JPH08180562A - Auto-changer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enhance the operability of a cartridge at the time of loading by making a slide member introduce the cartridge to the loading port of a recorder/ reproducer and pass the cartridge to a transferring means. CONSTITUTION: At position (4) on the drawing, a load spacer 0.6a moves along a spacer guide shaft 08 on the side face part of the disc auto-changer 02. A load roller 06a moves a disc cartridge O9a in the inserting direction of an optical disc drive 01 while sliding a disc cartridge 09a with respect to a load spacer 07. Finally, the disc cartridge 09a is loaded automatically by means of the optical disc drive 01, as shown at (6) on the drawing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic changer for accommodating a plurality of cartridges having a recording medium therein, taking out a desired cartridge from the cartridges, and transporting it to an optical recording / reproducing apparatus. Is.

Although an optical disk cartridge will be described below as an example, the present invention is of course applicable to
The present invention is not limited to the disk-shaped recording medium, but can be applied to other recording media such as a tape-shaped or card-shaped recording medium.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example of this type of autochanger will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. here,
Reference numeral 101 is an optical disk drive as an optical recording / reproducing apparatus, 102 is an autochanger for selectively loading a disk cartridge 109 on the optical disk drive 101, 103 is a cartridge stocker for storing a plurality of disk cartridges 109, and 104 is a cartridge -Stocker guide that guides the stocker 104 in the required direction, and 105 is the cartridge stocker 1.
No. 03 is a motor for moving the stocker in the movement guide direction of the stocker guide 104.
Serves to drive the stocker guide 104 to bring the selected disk cartridge 109 to the loading position for the optical disk drive and stop there. Further, reference numeral 106 designates the selected disk cartridge 1
09 is a cartridge load motor that inserts and carries 09 into the optical disk drive 101.
It is conveyed by the load roller 106a directly connected to 06.

With such a configuration, when it is desired to load a disk cartridge 109a other than the disk cartridge 109 housed in the cartridge stocker 103 of the disk autochanger 102 from the outside of the disk autochanger 102 into the optical disk drive 101, Follow the sequence shown in FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 7 (1), the user inserts the disk cartridge 109a into the disk autochanger 102, and as shown in FIG. 7 (2),
The disk cartridge 109a is pushed in until the tip of the disk cartridge 109a comes into contact with the two road rollers 106a. Next, it is rotated and driven in the loading direction by the cartridge load motor 106,
The disk cartridge 109a is conveyed by the two load rollers 106a into the optical disk drive 101 as shown in FIG. 7 (3), and the optical disk drive itself operates to generate the optical disk 109a as shown in FIG. 7 (4). It is loaded on the disk drive 101.

Next, the user selects the disk cartridge 1
When it is desired to eject 09a from the optical disk drive 101 and take it out of the autochanger 102, the steps shown in FIG. 8 are performed.

First, as shown in FIGS. 8 (1) and 8 (2),
The disk cartridge 109a is ejected from the optical disk drive 101 by the operation of the optical disk drive itself. Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (2), the end portion of the disk cartridge 109a abuts on the two load rollers 106a, and the rotation of the load roller 106a in the discharging direction causes the disk cartridge 109a to
It moves to the position shown in FIG. 8 (3). In this state, the user, as shown in FIG. 8 (4), uses the disc cartridge 10 from the outside of the autochanger 102.
Take out 9a.

[0008]

In this case, there are the following problems to be solved. That is, first, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the disk cartridge 109a is externally attached to the optical disk drive 10 through the autochanger 102.
1 to load the disk cartridge 109a into the autochanger 102, as shown in FIG.
If the disk cartridge 109a is not inserted to a deep position as shown in (2), the disk cartridge 109a will not load.
However, the operability of inserting the disk cartridge 109a by the user is deteriorated.

Secondly, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when it is desired to eject the disk cartridge 109a from the optical disk drive 101 and take it out to the outside, the disk cartridge 109a ejected from the optical disk drive 101 is loaded by the load roller 106a of the autochanger 102. However, since a part of the disk cartridge 109a cannot be ejected to the position exposed to the outside of the autochanger 102, the user has to eject the disk cartridge 109a. The cartridge was difficult to hold and the operability was extremely poor.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. It is possible to automatically load a cartridge without inserting the cartridge into the autochanger to the end, and yet to partially remove the cartridge from the autochanger. The present invention aims to provide an autochanger configured so that a user can easily take out a cartridge by being ejected to a position exposed to the outside.

[0011]

Therefore, in the present invention,
A plurality of cartridges each having an optical recording medium are housed therein. The cartridge is connected to an optical information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing on / from the optical recording medium, and a desired cartridge is taken out from the cartridge. An autochanger configured to be conveyed to the recording / reproducing apparatus by a cartridge conveying means is equipped with a slide member that engages with the cartridge when the cartridge is loaded into the recording / reproducing apparatus. It is characterized in that the cartridge is slid by the cartridge carrying means to guide the cartridge into the loading port of the recording / reproducing apparatus and is delivered to the carrying means on the recording / reproducing apparatus side.

The slide member comes into contact with a stopper in the conveying direction of the cartridge during the slide, and when the conveying roller of the conveying means increases the conveying load on the cartridge during the cartridge conveying process and separates from the cartridge, Engaged against the cartridge,
It is preferable that the cartridge is loaded in the transport unit on the recording / reproducing apparatus side.

[0013]

Therefore, when the cartridge is loaded into the autochanger, the slide member that engages with the side surface of the cartridge with which the load roller for transferring the disk comes into contact during the insertion of the cartridge is transferred by sliding with the load roller. can do. In addition, if you want to eject the cartridge from the information recording / reproducing device and take it out from the autochanger, the cartridge is moved in the ejecting direction by the load roller, and it is engaged with the side surface of the cartridge so that the load roller and the cartridge do not separate. The load roller is rotated and driven while being in contact with the slide member, and the slide member moves in the discharging direction, whereby the slide member can be brought into an engaged state. Therefore, the cartridge can be surely inserted into the information recording / reproducing apparatus, and the cartridge can be conveniently taken out from the automatic changer.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. Here, reference numeral 01 is an optical disk drive as an information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing information on / from a disc-shaped recording medium, and 02 is a disk for selectively loading a disk cartridge on the optical disk drive 01. An autochanger, 03 is a cartridge stocker that accommodates a plurality of disk cartridges, 04 is a stocker guide shaft that guides the cartridge stocker 03 in the moving direction, and 05 is a stocker moving motor that moves the cartridge stocker 03.

Reference numeral 06 indicates a disk cartridge 0.
Reference numeral 06a, which is a cartridge load motor for loading 9 from the cartridge stocker 03 onto the optical disk drive 01, is rotated and driven by the cartridge load motor 06, abuts against the side surface of the disk cartridge 09, and moves the roller. Is.
Further, the cartridge load motor 06 and the load roller 06a are configured so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the disk cartridge 09.

Reference numeral 07 is a load spacer that is brought into contact with or separated from the side surface of the disk cartridge 09 so as to be slidable in the moving direction of the disk cartridge 09, and 08 is a load spacer 07.
Is a spacer guide shaft that guides in the moving direction.

In such a structure, the disk cartridge 09 stored in the cartridge stocker 03.
When selecting, select the road roller 0 for disk transfer.
As shown in FIG. 2 (2), from the state in which 6a is in contact with the disk cartridge 09 as shown in FIG. 2 (1),
The one ends are held in a separated state, and then the cartridge stocker 03 is moved by the stocker moving motor 05 as shown in FIG.

When selecting the disk cartridge (A) 09 stored in the cartridge stocker 03, the cartridge stocker is moved to the position shown in FIG. 3 (2) and the disk cartridge (A) 09 is read. Position it at the entrance of the disk cartridge of the disk drive 01. Similarly, when the disk cartridge (B) 09 is selected, the cartridge stocker 03 is positioned as shown in FIG.

After positioning the disk cartridge,
As shown in FIG. 2 (1), the load roller 06a is switched to a state in which it is in contact with the disk cartridge 09, and the disk cartridge 09 is loaded into the optical disk drive 01 by rotating. The above is the disk cartridge 0 stored in the disk autochanger 02.
9 is a means of selective exchange.

Next, a case where the user loads the disk cartridge 09 into the optical disk drive 01 from the outside of the disk autochanger 02 will be described. Here, the order as shown in FIG. 4 will be taken.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 (1) and 4 (2),
The disk cartridge 09a is inserted into the disk autochanger 02. Disk cartridge 09
4a is inserted to the position shown in FIG. 4 (2), the side surface of the front end portion of the disk cartridge 09a is fitted to the upper and lower two load spacers 07, and further, by inserting the disk cartridge, As shown in (3), the load spacer 07 is brought into contact with the upper and lower two load rollers 06a, and by the rotation of the load roller 06a, the disk cartridge 09a is further conveyed in the loading direction to the optical disk drive.

Then, at the position shown in FIG.
The load spacer 06a has finished moving along the spacer guide shaft 08 at the side surface of the disc auto changer 02, and the load roller 06a abuts on the disc cartridge 09a itself, and its rotation / motion causes the disc cartridge 09a to move. While sliding it with respect to 07, it is moved in the insertion direction into the optical disk drive 01. Finally, as shown in FIG. 4 (6), the optical disk drive 01 finally autoloads.

Further, the disk cartridge 09a is replaced with an optical disk drive 01 and a disk autochanger 0.
When it is desired to take it out from 2, the order shown in FIG. 5 is to be taken.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, the disc cartridge 09a ejected from the optical disc drive 01 comes into contact with the upper and lower two load rollers 06a. At this time, the two load spacers 07 are retracted to the separated positions that do not contact the disk cartridge 09a. The disk cartridge 09a contacting the load roller 06a is conveyed in the discharge direction by the load roller 06a, and when moved to the position shown in FIG. 5C, the load spacer 07 contacts the side surface of the disk cartridge 09a. Move to position.

The load roller 06a continuously conveys / moves the disk cartridge 09a and the load spacer 07 by the rotating operation, and finally, FIG.
The disk cartridge 09a is moved to the position shown in. The disc cartridge 09a ejected to the position shown in FIG. 5 (4) can be easily taken out by the user, and thus, the ejection is completed as shown in FIG. 5 (5).

[0026]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

1) When the cartridge is inserted into the autochanger, the cartridge can be automatically loaded during the insertion, so that the operability at the time of loading the cartridge is improved.

2) When the cartridge is ejected from the information recording / reproducing apparatus and the autochanger, the cartridge is conveyed to the position protruding from the autochanger, so that the user can easily take out the cartridge and the operability at the time of ejecting the cartridge. Has improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is likewise an explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is likewise an explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is likewise an explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is likewise an explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is likewise an explanatory view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is likewise an explanatory view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 01 Optical disk drive 02 Disk auto changer 03 Cartridge stocker 04 Stocker guide shaft 05 Motor for stocker movement 06 Cartridge load motor 06a Road roller 07 Load spacer 08 Spacer guide shaft 09 Disk cartridge 101 Optical disk drive 102 Disk auto changer 103 Cartridge stocker 104 Stocker guide shaft 105 Motor for moving stocker 106 Cartridge load motor 106a Road roller 109 Disk cartridge

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of cartridges having an optical recording medium therein are housed, which is connected to an optical information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing with respect to the optical recording medium, and is selected from the cartridges. In an autochanger configured to take out the cartridge of (1) and convey it to the recording / reproducing apparatus by the cartridge conveying means, a slide member that engages with the cartridge when the cartridge is loaded into the recording / reproducing apparatus is provided. , The slide member is slid by the cartridge conveying means to record / record the cartridge.
An automatic changer, which is guided to the inside of a loading port of a reproducing device and delivered to a conveying means on the recording / reproducing device side. 2. The slide member comes into contact with a stopper in the transport direction of the cartridge during the slide, and the transport roller of the transport means increases the transport load on the cartridge in the process of transporting the cartridge and separates from the cartridge, 2. The autochanger according to claim 1, wherein the autochanger is configured to be engaged with a cartridge and to load the cartridge onto a conveying unit on the recording / reproducing apparatus side.