JPH06203442A - Assembled type external storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the access time to a magnetic tape of an assembled type magnetic tape device transferring the magnetic tape selected from a storehouse wherein the many magnetic tapes are kept in the custody. CONSTITUTION:An auxiliary storing cell 5 for magnetic tape is arranged near the recording/reproducing device (drive) 3, and the subsequently required magnetic tape is housed in this storing cell 5 during the recording/reproducing operations are performed by the drive 3. The magnetic tape temporarily housed in the storing cell 5 is returned back to a proper cell in the period when the recording/reproducing operations are performed by the drive 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an external storage device for information processing, and more particularly to a collective storage device which accommodates a plurality of information recording media and selects and records arbitrary media for recording / reading.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional collective type external storage device of this type, recording and reading processing of one medium is completed, and the medium of a recording / reading unit (drive) is replaced with a medium to be used next. At that time, the procedure is such that the medium is first taken out from the drive, conveyed to the original cell and stored therein, and then the medium is taken out from the required cell and conveyed to the drive and inserted.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In this conventional method,
After the recording / reading process for one medium is completed,
By the time the next medium is inserted in the drive, it is necessary to move from the drive to the original cell, move to the next medium storage cell, and move to the drive. Especially, the distance between the cell and the drive is long. Or a cell that stores the old medium,
If the distance to the cell in which the next medium is stored is long, the time required for the series of operations described above becomes long, and there is a problem in that the use efficiency decreases.

[0004]

An aggregate type external storage device of the present invention comprises means for storing a plurality of information recording media, means for recording information on the information recording medium and reading information from the information recording medium, and information. A collective storage device having means for transporting an information recording medium between a storage location of a recording medium and a recording / reading means, and information assigned in the vicinity of the recording / reading means corresponding to the recording / reading means. It has auxiliary storage means for the recording medium.

[0005]

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention. 1
Is a cell for storing a recording medium. A large number of cells are regularly arranged on a plane, and the cell position of each cell is designated by an address in the horizontal direction (X direction) and a vertical direction (Y direction). Reference numeral 2 is a recording medium, and one recording medium can be stored in each cell. Reference numeral 3 denotes a drive which is a means for recording / reading out information, and in this embodiment, two drives are used.

Each drive 3 has an insertion port 4, and when the recording medium 2 is inserted therein, the recording medium 2 is loaded into the drive 3 to write information to the recording medium 2 or read information from the recording medium 2. Is performed. The recording medium 2 which has been subjected to the recording or reading process in the drive 3 can be ejected from the insertion port 4 and taken out.

A recording medium conveying means (not shown) is arranged in a horizontal direction (X) on a plane on which the cell 1 and the drive 3 are arranged.
Direction) and the vertical direction (Y direction), the medium is taken out from the cell of the address designated by the host device and inserted into the insertion slot 4 of the designated drive. After the recording / reproduction is completed, the recording medium 2 is taken out from the insertion slot 4 of the designated drive 3 and stored in the cell 1 of the designated address.

The auxiliary cell 5 is a cell assigned to the drive 3, and in this embodiment, two cells are assigned to each drive immediately above the drive 3.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described step by step.

When the recording / reading process for the medium of the cell A is to be performed, the host device gives the accessor a medium transport command from the cell A to the drive 3. The accessor moves from the current position to the cell A, takes out the medium stored in the cell, moves it to the drive 3, and inserts it into the insertion slot 4. When the recording / reading process for the medium is completed, the host device gives the drive a medium discharge command, and gives the accessor a command for returning the discharged medium to the original cell A.

When the medium to be used next is clear, the accessor is simultaneously instructed to convey the medium from the cell B of the medium to be used next to the drive 3. The accessor first takes out the medium to be used next from the cell B and stores it in one of the cells 5 assigned to the drive 3. Next, it waits until the previous medium is ejected from the insertion slot 4 of the drive 3, and when the medium is ejected, the medium is taken out from the insertion slot 4 and another one of the cells 5 assigned to the drive 3 is removed. Stored in one. Subsequently, the medium previously moved from the cell B is taken out from the cell 5 and inserted into the insertion port 4 of the drive 3. The medium left in the cell 5 is returned to the cell A by utilizing the free time of the accessor.

[0012]

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing a plurality of medium storage cells assigned to a drive in the vicinity of the drive, the time required for exchanging the medium can be shortened and the processing efficiency can be improved. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 cell 2 recording medium 3 drive 4 insertion slot 5 cell assigned to drive

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A means for storing a plurality of information recording media,
Means for recording information on the information recording medium and reading information from the information recording medium, and storage location and recording of the information storage medium
In an information storage device of a collective type having a means for conveying an information recording medium to and from a reading means, an auxiliary of an information recording medium assigned in the vicinity of the recording / reading means in correspondence with the recording / reading means. A collective external storage device having a storage means.