JPH05198074A - Method for controlling automatic exchanging device for disk type recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To establish a control method which enables selection and conveyance without any selection error as the control method for the automatic exchanging device which selects and conveys the disk type recording medium by an elevator mechanism and loads or unloads the medium on and from a player. CONSTITUTION:The control means 26 for the elevator mechanism 4a finds the level of the output Hp of a position sensor S8 before starting driving its driving means 25. When the level varies exceeding a predetermined specific level VTH, said driving means 25 is driven in the opposite direction from a target movement direction and the driving means is moved to a target position and stopped based on an origin position LL, (UL) given by an origin sensor S3a, (S4a) in the direction. When the level of the output Hp of said position sensor S8 varies without exceeding the predetermined specific level, the driving means 25 is driven in the target movement direction to the target position and stopped.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention selects a desired recording medium from a plurality of stored disk-shaped recording media, conveys it by an elevator mechanism and sets it on a player, and removes it from a player to a predetermined storage position. The present invention relates to a control method for a disc-shaped recording medium automatic exchange device that stores and automatically reads and records desired data.

For example, a CD (Compact Disk) is an excellent disc-shaped recording medium that is light, thin, short, and small but has a large storage capacity and can provide a large number of music sources with high quality. On the other hand, when the number of CDs held increases and the music library grows, a so-called CD autochanger that automatically selects and plays a required CD is excellent and convenient.

By the way, in order to reduce the space for accommodating the CDs in the CD autochanger, it is common to accommodate the CDs in a laminated structure. for that reason,
As a mechanism for setting a target CD in a player, a mechanism structure in which the CD is pulled out and conveyed to a player by an elevator mechanism is generally adopted.

However, if an error occurs in the operating position of the elevator mechanism, it may not be possible to select and carry the desired CD. In particular, the probability of occurrence increases with a vehicle-mounted CD autochanger in a severe operating environment that is subject to shaking and vibration.

Therefore, there is a demand for a control method that enables error-free selection and conveyance even when an error occurs in the operating position of the elevator mechanism.

[0006]

2. Description of the Related Art (1) Structure of a CD autochanger A CD autochanger is a player section for reproducing a CD, a storage section for storing a plurality of CDs, and an exchange for transferring a CD between the storage section and the player section. It is generally composed of a mechanical section and a control section that controls the operation of the mechanical section. Some CDs and players are capable of both reproduction and recording.

In an actual device (CD autochanger), it is possible to see a device in which various creativity and ingenuity have been devised in the configuration of each of the above-mentioned parts. A microcomputer system is generally used to control the operation of the exchange mechanism, and feedback control or sequence control is generally performed.

Therefore, one mechanism model will be exemplified and described here.

1) Mechanism Model FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the mechanism model of the CD autochanger. That is, the CD autochanger in the figure is
It is roughly divided into the following components.

[0010] CD 1 _-1, 1 _-2, ··· can be a plurality houses the magazine 2

Target CD from the magazine 2
Drawer / storing mechanism 3 to pull out and store 1 _-1 again

The CD extracted from the magazine 2 as described above
Elevator mechanism 4 that conveys 1 _-1 to the player 5.

Player 5 for playing a CD

Sensors S _{1 to} S ₇ for detecting the above-mentioned operating states

Based on the output signals of the sensors S _{1 to} S ₇ and player operation data obtained from the communication bus S _B between the player 5, each of the above sections 2, 3, 4, 5
Control section 8 for controlling the operation of

A housing 6 for accommodating the above items

The slit plate 7 is provided by the slit sensor S ₇
It is a scale means for detecting the operating position of the elevator mechanism 4 when used together.

2) Example of Magazine FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a magazine for storing CDs. That is, the CD 1 is placed on the tray 10 and stored in the magazine 2.

It should be noted that the tray 10 has a concave portion for accommodating the CD 1.
11 is provided, and an opening 12 is provided for tracing by the optical pickup of the player. That is, in this example, the tray 10 and the CD 1 are set in the player,
This is a mechanism for rotationally driving only the CD 1.

Further, the engaging piece 13 of the tray 10 is
When pulling out from the magazine 2 and storing
It is a coupling means for coupling with the drawer / storing mechanism.

On the other hand, inside the magazine 2, a slot 9 for inserting the tray 10 is provided, and the tray 10 is stacked along the slot 9 and accommodated.

3) Example of drawer / storing mechanism FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the drawer / storing mechanism, which is a view of the drawer / storing mechanism as seen from the CD surface direction. still,
(a) is a diagram showing a state where the tray is stored in the magazine, and (b) is a diagram showing a state where the tray is pulled out from the magazine.

That is, the engaging projection 13 of the drawer / storing mechanism is connected to the engaging piece 13 of the tray 10 and the drawer / storing arm 14 pulls it out of the magazine 2. Alternatively, it is a mechanism for storing in the magazine 2.

On the other hand, the drawer / storing arm 14 is rotationally driven (r ₁ , r ₂ ) by a motor 18 via a deceleration rotation mechanism 17, and guides an engaging projection 15 provided at the tip position of the drawer / storing arm 14. By moving along the axis 16, the tray 10 can be pulled out and stored.

Incidentally, this drawer / storing mechanism is disclosed in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 74742 of 1990.

4) Example of Elevator Mechanism FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the elevator mechanism, which is viewed from the side in the moving direction of the elevator.

That is, the drive arm 20 is rotationally driven (r ₃ , r ₄ ) about the fulcrum C ₁ to move the gantry 19 along the guide poles 21a, 21b.
The drive arm 20 is driven by a motor 24 via a rack 22 and a deceleration rotation mechanism 23.

Although the drawer / storing mechanism of the above 3) is installed on the pedestal 19, it is omitted in FIG.

The position of the pedestal 19 is determined by the scale means composed of the slit plate 7 and the slit sensor S ₇ shown in FIG.

(2) Operation The operation will be described using the CD autochanger illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6 as a model case.

It should be noted that the sensors S _{1 to} S ₇ shown in FIG. 3 are sensors for detecting the following states _{1 to} S.
Signals D _E , D _L , and D _P (elevator drive signal D _E , drawer / storing mechanism drive signal D _L , player drive signal D _P) for the control unit 8 to drive each mechanism based on the output signals of S ₇ to S _7. ) Is output to perform automatic CD replacement work and reproduction.

Magazine Ejection Sensor S _{1 When the} magazine 2 is ejected from the CD autochanger,
The output signal is activated.

Magazine Insertion Sensor S _{2 When the} magazine 2 is inserted into the CD autochanger, its output signal becomes active.

Elevator lower limit sensor S _{3 When} the platform of the elevator mechanism 4 descends to the position of the player 5, its output signal becomes active.

Elevator upper limit sensor S _{4 When} the mount of the elevator mechanism 4 exceeds the upper end position of the magazine 2, its output signal becomes active.

When the drawer / storing arm of the drawer (CD) drawer S ₅ drawer / storing mechanism 3 is rotated to the tray pull-out position, its output signal becomes active.

Tray (CD) storage sensor S _{6 When} the drawer / storage arm of the drawer / storage mechanism 3 rotates to the storage position of the tray, its output signal becomes active.

Elevator slit sensor S _{7 The} slit of the slit plate 7 is optically detected and a detection pulse is output. That is, the position of the elevator is given from the number of detected slits (the number of detected pulses).

1) Control Procedure for CD Playback FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a control procedure for transporting and playing back a CD. That is, the control procedure of FIG.
When the power of the D-auto changer is turned on and the listener specifies a song to play, the operation starts.

A. At the initialization stage of the automatic exchange mechanism, in step S101, the pull-out sensor S ₅ and the storage sensor S ₆
The output signal of is extracted to determine whether the drawer / storage arm of the drawer / storage mechanism is located at the pull-out position. If the drawer / storing arm is not located at the drawer position, the drawer / storing arm is driven in step S102 to move to the drawer position.

Then, in step S103, the pedestal of the elevator mechanism is lowered, and in step S104, the pedestal of the elevator mechanism is lowered to the lower limit position, that is, the origin position, from the output signal of the lower limit sensor S ₃ .

B. Checking the magazine insertion status In step S105, check the output signals of the magazine ejection sensor S ₁ and magazine insertion sensor S ₂ , and check that the magazine is
Determine if it is inserted or installed in the autochanger.

C. Tray (CD) transport stage In step S106 and step S107, slit sensor S
Move the elevator pedestal to the target position based on the number of output pulses of ₇ . Then, in step S108 and step S109, drawn from the output signal of the storage sensor S ₆ /
Move the drawer / storage arm of the storage mechanism to the storage position.

Then, step S110 and step S111
The tray (CD) is pulled out from the magazine, and the drawer / storage arm is moved to the drawer position based on the output signal of the drawer sensor S ₅ .

Then, step S112 and step S113
Then, lower the elevator system frame and set the lower limit sensor S ₃
The tray (CD) is moved to the player position from the output signal of, and the CD is set on the spindle of the player 5.

D. CD reproduction stage In step S114, reproduction of the CD set in the player is started.

2) Control Procedure for CD Storage FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the procedure for transporting the CD set in the player and storing it in the magazine.

That is, step S201 and step S20
The platform of the elevator mechanism is raised by 2 and the target position for drawing out the tray (CD) based on the output pulse number of the slit sensor S ₇ (position stored in the memory of the control unit 8)
Move the elevator mechanism stand up to.

Then, step S203 and step S204
Then, the drawer / storage arm of the drawer / storage mechanism is moved to the storage position from the output signal of the storage sensor S ₆ .

Then, step S205 and step S206
Then, move the drawer / storage arm of the drawer / storage mechanism to the drawer position, and wait until the next transfer command is issued in step S207.

[0051]

However, if an error occurs in the operating position of the elevator mechanism, it may not be possible to select and carry the desired CD.

For example, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, when a position error occurs in the elevator mechanism in the standby state of step S207, when the operation for selecting the next CD is started, a CD other than the target CD is selected. There is a case.

The error in the operating position of the elevator mechanism is particularly likely to occur in a vehicle-mounted CD automatic changer in a severe operating environment such as shaking or vibration.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the relationship between the elevator mechanism and the error in its operating position. (A) shows the case where there is no error in the operating position, (b) shows A--A in (a). A view showing the relationship between the slit and the slit sensor in an end view of the cut portion, (c) shows a case where an error occurs in the operating position, and (d) shows B of (c).
-B is a diagram showing a relationship between the slit and the slit sensor in an end view of the B cut portion, and (e) is an output voltage waveform diagram of the slit sensor.

FIG. 9 shows the CD 1 stored in the magazine 2.
_-1 to 1 _-5 position and slit 7 of slit plate 7 _-1 to 7 _-5
An example of the configuration in which the positions of and are matched is illustrated as a model case. Further, the slit sensor S ₇ is a sensor attached to the pedestal of the elevator mechanism, and in the figure, only the slit sensor S ₇ is extracted and shown in order to make the description easy to understand.

The slit sensor S ₇ has a mechanism in which the light emitted from one light emitting element is received by the other light receiving element to determine the presence or absence of a slit and output an output signal voltage. That is, when the slit sensor S ₇ moves along the slit plate 7, the slits 7 _-1 to 7 _-5
Pulse signal voltages P _{1 to} P ₅ (Fig. 9 (e))
Output).

1) When there is no error in the operating position of the elevator mechanism (see FIGS. 9A and 9B) When there is no error in the operating position of the elevator mechanism, the slit sensor S ₇ causes the slit plate 7 to move.
It correctly catches slit 7 _-2 . Therefore, an active output signal voltage is obtained from the slit sensor S ₇ .

That is, the operating point position H shown in FIG. 9 (e)
₁Is the pulse signal voltage P ₂To "H" level
The output voltage signal of is obtained. Therefore, the current CD 1
_-2From position CD 1_-FourIf you choose the elevator machine
Move the structure downwards in the figure and move the second pulse signal voltage.
P_FourControl to stop at the position where is obtained.

2) When an error occurs in the operating position of the elevator mechanism (see FIGS. 9 (c) (d)) In the example shown in FIGS. 9 (c) (d), the elevator mechanism moves upward in the figure. It shows the case where it has come off. Therefore, the slit sensor S ₇ is used as the slit plate 7
Can't catch the slit 7 _-2 . Therefore, an active output signal voltage cannot be obtained from the slit sensor S ₇ .

That is, the operating point position H shown in FIG. 9 (e)
₂Is the pulse signal voltage P ₂Output power at the hem of
Output a pressure signal.

Therefore, as in the above 1), the current CD 1
_If CD 1 _-4 is selected from the _-2 position, the elevator mechanism is controlled to move downward and stop at the second pulse signal voltage P ₃ . In other words, a CD selection error will occur.

A technical object of the present invention is to solve the above problems in an automatic disc exchanging device for a disk-shaped recording medium, specifically, an elevator mechanism for carrying a CD,
Even if an error occurs in the operating position of the elevator mechanism, by establishing a control method that enables error-free selection and conveyance, a highly reliable disc-shaped recording medium playing device, that is, a reproducing / (recording) device can be provided. It is to be realized.

[0063]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention. (A) is a block diagram showing the configuration as a model, (b) is an output signal waveform diagram of a position sensor, c) is a flow chart showing the control procedure.

The present invention is characterized in that when an unacceptable error is found in the operating position of the elevator mechanism, control is performed so as to obtain the correct operating position from the origin position which is the reference of the operating position.

That is, the disk-shaped recording media 1a _-1 , 1a
_{, -2} , 1a _-3 , ... are conveyed by the elevator mechanism 4a and set on the player 5a, and are removed from the player 5a and conveyed by the elevator mechanism 4a. The mechanism 4a is configured as follows.

That is, the lower limit origin position L of the operating position H
A sensor S _3a to give _L, and the sensor S _4a giving the upper origin position U _L, the origin position L _L, a position sensor S ₈ which gives the distance from the U _L by the number of the output pulse signal H _P, the elevator and driving means 25 of the mechanism 4a, and outputs the respective sensors S _3a, S _4a, the drive signal D _E for controlling the drive means 25 from the output signal Sig-1, Sig-2, H P of S ₈ An elevator mechanism 4a including a control means 26.

Then, the control means 26 controls the elevator mechanism 4a itself as follows. That is, determine the magnitude of the output H _P of the position sensor S ₈ before starting driving the driving unit 25, if the size was displaced beyond a predetermined magnitude V _TH decided in advance, the The driving means 25 is driven in the direction opposite to the intended moving direction, and the origin position L _L , (U is given by the origin sensor S _3a , (S _4a ) in that direction.
_{Use L} ) as a reference to move to the desired position and stop.

[0068] On the other hand, the magnitude of the output H _P of the position sensor S ₈ is, when the a predetermined predetermined magnitude V _TH within the displacement, driving the drive means 25 to the moving direction of interest, Move to the desired position and stop.

The control method of the automatic exchange device is as described above.

[0070]

According to the present invention, the output H _P position sensor S ₈
The amount of error in the operating position of the elevator mechanism 4a is estimated from the magnitude of. That is, it is determined that there is an unacceptable position error when the amount of displacement from the normal output level exceeds the predetermined level V _TH . By the way, the displacement amount V _TH is
It is convenient to match the threshold voltage with which the control means 26 determines the logic level (“H” or “L”).

When an unacceptable error is recognized in the operating position of the elevator mechanism, that is, when the output of the position sensor S ₈ is displaced beyond a predetermined level V _TH , the origin position is determined. Based on L _L , ( _UL ), move to a target position and stop. Therefore, no selection error occurs when selecting the disc-shaped recording media 1a- ₁ , 1a- ₂ , 1a- ₃ , ....

At that time, since the origin position L _L , (U _L ) in the direction opposite to the direction of the target selection position is used as the reference position, the count of the output pulse signal H _P output by the position sensor S ₈ is counted. There is no mistake in the number. That is, the elevator mechanism
When the 4a is moved to the origin position L _L , ( _UL ), there is no risk of the control accidentally shifting to the selection operation of the recording media 1a _-1 , 1a _-2 , 1a _-3 , ....

If the magnitude of the output of the position sensor S ₈ does not exceed the predetermined magnitude V _TH , the error in the operating position of the elevator mechanism is small and the disc-shaped recording medium 1a _-1 ,
No selection error occurs when selecting 1a _-2 , 1a _-3 , .... Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the selecting operation after obtaining the origin position L _L , ( _UL ).

[0074]

EXAMPLES Next, practical examples of how the control method according to the present invention can be embodied will be described.

The present embodiment is applied to the conventional CD autochanger illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 9.

(1) Structure The structure of this embodiment is no different from the conventional CD autochanger illustrated in FIGS. The only difference is the control program when the control unit 8 (see FIG. 3) controls the elevator mechanism 4. That is, the control method of the present invention can be implemented on the software of the control unit 8.

The slit sensor S ₇ (see FIGS. 3 and 9)
(See) outputs a logic level output pulse signal depending on the presence or absence of a slit, and the control unit 8
The intermediate voltage V _TH ′ between the “H” level and the “L” level is used as the threshold voltage for level determination.

(2) Operation FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the control procedure of the embodiment. The flow chart in the figure shows the control procedure for selecting the CD _1-4 from the position shown in FIG. That is, a control procedure for moving the elevator mechanism from a position selecting the CD 1 _-2 to the position for selecting the CD 1 _-4. However, the procedure is the same when other CDs are selected.

1) When there is no error in the operating position of the elevator mechanism (steps S401 to S404) The control procedure in this case is the same as the conventional control procedure, and a pulse corresponding to the distance difference from the current position to the target position is generated. Number (slit sensor S ₇
The number of output pulses of).

That is, in step S401, it is determined whether or not the output voltage of the slit sensor S ₇ is larger than the threshold voltage V _TH ′, and if it is determined that the output voltage is within the allowable range. Lower the elevator mechanism in step S402.

Then, in step S403, it is determined whether or not the number of pulses output by the slit sensor S ₇ is two, and the elevator mechanism is lowered until the number of pulses = 2, and in step S404, the elevator mechanism is stopped. ..
That is, in FIG. 9A, the slit sensor S ₇ is stopped at the position of the slit 7 _-4 , that is, the position of CD _1-4 .

2) When an error occurs in the operating position of the elevator mechanism (steps S401->S405-S408-> S404) The control procedure in this case is the procedure that is the main point of the present invention, and is the reverse of the current position to the target position. The elevator mechanism is moved in the direction of, and is moved in the direction of the target position by the number of pulses (the number of output pulses of the slit sensor S ₇ ) corresponding to the distance difference from the origin position in that direction.

That is, in step S401, it is determined whether or not the output voltage of the slit sensor S ₇ is higher than the threshold voltage V _TH ′. If it is determined that the output voltage is lower than the threshold voltage V _TH ′, it is determined that the position error exceeds the allowable range. Judgment is made and the process moves to step S405 to raise the elevator mechanism.

Then, in step S406, the upper limit sensor S ₄
Raise it until it is confirmed that it has moved to the position (see FIG. 3). That is, it moves to the upper limit origin position.

If it is determined in step S406 that the upper limit origin position has been reached, the elevator mechanism is lowered in step S407, and it is determined in step S408 whether the number of pulses output by the slit sensor S ₇ is four. Then, the elevator mechanism is lowered until the number of pulses becomes 4, and the elevator mechanism is stopped in step S404. That is, in FIG. 9 (c), the stop slit sensor S ₇ at the position of the position that is CD1 _-4 slit _7-4.

[0086]

As described above, according to the control method of the disk-shaped recording medium automatic changing device of the present invention, even if an error occurs in the operating position of the elevator mechanism, it is possible to select and convey without error. ..

As a result, a highly reliable disc-shaped recording medium automatic exchange device can be realized, and a play device capable of automatically exchanging the disc-shaped recording medium and playing (reproducing or recording) can be realized. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention, in which (a) is a block diagram showing a configuration as a model, (b) is an output signal waveform diagram of a position sensor, (c) is a flowchart showing a control procedure, Is.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a mechanical model of a CD auto changer.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a magazine that stores CDs.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the drawer / storing mechanism and is a view of the drawer / storing mechanism as viewed from the CD surface direction. still,
(a) is a diagram showing a state where the tray is stored in the magazine, and (b) is a diagram showing a state where the tray is pulled out from the magazine.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an elevator mechanism, which is a side view with respect to a moving direction of the elevator.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure for conveying and reproducing a CD.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of transporting a CD set in a player and storing it in a magazine.

9A and 9B are views for explaining the relationship between an elevator mechanism and an error in its operating position, where FIG. 9A shows a case where there is no error in the operating position, and FIG. 9B shows an end face of the AA cut portion in FIG. 9A. The figure shows the relationship between the slit and the slit sensor, (c) shows the case where an error occurs in the operating position, (d) shows the end view of the BB section of (c), showing the slit and the slit sensor. A diagram showing the relationship between
(e) is an output voltage waveform diagram of the slit sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,1 _-1 , 1, _-2 , ... CD (Compact Disk) 1a _-1 , 1, a _-2 , ... Disc-shaped recording medium 2,2a Magazine 3 Drawer / storing mechanism 4,4a Elevator mechanism 5, 5a player 6 housing 7 slit plate 7 _-1 , 7, _-2 , ... Slit 8 control section 9 magazine slot (for storing tray) 10 tray (for placing CD) 11 tray recess (for storing CD) 12 Tray opening (for optical pickup) 13 Engagement piece 14 Drawer / storing arm 15 Engagement projection 16 Guide shaft 17 Decelerating rotation mechanism 18 Motor 19 (elevator) mount 20 (elevator) drive arm 21a, 21b (mount) Guide pole 22 Rack 23 Deceleration rotation mechanism 24 Motor 25 Elevator mechanism drive means 26 Elevator mechanism control means S ₁ Magazine ejection sensor S ₂ Magazine insertion sensor S ₃ Elevator lower limit sensor S ₄ Elevator upper limit sensor S ₅ Drawer sensor S ₆ The output signal Sig-2 upper origin sensor of paid sensor S ₇ output pulse signal Sig-1 lower origin sensor slit sensor S ₈ position sensor S _3a lower origin sensor S _4a upper origin sensor H _P position sensor (position for scale elevator) Output signal of D _E Elevator drive signal D _L Drawer / storage mechanism drive signal D _P Player drive signal r ₁ , r ₂ , r ₃ , r ₄ Rotation direction _UL upper limit origin position L _L lower limit origin position

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A disk-shaped recording medium (1a_-1, 1a_-2, 1a
_-3, ...) are carried by the elevator mechanism (4a) and the player
(5a) and remove it from the player (5a)
In the automatic exchange device that conveys by the elevator mechanism (4a)
The elevator mechanism (4a) has a lower limit of its operating position (H).
Origin position (L_L) Giving a sensor (S_3a) And the upper limit origin
Position (U_L) Giving a sensor (S_4a) And the origin position
(L_L, U_L) From its output pulse signal
(H_PPosition sensor (S₈) And the
Drive means (25) of the data mechanism (4a) and each sensor (S_3a,
S_4a, S₈) Output signals (Sig-1, Sig-2, H_P) From
Drive signal (D) for controlling the drive means (25)_E)
And a control means (26) for applying a force.
6) is the position sensor before starting the driving means (25).
Sensor (S₈) Output (H_P), And find the size
Is a predetermined size (V _TH) Is displaced
If the driving means (25)
Drive in the direction of, and the origin sensor (S_3a,
(S_4a)) Gives the origin position (L _L, (U_L))
Move to a desired position and stop, while the position sensor (S₈) Output (H_P) Size
Is a predetermined size (V_TH) Within displacement
In some cases, drive the driving means (25) in the intended direction of movement.
Moving, moving to the desired position and stopping.
A method for controlling an automatic disc-shaped recording medium exchange device.