JPH05338721A - Magnetic tape library system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make continuous use of a magnetic tape drive unit provided in a magnetic tape library system by approaching it from a system outside a library system. CONSTITUTION:This library system is provided with a carrying-in/-out port 8 formed at a part of exterior wall which faces the upper spaces of respective racks where cartridge type magnetic tapes 1 are stored in a tape warehouse 9 to enable a robot 2 in the tape warehouse 9 to handle outside cartridge type magnetic tapes 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic tape library system in which a cartridge type magnetic tape is automatically operated by a robot in a tape warehouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cartridge type magnetic tapes for computers are compact in size, and magnetic tape library systems that are automatically operated by robots are becoming popular in recent years. No work has been done in the meantime.

FIG. 4 shows the basic configuration of the library system. The robot 01 is installed in the warehouse 02 and is operated by the control computer 04 instructed by the host computer 03 to operate the address in the warehouse. The magnetic tape 05 instructed in step 1 is taken out and mounted on the magnetic tape drive unit 06 attached to the warehouse. The used magnetic tape is returned to a predetermined address.

[0004]

As described above, the magnetic tape to be used in the library system is basically limited to the one in the warehouse, and an external magnetic tape cannot be used. Further, even in the case of a magnetic tape drive unit, it is impossible to use the magnetic tape from the outside because the magnetic tape drive unit is attached to the warehouse and the mounting port of the magnetic tape drive unit faces the inside of the warehouse.

Therefore, it is necessary to separately install and operate the magnetic tape drive unit in the library system and the system operated by a person outside the library system. Note that the library system may be equipped with a storage entrance from the outside of the magnetic tape as shown in FIG. 5 described in Japanese Patent Application No. 03-009218. This application has a basket for storing and ejecting magnetic tape on a part of the shelf board to the warehouse. 0
7 and an opening / closing door 08 for this purpose, the basket is taken in and taken out or taken in in a state where the magnetic tape newly stored in this basket is stored.

Therefore, this application has a condition that it occupies a part of the shelf that is originally used as a storage place for the magnetic tape, and that the movement of the robot must be restricted when the basket is taken in and taken out. For this reason, the basket for taking out and taking in has a minimum capacity and is functionally usable for the use of Emerlier Ray or the replacement of a very small number of tapes, and does not have a function of constantly using an external magnetic tape.

The present invention was developed to address such a problem, and the magnetic tape drive unit provided in the magnetic tape library system can be continuously used by approaching it from a system outside the library system. The purpose is to do so.

[0008]

The structure of the present invention for achieving the above object will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 corresponding to the embodiments. The present invention is a robot in which a cartridge type magnetic tape is installed in a tape warehouse. In the magnetic tape library system operated in the above, in the tape warehouse, an outside of the cartridge type magnetic tape is stored in a part of the outer wall corresponding to the upper space of each shelf in which the cartridge type magnetic tape is stored. The tape can be operated by the robot.

[0009]

According to the present invention, in the library system according to the above means, the magnetic tapes are arranged in multiple stages in the warehouse in the height direction, and there are unused wall and space portions in the middle of each stage. A storage port for receiving or delivering the magnetic tape from the outside is installed on this idle wall.
Since this storage port uses an idle wall or space, the magnetic tape can be exchanged with the outside without affecting the original storage capacity of the magnetic tape in the warehouse.

The magnetic tape at the loading / unloading entrance is set in either a horizontal or vertical direction with the robot gripping portion of the magnetic tape facing the inside of the warehouse. Since the tape receiving port of the magnetic tape drive unit is horizontal, if the magnetic tape at the loading / unloading port is also placed horizontally, the robot can move while holding the magnetic tape, which has the advantage of minimizing the movement of the robot. However, even if it is placed vertically, it only needs to change direction once, so it is not a big limitation.

It may be selected as appropriate in consideration of the shape and size of the warehouse.

[0012]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below with reference to examples. Figure 1
Is a vertical sectional view of a library device for explaining the function of the present invention,
2 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1 to 3, 1 is a magnetic tape, 2
Is a robot for handling the magnetic tape 1,
2'is a robot arm for gripping the magnetic tape 1, 3 is a magnetic tape drive unit for sending out the contents of the magnetic tape 1 to a host computer, 3'is a magnetic tape receiving port, and 4'is set in a loading / unloading port. Magnetic tapes 5 and 5'accepted from the outside are columns of the warehouse, and 6 is a space formed by columns 5 and 5 '. 7, 7'is a virtual line showing the vertical position of the magnetic tape installation on each shelf,
Reference numeral 8 is a loading / unloading port provided in a part of the outer wall corresponding to the upper space of each shelf, and 9 is a tape warehouse.

According to the normal function of the library system, the robot 2 grasps the magnetic tape 1 in the warehouse 9 with the arm 2 '.
The magnetic tape 1 is returned to its original position by the reverse procedure when it is carried by and is inserted into the magnetic tape receiving port 3'and the processing is completed. When receiving the magnetic tape from the outside, the receiving magnetic tapes 4 and 4'are set in a part of the space 6 in the state shown in the drawing through the loading / unloading port 8 provided on the outer wall plate of the warehouse.

The operation procedure after that is the same as the procedure for a normal magnetic tape. However, the used magnetic tape is returned to the outside according to the instruction of the host computer, but in some cases, it is newly set to an empty address in the warehouse. The magnetic tape receiving port 3'of the magnetic tape drive unit has a structure for receiving the magnetic tape in a horizontal state inside the magnetic tape drive unit. Therefore, if the receiving tape is set horizontally in the state of 4, the arm 2'is mounted in the magnetic tape drive unit 3 with the shortest movement while holding the magnetic tape.
4 in FIG. 3 shows the horizontal setting state of the external receiving magnetic tape,
4'indicates the state of vertical setting. The dimensions of the magnetic tape are 110 mm in width, 125 mm in height, and 2 in thickness.
Columns 5 and 5'of 5 mm are usually used 100 to 12
Since it is a square steel of 5 mm, the space 6 is most suitable as a storage place for the receiving magnetic tape, and is characterized in that it does not require an extra space for receiving as a warehouse.

[0015]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects. (1) By effectively utilizing a part of the space of a library system that is normally used, a magnetic tape outside the library system can be operated, and a magnetic tape drive unit for external operation is basically unnecessary. (2) When the same type of library system is used in parallel to increase the capacity, the magnetic tapes can be exchanged through this loading / unloading port, and the operation efficiency is improved. (3) It also leads to an increase in the magnetic tape storage capacity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a library device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 magnetic tape 2 robot 4 external magnetic tape 8 loading / unloading port 9 warehouse

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Teruaki Muta 1-1 1-1 Atsunoura-machi, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Nagasaki Shipyard (72) Inventor Tsunao Nakajima 1-1-1, Atsunoura-cho, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. Nagasaki Shipyard (72) Inventor Seiki Tanaka 1-1, Atsunoura-machi, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. Nagasaki Shipyard (72) Inventor, Mikio Aramaki 5-717, Fukahori-cho, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki Prefecture 1 Choryo Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a magnetic tape library system in which a cartridge type magnetic tape is operated by a robot in a tape warehouse, an outer wall corresponding to an upper space of each shelf in which the cartridge type magnetic tape is stored in the tape warehouse. A magnetic tape library system, characterized in that an entrance / exit port is provided in part so that an external cartridge type magnetic tape can be operated by the robot.