JPH05274759A - Auto-changer of tape-like medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize an inserting/ejecting part simple in structure small in size and of high reliability by rotating an upper guide interlocked with the vertical movement of a carriage and pressurizing a cassette through a roller. CONSTITUTION:The upper guide 22 constituting the cassette inserting/ejecting part is provided rotatably, and a rotatable roller 27 and a protrusion 30 capable of engaging/disengaging with an actuating member provided on the carriage are provided on the guide 22. When the cassette 11 is inserted from an opening 24 under this constitution, the carriage somewhat goes down and the upper guide 22 rotationally moves downward, then the cassette 11 is pulled into the prescribed position while being pressurized by the roller 27 then stopped. At this position, the cassette elevates slightly and the actuating member of the cartridge is engaged with the protrusion 30 of the upper guide 22 to rotationally move the upper guide 22 upward and to release the pressurization for the cassette 11 made by the roller 27, then the cassette 11 is loaded into a drive part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has a function of accommodating and storing a plurality of cassettes containing a tape-shaped information medium for backing up information in an information processing apparatus and automatically exchanging these cassettes. The present invention relates to a tape-shaped medium automatic changer device, and more particularly to a tape-shaped medium automatic changer device having an improved cassette insertion / ejection portion for inserting a cassette into the device and ejecting the cassette from the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the current information age, since a large amount of information is distributed in a wide range of fields, the number of cases of using an information processing device by application of electronic technology is gradually increasing. In addition, it is expected that the range of application will be further expanded in the future due to the higher performance of information processing equipment and the sophistication of operations due to advances in software technology. However, as the amount of information increases and the processing speed increases, there is an increasing possibility that the information recorded on the medium will be lost or damaged. In order to prevent the occurrence of such an undesired situation, generally, so-called backup processing is performed to protect the recorded information regardless of whether the recorded information is processed or not.

A magnetic disk device or a magnetic tape device is generally used to perform the backup process as described above, but since the development of a high-density magnetic recording medium has advanced, for example, an 8 mm magnetic tape is used. A large amount of information can be recorded by using the helical scan method used. Therefore, even with large-scale and expensive backup devices that used open-reel magnetic tapes in the past, those that use 8mm magnetic tapes are now considered to be the most suitable because the bit cost of information is reduced. ， It is expected that further miniaturization will continue in the future.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a tape-shaped medium automatic changer device which is the object of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an accommodating portion, which is provided with a plurality of slot-shaped magazines 2 formed in a box shape and capable of accommodating a cassette (not shown) containing a tape-shaped information medium. .. A drive unit 3 is formed so that reading and writing can be performed on the tape-shaped information medium in the cassette, and has an opening 4 for inserting and ejecting the cassette.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a cassette insertion / ejection section, which is formed so that the cassette can be inserted into and ejected from the apparatus.

Next, 6 is a changer section, which is a storage section 1,
The drive unit 3 and the cassette insertion / ejection unit 5 are formed so as to be opposed to each other. That is, the changer section 6 is formed so as to be movable in the left-right direction (X direction), the Z carriage 8 formed in the X carriage 7 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction), and the Z carriage 8
A Y carriage 9 is formed therein so as to be movable in the front-back direction (Y direction). 1a is a storage door.

With the above-described structure, the cassette stored in the storage unit 1 is inserted into the drive unit 3 via the changer unit 6.
, And a predetermined recording / reproducing process is executed, and after the process, it can be stored again in a predetermined magazine 2 in the storage unit 1.
When a new cassette is stored or inserted in the storage unit 1 or the drive unit 3, the new cassette is first inserted into the cassette insertion / ejection unit 5 and then executed via the changer unit 6. On the other hand, when the cassette in the storage unit 1 or the drive unit 3 is discharged to the outside of the device, it is first discharged to the cassette insertion / discharge unit 5 via the changer unit 6 and then discharged to the outside of the device.

[0007]

In the drive unit having the above structure, if a cassette containing an information medium is inserted through the opening 4, the cassette can be inserted in the same manner as a cassette deck or a video deck used in a general household. At the inserted position, the reading and / or writing process can be performed on the built-in tape-shaped information medium. Therefore, the cassette may be fixed at the insertion position.

However, in the cassette insertion / ejection section 5, it is necessary to convey the newly inserted cassette to a predetermined position and then convey it to the magazine 2 of the storage section 1 via the changer section 6. On the contrary, the magazine 2 of the storage unit 1
It is necessary to eject the cassette taken out from the cassette through the changer unit 6 to a predetermined position of the cassette insertion / ejection unit 5 and then to the outside. That is, the cassette insertion / ejection section 5 has both functions of pulling in and ejecting the cassette in a state of being constrained when inserting and ejecting the cassette, and releasing the constraint of the cassette when exchanging the cassette with the changer unit 6. Must be prepared.

Further, the cassette insertion / ejection section 5 must also have a so-called security function for eliminating the accidental insertion of an undesignated cassette by inserting only a cassette that fits the storage section 1 and the drive section 3. is there. Further, since the cassette insertion / ejection portion 5 is originally a narrow portion, it is required that the structure is simple and the reliability is high.

Various proposals have been made for the tape-shaped medium automatic changer, but there are problems that the structure is complicated, downsizing is difficult, and the reliability is low. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, and to provide a tape-shaped medium autochanger device which has a simple structure, can be downsized, and is highly reliable.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an accommodating portion formed so as to accommodate a plurality of cassettes accommodating tape-shaped information media in the same housing. A cassette insertion / ejection section formed so that the cassette can be inserted into and ejected from the apparatus, and a drive section formed to perform a reading / writing process on an information medium in the cassette; A changer section is provided to face the storage section, the cassette insertion / ejection section, and the drive section, and is configured to exchange the cassette, and a control section for controlling the operations of the cassette insertion / ejection section, the drive section, and the changer section. In the tape-shaped medium automatic changer device as described above, the cassette insertion / ejection part has a pair of upper guides and lower guides facing each other. And a cassette holding portion, and an upper guide rotatably formed through a support shaft provided on the back side of the upper guide so that the upper guide faces the cassette holding portion and is selectively rotatable. The roller is provided with a protrusion, which is engageable with and disengageable from an operating member provided on the carriage forming the changer, and the upper guide is rotated in conjunction with the vertical movement of the carriage to rotate the roller. The technical means of adopting a structure in which the cassette is selectively pressed by means of the above is adopted.

In the present invention, the height dimension of the opening of the cassette holding portion is smaller than the thickness dimension of the cassette when the operating member provided on the carriage and the protrusion provided on the upper guide are disengaged. can do.

[0013]

With the above construction, when the cassette containing the tape-shaped information medium is inserted into the apparatus from the outside, first, the cassette is inserted into the cassette holding portion through the opening of the cassette inserting / ejecting portion to form the changer portion. The carriage slightly descends, the upper guide rotates downward, and the roller presses the cassette. Then, by the rotation of the roller, the cassette is pulled to a predetermined position of the cassette holding portion and stopped.

From this position, the carriage is slightly raised, the operating member provided on the carriage engages with the protrusion provided on the upper guide, and the upper guide is rotated upward,
The roller pressurization of the cassette is released and the cassette becomes free. Therefore, the arm provided on the carriage operates to grip the cassette and hold it in the changer section. After that, by moving the changer unit, the held cassette can be stored in the magazine of the storage unit or mounted in the drive unit.

On the other hand, when the cassette in the apparatus is ejected to the outside, the carriage holding the cassette approaches the predetermined position of the cassette insertion / ejection portion, and the upper guide is rotated upward through the operating member and the protrusion. .. In this state, the cassette grasped by the arm is inserted into the cassette holding section of the cassette insertion / ejection section. Then, when the carriage is slightly lowered, the upper guide is rotated downward, and the cassette is pressed by the rollers. Therefore, the cassette can be ejected to the outside of the apparatus by rotating the roller in the opposite direction.

Even when the carriage forming the changer does not exist in the vicinity of the cassette insertion / ejection section, or even if it exists in the vicinity of the cassette insertion / ejection section, when the operating member and the projection are in the disengaged state, that is, the cassette is inserted. When the player is not in a position to eject, a so-called security function is provided to prevent the insertion of a cassette into the cassette insertion / ejection section and prevent the wrong insertion of a cassette that is not designated.

[0017]

FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of the essential parts of an embodiment of the present invention, in which the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals as in FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a housing, in which a housing portion 1 formed to accommodate a plurality of cassettes 11 containing a tape-shaped information medium, a cassette 11 inserted into the apparatus, and a device outside the apparatus are provided. A cassette insertion / ejection section 5 formed so that it can be ejected to and from the information medium 12 in the cassette 11 and a drive formed so that processing such as reading and / or writing can be performed via the rotary head 13 for example. A portion 3 and a changer portion 6 that is movable so as to face the above-mentioned components and is capable of receiving and delivering the cassette 11 are provided.

Reference numeral 14 is a control unit, which is an interface unit 1.
5, the operation of the cassette insertion / ejection section 5, the drive section 3 and the changer section 6 is controlled.
Like the other constituent members, it is provided in the housing 10. Reference numeral 16 is a connection unit that connects the control unit 14 and an external host processor (not shown) so that commands can be exchanged. This embodiment shows an example in which two sets of drive units 3 are provided and can be connected to any of the two sets of external host processors.

With the above configuration, the read and / or write processing for the information medium 12 in the drive unit 3, the drive unit 3, the storage unit 1 and the cassette insertion / ejection unit are executed by the command from the external host processor and / or the control unit 14. It is possible to perform processing such as transfer of the cassette 11 to and from the device 5, insertion of the cassette 11 into the device through the cassette insertion / ejection unit 5, and ejection to the outside of the device.

FIG. 3 shows the cassette insertion / ejection section 5 in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory view of a longitudinal section of a main part showing FIG.
It is an A cross-sectional explanatory view, and in order to facilitate understanding,
A part is omitted and hatching for displaying a cross section is omitted. The same parts are designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 21 denotes a cassette holding portion, which is formed by a pair of upper guide 22 and lower guide 23 provided so as to face each other so that the opening 24 is exposed to the outside. A support shaft 25 is provided on the inner side of the upper guide 22 and rotatably supports the upper guide 22. A pressure spring 26 is provided on the support shaft 25 so as to urge the upper guide 22 clockwise.

Next, 27 is a roller, for example, the outer layer of which is made of rubber or other flexible elastic material, and is rotatably provided on the upper guide 22 so as to face the cassette holding portion 21. Reference numeral 28 denotes a motor, which is provided on the upper guide 22 and configured to rotate the roller 27 via a gear train 29. 30 is a protrusion, and the upper guide 22
Is formed at the side edge of the Y carriage 9 and is detachably formed with the operating member 31 provided on the Y carriage 9 forming the changer unit 6. Reference numeral 32 denotes a catching arm which is formed so as to be openable and closable in the horizontal direction and is provided so as to face the end of the Y carriage 9. Reference numerals 33, 34 and 35 denote sensors, respectively. The sensor 33 is provided on the back side of the cassette holding portion 21, and the sensors 34 and 35 are provided on the lower side and the opening 24 side of the cassette holding portion 21, respectively. A door 36 is rotatably provided on the housing 10 near the opening 24 of the cassette holder 21.

FIG. 5 shows the cassette insertion / ejection section 5 in FIG.
4A and 4B are explanatory views of the main part showing the operating state of the cassette, in which FIG. 7A shows the absence of a cassette, FIG. 4B shows the insertion of a cassette, and FIG. The same reference numerals are used. In the absence of the cassette shown in FIG. 5A, the upper guide 22 rotates clockwise with respect to the support shaft 25, and the height dimension of the opening 24 is smaller than the thickness dimension of the cassette 11. And the door 36 interferes with the upper guide 22, the cassette 11
Cannot be inserted. By such an operation, it is possible to prevent an undesired situation in which an undesignated cassette 11 is inserted from the outside.

Next, in the state shown in FIG.
The operating member 31 and the protrusion 30 shown in FIG. 4 are engaged with each other,
The upper guide 22 is slightly rotated counterclockwise with respect to the support shaft 25, and the height dimension of the opening 24 is formed to be larger than the thickness dimension of the cassette 11.
It is possible to insert into 1. Further, in the state shown in FIG. 5C, the cassette 11 is completely drawn into the cassette holding portion 21, and the Y carriage 9 is slightly raised from the state shown in FIG. The roller 27 provided on the cassette is not engaged with the cassette 11. Therefore, the cassette 11 becomes free, and the cassette 11 can be pulled out from the cassette holding portion 21 by the catching arm 32.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are flow charts showing the operation when the cassette is inserted and the cassette is ejected, respectively. The operation in the case of cassette insertion and cassette ejection will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 in accordance with FIGS. 6 and 7.

First, when the cassette is inserted into the apparatus, the changer unit 6 shown in FIG. 2 is moved to the cassette insertion / ejection unit 5 by receiving a cassette insertion command (41) from the external host processor in FIG. Move the Y carriage inside the changer unit 6 to the catching position (4
2) Then, the actuating member 31 and the protrusion 30 shown in FIG. 4 engage with each other, and the Y carriage 9 rises slightly. In this state, as shown in FIG.
Is slightly higher than the upper surface of.

Next, by inserting the cassette (43), as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the cassette 11 is inserted into the cassette holding portion 21 via the opening 24. And cassette 11
When the sensor passes the sensor 34, the Y carriage δmm descends (4
By 4), the upper guide 22 rotates clockwise, the roller 27 contacts the upper surface of the cassette 11, and the cassette 11 is pressed by the roller 27 by the action of the pressing spring 26. In addition, the motor forward rotation (4
5), the motor 28 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 rotates forward, and the roller 27 rotates clockwise through the gear train 29. Therefore, the cassette 11 can be drawn into the cassette holding portion 21. Then, the cassette 11 is the cassette holder 2
When reaching the sensor 33 provided on the back side of 1, the motor rotation is stopped (46) by the signal of the sensor 33, and the rotation of the motor 28 and the roller 27 is stopped.

As described above, since the cassette 11 is completely stored and held in the cassette holding portion 21, the Y carriage δmm
By the ascending (47), the operating member 31 provided on the Y carriage 9 and the protrusion 30 provided on the upper guide 22
Due to the engagement (see FIG. 4), the upper guide 22 rotates counterclockwise, and the state shown in FIG. 5C is obtained. That is, since the Y carriage 9 is in the catching position, the catching arm 32 holds the cassette 11 and the Y carriage 9 is held.
(48). Then, the cassette is moved to a predetermined position (49). When the Y carriage 9 is disengaged from the cassette holding portion 21, the engagement between the operating member 31 and the protrusion 30 shown in FIG. 4 is released, so that the upper guide 22 is brought into the state shown in FIG. In addition, it is possible to prevent undesired insertion of the unspecified cassette 11 from the outside.

Next, when the cassette existing in the apparatus is discharged to the outside, the changer unit 6 (see FIG. 2) for holding the cassette to be discharged is the cassette from the external host processor in FIG. By receiving the discharge command (51), the Y carriage is moved (52) to the catching position, and the operating member 31 and the projection 30 shown in FIG.
The upper guide 22 is brought into the state shown in FIG. Then insert the cassette into the cassette holder (53)
As a result, the cassette 11 gripped by the catching arm 32 is inserted into the cassette holding portion 21. Then, the Y carriage δ mm descends (54), whereby the Y carriage 9 descends, the upper guide 22 rotates, the roller 27 abuts on the upper surface of the cassette 11, and pressure is applied by the action of the pressure spring 26.

As the Y carriage 9 descends, the motor reversely rotates (55), and the motor 2 shown in FIGS.
8 rotates in the reverse direction, and the roller 27 rotates counterclockwise via the gear train 29.
It can be discharged (56) from 1 to the outside. After the front end of the cassette 11 passes the sensor 34, the cassette 1
When the predetermined amount of 1 has been sent, the discharging work is completed, and by pulling out the cassette 11 discharged to the outside of the apparatus, the signal of the sensor 34 is switched and the motor rotation is stopped (57). At this time, the upper guide 22 is in the state shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, an 8 mm magnetic tape is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other magnetic tapes, optical tapes, magneto-optical tapes, etc. can be applied as the tape-shaped information medium. Of course.

[0031]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure and operation, the vertical movement of the carriage provided in the changer for moving or transporting the cassette and the pressing operation of the roller with respect to the cassette are interlocked. As a result, the cassette insertion / ejection section can have a simple structure, and the entire apparatus can be made inexpensive and compact. Further, when the changer is not present at a predetermined position of the cassette insertion / ejection part, a non-predetermined or undesired cassette is not inserted in the cassette insertion / ejection part, so that a security function is provided and reliability can be significantly improved. There is an effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a tape-shaped medium autochanger device which is the object of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of a main part configuration showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged explanatory view of a longitudinal section of a main part showing a cassette insertion / ejection portion in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

5 is an explanatory view of a main part showing an operation state of a cassette insertion / ejection part in FIG. 3, FIG.
(B) shows the state when the cassette is inserted, and (c) shows the state when the cassette is caught.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when a cassette is inserted.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation when a cassette is ejected.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Storage Section 3 Drive Section 5 Cassette Insertion and Discharge Section 6 Changer Section 11 Cassette 21 Cassette Holding Section 22 Upper Guide 23 Lower Guide

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An accommodating portion formed so as to accommodate a plurality of cassettes containing a tape-shaped information medium in the same housing, and a cassette capable of being inserted into and ejected from the apparatus. A cassette insertion / ejection section, a drive section formed to perform a read / write process on an information medium in the cassette, and a cassette provided opposite to the accommodating section, cassette insertion / ejection section and drive section. In a tape-shaped medium automatic changer device comprising a changer portion configured to be capable of exchanging data, and a control portion for controlling the operations of the cassette insertion / ejection portion, the drive portion and the changer portion, the cassette insertion / ejection portions are opposed to each other. A pair of upper and lower guides is provided to form a cassette holding portion with an opening facing the outside, and the upper guide is inserted through a support shaft provided on the back side thereof. The upper guide is provided with a roller formed to be rotatable so as to face the cassette holding portion, and the upper guide is engaged with an operating member provided on a carriage forming the changer portion. A tape shape characterized in that a detachable protrusion is provided, and the upper guide is rotated in conjunction with the vertical movement of the carriage to selectively press the cassette through the roller. Medium auto changer device. 2. The height dimension of the opening of the cassette holding portion is formed to be smaller than the thickness dimension of the cassette when the operating member provided on the carriage and the projection portion provided on the upper guide are disengaged. The tape-shaped medium automatic changer device according to claim 1.