chuck means can be engaged with the object to be inserted following the magazine side.

  In these cases, the insertion / extraction mechanism includes a conveyance base to which the chuck conveyance unit is assembled, and an arm member that is rotatably supported around the rotation fulcrum, and includes one end of the arm member. The first end portion on the side is slidably engaged with the chuck means, and the second end portion on the other end side of the arm member is slidably engaged with a guide groove provided on the transport base. You may make it.

  According to this configuration, in addition to the support by the slider, the posture of the chuck unit with respect to the conveyance base to which the chuck conveyance unit is assembled can be more stably held by using the arm member.

  In this case, the arm members are provided in a pair of left and right, and are arranged so as to intersect with each other so that the first end and the second end are located on the left and right with the rotation fulcrum in between. It is preferable.

  According to this configuration, by providing a pair of left and right arm members, the chuck means is more stable when the chuck means is rotatable in the vicinity of the engagement position between the chuck means and the object to be inserted. Can be transported in the posture.

  Further, the length of the guide groove provided in the transport base may be set shorter than the maximum slide distance of the slider.

  According to this configuration, the length of the guide groove in which the second end portion of the arm member is slidably engaged is set to be shorter than the maximum slide distance of the slider. The second end portion stops moving, and thereafter, the arm member rotates with the second end portion stopped, and the first end portion side moves to transport the chuck means. Thereby, the chuck means can be transported in a range larger than the slide range of the slider.

  The insertion / extraction object may be a magazine tray loaded with a plurality of disks.

  The chuck means is configured to open and close between a pair of hooks for gripping the object to be inserted and the pair of hooks, and between a gripping position of the object to be inserted and a separated position wider than the gripping position, A connecting means for supporting at least one of the hooks so as to be rotatable about a support shaft, and a gripping position for gripping the inserted / extracted object with a hook supported to be rotatable about the support shaft. And an urging means capable of urging the approaching position rotated beyond.

  According to this configuration, when the chuck means is displaced from the normal position with respect to the object to be inserted, one hook comes into contact with the object to be inserted before the hook is moved to the gripping position. Both hooks try to move closer together by the connecting means. At this time, the one hook is already in contact with the inserted / removed object, but has rotated to the approaching position, so that it can rotate against the urging force of the urging means. Therefore, both hooks can continue to move to the gripping position, and the object to be inserted / extracted can be gripped by both hooks.

  The pair of hooks may be urged to the approach position by the urging means.

  Only one of the hooks can be urged to the approach position by the urging means, and the reference position for positioning the chuck means with respect to the inserted / removed object is displaced to the hook side that can be urged to the approach position. May be.

  According to this configuration, even if only one of the hooks can be rotated to the approach position, the inserted / extracted object can be gripped by both hooks by correcting the reference position of the positioning of the chuck means. Can do.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known matters and repeated descriptions for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description from becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.
The inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description in order for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. is not.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a disk device including a magazine box according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the lower left side in FIG. 1 is referred to as “device front”, and the upper right side in FIG. 1 is referred to as “device rear”.

  First, the overall configuration of the disk device will be described with reference to FIG.

  The disk device according to this embodiment includes two magazine stockers 1 and 1. The two magazine stockers 1 and 1 are provided on the bottom chassis 11 so as to face each other in the apparatus width direction Y. In FIG. 1, the illustration of one (front side) magazine stocker 1 is omitted.

  Each magazine stocker 1 includes a plurality of magazine boxes 50 (for example, five in this embodiment) in which a plurality of disk storage magazines 2 are detachably stored. These five magazine boxes 50 are arranged along the apparatus depth direction X on the bottom chassis 11. Each magazine box 50 can store a plurality of (for example, nine in this embodiment) magazines 2 in the magazine stocker 1 in a state of being arranged vertically in a substantially horizontal posture.

  As will be described in detail later, each magazine 2 has a magazine tray 21 (see FIG. 2) that stores a plurality of (for example, 12) disks. Between the two magazine stockers 1 and 1, a picker 3 as an insertion / extraction device is provided.

  The picker 3 is for pulling out the magazine tray 21 from one magazine 2 selected from the plurality of magazines 2 and holding the magazine tray 21. The picker 3 is configured to convey the held magazine tray 21 to the vicinity of a plurality of disk drives 4 arranged at the rear of the apparatus. The picker 3 is integrally provided with a lifter 5 that pushes out a plurality of discs from the magazine tray 21.

  The disk drive 4 is a device that records or reproduces information on a disk. The disk drive 4 is a tray type disk drive that loads a disk using a tray. A plurality of (for example, 12) disk drives 4 are stacked in the apparatus height direction Z.

  That is, a plurality of disk drives 4 are formed in two rows that overlap each other, and the disk drives 4 in the two columns are arranged so as to face each other, and the plurality of disk drives 4 are combined into a single unit ( Disk drive unit).

  The plurality of disk drives 4 in each row are arranged adjacent to each magazine stocker 1, 1 at the rear of the apparatus. A carrier 6 is provided between the plurality of disk drives 4 stacked adjacent to one magazine stocker 1 and the plurality of disk drives 4 stacked adjacent to the other magazine stocker 1. Yes.

  The carrier 6 is provided in a housing 8 that accommodates a plurality of (for example, twelve) disk drives 4. The carrier 6 holds a plurality of disks pushed out by the lifter 5 in a stacked state. Above a discharged tray (not shown), one disk is separated from the plurality of held disks, and the separated disk is placed on the tray.

  An electric circuit and a power source 7 are provided further behind the carrier 6 and the plurality of disk drives 4. The electric circuit and power source 7 is provided with a control unit that controls operations (motors and the like) of devices such as the picker 3, the disk drive 4, and the carrier 6. The control unit is connected to, for example, a host computer that manages data. Based on the operator's instruction, the host computer sends a command to the control unit so as to perform operations such as writing or reading data to or from the designated magazine 2. The control unit controls the operation of each device such as the picker 3, the disk drive 4, and the carrier 6 in accordance with the command.

  The magazine stocker 1 is provided along a guide rail 12 that slidably guides the picker 3. The guide rail 12 is provided so as to extend in the apparatus depth direction X (longitudinal direction of the magazine stocker 1). A handle 13 is provided on the side surface of the magazine stocker 1 on the front side of the apparatus. By pulling the handle 13, the magazine stocker 1 can be moved forward of the apparatus. Each magazine stocker 1 includes a partition (not shown) that extends in the apparatus width direction Y. The magazine 2 is accommodated in each space surrounded by the partition.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the magazine 2 includes a magazine tray 21 and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 22 that houses the magazine tray 21. As shown in FIG. 2B, an opening 22 a into which the magazine tray 21 can be inserted and removed is provided on the front surface (one side surface) of the case 22.

  The magazine tray 21 has a substantially rectangular outer shape in plan view. The magazine tray 21 stores a plurality of discs 100 in a state where they are stacked in close contact with each other. Cut portions 21 a and 21 a are formed at both corner portions located on the back side of the case 22 when the magazine tray 21 is stored in the case 22. Further, when the magazine tray 21 is housed in the case 22, the entire side surface 21b located on the back side of the case 22 is formed in an arc shape including the cut portions 21a and 21a.

  When the magazine tray 21 is stored in the case 22, notches 21 c and 21 c are formed at both corner portions located on the front side of the case 22. In the width direction of the magazine tray 21, engaging recesses 21d and 21d are formed on the inner side of the notches 21c and 21c to engage hooks (not shown) of the picker 3.

  The magazine tray 21 is provided with a core rod 23 that is inserted into a central hole 100 a provided in each of the plurality of disks 100 and restricts movement of each disk 100 in the surface direction. The core rod 23 prevents each disk 100 from being damaged by the movement of each disk 100 in the surface direction.

  The picker 3 includes a traveling base 31. As shown in FIG. 3, a carriage 31 a that slidably moves the guide rail 12 is attached to one magazine stocker 1 side of the traveling base 31. In addition, a roller 31b is attached to the other magazine stocker 1 side of the traveling base 31 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the traveling base 31 is provided with a picker motor 31 c that generates a driving force for moving the picker 3 in the apparatus depth direction X. A reduction gear 31d is engaged with the motor gear 31i press-fitted into the drive shaft of the picker motor 31c. The reduction gear 31d meshes with the pinion gear 31e. The pinion gear 31e meshes with the rack 14 provided so as to extend in the apparatus depth direction X adjacent to the guide rail 12.

  When the picker motor 31c is driven, the driving force of the picker motor 31c is transmitted to the pinion gear 31e via the motor gear 31i and the reduction gear 31d, and the pinion gear 31e rotates. Here, the rack 14 is fixed to the bottom chassis 11. On the other hand, the traveling base 31 is not fixed to the bottom chassis 11. For this reason, when the pinion gear 31e rotates, the pinion gear 31e moves along the rack 14, and the picker 3 moves in the apparatus depth direction X.

  For example, a stepping motor is used as the picker motor 31c. By giving a predetermined pulse to the picker motor 31c, the picker 3 can be moved in front of the predetermined magazine 2.

  A picker base 31h made of resin is attached to the traveling base 31 made of sheet metal. The picker base 31h is provided with a turntable 32 that is rotatable about a rotation shaft 32a extending in the apparatus height direction Z. The picker base 31h is provided with a turntable motor 31f that generates a driving force for rotating the turntable 32. As shown in FIG. 4, a reduction gear 31g meshes with the motor gear 31j press-fitted into the drive shaft of the turntable motor 31f. The reduction gear 31g meshes with a turntable gear 32b provided on the outer periphery of the turntable 32. When the turntable motor 31f is driven, the driving force of the turntable motor 31f is transmitted to the turntable gear 32b via the motor gear 31j and the reduction gear 31g, and the turntable 32 rotates.

  The turntable 32 is provided with a pair of elevating rails 33, 33 extending in the apparatus height direction Z and facing each other. A lifting platform 34 is provided between the pair of lifting rails 33, 33. Further, the rotary table 32 is provided with a lift motor 32c that generates a driving force for moving the lift 34 up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a relay gear 32d is engaged with the motor gear 32k press-fitted into the drive shaft of the elevator motor 32c. A connecting shaft gear 32e meshes with the relay gear 32d. A connecting shaft 32f passes through the center of the connecting shaft gear 32e. Worms 32g and 32g are fixed to both ends of the connecting shaft 32f. Each worm 32g is engaged with the relay gear 32h. Each relay gear 32h meshes with the lead screw gear 32i. Each lead screw gear 32i is fixed to the lead screw 32j. Each lead screw 32j is provided so as to extend in the apparatus height direction Z along the elevating rail 33. As shown in FIG. 3, a nut 34a provided on the lifting platform 34 is screwed into each lead screw 32j.

  When the elevator motor 32c is driven, the driving force of the elevator motor 32c is driven by the lead screw 32j via the motor gear 32k, relay gear 32d, connecting shaft gear 32e, connecting shaft 32f, worm 32g, relay gear 32h, and lead screw gear 32i. And the lead screw 32j rotates. As a result, the lifting platform 34 moves up and down in the apparatus height direction Z along the pair of lifting rails 33, 33.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the lifting platform 34 includes a pair of hooks 35, 35 that can be engaged with the engaging recess 21 d of the magazine tray 21, and a mechanism that opens and closes the pair of hooks 35, 35. And a chuck 36 to be moved to.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the lift table 34 is provided with a chuck motor 34 b. A reduction gear 34c meshes with the motor gear 34f press-fitted into the drive shaft of the chuck motor 34b. The reduction gear 34c meshes with the lead screw gear 34d. The lead screw gear 34d is fixed to the lead screw 34e. The lead screw 34e is provided so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to a straight line connecting the pair of lifting rails 33, 33. A nut 36a fixed to the chuck 36 is screwed into the lead screw 34e.

  When the chuck motor 34b is driven, the driving force of the chuck motor 34b is transmitted to the nut 36a through the motor gear 34f, the reduction gear 34c, the lead screw gear 34d, and the lead screw 34e, and the chuck 36 is moved along the lead screw 34e. Moving.

  The chuck 36 is configured to be able to adjust the distance between the pair of hooks 35. As the chuck 36 reduces the distance between the pair of hooks 35, 35, the pair of hooks 35, 35 can be engaged with the engagement recesses 21 d, 21 d of the magazine tray 21. On the other hand, when the chuck 36 widens the distance between the pair of hooks 35, 35, the engagement state between the pair of hooks 35, 35 and the engagement recesses 21 d, 21 d of the magazine tray 21 can be released.

  The pair of elevating rails 33 are attached to both side surfaces of the U-shaped angle 37. The upper ends of the pair of lead screws 32j are rotatably attached to the upper surface of the angle 37.

  The picker motor 31c, the rotary table motor 31f, the lift table motor 32c, and the chuck motor 34b are connected to a control unit of the electric circuit and the power source 7 via an FFC (flexible flat cable) 114 (see FIG. 1). The drive is controlled by.

  6 to 12 show how the picker 3 pulls out the magazine tray 21 from the case 22. As the traveling base 31 travels in the apparatus depth direction X and the lifting platform 34 moves up and down in the apparatus height direction Z along the pair of lifting rails 33, as shown in FIG. The picker 3 is moved to the front of the selected one magazine 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the turntable 32 is rotated so that the chuck 36 faces the front of the magazine 2.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the chuck 36 advances toward the magazine tray 21, and the pair of hooks 35, 35 are engaged with the engaging recesses 21d, 21d of the magazine tray 21, as shown in FIG. . In this state, the magazine 36 is pulled out from the case 22 when the chuck 36 is retracted from the case 22.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the chuck 36 moves backward (moves forward of the case 22), the cut portion 21a of the magazine tray 21 passes through the opening portion 22a of the case 22, and then the turntable 32 rotates the rotation shaft 32a. Is rotated clockwise about the center. In other words, as shown in FIG. 11, the distance L1 from the apex 21f of the side surface 21b of the magazine tray 21 (the position farthest from the rotation shaft 32a) to the rotation shaft 32a is the front end 22b of the side surface of the case 22. When the rotation table 32 becomes smaller than the distance L2 from the rotary shaft 32a, the rotary base 32 is rotated clockwise about the rotary shaft 32a. As the turntable 32 rotates, the magazine tray 21 rotates about the rotation shaft 32a as shown in FIGS. As a result, the magazine tray 21 is completely pulled out from the case 22 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the magazine tray 21 pulled out from the case 22 is located in the vicinity of the plurality of disk drives 4 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, as the traveling base 31 of the picker 3 travels backward. It is conveyed to. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15, the chuck 36 of the picker 3 moves forward, and the magazine tray 21 is placed at a predetermined position on the magazine tray guide 18 above the lifter 5. 14 and 15, the illustration of the front disk drive 4 is omitted.

  A carrier 6 is provided in a housing 8 that accommodates a plurality of (for example, twelve) disk drives 4, and holds a plurality of disks 100 pushed out by the lifter 5 in a stacked state. The disc 100 is separated from the plurality of discs 100 held above the tray (not shown) ejected from the disc, and the separated disc 100 is placed on the tray.

  An electric circuit and a power source 7 are provided further behind the carrier 6 and the plurality of disk drives 4. The electric circuit and power source 7 is provided with a control unit that controls operations (motors and the like) of devices such as the picker 3, the disk drive 4, and the carrier 6. The control unit is connected to, for example, a host computer that manages data. Based on the operator's instruction, the host computer sends a command to the control unit so as to perform operations such as writing or reading data to or from the designated magazine 2. The control unit controls the operation of each device such as the picker 3, the disk drive 4, and the carrier 6 in accordance with the command.

  Next, the insertion / extraction operation of the magazine tray 21 performed using the chuck 36 of the picker 3 will be described in more detail. FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a state in which the picker 3 has moved in front of the target magazine 2 in the disk device. In the present embodiment, the disk device is mounted on, for example, a 19-inch rack. From the standard EIA of this 19-inch rack, the width needs to be 450 mm or less. Considering the width accuracy of the mounting member and the device, the total width W1 allowed for the device is 441 mm. Further, the depth dimension W2 of the magazine 2 is 132 mm, and it is arranged on the left and right considering the thickness of the side surface of the stocker 1 on which the magazine 2 is mounted, the clearance between the stocker 1 and the exterior of the apparatus, and the total thickness of the apparatus exterior. The dimension W4 between the front surfaces of the magazine 2 is 168 mm.

  In order for the picker 3 to travel back and forth in the space between the left and right magazines 2, a gap of 4 mm is required between the magazine 2 in consideration of errors, so the space allowed for the picker 3 is 160 mm. Further, in order to pull out the magazine tray 21 from the left and right magazines 2, it is required that the magazine tray 21 can be rotated by 180 °. Therefore, the lifting platform 34 on which the chuck 36 for inserting and removing the magazine 2 in the picker 3 has a diameter W5 of 160 mm or less. It has become a circle.

  As described above, in the disk device, since the size in the width direction of the device is limited as described above, the installation space for the guide for guiding the traveling operation of the picker 3 forward and backward is also sufficient. It cannot be ensured and it is difficult to obtain highly accurate guide performance. Therefore, in general, it is difficult to keep the position accuracy of the picker 3 at a sufficiently high accuracy.

  Further, in particular, in the present embodiment, the lifting platform 34 for pulling out the magazine tray 21 from the magazine 2 is used for traveling in the front-rear direction accompanying the traveling of the picker 3 and for pulling out the magazine tray 21 from the left and right magazines 2. Both of the 180 ° rotation operations must be performed, and it is difficult to keep the position accuracy of the stop position sufficiently high in each of these two operations. As described above, when the magazine tray 21 is chucked (gripped) by the chuck 36 of the picker 3, it is difficult to stably perform a reliable chucking operation, and a chuck error may occur.

  In the present embodiment, in view of the technical problems as described above, even if the stop position accuracy of the picker 3 with respect to the magazine 2 in the magazine box 50 is somewhat insufficient, the chuck 36 of the picker 3 is surely secured. Various devices have been devised for the insertion / extraction mechanism of the magazine tray 21 so that the operation can be performed stably.

  Hereinafter, the magazine tray insertion / extraction mechanism according to the present embodiment will be described. 17 is an overall perspective view of the lifting / lowering table unit showing a state where the magazine tray 21 is held by the chuck 36, FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing the upper surface side of the lifting / lowering table unit, and FIG. 19 is a lower surface side of the lifting / lowering table unit. FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the lift unit equipped with the magazine tray insertion / extraction mechanism according to this embodiment includes a lift 34 and a chuck 36 as basic components. As described above, the lift table 34 can be moved up and down above the turntable 32 of the picker 3. The chuck 36 corresponds to the “chuck means” described in the claims of the present application, and as described above, opens and closes the pair of hooks 35 that can be engaged with the engaging recess 21d of the magazine tray 21. It has a mechanism and moves back and forth.

  The lift 34 includes a slider 41 that can reciprocate along a diameter on a base plate 34g that is substantially circular in plan view. The base plate 34g corresponds to a “conveyance base” recited in the claims of the present application. In order to slide the slider 41, the above-described lead screw 34e is provided so as to be rotatable about its axis. The slider 41 is provided with a nut 41n that meshes with the groove of the lead screw 34e, and the rotational motion of the lead screw 34e is converted into a horizontal sliding operation of the slider 41 and transmitted through the nut 41n. It has become.

  In the present embodiment, for example, the length of the slider 41 in the sliding direction is set to 28 mm, and the length of the thread portion of the lead screw 34e is set to 114 mm. In this case, the diameter of the circular lifting platform 34 in plan view is 160 mm, and in consideration of the arrangement space of the standby side relay board, the gear train for driving, and the arrangement space of the bearing of the lead screw 34e, the screw This is because the effective length of the portion can only be about 114 mm.

  A lead screw gear 34d is press-fitted into the end portion of the lead screw 34e, and the driving force from the chuck motor 34b is transmitted through the motor gear 34f, the relay (deceleration) gear 34c, and the lead screw gear 34d. It is transmitted to the lead screw 34e. The chuck motor 34b, the motor gear 34f, the relay gear 34c, the lead screw gear 34d, the lead screw 34e, and the nut 41n constitute a “conveying drive unit” that drives the slider 41 in the conveying direction. The transport driving means and the slider 41 constitute the main part of the “chuck transport means” described in the claims of the present application.

  The slider 41 is attached with a pair of left and right chuck drive arms 43 and 44 that are rotatably engaged with the slider 41 by arm center pins 42. The arm center pin 42 is attached to the central hole 41 c of the slider 41. Ends on the long side of the arms of the left and right chuck drive arms 43, 44 (that is, ends on the side far from the insertion holes 43h, 44h of the arm center pin 42 of the arms 43, 44). The chuck drive pins 43a and 44a project upward at the “first end”, respectively, while the short ends of the arms 43 and 44 (that is, close to the insertion holes 43h and 44h). Arm guide pins 43b and 44b project downward from the end portion on the side: "second end portion" described in the claims of the present application.

  The chuck drive pins 43a and 44a are slidably engaged with a pair of long holes 36h provided in the chuck 36. Both of the pair of long holes 36 h substantially coincide with the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider 41.

  On the other hand, the arm guide pins 43b and 43b engage with a pair of long grooves 34h provided on the lifting platform 34. The pair of long grooves 34h extends in parallel with the lead screw 34e (that is, in the sliding direction of the slider 41) on both the left and right sides with the lead screw 34e interposed therebetween. Both the long grooves 34h and 34h are formed wider than the diameter of the arm guide pins 43b and 43b. The long grooves 34h, 34h correspond to “guide grooves” recited in the claims of the present application.

  The arm center pin 42 is engaged with a center guide groove 36 g provided in the chuck 36. The center guide groove 36g extends in the sliding direction of the slider 41. Here, in the left and right chuck drive arms 43 and 44, the distance b from the center of the insertion holes 43h and 44h to the center of the arm guide pins 43b and 44b is set to 20 mm, for example, to the center of the chuck drive pins 43a and 44a. Is set to 40 mm, for example.

  A guide pin 36p protrudes downward from the back side of the chuck 36, and this guide pin 36p is parallel to the lead screw 34e on the base plate 34g of the lifting platform 34 (that is, in the sliding direction of the slider 41). ) It is engaged with the extended engagement groove 45. The engagement groove 45 corresponds to “guide means” described in the claims of the present application (which regulates the posture of the chuck 36 during the conveyance of the chuck 36).

  The engaging groove 45 is enlarged at a guide width portion 45p set to a width dimension that guides the guide pin 36p so that the guide pin 36p can slide smoothly, and at the end of the guide width portion 45p on the magazine side. A wide portion 45r having a width dimension and releasing the guide of the sliding operation of the guide pin 36p is provided.

  Therefore, while the guide pin 36p is engaged with the guide width portion 45p of the engagement groove 45, the guide pin 36p is guided by the guide width portion 45p and slides in the same direction as the slide direction of the slider 41, but the wide portion When 45r is reached, the guide for the sliding operation is released. As a result, the guide pin 36p can be displaced in a direction different from the sliding direction within the expanded width range, and the degree of freedom in the moving direction is increased.

  The operation of the chuck 36 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20B to FIGS. 26A and 26B.

  FIG. 20A shows a state (initial state) where the lifting / lowering base 34 is in a position corresponding to the target magazine 2 and faces the front of the magazine 2, and FIG. 20B shows the lifting / lowering base 34 in the initial state. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the chuck 36 through. At this time, the chuck 36 is in a standby state located closest to the magazine side. In the standby state of the chuck 36, the chuck guide pin 36 p is in contact with the terminal wall portion on the standby side of the guide width portion 45 p of the engagement groove 45. The chuck 36 is guided by the arm center pin 42 attached to the slider 41 through the center guide groove 36g, and is guided by the guide width portion 45p of the engagement groove 45 of the lifting platform 34 by the guide pin 36p. .

  In this state, the chuck motor 34b is rotated to rotate the lead screw 34e, and when the slider 41 is conveyed to the magazine 2 side via the nut 41n, the arm center pin 42 moves to the magazine 2 side, and accordingly, the chuck drive arm 43 is moved. 44 are sent to the magazine 2 side. At this time, since the arm guide pins 43b and 44b are engaged with the long grooves 34h and 34h of the lifting platform 34, the movement in the inner direction is restricted. Accordingly, the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 are not rotated and are sent to the magazine 2 side while maintaining the same posture.

  As a result, the chuck drive pins 43a and 44a provided at the tips of the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 are also moved to the magazine 2 side, and the chuck 36 engaged with the chuck drive pins 43a and 44a through the long holes 36h and 36h is also connected to the magazine 2. Move to the side. Since the chuck 36 is guided by the arm center pin 42 and the guide width portion 45p of the engaging groove 45 of the lifting platform 34, the posture of facing the parallel to the front of the magazine 2 is maintained without tilting left and right. Move to the magazine 2 side.

  FIG. 21A shows a state immediately before the chuck 36 chucks the magazine tray, and FIG. 21B is a plan view showing the chuck 36 of the lifting platform 34 in a transparent state. When the lead screw 34e further rotates and the slider 41 is further conveyed to the magazine 2 side, the arm guide pins 43b and 44b come into contact with the end wall portion on the magazine 2 side of the long grooves 34h and 34h of the elevating base 34, No more progress. However, since the slider 41 further moves forward, the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 rotate around the arm center pin 42, respectively.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the left and right chuck drive arms 43 and 44 are set such that the distance b from the center of the insertion holes 43h and 44h to the center of the arm guide pins 43b and 44b is set to 20 mm, for example. The distance a to the center of the pins 43a and 44a is set to 40 mm, for example. That is, the ratio of the distance a and the distance b is set to be 2: 1.

  Therefore, the arm guide pins 43b and 44b rotate around the arm center pin 42 of the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 in a state in which the long grooves 34h and 34h of the elevating base 34 abut against the end wall portion on the magazine 2 side and stop. When the slider 41 further moves to the magazine 2 side with the operation, the chuck drive pins 43a and 44a of the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 move by a distance three times the movement amount of the slider 41. Along with this, the chuck 36 also moves by a distance three times the movement amount of the slider 41.

  At this time, the guide pin 36p of the chuck 36 enters the wide portion 45r from the guide width portion 45p of the engagement groove 45 of the lifting platform 34, and thereafter advances in the wide portion 45r. In the wide portion 45r, the guide of the sliding operation of the guide pin 36p is released, and the guide pin 36p can be displaced in a direction different from the sliding direction within the expanded width dimension, and the moving direction The degree of freedom increases. As a result, the chuck 36 can rotate or swing around the arm center pin 42 within a range corresponding to the enlarged width dimension of the wide portion 45r of the engagement groove 45.

  That is, the chuck 36 is guided in the transport direction by sliding the guide pin 36p of the chuck 36 within the guide width portion 45p of the engagement groove 45 of the lifting platform 34 except in the vicinity of the engagement position with the magazine tray 21. However, in the vicinity of the engagement position, the guide pin 36p is positioned in the wide portion 45r of the engagement groove 45, so that the guide in the transport direction is released, and the swing fulcrum (arm center) with respect to the slider 41 is released. It becomes swingable around the pin 42). Therefore, even if a certain amount of deviation (that is, within the swing range of the chuck 36) occurs in the relative position of the chuck 36 with respect to the magazine 2, the chuck 36 is engaged with the magazine tray 21 along the magazine 2 side. Can do. That is, even if a certain amount of deviation occurs in the stop position of the chuck 36 with respect to the magazine 2, the chuck 36 can stably perform a reliable chuck operation. In this case, the groove width of the engagement groove 45 provided on the base plate 34g of the lifting / lowering base 34 is simply configured in accordance with the stroke position, and the chuck other than the vicinity of the engagement position between the chuck 36 and the magazine tray 21 is used. The guide 36 can be smoothly guided in the conveying direction, and the guide of the chuck 36 can be surely released in the vicinity of the engagement position so that the chuck 36 can swing around the arm center pin 42.

  FIG. 22A shows a state where the chuck 36 holds the magazine tray with the hook 35, and FIG. 22B is a plan view showing the chuck 36 of the lifting platform 34 in a transparent state. In the magazine tray holding state, the guide pin 36p of the chuck 36 is in the wide portion 45r of the engaging groove 45 of the lifting platform 34. Therefore, in the state where the chuck 36 chucks the magazine tray 21 with the hook 35, the chuck 36 can swing around the arm center pin 42, so that the alignment accuracy between the chuck 36 and the magazine tray 21 is insufficient. Even if there is a slight deviation, the chuck 36 can follow (that is, follow) the magazine tray 21 within the swing range without twisting.

  When the picker 3 is stopped in front of the target magazine 2, a high-precision and expensive sensor or a precise and robust guide rail is usually required to achieve high stop position accuracy. In this embodiment, when the chuck 36 chucks the magazine tray 21 with the hook 35, the chuck 36 can swing around the arm center pin 42, and thus follows the magazine tray 21 side within the swing range. be able to. Therefore, even if a certain amount of deviation (that is, within the swing range of the chuck 36) occurs in the relative position of the chuck means with respect to the magazine, the chuck 36 can be engaged with the magazine tray 21 along the magazine side. . In this case, it is possible to realize such a configuration at a very low cost as compared with the case where an expensive sensor or a precise and robust guide rail is provided.

  FIG. 23 shows a state where the magazine tray 21 is being pulled out by the chuck 36, and FIG. 24 shows a state where the magazine tray 21 has been pulled out by the chuck 36. As shown in FIG. 24, the magazine tray 21 is not completely out of the magazine 2 even when the chuck 36 is completely retracted and the magazine 36 is completely pulled out by the chuck 36. This is the same state as described with reference to FIG.

  By rotating the lifting platform 34 from this state, the magazine tray 21 is completely removed from the magazine 2 as described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. Thereafter, as described above, the picker 3 moves to the disk drive 4 side, the lifter 5 is set in front of the disk drive 4, and the magazine tray 21 is set on the lifter 5. At this time, the chuck 36 moves full stroke from the standby side.

  In this case, the necessary movement amount of the magazine tray 21 is, for example, 103 mm. The length of the threaded portion of the lead screw 34e of the lifting platform 34 is 114 mm as described above, the length of the slider 41 is 28 mm, and considering the total of 4 mm before and after the overstroke, the movable amount of the slider 41 is 82 mm. The amount of movement of the magazine tray 21 is insufficient (103 mm).

  However, in the present embodiment, as described above, at the end of the forward movement of the slider 41, the arm guide pins 43b and 44b are in contact with the terminal walls on the forward side of the long grooves 34h and 34h of the lifting platform 34 and stopped. When the slider 41 further moves forward with the pivot operation about the arm center pin 42 of the chuck drive arms 43, 44, the chuck drive pins 43a, 44a of the chuck drive arms 43, 44 move the slider 41. Accordingly, the chuck 36 can be moved by a distance three times the movement amount of the slider 41.

  Thereby, even when the movable amount (82 mm) of the slider 41 is insufficient, the necessary moving amount (103 mm) of the magazine tray 21 can be ensured. That is, even when the effective screw length of the lead screw 34e cannot be secured sufficiently, the magazine tray 21 can be moved with a stroke longer than the effective screw length.

When the magazine tray 21 is returned to the magazine 2 and inserted, the operation is performed in the reverse order of the above-described operation. That is, by driving the chuck motor 34 b and moving the slider 41 to the standby side, the chuck 36 holding the magazine tray 21 is retracted, and the magazine tray 21 is placed on the lifting platform 34 and then the front of the original magazine 2 . Move picker 3 until. Next, the magazine tray 21 is inserted into the magazine 2 by rotating the lifting platform 34 in the direction opposite to that shown in FIG. Then, the slider 41 is advanced again to move the chuck 36 to the magazine 2 side, and the magazine tray 21 is pushed into the magazine 2.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 25, the hooks 35 and 35 are opened, and the front surface 36f of the chuck 36 is used to push the magazine tray 21 into the magazine 2 more securely, thereby completing the insertion and return into the magazine 2. . Next, the chuck 36 is retracted. FIG. 26A shows a state in which the hooks 35 and 35 are closed during the retreat. Further, the state of the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 at this time is shown in FIG. 26B.

  During the retraction of the chuck 36, the arm guide pin 44b of the chuck drive arm 44 contacts the arm of the chuck drive arm 43 closer to the chuck drive pin 43a, and the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 are relatively rotated. It is regulated. As a result, the postures of the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 are maintained, and the chuck 36 moves backward while maintaining parallelism.

  If the arm is further retracted, the arm guide pins 43b and 44b cannot move due to contact with the standby side wall portions of the long grooves 34h and 34h of the lifting platform 34. In this state, when the slider 41 further moves to the standby side, the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 rotate around the arm center pin 42. As described above, the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 are provided with the arm guide pins 43b and 44b and the chuck drive pins 43a and 44a at a ratio of one to two, so that the amount of movement of the slider 41 is three times. The chuck drive pins 43a and 44a are moved by the amount of movement of the chuck 36, and the chuck 36 is moved by the amount of movement of three times, and finally stops in the state of the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 in the initial state shown in FIG. 20B. It has become.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the chuck 36 is rotatably supported by the slider 41, and the degree of freedom in guiding by the engagement groove 45 at a position where the chuck 36 grips the magazine tray 21. have. Therefore, even if a certain amount of deviation (that is, within the range of freedom of the chuck 36) occurs in the relative position of the chuck 36 with respect to the magazine 2, the chuck 36 is engaged with the magazine tray 21 along the magazine 2 side. can do. That is, even if a certain amount of deviation occurs in the stop position of the insertion / extraction device, that is, the picker 3 with respect to the magazine 2, the chuck 36 can stably perform a reliable chucking operation.

  More specifically, the chuck 36 is rotatably engaged via an arm center pin 42 with respect to a slider 41 that can be reciprocated along the conveyance direction of the chuck 36 on the base plate 34g. Thus, even if the chuck 36 is displaced relative to the magazine 2 within the rotation range of the chuck 36, the chuck 36 can be engaged with the magazine tray 21 along the magazine 2 side.

  Further, the engaging groove 45 that extends along the insertion / extraction direction of the magazine tray 21 and that regulates the posture of the chuck 36 during conveyance of the chuck 36 slides the protrusion (guide pin) 36p of the chuck 36. The guide is movably guided and has a clearance that allows the guide pin 36p to have a degree of freedom greater than the relative position error between the magazine tray 21 and the chuck 36 in the vicinity of the position where the chuck 36 grips the magazine tray 21. ing. Therefore, even if a deviation within the range of the degree of freedom of the chuck 36 occurs in the relative position of the chuck 36 with respect to the magazine 2, the chuck 36 can be engaged with the magazine tray 21 along the magazine 2 side.

  Further, chuck drive arms 43 and 44 supported rotatably about the arm center pin 42 are provided, and one end side thereof rotates with the long holes 36h and 36h of the chuck 36 via the chuck drive pins 43a and 44a. The slider 41 is slidably engaged, and the other end side of the chuck drive arms 43, 44 is slidably engaged with the long grooves 34h, 34h of the lifting platform 34 via the arm guide pins 43b, 44b. In addition to the support by the above, the posture of the chuck 36 relative to the lifting platform 34 can be more stably held by using the chuck drive arms 43 and 44.

  In this case, the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 are provided in a pair of left and right sides, and the chuck drive pins 43a and 44a on one end side and the arm guide pins 43b and 44b on the other end side are positioned on the left and right sides with the arm center pin 42 in between. As described above, when the chuck 36 is swingable in the vicinity of the engagement position between the chuck 36 and the magazine tray 21 by being arranged so as to cross each other, the chuck 36 is more stably maintained. Can be transported.

  Further, since the length of the long grooves 34h and 34h provided in the lifting / lowering base 34 is set to be shorter than the maximum slide distance of the slider 41, the arm guide pins 43b of the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 during the slide operation of the slider 41, The end side having 44b stops moving, and thereafter, the chuck drive arms 43 and 44 rotate with the end side stopped, and the end side having chuck drive pins 43a and 44a moves to move the chuck 36. Will be transported. Thereby, the chuck 36 can be transported in a range larger than the slide range of the slider 41.

As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to an embodiment in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, and the like are appropriately performed. Moreover, it is also possible to combine each component demonstrated by the said embodiment and it can also be set as a new embodiment.
Therefore, other embodiments are illustrated as follows.

(Other embodiments)
For example, in the above embodiment, the magazine tray 21 is inserted into and removed from the magazine 2, but the magazine 2 itself may be inserted and removed.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration of the chuck unit 60 of the picker 3 has not been described in detail. For example, the configuration can be configured as follows. In other embodiments described below, the terms “right” and “left” mean “right” and “left” in the plan views of FIGS.

  FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the chuck unit 60 showing a state in which the magazine tray 21 is chucked (gripped) by the left and right hooks 61 and 62. Although not shown in FIG. 27, the magazine tray 21 constitutes the magazine 2 in which the disc 100 is accommodated and the periphery thereof is covered by the magazine case 22 as described above. The chuck unit 60 is supported by the pair of left and right chuck holders 34 s (one of which is not shown) on the lifting platform 34 so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the magazine 2. The chuck unit 60 can hold the magazine tray 21 by the left and right hooks 61 and 62, and the magazine tray 21 is pulled out from the magazine case 22 when the chuck unit 60 moves backward, and moves forward into the magazine case 22 by moving forward. Stored.

  28 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the chuck unit 60, FIG. 29 is an exploded perspective view of the chuck unit 60 as viewed from above, FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the chuck unit 60 as viewed from below, and FIG. 28 is a plan view, FIG. 32 is a bottom view showing a state where the lower base is removed from the chuck unit 60 of FIG. 27, FIG. 33 is a front view of FIG. 31, and FIG. 34 is an AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing. The chuck unit 60 includes a lower base 65 that supports the left and right hooks 61 and 62, and an upper base 64 on which main components of the drive system are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 29 and 31, a hook motor 71 for opening and closing the left and right hooks 61 and 62 is attached to the upper base 64. A motor gear 72 is press-fitted into the output shaft 71 s of the hook motor 71. The drive gear 74 is meshed with the motor gear 72 via the first relay gear 73A and the second relay gear 73B. The first relay gear 73A has a large diameter gear 73Aa and a small diameter gear 73Ab. Similarly, the second relay gear 73B has a large diameter gear 73Ba and a small diameter gear 73Bb. The large diameter gear 73Aa of the first relay gear 73A meshes with the motor gear 72, and the small diameter gear 73Ab of the first relay gear 73A meshes with the large diameter gear 73Ba of the second relay gear 73B. The drive gear 74 is meshed with the small diameter gear 73Bb of the second relay gear 73B. The first relay gear 73A, the second relay gear 73B, and the drive gear 74 are all rotatably supported by the upper base 64. As a result, when the hook motor 71 is driven to rotate forward and backward, the drive gear 74 rotates forward and backward via the motor gear 72, the first relay gear 73A, and the second relay gear 73B. Thus, the final rotational torque of the drive gear 74 is increased by sequentially engaging the large-diameter gear with the small-diameter gear from the hook motor 71 side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 30, the upper base 64 is formed with a frame portion 64a protruding in a rectangular shape. Spring receiving portions 64b projecting from the frame portion 64a are formed at both inner end portions of the frame portion 64a. A chucking claw 75d formed on an elastic piece 75c of the chuck rod 75, which will be described later, is locked to the frame portion 64a, so that the chuck rod 75 can be reciprocally moved. Both end portions of a holding spring 77 to be described later are in pressure contact with the spring receiving portion 64b, and the chuck rod 75 can be biased to the neutral position.

  As shown in FIG. 31, the second relay gear 73B is provided with a switch detection rib 73Bc on the outer peripheral side of the small diameter gear 73Bb. The switch detection rib 73Bc is detected by a detection switch 76 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the second relay gear 73B. That is, when the drive gear 74 rotates beyond the freely rotatable range, the detection switch 76 is turned on by the drive rib 74r. The detection switch 76 is preferably configured such that the detection unit 76d can be tilted to the left or right, and is turned on regardless of the tilt to the left or right.

  As shown in FIG. 30, the drive gear 74 includes a shaft portion 74m and a gear portion 74n. On the lower surface of the gear portion 74n, there is provided an arc-shaped drive rib 74r with a part cut away, with the shaft portion 74m as the center. As shown in FIG. 34, an engagement rib 75r provided on a chuck rod 75, which will be described later, is located in a notched region (notched region) of the drive rib 74r.

  An alarm can be issued when an abnormality occurs in the hook motor 71 using the detection switch 76. For example, after the magazine tray 21 insertion / extraction operation using the chuck unit 60 is started or the hook motor 71 is energized, the detection switch 76 is switched to the switch detection rib 73Bc of the second relay gear 73B for a certain period or more. If the ON / OFF operation of the detection switch 76 does not occur while the contact is not in contact with or in reverse, the second relay gear 73B is not rotating, and the operation of the motor 74 is abnormal. there is a possibility. In this case, for example, the detection switch 76 transmits an abnormality detection signal of the motor 74 to the control unit provided in the above-described electric circuit and power source 7 and displays the fact of the abnormality detection on the operation panel or the like of the control unit. By doing so, the operator is notified.

  As shown in FIG. 29, the chuck rod 75 is formed in a groove shape having guide walls 75a facing each other at a predetermined interval, and a holding spring 77 made of a coil spring is disposed there. The holding spring 77 is wound densely at the center and sparsely at both ends. In the case of a normal coil spring that does not have a dense portion in the central portion, there is a possibility that separation will become difficult when a plurality of coil springs are stored. It is convenient for handling. Further, it is only necessary to provide one holding spring 77 for the right and left biasing of the chuck rod 75, and the configuration can be simplified.

  On one guide wall 75a of the chuck rod 75, an elastic piece 75c having a locking claw 75d on the outer surface of the upper end is formed by slits provided at predetermined intervals. A hook drive rib 75k that protrudes downward from the central portion of the lower surface of the chuck rod 75 is formed, and an engagement rib 75r that protrudes laterally is formed. The hook drive rib 75k is located between a pair of contact ribs 61a and 61b provided on the upper surface of the left hook 61. The engagement rib 75r is located in a notched region (notched region) of the drive rib 74r (see FIG. 34).

  As shown in FIG. 30, the chuck rod 75 is attached to a frame portion 64a formed on the lower surface of the upper base 64 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction.

  When the drive rib 74r rotates with the rotation of the drive gear 74 from the state in which the engagement rib 75r is located in the notch region of the drive rib 74r, the left or right end 74a or 74b of the notch region of the drive rib 74r The engagement rib 75r is pushed. That is, the chuck rod 75 is pushed to the right by the left end 74a when the drive gear 74 rotates to the right and moved to the right when the drive gear 74 is rotated to the left by the right end 74b. Move towards.

  When the chuck rod 75 moves to the right, one end of the holding spring 77 comes into pressure contact with the right spring receiving portion 64b, and a leftward biasing force acts. On the other hand, when the chuck rod 75 moves to the left, the other end of the holding spring 77 comes into pressure contact with the left spring receiving portion 64c, and a rightward biasing force acts. Therefore, when the chuck rod 75 does not receive a driving force from the driving gear 74, both ends of the holding spring 77 abut against the spring receiving portions 64b and 64c, respectively, and receive a biasing force, so that the chuck rod 75 is maintained in the neutral position. Is done.

  29 and 32, the lower base 65 has a pair of engagement pins 65a slidably engaged with a pair of guide grooves 61c of the left hook 61, and a pair of guide grooves of the right hook 62, respectively. A pair of engaging pins 65b that are slidably engaged with 62c are formed. The left hook 61 is slidable in the left-right direction on the lower base 65 by the pair of engaging pins 65a engaging and guiding the pair of guide grooves 61c, respectively. The pair of engagement pins 65b engage and guide the pair of guide grooves 62c, respectively, so that the pair of engagement pins 65b can move slidably in the left-right direction on the lower base 65.

As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the left hook 61 and the right hook 62 include hook bodies 61A and 62A and hook pieces 61B and 62B.
The hook bodies 61A and 62A include rack gears 61g and 62g so as to face each other near the center.
The hook pieces 61B and 62B are provided at one end of the hook main bodies 61A and 62A so as to be rotatable about the support shafts 61d and 62d. Hook springs 61e and 62e are respectively attached to the support shaft 61d, and the hook pieces 61B and 62B are urged by the hook springs 61e and 62e inward, that is, in a direction approaching each other. In addition, hook portions 61f and 62f are formed at the ends of the hook pieces 61B and 62B at portions facing each other.

  The hooks 61 and 62 are connected and separated in conjunction with a connecting gear 67. The connecting gear 67 has a pinion gear 67g that protrudes from the center of the lower surface, and is rotatably supported by the lower base 65. The pinion gear 67g meshes with the rack gear 61g of the hook body 61A and the rack gear 62g of the hook body 62A. Thus, when the connecting gear 67 rotates in the clockwise direction as viewed from the top surface shown in FIG. 31 (the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 32), the hook portions 61f and 62f of the left and right hooks 61 and 62 move in a direction approaching each other. To do. On the other hand, when the connecting gear 67 rotates counterclockwise (clockwise in FIG. 32) when viewed from the top surface shown in FIG. 31, the hook portions 61f and 62f of the left and right hooks 61 and 62 move away from each other. .

Further, the rotation range of the hook pieces 61B and 62B is between the approach position and the separation position.
In the approach position, the chuck rod 75 is positioned at a normal position (a position where the center lines of the magazine tray 21 and the chuck unit 60 overlap each other) with respect to the magazine tray 21 to be taken out. When in the closed state, it is inside the engagement position (gripping position) with the engaging recess 21d of the magazine tray 21 to be gripped. Specifically, the maximum value of the dimension that the chuck rod 75 may be displaced from the normal position with respect to the magazine tray 21 is predicted (predicted position shift value), and the hook 61 or 62 is positioned inward by the predicted position shift value. The rotated position is the approach position.
In the separation position, the chuck rod 75 is positioned at a normal position with respect to the magazine tray 21 to be taken out, and when the later-described hooks 61 and 62 are in an open state, the chuck rod 75 moves forward and approaches the magazine tray 21. Even so, the position is set so as not to interfere with the adjacent magazine tray 21.

  The pinion gear 67g of the connection gear 67, the support shafts 61d and 62d, and the rack gears 61g and 62g respectively provided on the left and right hooks 61 and 62 constitute the “connection means” described in the claims. The hook motor 71, the motor gear 72, the relay gear 73, the drive gear 74, and the chuck rod 75 described above constitute the main part of the “drive means” described in the claims of the present application, and are provided on the upper surface of the left hook 61. The pair of contact ribs 61a and 61b and the hook drive rib 75k of the chuck rod 75 positioned between them are also included in the “drive means”.

  This “driving means” finally opens and closes the left and right hooks 61 and 62, but there are various driving methods. In the present embodiment, as will be described in more detail below, the hook drive rib 75k of the chuck rod 75 is pressed against a pair of contact ribs 61a and 61b provided on the left hook 61 to rotate the pinion gear 67g. The pair of left and right hooks 61 and 62 are driven. Instead, a pair of contact ribs having the same configuration and arrangement as the contact ribs 61a and 61b are provided on the right hook 62 side. The same operation may be performed. Further, the pair of left and right hooks 61 and 62 can be driven to open and close by driving the connecting gear 67 and rotating the pinion gear 67g.

  As shown in FIG. 31, a spring hook 67 f that engages and holds one end of the hook holding spring 79 is provided on the upper portion of the coupling gear 67. The other end of the hook holding spring 79 is locked near the rear end on the right side of the lower base 65. The hook holding spring 79 is constituted by a tension coil spring and urges the connecting gear 67 to pull rightward. In the hook closed state shown in FIG. 31, the spring hook 67 f is in front of the rotation center of the connection gear 67, and the connection gear 67 is urged clockwise in FIG. 31 by the spring force of the hook holding spring 79. Therefore, the left and right hooks 61 and 62 are maintained in the closing direction.

  Next, the insertion / extraction operation of the magazine tray 21 by the chuck unit 60 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the chuck unit 60 is moved to a normal position in front of the magazine tray 21 to be inserted and removed. In this case, the chuck unit 60 may be positioned at a normal position or may be displaced in either the left or right direction. This misalignment is unavoidable in terms of configuration, and how much the misalignment can be predicted.

First, the case where the chuck unit 60 is positioned at the normal position will be described.
Change the hook from closed to open. That is, in the initial state (hook closed state) shown in FIG. 35, the hook motor 71 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the drive gear 74 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction via the motor gear 72 and the relay gear 73. Accordingly, the drive rib 74r rotates in the same direction, and the right end 74b of the drive rib 74r pushes the engagement rib 75r of the chuck rod 75 to the left.

  When the chuck rod 75 is moved to the left, the hook drive rib 75k of the chuck rod 75 contacts and presses against the left contact rib 61a of the left hook 61, and the left hook 61 moves to the left. Since the left and right hooks 61 and 62 mesh with the pinion gear 67g of the connecting gear 67 at the rack gears 61g and 62g, when the left hook 61 moves to the left, the pinion gear 67g rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the right hook 62 moves to the right. As a result, the left and right hooks 61 and 62 are in the open state shown in FIG.

  In the hook open state, the positions of the hooks 61 and 62 are in a range exceeding the width dimension of the magazine in which the magazine tray to be gripped is accommodated. Further, the spring hook 67f of the connection gear 67 moves to the rear side from the rotation center of the connection gear 67, and the spring hook 67f is pulled to the right by the hook holding spring 79, so that the connection gear 67 is counterclockwise. Is being energized.

  Here, when the hook motor 71 is reversed and rotated counterclockwise, the drive gear 74 rotates in the same direction. When the notch area of the drive rib 74r of the drive gear 74 returns to the original position, the chuck rod 75 is urged to the right by the holding spring 77, so that the original position accompanies the movement of the notch area of the drive rib 74r. Return to position. When the detection portion 76d of the detection switch 76 returns to the initial position where it abuts on the switch detection rib 73Bc of the second relay gear 73B, the chuck rod 75 returns to the original position by the holding spring 77.

  However, since the connecting gear 67 is urged counterclockwise by the hook holding spring 79, the left and right hooks 61 and 62 remain open even when the chuck rod 75 returns to the original position. At this time, the contact rib 61 b on the right side of the left hook 61 is in a state of being close to the hook drive rib 75 k of the chuck rod 75. The drive system is in an initial state.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 37, the chuck unit 60 is advanced, and the left and right hooks 61 and 62 are positioned to the sides of the left and right engaging recesses 21 d and 21 d of the magazine tray 21. Since the chuck unit 60 is positioned at the normal position, the hooks 61 and 62 and the engaging recesses 21d and 21d of the magazine tray 21 are equidistant.

  Therefore, the hook motor 71 is reversed and rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the drive gear 74 rotates in the clockwise direction via the motor gear 72 and the relay gear 73. When the drive gear 74 rotates clockwise, the drive rib 74r rotates in the same direction, and the left end 74a of the drive rib 74r pushes the engagement rib 75r of the chuck rod 75 to the right. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 38, the chuck rod 75 moves to the right against the urging force of the holding spring 77.

  When the chuck rod 75 is moved to the right, the hook drive rib 75k of the chuck rod 75 comes into contact with the right contact rib 61b of the left hook 61, and the left hook 61 moves to the right. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 38, the left and right hooks 61 and 62 are urged in the closing direction by the spring hook 67f to the left and right engaging recesses 21d and 21d of the magazine tray 21, respectively. Lock.

  Thereafter, when the hook motor 71 is further rotated counterclockwise, the left and right hooks 61 and 62 are rotated against the urging force of the spring hook 67f. As shown in FIG. 39, the left and right hooks 61 and 62 reach the gripping position, stabilize the engagement state with the engagement recesses 21d and 21d, and obtain a good chuck state. Since the chuck state of FIG. 39 is maintained by the hook holding spring 79, when the chuck unit 60 is retracted, the magazine tray 21 is also retracted and pulled out from the magazine case 22. When the magazine tray 21 is returned to the magazine case 22 from the chucked state of the magazine tray 21, the chuck unit 60 may be advanced in that state.

  Next, a case where the chuck unit 60 is positioned with a displacement from the normal position will be described.

  In this case, when the chuck unit 60 is advanced from the open state of the hooks 61 and 62 shown in FIG. 40, the hook portions 61f and 62f of the hook pieces 61B and 62B and the magazine tray 21 are engaged as shown in FIG. The distances from the recesses 21d and 21d are unequal by the positional deviation dimension E from the normal position.

Therefore, when the hook motor 71 is reversed and rotated in the clockwise direction in the same manner as described above, the hook main bodies 61A and 61B are evenly shortened in distance, and as shown in FIG. The hook part of the hook piece to be positioned (here, the hook part 61f of the hook main body 61A; however, the same applies to the hook part 62f of the hook main body 61B ) is located in the corresponding engagement recess 21d. Originally, when the hook portion 61f of the hook main body 61A abuts against the wall surface in the engaging recess 21d, the hook main bodies 61A and 61B cannot be moved even if the hook motor 71 is further rotated in the clockwise direction. Can not. However, the hook body 61B is rotatably supported with respect to the hook body 61A, and is biased to the approach position by the hook spring 61e. In addition, the rotation range of the hook main body 61B is set to the maximum value of the predicted misalignment value based on experience values. Therefore, the hook body 61B rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 61d, and does not hinder the movement of the hook bodies 61A and 61B.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 43, the hook bodies 61A and 61B can be moved to the gripping position even though the chuck unit 60 is displaced from the normal position. Then, the hook portions 61f and 62f of the hook bodies 61A and 61B can be engaged in the engaging recesses 21d, respectively. That is, even if the chuck unit 60 is displaced, the hook main bodies 61A and 61B can be rotated, and the magazine tray 21 can be securely inserted and removed with a simple configuration in which the hook body 61A is biased to the approach position. can do.
Yes.

  If the magazine tray 21 can be gripped by the hooks 61 and 62 in this way, the chuck unit 60 may be retracted and the magazine tray 21 pulled out from the magazine case 22 in the same manner as described above.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the hook holding spring 79 biases the connecting gear 67 in the hook closing direction at the hook closed position, and the hook holding spring 79 hooks the connecting gear 67 at the hook open position. The chuck rod 75 is biased in the opening direction. The chuck rod 75 can move the hooks 61 and 62 in the hook opening direction when the hooks 61 and 62 are in the closed position. The hooks 61 and 62 can be moved in the hook closing direction. That is, the chuck rod 75 is not completely engaged with the connection gear 67, and the hooks 61 and 62 have a degree of freedom with respect to the connection gear 67. Therefore, even when the hook motor 71 is not operated, the mechanism itself of the chuck unit 60 is not damaged.

  The hook pieces 61B and 62B are urged by hook springs 61e and 62e so as to be rotatable to the approach positions with respect to the hook bodies 61A and 62A. For this reason, even when the chuck unit 60 is disposed at a position shifted from the normal position in front of the magazine tray 21 to be inserted and removed, the hook bodies 61A and 61B can be moved to the gripping position. Then, the hook portions 61f and 62f of the hook pieces 61A and 61B are engaged with the engaging recesses 21d, respectively, so that the magazine tray 21 can be securely gripped.

  In addition, in the said other embodiment, although it was set as the structure which can rotate both the hook pieces 61B and 62B to an approach position, it is also possible to use only either one. In this case, in the initial operation, the chuck unit 60 is expected to be displaced from the normal position (position where the center lines overlap each other) with respect to the magazine tray 21 on the side opposite to the hook piece that can be rotated. The position may be shifted by the maximum dimension value. In this case, however, the pivotable hook piece needs to double the pivoting distance from the separated position to the approaching position.

Still another embodiment may be configured as follows.
That is, the insertion / extraction device includes an insertion / extraction mechanism that can insert / extract the object to be extracted and has chuck means for gripping the object to be extracted, and the chuck means includes a pair of hooks for gripping the object to be extracted and the pair of The hook is interlocked to open and close between a gripping position of the inserted / extracted object and a separated position that is wider than the gripping position, and supports at least one of the hooks so as to be rotatable about a support shaft. A connecting means; and a biasing means capable of biasing a hook supported rotatably about the support shaft to an approach position rotated beyond a gripping position for gripping the inserted / extracted object. It can be configured.

  While the invention has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included therein, so long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention according to the appended claims.

  The present invention is, for example, a magazine tray insertion / extraction device that inserts / extracts the magazine tray into / from a magazine provided with a magazine tray in which a plurality of discs are loaded so that the magazine tray can be inserted / extracted. The present invention can be effectively used as a magazine tray insertion / extraction device used for a disk device to be supplied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magazine stocker 2 Magazine 21 Magazine tray 21d Engagement recessed part 3 Picker 31 Traveling base 32 Rotating base 33 Lifting rail 34 Lifting base 34a Nut 34b Chuck motor 34c Reduction gear 34d Lead screw gear 34e Lead screw 34f Motor gear 34g Base plate 34h Long groove 35 Hook 36 chuck 36g center guide groove 36h long hole 36p guide pin 41 slider 41c center hole 41n nut 42 arm center pin 43, 44 chuck drive arm 43a, 44a chuck drive pin 43b, 44b arm guide pin 45 engagement groove 45p guide width portion 45r Wide part 50 Magazine box 60 Chuck unit 61, 62 Hook 61A, 61B Hook body 62A, 62B Hook piece 6 e Fukkubane 61f, 62f hook 64 on the base 65 beneath the base 71 hook motor 75 chucks the rod 77 holds spring 100 disk

Claims (8)

Equipped with an insertion / extraction mechanism that can insert / extract magazine trays loaded with multiple discs,
The insertion / extraction mechanism is
Chuck means for gripping the magazine tray;
Chuck conveying means for reciprocating the chuck means in the insertion / extraction direction;
Guide means for regulating the posture of the chuck means during conveyance of the chuck means;
Have
Said guide means, Bei example the engagement groove extending along the insertion direction of the magazine tray,
It said chuck means comprises a protrusion that engages with the engaging groove,
The engagement groove, the has a protrusion to slidably guide the insertion direction, in the vicinity of a position before Symbol chuck means for gripping the magazine tray, the insertion direction substantially perpendicular to the direction A magazine tray insertion / extraction device, wherein the groove width of the engagement groove is widened . The insertion / extraction mechanism includes a conveyance base to which the chuck conveyance unit is assembled,
The chuck means is supported to be rotatable with respect to the chuck conveying means through a rotation fulcrum,
An arm member supported rotatably about the rotation fulcrum;
The first end of one end of the arm member is slidably engaged with the chuck means, and the second end of the other end of the arm member is slidable in a guide groove provided in the transport base. Engaged with the
The magazine tray insertion / extraction apparatus according to claim 1 . The arm members are provided in a pair on the left and right sides, and are arranged so as to intersect with each other so that the first end and the second end are positioned on the left and right with the rotation fulcrum in between.
The magazine tray insertion / extraction apparatus according to claim 2 . The length of the guide groove provided in the transport base is shorter than the maximum slide distance of the slider,
The insertion / extraction apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that The chuck means includes
A pair of hooks for gripping the magazine tray ;
The pair of hooks are interlocked to open and close between a grip position of the magazine tray and a spaced position that is wider than the grip position, and at least one of the hooks can be rotated around a support shaft. Supporting means for supporting;
A biasing means capable of biasing a hook supported rotatably about the support shaft to an approach position rotated beyond a gripping position for gripping the magazine tray ;
Comprising
The magazine tray insertion / extraction device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the magazine tray insertion / extraction device is provided. Both of the pair of hooks can be biased to an approach position by the biasing means.
The magazine tray insertion / extraction apparatus according to claim 5 . Only one of the hooks can be biased to the approach position by the biasing means,
Displacing a reference position for positioning the chuck means with respect to the magazine tray to the hook side that can be biased to the approach position;
The magazine tray insertion / extraction apparatus according to claim 5 . Drive means for driving the connecting means to open and close the pair of hooks;
The magazine tray insertion / extraction apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein the magazine tray insertion / extraction apparatus is provided.

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