JPH05314733A - Library device control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To resolve troublesome working operation in the control method on a library device for cartridges. CONSTITUTION:A library control part 12 is provide with an infra device information storage part 113a for storing management information of individual cartridges 3 housed in a cartridge housing storage 20 and an extra device information storage part 113b for storing management information of individual cartridges 3 stored by other than the library device. At the time of discharging the cartridge 3 from the device, its corresponding management information is added with storage location information and transferred and registered to the extra device information storage part 113b. At the time of depositing a cartridge into the housing storage from the exterior, whether the cartridge 3 is deposited again in the housing storage or not is collated with the extra device information storage part 113b by identification information read out by an idenfification mark reader 15, and in the case redeposition, the management information registered in the extra device information storage part 113b is transferred and registered to the infra device information storage part 113a to continuously use the management information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a library device for a cartridge type tape or a cartridge type disk (these information media will be simply referred to as a cartridge hereinafter), and more particularly to a method for controlling the library device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional library device. In addition, in order to make the explanation of the configuration and the operation easy to understand, the step numbers in the flow charts are omitted throughout all the drawings.
The same portions will be denoted by the same reference symbols and redundant description will be omitted.

In the figure, 2 is a host device, which is a higher model of the library device, and 3 is a cartridge. The cartridge 3 is pasted with a cartridge number, which is pre-filled with an identifier such as a bar code, label information including the owner name of the cartridge and other medium information (hereinafter simply referred to as identification information).

The library device has an interface section 1
1, library control unit 12, management information storage unit 13, a plurality of cartridge recording / reproducing device 14, cartridge insertion port 16,
The cartridge outlet 17, accessor 18, bus 19, cartridge storage 20, etc. are built in a common housing.

The interface section 11 has a function of matching the interface between the host apparatus 2 and each section in the library apparatus. The library control unit 12 includes an interface unit 11 and a plurality of cartridge recording / reproducing devices 1
4, connected to the cartridge inlet 16, cartridge outlet 17, and accessor 18 by bus 19,
It has a function of exchanging information with these connection destinations and controlling by a program built in the library control unit 12 in advance.

Further, the library control section 12 directly controls a management information storage section 13 for storing management information of the cartridge 3 using a disk device or the like, and an identifier reader 15 to be described later.
It has a function of registering or collating the identification information notified from the management information storage unit 13 and deleting the registered management information of the cartridge 3 discharged to the cartridge discharge port 17. The management information storage unit 13 may not be built in the library device but may be provided in the host device 2.

The cartridge recording / reproducing device 14 is a dedicated device corresponding to the cartridge 3 and is provided with a plurality of units.
Have the ability to run through 12.

The operator inserts (mounts) the cartridge 3 into the cartridge insertion port 16. Further, the cartridge insertion port 16 is provided with an identifier reader 15 such as a bar code reader, and the identifier reader is the identification information pre-filled with an identifier such as a bar code on the cartridge 3 inserted into the cartridge insertion port 16. It has a function of reading out and notifying the library control unit 12.

At the cartridge outlet 17, the accessor 18 records a cartridge under the control of the library controller 12.
The cartridge 3 conveyed from the reproducing device 14 or the cartridge storage 20 is placed.

The accessor 18 is controlled by the library control unit 12 and reciprocates between the cartridge storage 20 and the cartridge recording / reproducing device 14, the cartridge input port 16 and the cartridge discharge port 17 through a guide rail or the like, It has a robot function of transporting the cartridge 3 to a target position while capturing and holding the cartridge 3 by a capture mechanism (not shown).

The cartridge storage 20 comprises a large number of cells 20a arranged vertically and horizontally, and the accessor 18 driven by the control of the library control unit 12 carries out or stores the cartridge 3 at a predetermined position of the cell 20a. ..

The library device constructed in this way is
The cartridge 3 stored in the cartridge storage 20 by the library control program provided in the host device 2
Of the individual cartridges stored in the cartridge storage case 20, which is automatically mounted in the cartridge recording / reproducing device 14 by selecting, and is automatically returned to the original storage position after the recording / reproduction processing. For a less frequently used one, a discharge process of transferring the library device to the outside of the library device, and a storage process for storing the frequently used cartridge 3 stored in the outside in the cartridge storage box 20 are performed instead.

First, the procedure of the initial storage process of the cartridge 3 in the cartridge storage 20 of this apparatus will be described. The operator inputs a storage processing command for a plurality of cartridges 3 to be stored in the cartridge storage 20 into the host device 2, and manually inserts and mounts the cartridges 3 in the cartridge insertion opening 16 in a predetermined order. The identifier reader 15 reads the identification information of the first cartridge 3 and notifies the library controller 12 of it.

Corresponding to the notification, the library control unit 12, which has collated with the host command that the cartridge 3 should be stored, drives the accessor 18 to store the cartridge storage 20.
The cartridge 3 is stored in the empty cell 20a. Next, the library control unit 12 registers the address of the loaded cell 20a and the like in the management information storage unit 13 together with the identification information, notifies the host device 2 of the completion of loading, and repeats the loading process of the cartridge of the next rank. ..

On the contrary, in the case of carrying out the discharging process, the operator designates the cartridge 3 to be discharged and inputs the discharging command to the host device 2. The library control unit 12, which has received this ejection command from the host device 2, drives the accessor 18 to convey the cartridge 3 accommodated in the designated address to the cartridge ejection port 17. After the cartridge 3 arrives at the cartridge outlet 17, the library controller 12
Deletes the cartridge information of the cartridge 3 recorded in the management information storage unit 13.

With the above processing, the conventional library apparatus always stocks the cartridges that are frequently used in the cartridge storage box 20, so that there is an effect that recording / reproducing is performed with good operation efficiency.

[0017]

In the operation state of the conventional library apparatus, when the cartridge 3 that has been loaded (stored) and then discharged is used again, the identification information written in the cartridge is written. There is the complexity that the operator must investigate and specify management information other than the above (for example, the number of times the cartridge has been mounted in the past, write restrictions, the latest date and time of use, etc.). If this operation is neglected, there is a problem that management information such as accumulated maintenance information such as the number of mounts returns to the initial state.

Further, when the mount command for the designated cartridge 3 is received from the host device 2, the operator needs to confirm in advance whether or not the designated cartridge 3 is stored in the library device. ..

If the cartridge 3 is stored in the cartridge storage box 20 but the confirmation is neglected and a cartridge outside the library device is mistakenly used, the library device or the host controlling the cartridge 3 There is a problem that an error occurs in the program of.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling a library device capable of eliminating a complicated operation operation.

[0021]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A plurality of cartridge recording / reproducing devices 14, an identifier reader 15 for reading information on an identifier attached to the cartridge 3, and a cartridge insertion port 16 and a cartridge ejection port 17, respectively. A cartridge storage 20 for storing a plurality of cartridges 3 that has been taken out and an accessor for transporting the cartridges 3.
In a library device including 18 and a library control unit 12 that controls them according to a command of the host device 2, a management information storage unit 113 is attached to the library control unit 12, and the management information storage unit 113 is In-apparatus information storage section 113a for storing management information of individual cartridges 3 stored in the cartridge storage 20 and external apparatus information storage section 113b for storing management information of individual cartridges 3 stored in other than the library apparatus. When the cartridge 3 is discharged to a place other than the library device, the storage location information is added to the corresponding management information, the transfer information is registered in the outside-device information storage section 113b, and the cartridge 3 is stored from the outside. In doing so, the outside information storage unit 113b determines whether the cartridge 3 is re-stocked based on the identification information read by the identifier reader 15. In the case of the first warehousing, first registration in the in-apparatus information storage section 113a, and in the case of re-stocking, the management information registered in the out-of-apparatus information storage section 113b is transferred and registered in the in-apparatus information storage section 113a. The management information is configured to be continuously used.

When the library device receives a mount command for the cartridge 3 designated by the host device 2, the library control unit 12 causes the cartridge 3
If the management information is detected from the outside-device information storage section 113b, the operator is notified of the storage location information of the cartridge 3 based on the management information. By doing
The mounting process is performed from the cartridge insertion port 16.

Further, the management information storage section 113 may be provided on the host device 2 side.

[0024]

[Function] By adding the external information storage section 113b to the management information storage section 113, the internal information storage section 11 can be temporarily stored.
When the cartridge 3 is discharged to the outside of the library device, the management information of the cartridge 3 registered in 3a is added with the storage location information of the discharge destination, and the external device information storage unit 113b is added.
It is possible to transfer registration to.

Thus, when the cartridge 3 is stored from the outside, first, the identification information of the cartridge 3 is read by the identifier reader 15, and the identification information is collated in the outside-device information storage section 113b. The cartridge is first registered in the storage unit 113a, and if there is, the cartridge can be easily obtained from the management information corresponding to the identification information, and the management information is transferred and registered from the external information storage unit 113b to the internal information storage unit 113a. As a result, the previous management information can be continuously used, and the operation efficiency when the cartridge is re-loaded from the outside is improved.

Even when the cartridge 3 requested to be mounted by the host device 2 is the cartridge 3 to be re-introduced from the outside by the collation of the management information storage section 113, the operator follows the message and easily from the external storage location. It becomes possible to extract and input, and the management information thereof is also obtained from the outside-device information storage unit 113b, and erroneous operation can be prevented.

Further, even if the management information storage unit 113 is provided on the host device 2 side, the same effect can be obtained.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the library device of the present invention.
The difference from the conventional configuration diagram shown in FIG. 5 is that the management information storage unit 13 connected to the library control unit 12 is
The point is that the management information storage unit 113 is composed of an external information storage unit 113b and an external information storage unit 113b. The management information storage unit 113 can be provided in an appropriate storage area in the host device 2 and the same effect can be obtained.

The management information storage unit 113 uses a disk device or the like. The in-device information storage section 113a is a cartridge storage
This is an area for storing individual management information of the cartridge 3 stored in 20, and its function is the same as that of the management information storage unit 13 of FIG.

The external device information storage section 113b is a region for storing individual management information of the cartridges 3 stored in other than the library device, and is configured by expanding the storage region of the disk device or the like.

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of the discharging process in the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, each flowchart will be described with reference to FIG. In step, the operator inputs an instruction to eject the designated cartridge 3 into the host device 2. In step, the host device 2 instructs the library control unit 12 to retrieve the management information corresponding to the designated cartridge from the in-device information storage unit 113a.
The control sequence of the library control unit 12 is shown below.

When the management information is not retrieved in step, the host device 2 is notified of an error in step and the process ends. When retrieved, in step, the storage position in the cartridge storage 20 is obtained from the management information, and the storage position is instructed to the accessor 18 to convey the cartridge 3 to the cartridge discharge port 17.

In step S1, the storage location information of the cartridge 3 outside the library apparatus is added to the management information, and the internal information storage section 113a to the external apparatus information storage section 113b are added.
The transfer is registered and the discharge completion notice is sent to the host device 2 in step to complete the execution of the discharge program.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of the warehousing process in the first embodiment of the present invention. In step, the operator inputs an instruction to store the designated cartridge 3 into the host device 2. From the host device 2 to the library control unit in step
An instruction to store the designated cartridge 3 is issued to 12. The control sequence of the library control unit 12 is shown below.

When the cartridge 3 is inserted into the cartridge insertion port 16, the identifier reader 15 attached to the cartridge insertion port 16 reads the identification information attached to the cartridge 3 in step, and the cartridge 3 is accessed by the accessor 18. The cartridge storage box 20 is transported and stored at a predetermined cell 20a position. In step, the same management information as the identification information is retrieved from the external device information storage section 113b.

If the management information is not retrieved in the step, the cartridge is determined to be the initial storage cartridge in the step, the operator creates the management information for the initial registration, and registers the information in the in-apparatus information storage section 113a. Complete the receiving process.

When the cartridge 3 is searched, the cartridge 3 is recognized as a reloading cartridge, the position information of the cell 20a that has been stored is added to the management information in step S1, and the external information storage unit 113b to the internal information storage unit 113a are added. The transfer registration is performed, and in step, the re-entry completion notification is sent to the host device 2 to complete the execution of the discharge program.

In the case of the re-stocking cartridge by this warehousing process, the management information can be continuously used, so that there is no fear of disappearance as in the conventional case. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the mount process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
When a mount command for the cartridge designated by the library control unit 12 is received from the host device 2, the management information of the designated cartridge 3 is retrieved from the in-device information storage unit 113a in step.

When the cartridge 3 is searched in the step, it is recognized that the cartridge 3 is stored in the cartridge storage case 20, the position information of the stored cell 20a is obtained from the management information, and the position information is obtained. Cartridge recording / playback device that specifies and specifies the accessor 18
The device is transported to 14 and mounted, mounted, and the host device 2 is notified of mounting completion.

At the step, the host device 2 carries out the mounting process, and when the unloading is completed, it instructs the accessor 18 to capture the cartridge 3 from the cartridge recording / reproducing device 14 and return it to the original storage position of the cell 20a. finish.

When the cartridge 3 is not searched in the above step, the process shifts to the step and the management information of the designated cartridge 3 is searched from the external device information storage section 113b. If the management information is not searched in the step,
The cartridge is judged as an unregistered cartridge, an error is notified to the host device, and the process ends. When it is searched, the cartridge is recognized as a reload cartridge, the storage location information is picked up from the management information in a step, and the operator is notified via a display (not shown) provided in the host device 2.

At the step, the operator finds the cartridge 3 from the notified storage location information and inserts it into the cartridge insertion port 16. When this input is done,
The identifier reader 15 reads the identification information attached to the cartridge 3.

In the next step, it is checked whether the identification information is the same cartridge number as the management information. If they do not match, the host device 2 is notified with an error and the process ends. If they match, the cartridge 3 in the cartridge slot 16 is checked. Is mounted on the designated cartridge recording / reproducing device 14 and the host device 2 is notified of the completion of mounting.

When the unloading is completed in the next step, the accessor 18 is instructed to capture the cartridge 3 from the cartridge recording / reproducing device 14, and the cartridge 3 is discharged to the original cartridge discharge port 17 to finish.

Before inputting a storage instruction of the cartridge 3 designated by the operator to the host device 2 in the storage processing step of FIG. 3, the storage location of the designated cartridge 3 is set to the step of FIG.
It is possible to search using.

As described above, by providing the transfer registration means of the management information at the time of the discharging process shown in FIG. 2, when the cartridge is used for re-stocking or re-loading,
Since the management information of the previous cartridge can be automatically continued, it is not necessary for the operator to specify the management information such as the contents written in the cartridge and the attributes of the cartridge.

Further, since the maintenance information of the cartridge such as the number of times of mounting can be continued without being initialized, accurate management information can be secured. In particular, in an operation mode in which the number of cartridges stored outside the apparatus is larger than the number of cartridges stored in the library apparatus and the cartridges are loaded and unloaded frequently, the effect of reducing the operator's load is great.

According to the mounting process of the second embodiment of the present invention, when using the cartridge, the operator does not need to recognize the location of the cartridge to be used in advance.

Even if a cartridge other than the library device is to be mounted, the storage location of the cartridge will be notified so that the search can be performed easily and no error will occur even if the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge insertion port. As described above, there is an effect that the troublesome work of once causing an error in a job, loading another cartridge, and then starting the job again can be eliminated.

[0050]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a control method of a library device which can eliminate complicated operation operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a library device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a discharging process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a warehousing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of mount processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional library device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Host device 3 Cartridge 12 Library control unit 14 Cartridge recording / playback device 16 Cartridge input port 15 Identifier reader 17 Cartridge outlet 18 Accessor 20 Cartridge storage 20a Cell 113 Management information storage 113a Internal information storage 113b External device information Storage

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of cartridge recording / reproducing devices (1
4), an identifier reader (15) for reading the information on the identifier attached to the cartridge (3), and a cartridge slot (1
6) and a cartridge storage (20) for storing a plurality of cartridges (3) which are respectively loaded and unloaded from the cartridge outlet (17), an accessor (18) for transporting the cartridges (3), and a host device for them. In a library device comprising a library control unit (12) controlled by the instruction of (2), a management information storage unit (113) is attached to the library control unit (12), and the management information storage unit (113) is attached. ) Is a device internal information storage section (113a) for storing management information of the individual cartridges (3) stored in the cartridge storage (20) and individual cartridges (3) stored in other than the library device. When the cartridge (3) is discharged to a place other than the library device, the storage location information is added to the corresponding management information to store the management information outside the device. Information storage ( When the cartridge (3) is transferred and registered to 113b) and the cartridge (3) is stored from outside, it is determined whether the cartridge (3) is re-stored by the identification information read by the identifier reader (15).
(113b) collate, if it is the first storage, it is first registered in the in-apparatus information storage section (113a), in the case of re-stocking, the management information registered in the outside-apparatus information storage section (113b) in the apparatus. A method of controlling a library device, characterized in that the management information is continuously used by relocation registration to an information storage unit (113a). 2. When the library device receives a mount command for a cartridge (3) designated by the host device (2), the library control unit (12) causes the cartridge
The presence or absence of the management information of (3) is collated by the management information storage unit (113), and when the management information is detected from the external device information storage unit (113b), the operator is informed of the cartridge based on the management information. By notifying the storage location information in (3),
2. The library device control method according to claim 1, wherein the mounting process is performed from the cartridge insertion port (16). 3. The management information storage section (113) is provided on the side of the host device (2).
A method for controlling the described library device.