JPH07272382A - Disk auto-changer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the number of housing cartridges nearly twice and also to contrive simplification and light weight of the structure by providing a 180 deg.-inversion mechanism for a carrier among plural racks opposite to each other in two rows. CONSTITUTION:Plural racks 4a and 4b in two rows and disk drives 6a and 6b are arranged along both sides of a moving passage 3 of the carrier 2 to be opposite to each other in two rows. The carrier 2 is mounted with a one-way delivery mechanism 7 for delivering a cartridge 1 in the orthogonal direction to the moving direction of the carrier 2 with only one side part of the carrier 2. Then, the inversion mechanism 9 is provided for the purpose of inverting the carrier 2 by 180 deg. between the plural two-row racks 4a and 4b. By this method, a cartridge can automatically and selectively be changed at high speed between the two-row racks 4a and 4b and the disk drives while inverting freely the direction of the one-way delivery mechanism 7 at 180 deg. between the two-row racks.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention stores cartridges containing recording and / or reproducing disks such as optical disks in a plurality of shelves, and transfers the plurality of cartridges by a carrier to a disk drive. The present invention relates to a disc auto changer that is automatically replaced.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application No. 59-116210, which is a prior application example of this type of disk autochanger filed by the applicant of the present invention, discloses a plurality of shelves for storing a plurality of cartridges and a disk drive. And were arranged in a line along one side of the moving path of the carrier.

Therefore, in the prior application of this type, only 50 to 80 discs can be accommodated at most, and even if an attempt is made to increase the number of discs to be accommodated, there is a limit from the installation height of the shelves.

There is one in which a plurality of shelves are arranged in two rows on the left and right so as to oppose each other along both the left and right sides of the moving path of the carrier to increase the number of disks to be accommodated.

However, in order to store the cartridges in the two rows of shelves facing each other, the directions of the cartridges must be reversed, and the cartridges are passed in the left and right directions at the left and right sides, respectively. A left-right bidirectional transfer mechanism must be mounted on the carrier.

In addition, in order to transfer the cartridge in the left and right directions, the inside of the carrier must have a tunnel structure so that the cartridge can pass through the carrier in the left and right directions. Will be needed.

[0007]

However, the left-right bidirectional transfer mechanism has a remarkably complicated structure, is expensive, and is heavy. Therefore, when the left-right bidirectional transfer mechanism is mounted on the carrier, the entire carrier is The weight will increase significantly. In addition, if the carrier is constructed in a tunnel structure to improve the strength, the weight of the carrier will be significantly increased.

Therefore, conventionally, the carrier as a whole is very heavy, a large amount of power is required to transfer the carrier, and it has been difficult to speed up the automatic replacement of the cartridge. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to save power and space.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and despite the fact that a plurality of shelves are arranged in two rows in a state of facing each other along both sides of the moving path of the carrier. An object of the present invention is to provide a disc automatic changer capable of simplifying and reducing the structure of a delivery mechanism of a cartridge mounted on a carrier.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, a disc autochanger of the present invention is provided with a plurality of shelves for storing a plurality of cartridges in which discs for recording and / or reproducing are stored, and in the cartridge. At least the plurality of disc drives for recording and / or reproducing the discs, and a carrier for selectively conveying and delivering the plurality of cartridges between the plurality of shelves and the disc drives. Racks are arranged in two rows in a state of facing each other along both sides of the carrier moving passage, and the cartridge is delivered in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carrier only on one side of the carrier. A one-way transfer mechanism is mounted on the carrier, and the carrier is set in the two rows of shelves. By 0 ° reversing the orientation of the unidirectional delivery mechanism between the two rows of shelves 18
A reversing mechanism for reversing 0 ° is provided.

[0011]

According to the disc autochanger of the present invention constructed as described above, at least a plurality of shelves are arranged in two rows so as to face each other along both sides of the carrier passage, but the carriers are arranged in the above-mentioned manner. 18 between two rows of shelves
Since the reversing mechanism for reversing 0 ° is provided, the direction of the one-way transfer mechanism that is mounted on the carrier and transfers the cartridge in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carrier only on one side of the carrier is changed. While freely reversing 180 ° between the two rows of shelves, selective automatic cartridge exchange between the two rows of shelves and the disk drive can be performed.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A disc autochanger to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Outline of Disc Auto Changer] First, an outline of the disc auto changer will be described with reference to FIGS.

This disc autochanger uses a cartridge 1 which accommodates an optical disc D which is a double-sided disc having both recording surfaces A and B (both upper and lower sides), and both side surfaces of each cartridge 1. A pair of left and right notches 100 is formed on one end side of the.

A vertical moving passage 3 for moving the carrier 2 in the up and down directions of arrows a and b by a carrier moving mechanism described later is provided, and a large number of horizontal shelves 4a and 4b are provided.
The two rows of stockers 5a, 5b and the two rows of disk drives 6a, 6b, which are vertically stacked, face each other along the front and rear sides (left and right sides in FIG. 1) of the moving passage 3 in a vertical shape. It is arranged.

The two shelves 4a, 4b arranged in two rows are provided.
The cartridge 1 is housed in the front and rear opposite directions, and the pair of left and right notches 100 are arranged outside the two rows of shelves 4a and 4b and the disk drives 6a and 6b to form a pair of front and rear vertical reference lines P ₁ and P _2. Are arranged side by side.

Then, only one side portion 200 of the carrier 2 is engaged with the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of each cartridge 1 to move each cartridge 1 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carrier 2. A unidirectional transfer mechanism 7 having a pair of left and right claw members 700 for transferring in the c and d directions is mounted on the carrier 2.

Then, the carrier 2 is inverted 180 degrees in the directions of arrows e and f around the horizontal inversion center axis 8 between the front and rear two rows of shelves 4a and 4b, whereby a pair of left and right claw members 7 is formed.
The inverting mechanism 9 for inverting the direction of the one-way transfer mechanism 7 by 180 ° between the front and rear two rows of shelves 4a and 4b so that 00 selectively faces one of the front and rear two rows of shelves 4a and 4b. It is provided.

Then, the pair of left and right claw members 700 is pulled out from the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow a or b, and then pulled into the carrier 2 in the direction of arrow c, so that the carrier 2 is indicated by arrows e and f. Racks 4a, 4b in which front and rear pairs of front and rear claw member extraction spaces 10a and 10b for freely reversing 180 degrees in a direction are arranged in two rows in front and rear.
It is placed in several places above and below in the middle of.

The pair of front and rear claw extracting spaces 10a and 10b are respectively provided with a pair of left and right claw members 7a and 7b.
Of 180 ° inversion, and they are arranged in a vertically different position.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, when the carrier 2 is reversed in the directions of the arrows e and f about the reversing center axis 8, the pair of left and right claw members 700 are positioned with respect to the reversing center position P ₃ of the carrier. Are vertically displaced by the same step H. Therefore, a step is provided between each pair of the claw member extracting spaces 10a and 10b corresponding to the total step difference of 2H.

[Outline of Operation of Disc Auto Changer] Then, this disc auto changer
The carrier 2 is moved at a high speed in the directions of arrows a and b to a designated shelf of the front and rear two rows of shelves 4a or 4b, and the pair of left and right claw members 700 of the one-way transfer mechanism 7 are moved to the left and right of each cartridge 1. By engaging with the pair of notches 100, the cartridge 1 is taken into the carrier 2 in the arrow c direction from the designated shelf 4a or 4b.

Then, the carrier 2 is transferred in the direction of the arrow a, the cartridge 1 is conveyed to the designated disk drive 6a or 6b, and then the cartridge 1 is transferred to the disk by the pair of left and right claw members 700 of the one-way transfer mechanism 7. Insert the drive 6a or 6b in the direction of arrow d,
The optical disc D in the cartridge 1 is recorded and / or reproduced by the designated disc drive 6a or 6b.

After the recording and / or reproduction is completed, the cartridge 1 is returned to the original shelf 4a or 4b by the above-described reverse operation, and the cartridge 1 is automatically replaced with respect to the disk drive 6a or 6b. is there. While one cartridge 1 is being recorded and / or reproduced by one disk drive 6a or 6b, another cartridge 1 can be automatically replaced with another disk drive 6a or 6b.

By the way, according to this disc autochanger, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 and as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of left and right claw members 700 of the one-way transfer mechanism 7 are directed toward the shelf 4a in the front row. , Multiple shelves 4 in front row
It is possible to transfer the cartridge 1 in the directions of arrows c and d between a and the disk drive 6a.

Further, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and as shown in FIG. 4, the carrier 2 is inverted by 180 ° in the direction of arrow e so that the pair of left and right claw members 700 of the one-way transfer mechanism 7 are arranged in the rear row. If it is turned to the shelf 4b side of the cartridge 1, the cartridge 1 can be transferred between the shelf 4b in the rear row and the disk drive 6b in the directions of arrows c and d.

At the time of searching the shelf position by the carrier 2, the pair of left and right claw members 700 are left in the reference position P ₁ or P ₂ in the moving passage 3 and the pair of left and right claw members 700 are arranged in two rows. The cartridges 1 stored in the shelves 4a or 4b can be moved at high speed in the directions of the arrows a and b along the notches 100 of the cartridges 1.

When the carrier 2 is inverted 180 ° in the direction of arrow e or f by the reversing mechanism 9, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Alternatively, if the carrier 2 is pulled out from the notch 100 of the cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow a or b at 10b and pulled into the carrier 2 in the direction of arrow c, then the carrier 2 is flipped 180 ° in the direction of arrow e or f, The pair of claw members 700 can be quickly inserted into the notch 100 of the cartridge 1 in the claw member extracting space 10b or 10a on the other side.

The optical disc D in each cartridge 1
Even when the A surface and the B surface of (1) are inverted by 180 °, the carrier 2 may be inverted by 180 ° by the inversion mechanism 9. At this time, the cartridge 1 received from the shelf 4a or 4b of one row is transferred to the other row. Will be supplied to the disk drive 6b or 6a.

[Detailed description of each part of the disc auto changer] Next, details of each part of the disc auto changer will be sequentially described.

[Disc Autochanger Body] First, as shown in FIG. 1, the disc autochanger body 12 is constructed in a vertical box-shaped case, and a cartridge insertion opening 121 is formed in a part of the front panel 120. .

At the center of the disc autochanger body 12, the moving passage 3 for the carrier 2 is provided.
Are arranged vertically, and the stockers 5a, 5b in the front and rear rows and the disk drives 6a, 6b having a plurality of upper and lower shelves 4a, 4b are arranged along both the front and rear sides of the moving passage 3.

[Carrier] Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the carrier 2 is formed in a flat box shape, and the inside thereof is formed in the cartridge drawing space 203. A cartridge inlet / outlet 204 for inserting / removing the cartridge 1 into / from the cartridge retracting space 203 is formed in the one side portion 200, and the other side portion 200b is closed to have a strong shape. Is configured.

[Carrier Transfer Mechanism] Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the carrier transfer mechanism 13 for transferring the carrier 2 in the moving passage 3 in the directions of the arrows a and b is provided at the center of the disc autochanger body 12. Is provided vertically on one side.

This carrier transfer mechanism 13 is used for the carrier 2
Is mounted via a reversing mechanism 9 described later.
30 is attached to a vertical guide rail 131 via a plurality of guide rollers 132 so as to be movable in the directions of arrows a and b,
A part of a vertical timing belt 138 wound around a pair of timing pulleys 136 and 137 between an upper drive shaft 134 and a lower driven shaft 135, which are normally and reversely rotated by a motor 133, is mounted on a transfer table 130. It is stuck.

Therefore, the drive shaft 13 is driven by the motor 133.
By rotating the timing belt 138 forward and backward in the directions of arrows a and b through the carrier 4, the carrier 2 is transferred integrally with the transfer table 130 along the guide rail 131 at high speed in the directions of arrows a and b. Then, the rotary encoder 139 directly connected to the motor 133 detects the transfer amount of the carrier 2 in the directions of the arrows a and b, and the carrier stop position detection mechanism described later causes the shelves 4a and 4b, the disk drives 6a and 6b, and the cartridge loading port. A designated position such as 121 is searched, and the motor 133 is controlled to stop the carrier 2 at the designated position.

[One-way delivery mechanism] Next, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the one-way transfer mechanism 7 is attached to the upper portion of the carrier 2 and is driven by the motor 701 through the timing belt 702 to rotate in the forward and reverse directions.
03, a pair of driven shafts 704 and both ends of the drive shaft 703.
And a pair of timing pulleys 705 and 70, respectively.
It has a pair of left and right parallel timing belts 707 that are wound around each other. A pair of left and right claw members 700 that are symmetrical and substantially L-shaped are arranged on both left and right sides in the cartridge retracting space 203 of the carrier 2, and upper ends 700a of the pair of left and right claw members 700 are formed on the carrier 2. Further, the pair of left and right slits 708 are inserted to project onto the carrier 2 and fixed to a part of the pair of left and right timing belts 707. The pair of left and right claw members 700 are engaged with a pair of left and right guide rails 709 arranged in parallel on both left and right sides in the cartridge retracting space 203 of the carrier 2 via a plurality of guide rollers 710.

Therefore, the motor 701 drives the drive shaft 703 through the timing belt 702 to rotate in the forward and reverse directions, thereby simultaneously driving the pair of left and right timing belts 707 in the forward and reverse directions in the directions of arrows c and d, so that the pair of left and right timing belts is driven. 5 and 7 along the pair of left and right guide rails 709 between the protruding position of the claw member 700 outside the carrier 2 shown by the solid line in FIGS. 5 and 7 and the retracted position inside the carrier 2 shown by the dotted line in FIGS. Translates in the directions of arrows c and d. The rotary encoder 711 directly connected to the motor 701 detects the amount of movement of the pair of left and right claw members 700, and the pair of left and right claw members 700 is detected at the protruding position outside the carrier 2 and the retracted position inside the carrier 2. The motor 701 is controlled so as to stop.

By engaging the pair of left and right claw members 700 with the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 and moving them in the directions of arrows c and d, the cartridge 1 is formed only on one side portion 200 of the carrier 2. Is configured to be taken in and out from the cartridge inlet / outlet 204 in the cartridge retracting space 203 in the directions of arrows c and d.

[Reversing Mechanism] Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 6 to 8, the reversing mechanism 9 of the carrier 2 is
A pair of horizontal concentric inversion center shafts 8 which are perpendicular to the directions of the arrows a and b, which are the transfer directions of the carrier 2, are rotatably attached to the transfer base 130, and the pair of inversion center shafts 8 are One end is fixed to a pair of brackets 900 fixed to the lower part of the carrier 2.

Then, the motor 901 attached to the transfer table 130 drives one of the reversing central shafts 8 to rotate in the forward and reverse directions in the directions of arrows e and f, whereby the carrier 2 of the carrier 2 is rotated as shown by the solid lines in FIGS. One side 200 with the front row of shelves 4
The carrier 2 is moved between the position facing the a side and the position facing one side 200 of the carrier 2 toward the shelf 4b in the rear row as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 1 and 7. With respect to 130, it is possible to invert by 180 ° in the directions of arrows e and f around the inversion center axis 8. The rotary encoder 902 directly connected to the motor 901 detects the reverse position of the carrier 2 and controls the motor 901 to stop the carrier 2 at the reverse position.

[Carrier Stopping Position Detection Mechanism] Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 8, the front and rear two rows of shelves 4a and 4b, the disk drives 6a and 6b, the cartridge loading slot 121, etc. A carrier stop position detection mechanism 14 is provided for searching each position of (1) and stopping the carrier 2 at a designated position.

The carrier stop position detecting mechanism 14 includes a pair of front and rear position detecting plates 140 having a substantially U-shaped horizontal cross section.
Front and rear two rows of shelves 4a, 4b and disk drive 6
Vertically and symmetrically arranged along one side of a and 6b. Position detecting sensors 143 such as four photo interrupters in total are attached to the front ends of a pair of brackets 142 attached to both front and rear sides of the transfer table 130.

When the carrier transfer mechanism 13 transfers the carrier 2 in the directions of arrows a and b at a high speed, the position detection sensors 143 cause the position detection parts 141 such as slits and holes of the position detection plates 140 to move in the direction of arrow a. , By sequentially detecting in the b direction, the front and rear two rows of shelves 4a, 4b,
The motor 133 of the carrier transfer mechanism 13 is controlled so as to sequentially search the disk drive and the cartridge loading port 121, and stop the carrier 2 at the designated position.

The above-mentioned pair of front and rear claw member extracting spaces 10a and 10b are provided in the front and rear two rows of shelves 4a and 4a.
It is provided at a plurality of upper and lower positions in a step difference of 2H described above in the middle of b.

[Cartridge Loading Mechanism] Next, as shown in FIG. 1, a cartridge loading mechanism for loading the cartridge 1 from the cartridge loading port 204 to a position inside the cartridge loading port 204 in the middle of the front row stocker 5a. A mechanism 15 is provided.

The cartridge loading mechanism 15 drives the rack 153 of the tray 152 by the pinion 151 which is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by the motor 150, so that the tray 152 is guided by the plurality of rollers 1 on the guide rail 154.
It is configured to be driven in the directions of arrows c and d via 55.

Next, the operation of the entire disc autochanger configured as described above will be described.

[Cartridge Loading Operation] First, when the cartridge 1 is loaded from the cartridge loading port 204 in the direction of arrow c, the tray 152 of the cartridge loading mechanism 15 is loaded.
Is driven in the direction of arrow c, and the tray 152 pulls the cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow c from the cartridge insertion port 204 to the same position as the storage position in the shelf 4a in the front row.

Then, the carrier 2 is driven by the carrier transfer mechanism 13, and the carrier 2 moves to the cartridge loading port 121 with the pair of left and right claw members 700 being exposed to the front reference line P ₁ as shown in FIG. And tray 15
The pair of left and right claw members 700 are engaged with the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 pulled in by 2.

Then, as in FIG. 3, the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 is pulled by the pair of left and right claw members 700 driven in the direction of arrow c by the one-way transfer mechanism 7, and the cartridge 1 Is drawn from the tray 152 into the cartridge drawing space 203 of the carrier 2 in the direction of arrow c.

Then, the carrier 2 is driven in the direction of arrow a or b by the carrier transfer mechanism 100 to transfer the cartridge 1 on the designated shelf 4a or 4b, and the designated shelf is located in the front row. If it is shelf 4a,
As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of left and right claw members 700 directly presses the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 to move the cartridge 1 from the cartridge retracting space 203 of the carrier 2 to the designated shelf 4a.
The pair of left and right cutouts 100 are positioned on the front reference line P ₁ by inserting the cutouts 100 in the direction of the arrow d.

If the designated shelf is the shelf 4b in the rear row, the carrier 2 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 9 around the reversing central axis 8 in the direction of arrow e, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. Then, after the directions of the pair of left and right claw members 700 of the cartridge 1 and the one-way transfer mechanism 7 are reversed by 180 ° so as to face the shelves 4b in the rear row, the pair of left and right claw members 700 is similarly set.
The cartridge 1 is designated by the arrow d in the designated shelf 4b.
The left and right cutouts 100 are positioned on the rear reference line P ₂ by inserting the notch 100 in the direction.

[Automatic Cartridge Replacement Operation] First, the carrier transfer mechanism 13 moves the carrier 2 to the arrow a or b.
Drive the carrier 2 to drive the designated shelf 4a or 4
Move to b at high speed.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, with the pair of left and right claw members 700 left on the reference line P ₁ or P ₂ , the claw members 700 are stored in a large number of shelves 4a or 4b. Shelf 4a or 4b designated by the carrier stop position detection mechanism 14 while moving at high speed in the direction of arrow a or b so as to pass through the notch 100 of the cartridge 1.
At a high speed, and the pair of left and right claw members 700 is engaged with the pair of left and right notches 100 of the cartridge 1 housed in the designated shelf 4a or 4b.

Depending on whether the designated shelf is the shelf 4a in the front row or the shelf 4b in the rear row, as shown by the solid line and the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. By reversing in the direction of arrow e or f by reversing the direction of the pair of left and right claw members 700 of the one-way transfer mechanism 7 by 180 °, a high-speed search of the shelf position is performed.
A pair of left and right claw members 70 extending on the reference line P ₁ or P _2.
It is necessary to pull out 0 from the pair of left and right notches 100 of the cartridge 1 and draw it into the carrier 2.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, one of the claw member extracting spaces 10 closest to the current position of the carrier.
The carrier 2 is moved in the direction of arrow a or b to a or 10b, and the pair of left and right claw members 700 is pulled out from the pair of left and right notches 100 of the cartridge 1 in the direction of arrow a or b, and then the one-way transfer mechanism 7 The pair of left and right claw members 700 to the cartridge retracting space 20 of the carrier 2.
3 in the direction of arrow c.

After that, the carrier 2 is moved by the reversing mechanism 9 in the direction of arrow e or f about the reversing central axis 8.
When it is inverted by 80 °, as shown by the solid line and the one-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the direction of the pair of left and right claw members 700 of the one-way transfer mechanism 7 is 180 on the shelf 4a side of the front row or the shelf 4b side of the rear row.
° Inverted.

Moreover, at this time, since the step 2H is provided between the pair of claw member extracting spaces 10a and 10b, the carrier 2 is rotated by 180 ° as shown in FIG.
When turned over, the pair of left and right claw members 700 are automatically opposed to the other claw member extracting space 10b or 10a.

Therefore, immediately after this, the one-way transfer mechanism 7 is used to move the pair of left and right claw members 700 from the cartridge retracting space 203 of the carrier 2 to the reference line P ₂ or P in the other claw member extracting space 10b or 10a. It can be immediately pushed up to _{1 in the} direction of arrow d.

As described above, the 180 ° inversion operation of the carrier 2 is completed. Immediately after this, the carrier 2 is moved to the arrow a.
Alternatively, when the carrier 2 is moved in the b direction, the pair of left and right claw members 700 are made to pass through the notches 100 of the plurality of cartridges 1 along the reference line P ₂ or P ₁ , and the carrier 2 is moved to the designated shelf position. High speed transfer is possible.

Therefore, the pair of left and right claw members 700 180
° Spaces 10a, 10b for taking out the stepped claw members facing the inverted position are provided at a plurality of positions in the up-down direction of the shelves 4a, 4b in the front and rear two rows. The operation of reversing the carrier 2 by 180 ° can be quickly performed by pulling out from the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1.

As described above, the carrier 2 is moved to the designated shelf 4a or 4b, and the pair of left and right claws are inserted into the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 housed in the designated shelf 4a or 4b. Engage member 700.

After this, as shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 is pulled by the pair of left and right claw members 700 driven in the direction of arrow c by the one-way transfer mechanism 7. In this way, the cartridge 1 is pulled from the designated shelf 4a or 4b in the direction of arrow c and is taken into the cartridge drawing space 203 of the carrier 2.

Then, after this, the carrier transfer mechanism 13
The carrier 2 is driven in the direction of arrow a to move the carrier 2 to the designated position of the disk drive 6a or 6b at high speed in the direction of arrow a. Also in this case, the disk drive 6a or 6b designated by the carrier stop position detection mechanism 14 is searched.

The optical disc D in the cartridge 1 taken into the carrier 2 from the designated shelf 4a or 4b.
When inverting the A side and B side of the disk drive 6
During the transfer of the carrier 2 to a or 6b, the carrier 2 is inverted by 180 by the inversion mechanism 9.

Then, the pair of left and right claw members 700 pushes the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 so that the cartridge retracting space 20 of the carrier 2 is pushed.
The cartridge 1 is inserted into the designated disk drive 6a or 6b from within 3 in the direction of the arrow d, and the pair of left and right notches 100 are positioned on the reference lines P ₁ or P ₂ on the front and rear sides.

Then, each disk drive 6a or 6b
A cartridge mounting mechanism (not shown) in the cartridge 1 automatically mounts the cartridge 1 in each disc drive 6a or 6b from the up position to the down position in the direction of the arrow a to record and / or record the optical disc D in the cartridge 1. Playback is done automatically.

At this time, when selectively recording and / or reproducing the surfaces A and B of the optical disk D in the cartridge 1 by the disk drive 6a or 6b, the carrier 2 is used.
The cartridge 1 to the disk drive 6a or 6
The carrier 2 is inverted 180 ° by the reversing mechanism 9 during the transfer to the disk b, the surfaces A and B of the optical disk D in the cartridge 1 are reversed, and the carrier 2 is supplied to the disk drive 6a or 6b.

The operation of returning the cartridge 1 which has been recorded and / or reproduced by the disk drive 6a or 6b to the original shelf 4a or 4b is the reverse operation of the above operation.

According to the disc autochanger described above, the transfer mechanism mounted on the carrier 2 transfers the cartridge 1 in the directions c and d of the cartridge 1 only on one side 200 of the carrier 2 in one direction. However, the one-way delivery mechanism 7 has a very simple structure and can be made extremely small and lightweight as compared with a two-way delivery mechanism in which the cartridge 1 is delivered by both side portions 200 and 201 of the carrier 2.

Moreover, the one-way transfer mechanism 7 engages the pair of left and right claw members 700 with the pair of left and right notches 100 of the cartridge 1, and the claw members 700 mechanically move the cartridge 1 to the arrows c and d. Since the cartridge 1 is delivered by pushing and pulling in the direction,
The delivery operation of the cartridge 1 can be reliably and easily performed without any mistake, and the reliability is high. Since the claw member 700 only needs to be driven in the directions of arrows c and d, the structure of the one-way transfer mechanism 7 can be simplified.

The carrier 2 on which the one-way transfer mechanism 7 is mounted needs to have a tunnel structure in order to transfer the cartridge 1 from both sides 200 and 201 of the carrier 2, as in the case where the two-way transfer mechanism is mounted. However, since the cartridge inlet / outlet 204 can be provided only on one side portion 200 of the carrier 2 and the other side portion 201 can be closed, the carrier 2 is very strong in strength, and the carrier 2 is small and lightweight. You can

Therefore, a large amount of power is not required to transfer the carrier 2, the carrier 2 can be easily moved at high speed in the directions of arrows a and b, the automatic replacement operation of the cartridge 1 can be performed at high speed, and the automatic replacement time can be greatly increased. Can be shortened to
It is possible to save power and space.

Still, the carrier 2 can be freely rotated by 180 °.
By providing the reversing mechanism 9 which can be reversed, the carrier 2
The racks 4a and 4b and the disk drives 6a and 6b are arranged in two rows on the front and rear sides of the moving passage 3 of FIG. 1, and the cartridge 1 is taken in by the carrier 2 from any of the two rows of racks 4a and 4b in the front and rear. Drives 6a, 6b
Can be supplied to the cartridge 1 and the number of the cartridges 1 that can be accommodated can be increased to about double the conventional number.

Then, the cartridge 1 by the carrier 2
Since the A side and the B side of the optical disc D in the cartridge 1 can be freely inverted during the transfer of the optical disc, the optical pickup for recording and / or reproducing the optical disc D installed in the disc drives 6a and 6b is Even if it is not for both sides, it may be for one side, and the disk drives 6a and 6b can also have a simplified structure and cost reduction.

The above is a description of one embodiment of the present invention.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the pair of left and right cutouts 100 of the cartridge 1 are hooked by the pair of left and right claw members 700 as the one-way transfer mechanism mounted on the carrier 2 so that the arrows c, d.
Although the mechanism 7 for delivering in the direction is used, the left and right side surfaces of the cartridge 1 are sandwiched by a pair of left and right rollers and belts driven by a motor so that the cartridge 1 is driven by the pair of left and right rollers and belts. It may be a mechanism for delivering 1 in the directions of arrows c and d.

[0078]

The disc autochanger of the present invention constructed as above has the following effects.

According to the present invention, at least a plurality of shelves are arranged in two rows in a state of facing each other along both sides of the moving path of the carrier, but the carriers are 180 ° between the two rows of shelves. A reversing mechanism for reversing is provided and mounted on a carrier, and only one side of the carrier transfers the cartridge in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carrier. The direction of the one-way passing mechanism is in two rows. Since the cartridges can be automatically exchanged between the two rows of shelves and the disk drives while freely flipping 180 ° between the shelves, the number of cartridges accommodated can be reduced to about 2
Although the number can be doubled, the structure of the delivery mechanism for the cartridge mounted on the carrier can be simplified, and the size and weight can be reduced. In addition, since the delivery mechanism of the cartridge mounted on the carrier may be a one-way delivery mechanism, it is not necessary to construct the carrier in a tunnel structure, and the carrier can be made compact and lightweight. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the cost, and it is possible to significantly reduce the weight of the entire carrier.
Since the carrier can be transferred at high speed and the cartridge can be automatically replaced at high speed, the replacement time of the cartridge can be significantly shortened, and power saving and space saving can be achieved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, since at least two disk drives are arranged so as to face each other on both sides of the moving path of the carrier in the same phase as the two rows of shelves, the disk in the cartridge has the A surface. Since it can be supplied to the disc drive while freely reversing the B side, the disc drive can be provided with recording and / or reproducing means such as an optical pickup for recording and / or reproducing only one side of the disc. Both the A side and the B side of the disc can be selectively recorded and / or reproduced, and the structure of the disc drive can be simplified.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the one-way delivery mechanism is provided with a pair of claw members that engage with a pair of notches formed on both side surfaces of the plurality of cartridges to deliver the cartridge. The transfer operation of the cartridge can be performed reliably and easily, the reliability is high, and the structure can be simplified.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a pair of claw member extraction spaces for extracting the pair of claw members from the pair of notches of the cartridge and retracting the claw members into the carrier are provided in the middle of the two-row rack. Since it is arranged at the location, the carrier inversion operation can be easily performed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the space for extracting the pair of claw members is arranged in a stepped pattern so as to face the 180 ° reversal position of the pair of claw members, so that the reversing operation of the carrier can be performed quickly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of an entire disc auto changer that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a carrier transfer mechanism and a reversing mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view for explaining transfer of cartridges between a shelf and a carrier in a front row.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view for explaining transfer of cartridges between a rear row shelf and a carrier.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view illustrating a one-way delivery mechanism.

6 is a partially cutaway side view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a carrier reversing mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a carrier reversing mechanism and a carrier stop position detecting mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cartridge 100 Notch of Cartridge 2 Carrier 200 One Side of Carrier 201 Other Side of Carrier 203 Carrier Cartridge Entry Space 204 Carrier Cartridge Inlet / Outlet 3a Passageway 4a Front Row Shelf 4b Rear Row Shelf 6a Front Row Disk drive 6b Disk drive in rear row 7 One-way transfer mechanism 700 Claw member of one-way transfer mechanism 9 Reversing mechanism 10a, 10b Space for removing claw member 12 Disk autochanger body 13 Carrier transfer mechanism 14 Carrier stop position detection mechanism

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of shelves accommodating a plurality of cartridges accommodating recording and / or reproducing discs, a disc drive for recording and / or reproducing discs in the cartridges, a plurality of said shelves and the above A disc autochanger including a carrier for selectively transporting and delivering the plurality of cartridges to and from a disc drive, wherein at least the plurality of shelves are opposed to each other along both sides of a moving path of the carrier. A one-way transfer mechanism for transferring the cartridges in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriers, which are arranged in rows, is mounted on the carriers, and the inside of the two-row shelves is arranged. By reversing the carrier by 180 °, the direction of the one-way transfer mechanism is changed to
A disc autochanger, which is provided with a reversing mechanism for reversing 180 ° between row-shaped shelves. 2. The disc autochanger according to claim 1, wherein at least two disc drives are arranged in the same phase as the two rows of shelves so as to face each other on both sides of the moving path of the carrier. 3. The one-way delivery mechanism is provided with a pair of claw members which engage with a pair of notches formed on both side surfaces of the plurality of cartridges to deliver the cartridge. The disc autochanger according to claim 1 or 2. 4. A pair of claw member extracting spaces for extracting the pair of claw members from the pair of notches of the cartridge in the carrier moving direction and then retracting the pair of claw members in the middle of the two rows of shelves. The disc autochanger according to claim 3, wherein the disc autochanger is arranged at a plurality of positions. 5. The disc automatic changer according to claim 4, wherein the space for removing the pair of claw members is arranged in a stepped shape so as to face the 180 ° inversion position of the pair of claw members.