JPH11134752A - Cassette automatic changer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce costs and the weight of a housing shelf unit by integrally forming cassette falling-off prevention stoppers in the end parts of the respective cassette inserting port sides of a plurality of housing shelves so as to prevent the falling-off of a cassette from the housing shelves caused by vibration or the like. SOLUTION: In the end part of the cassette inserting port 34 sides of respective housing shelves, cassette falling-off prevention stoppers 44 are integrally formed to be symmetrical in upper and lower sides in the upper and lower sides of respective cassette loading parts 33. These are formed to be slopes or R shapes inclined by a symmetrical angle θ in a cassette pulling-out direction (arrow direction (e)) to be directed toward the center of the upper and lower directions of the respective cassette shelves. In a cassette insertion completed state, since the cassette falling-off prevention stoppers 44 are integrally formed on front end parts as the end parts of the cassette inserting port 34 sides of a pair of left and right symmetrical cassette loading parts 33, even when vibration of an arrow direction (e) or (d) is applied to a housing shelf unit 6, the cassette is prevented from falling off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette for performing continuous recording and / or reproduction for a long time while automatically exchanging various cassettes containing a tape-shaped recording medium or a disk-shaped recording medium. It belongs to the technical field of autochangers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present invention is a cassette autochanger for a television broadcasting station, for example, for continuously exchanging a plurality of kinds of cassettes having different sizes while continuously reproducing or recording and editing video for a long time. Japanese Patent Application Nos. 3-319738 and 4-3222.
No. 38 has been filed earlier.

The first prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. 3-319)
No. 738), a movable cassette drop-off prevention stopper for preventing the cassette from dropping is attached to the end of the cassette storage shelf on the side of the cassette insertion port. Japanese Patent Application No. 4-322238
In the specification and the drawings, the cassette storage shelf without the cassette dropout prevention stopper is shown. Further, in the specification and drawings of the second prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. 4-322238), all of a square outer frame and a plurality of shelves attached in a plurality of upper and lower stages inside the frame are made of sheet metal. The configured storage shelf unit made of sheet metal is shown.

[0004]

However, as in the first prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. 3-319738), in a structure in which a movable cassette drop-off prevention stopper is attached to all of the cassette storage shelves, components are not provided. The number of points and the number of assembling steps become very large, resulting in significant cost increase. But,
As in the second prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. 4-322238),
If the cassette storage stoppers are not provided on all cassette storage shelves, the cassettes will easily fall from the storage shelves due to vibrations during automatic replacement of cassettes or external vibrations, etc. Inconveniences such as confusion in the storage address of the cassette with respect to, etc. occur.

A second prior application example (Japanese Patent Application No. 4-3222)
No. 38), when the outer frame and all of the plurality of shelves attached to the upper and lower stages inside the outer frame are made of sheet metal, the material cost and processing cost of the storage shelf unit are reduced. In addition to being expensive, the weight becomes very heavy, so that the entire cassette autochanger becomes heavier, and there is a problem that the transportation cost is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and can prevent a cassette from falling off a storage shelf due to vibration or the like with a simple structure, and can reduce the cost of the storage shelf unit. It is another object of the present invention to provide a cassette autochanger capable of reducing weight.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cassette autochanger comprising: a plurality of cassettes accommodating recording media; a plurality of storage shelves accommodating the plurality of cassettes; A cassette comprising: a recording / reproducing device for selectively recording and / or reproducing the plurality of cassettes; and a transporter for selectively transporting the plurality of cassettes between the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device. In the auto-changer, a cassette drop-off prevention stopper is integrally formed at an end of each of the plurality of storage shelves on the side of the cassette insertion opening.

In the cassette autochanger of the present invention configured as described above, since the stoppers for preventing the cassette from falling off are integrally formed at the end of each of the plurality of storage shelves on the side of the cassette insertion port, each of the storage shelves is provided. The cassette can be reliably prevented from falling off due to vibration or the like.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a cassette autochanger of a video cassette for a television broadcasting station will be described below with reference to the drawings.

"Description of Storage Shelf Unit" The outline of the cassette autochanger will be described later, but first, the storage shelf unit will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6,
This storage shelf unit 6 is horizontally divided into three rows,
It has a total of 21 storage shelves 5 vertically divided into seven stages so that a total of 21 thin cassettes 11 such as a DV (digital video) cassette, which is one of the cassettes, can be stored at a time. It was made. The storage shelf unit 6 is formed of the same structure as the outer peripheral frame 21 formed of a sheet metal into a horizontally long rectangular shape by a synthetic resin, and is formed inside the outer peripheral frame 21 at equal intervals in the horizontal direction (left-right direction). It is composed of two parts, that is, a total of six cassette guides 31 that are vertically assembled.
The storage shelf unit 6 has a lightweight structure that is a mixed product of sheet metal and synthetic resin.

The outer peripheral frame 21 includes vertical left and right side plates 22 and 23, a horizontal top plate 24 and a bottom plate 25.
The opening 27 is formed at three places in the horizontal direction on the vertical back plate 26. Further, a pair of right and left flange plates 28 are provided which are bent at right and left sides from right and left sides from a front end, which is an end of the left and right plates 22 and 23 opposite to the back plate 26 side. A total of six cassette guides 31 are configured as common parts having the same structure, and these cassette guides 31 are arranged on a vertical guide body 32 and one side surface of the guide body 32 at equal intervals in the vertical direction. A total of eight cassette mounting portions 33 integrally formed in a horizontal fin shape form a vertically symmetrical substantially comb shape. The storage shelf unit 6 is formed by a pair of left and right vertical mounting posts 20 in a cassette autochanger described later by a pair of left and right flange plates 28 of the outer peripheral frame 21.
A pair of left and right positioning pins 20a and a pair of right and left sides are detachably attached to each other by a total of four set screws 20b.

Therefore, the inside of the outer peripheral frame 21 of the storage shelf unit 6 is horizontally partitioned into three rows by a vertical guide body 32 of a total of six cassette guides 31, and a total of eight cassette mounting portions 33. A total of 21 storage shelves 5 are constituted by flat spaces partitioned into seven stages in the vertical direction, and the rear plate 2 of these storage shelves 5
A front end side opposite to the sixth side is formed in the cassette insertion slot 34.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, between the cassette mounting portions 33 of the vertical guide body 32 of each cassette guide 31, the left and right sides of the thin cassette 11 are guided and positioned. A side guide portion 35 and a cassette insertion stopper portion 36 for positioning the thin cassette 11 in the insertion direction (the direction of arrow d) are integrally formed. A plurality of locking claws 37 and locking holes 38 are integrally formed on the guide body 32 at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and the two cassette guides 31 are formed by the locking claws 37 and the locking holes 38. Is constituted by the connecting means 39 for connecting. The plurality of locking claws 37 and the plurality of locking holes 38 correspond to the thickness T _{1 of the} plurality of cassette mounting portions 33 in the vertical direction.
In order to form the locking claws 37 and the locking holes 38, slits 40 are formed in the left and right end surfaces of the plurality of cassette mounting portions 33. On the upper and lower ends of the guide body 32, a pair of upper and lower locking claws 41 with respect to the outer peripheral frame 21 are integrally formed in a vertically symmetrical shape. The projection 42 is integrally formed in a vertically symmetrical shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, at the end of each storage shelf 5 on the cassette insertion port 34 side, each cassette mounting section 33
On both upper and lower sides, cassette stopper stoppers 44 are integrally formed in a vertically symmetrical shape. And, these vertically symmetrical cassette dropout prevention stoppers 44
It is formed in a slope or a round (R) shape inclined at a symmetric angle θ so as to face the vertical center of each storage shelf in the cassette removal direction (the direction of arrow e). However, the cassette drop-off prevention stopper 44 may be formed in a vertical step as shown in FIG. A vertical tapered surface 45 is formed on the front end surface of each cassette mounting portion 33.

When a substantially comb-shaped cassette guide 31 in which a plurality of upper and lower cassette mounting portions 33 are integrally formed on one side surface of a vertical guide body 32 is injection-molded with synthetic resin, generally, The vertical guide body 3
Irregular distortion or the like is likely to occur along the vertical length direction of No. 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
1 is injection molded beforehand, the vertical guide body 32
Are formed in a shape that is bent in a substantially arcuate shape on the side opposite to the plurality of cassette mounting portions 33, and the cassette guide 31 is formed.
Is incorporated into the outer peripheral frame 21 to correct the warpage of the guide main body 32.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, two locations inside the right and left side plates 22 and 23 of the outer peripheral frame 21 are provided.
A total of six cassette guides 31 are vertically assembled in two places at equal intervals in the horizontal direction (left and right direction) in the middle between the left and right side plates 22 and 23. When vertically incorporating the two cassette guides 31 inside the two cassette guides 31
Are turned upside down by 180 °, and the cassette mounting portions 33 of the upper and lower stages are arranged symmetrically with the inside facing each other, and the guide main body 32 of these two cassette guides 31 is elastically moved. The guide body 32 is vertically fixed by the left and right side plates 22 and 23 by being in close contact with and fixed to the inside of the left and right side plates 22 and 23 against the left and right, and the cassette mounting portions 33 of a plurality of upper and lower stages are provided. And correct it horizontally. At this time, the guide body 3
The upper and lower plurality of locking claws 37, the upper and lower ends of the locking claws 41 and the upper and lower plurality of locking projections 42 are previously attached to the left and right side plates 22, 23, the top plate 24, the bottom plate 25, and the back plate 26 of the outer peripheral frame 21. The two left-right symmetric cassette guides 31 are respectively held between the top plate 24 and the bottom plate 25 inside the left and right side plates 22 and 23 by being locked in formed locking holes (not shown). Vertical installation (fixing)
be able to.

The left and right side plates 2 of the outer peripheral frame 21
When vertically inserting the cassette guide 31 in the middle between the positions 2 and 23, as shown in FIG. 4, the two cassette guides 31 are turned upside down by 180 ° and the guide main bodies 32 are placed inside. The cassette mounting sections 33 in a plurality of upper and lower stages are arranged symmetrically to the left and right and the upper and lower sides arranged outside. At this time, since the two cassette guides 31 are formed vertically symmetrically, they are vertically
Does not occur in the cassette mounting portions 33 in the upper and lower stages, the upper and lower locking claws 37 and the locking holes 3
8 will face each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, a guide body 32 of these two cassette guides 31 is provided.
The guide bodies 32 are mutually vertically corrected and the cassette mounting portions 33 of the upper and lower stages are horizontally corrected by overlapping and closely contacting each other from the left and right against these elasticities. . Then, the plurality of upper and lower locking claws 37 and the locking holes 38 which are opposed to each other by inversion of the guide main body 32 by 180 ° are locked with each other, and these two cassette guides 31 are integrally connected. I do.

Then, the two cassette guides 31 integrally joined as described above are vertically assembled between the top plate 24 and the bottom plate 25 of the outer peripheral frame 21, and the upper and lower ends of these guide bodies 32 are locked. Claw 41 is attached to top plate 24 and bottom plate 2
5 and is locked in a locking hole 29 formed in advance.
The plurality of upper and lower locking projections 42 are locked in a plurality of locking holes (not shown) formed in the back plate 26 in advance.
The two integrated cassette guides 31 can be vertically assembled (fixed) between the top plate 24 and the bottom plate 25. Therefore, by the above-mentioned locking structure, all the cassette guides 21 are vertically assembled in a detachable state inside the outer peripheral frame 21, and the replacement of the components of the cassette guides 31 can be easily performed later. . Since the guide body 32 of the cassette guide 31 and the upper and lower cassette mounting portions 33 are accurately corrected vertically and horizontally, a total of 21 storage shelves 5 can be formed with high precision. it can.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the cassette insertion detecting lever 46 is provided at one end with a fulcrum shaft 47 at the rear end (the end in the direction of arrow d) of all the storage shelves 5. Are mounted rotatably in the directions of arrows e and f, which are the up and down directions, and their leading ends 46a are inserted into the rear ends of all the storage shelves 5. Note that these fulcrum shafts 47 are horizontally mounted on the side surface of the guide body 32 of the cassette guide 31 at a position rearward of the cassette insertion stopper 36 (position on the arrow d direction side). And
An optical sensor 49 such as a photocoupler corresponding to all cassette insertion detection levers 46 is mounted inside a printed circuit board 48 vertically mounted on the rear portion of the back plate 26 of the outer peripheral frame 21. The rear end 46b of the detection lever 46 turns these optical sensors 49 on.
It is configured as an optical shutter plate for N-OFF.

The storage shelf unit 6 configured as described above
According to this, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the thin cassettes 11 can be respectively inserted and stored in the total of 21 storage shelves 5 from these cassette insertion ports 34 in the direction of arrow d. At this time, each thin cassette 11 is horizontally inserted in the direction of arrow d into each storage shelf 5 from the front end face 11b side which is the front lid 11a (see FIG. 1) side. The left and right end portions of the bottom surface 11c are horizontally mounted on a pair of left and right cassette mounting portions 33 of each storage shelf 5. When each thin cassette 11 is inserted into each storage shelf 5 in the direction of arrow d, the left and right sides 11
d is guided by a pair of left and right side guides 35,
The positioning of each thin cassette 11 in each storage shelf 5 in the left-right direction is performed. Then, the front end face 11b of each thin cassette 11 inserted into each storage shelf 5 from the direction of arrow d is brought into contact with a pair of left and right cassette insertion stoppers 36 to complete the insertion, and each thin cassette in each storage shelf 5 is completed. 11 is positioned in the insertion direction (arrow d direction), and FIG.
As shown in (1), the rear end face 11e of each thin cassette 11 is inserted to a position slightly deviated in the direction of arrow d from the cassette drop-off prevention stopper 44.

When the insertion of each of the thin cassettes 11 into each of the storage shelves 5 is completed, as shown in FIG.
6 is pushed in the direction of arrow d, and each cassette insertion detection lever 46 is rotated in the direction of arrow f against its own weight,
Each of the optical sensors 49 is switched to the ON state by the rear end 46b, and the completion of insertion of each of the thin cassettes 11 into each of the storage shelves 5 is detected.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the insertion of the thin cassettes 11 into the storage shelves 5 is completed, each of the thin cassettes 11 is placed on the pair of left and right cassette loading sections 33 by its own weight. ing. Since the cassette drop-off prevention stoppers 44 are integrally formed on the front ends of the pair of left and right cassette mounting portions 33 on the side of the cassette insertion opening 34, the storage shelf unit 6 has arrows d and e. Even if vibration in the direction is applied, the cassette drop-off prevention stopper 44 can prevent each thin cassette 11 from dropping from each storage shelf 5 in the direction of arrow e, thereby ensuring high safety. In addition, at the time of injection molding of the cassette guide 31, the cassette drop-off prevention stopper 4 is provided on the front end of the cassette mounting portion 33 of a plurality of upper and lower stages.
Since the cassette guide 4 is integrally formed, there is no need to add a part serving as the cassette drop-off prevention stopper 44 later, and the entire structure of the cassette guide 31 is very simple and easy to manufacture. Can be realized.

[Explanation of Cassette Extraction Operation from Storage Shelf] Next, referring to FIGS. 7 to 11, the thin cassette 11 stored in the storage shelf 5 is extracted in the direction of arrow e by a hand 15 of a cassette autochanger described later. The operation will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, a hand 15, which is a cassette transfer means of a transporter 16 described later, has a pair of upper and lower cassette holding portions 15a, 15b. The hand 15 is guided by a vertical elevating guide shaft 18b on a cassette receiving table 18a of a hand transfer mechanism 18 in the transporter 16 so as to be able to move up and down in the directions of arrows b and c, which are vertical directions, against its own weight. Installed. At the time of cassette removal, first, as shown in FIG.
Vertical gap G and 5b relative to the thickness T ₂ of the thin cassette 11
_1, in the open state in the vertical G ₂ distance corresponding, hand 15 is moved in the arrow d direction on the cassette pedestal 18a, approaching from the direction of arrow d in the storage rack 5.

The pair of upper and lower cassette holding portions 15
After a and 15b are inserted in the direction of arrow d above and below the thin cassette 11 from the center position of the cassette insertion slot 34 (the center position between the pair of left and right cassette guides 31) of the storage shelf 5, as shown in FIG. Hand 1 together with cassette receiver 18a
While 5 is raised by the lower gap G ₁ equivalent of the direction of the arrow b in FIG. 7, the upper cassette holding portion 15a is closed in the arrow c direction, a pair of upper and lower cassette holding portion 15a, clamping the thin cassette 11 by 15b I do.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the hand 15 is moved in the direction of the arrow e on the cassette receiving table 18a, and the sandwiched thin cassette 11 is pulled out of the storage shelf 5 in the direction of the arrow e. Drop-off prevention stopper 44
The bottom surface 11c of the thin cassette 11 is formed along the slope and the round shape of the cassette drop prevention stopper 44 by forming the bottom surface 11c of the thin cassette 11 as shown in FIG.
Rises smoothly against from a height S ₁ distance corresponding sliding up smoothly in the direction of the arrow b, the cassette receiving stand 18a by hand 15 with a thin cassette 11 also along the lifting guide shaft 18b to its own weight in the direction of arrow b I do.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10, when the thin cassette 11 is removed from the storage shelf 5 in the direction of arrow e,
The hand 15 is lowered by its own weight in the direction of arrow c to the initial height with respect to the cassette receiver 18a, and the thin cassette 11 extracted from the storage shelf 5 in the direction of arrow e is placed horizontally on the cassette receiver 18a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, by forming a tapered surface 45 in the vertical direction on the front end surface of the cassette mounting portion 33, the thin cassette 11 and the hand 15 can be moved along the tapered surface 45 by an arrow c. It can be lowered smoothly in the direction.

As described above, if the stopper 44 for preventing the cassette from falling off is formed in the slope or the round shape shown in FIG.
When the thin cassette 11 is pulled out from the
The cassette itself is smoothly slid up in the direction of arrow b along the slope or round shape of the stopper 44 for preventing the cassette from falling off, and the stopper 44 for preventing the cassette from falling is indicated by arrow e.
You can get over the direction smoothly. From this fact, even the vertical position displacement of the hand 15 is generated equal amount as G ₁ shown in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 9, to the top of the anti-stopper 44 that thin cassette 11 is falling off the cassette the clearance S ₂ between the downward cassette falling out prevention stopper 44 of the thin cassette 11 and the upper cassette mounting part 33 at the moment of up sliding may be set to a minimum size, vertical cassette in storage rack unit 6 The increase in the pitch is only required for the dimension S ₁ × 2.
Therefore, a useful cassette drop-out prevention function can be realized without minimizing the decrease in the number of cassettes stored in the cassette autochanger or without reducing the number of cassettes stored. Moreover, when the thin cassette 11 is extracted, there is no need to perform any troublesome control such as raising and lowering the thin cassette 11 to the middle position of the cassette mounting portion 33 on both the upper and lower sides by the hand 15, and the hand 15 can be controlled. Easy.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, when the stopper 44 for preventing the cassette from falling off is formed in a vertical step, the hand 15 is displaced vertically in FIG.
In the event of equal amount as G ₁ shown in, unless the gap G ₁ is formed between the upper and lower surfaces of the pair of upper and lower cassette falling out prevention stopper 44 and the thin cassette 11 of the upper and lower sides of the cassette mounting part 33 Then, the thin cassette 11 cannot be pulled out from the storage shelf 5 in the direction of arrow e. In this case, the increase in the vertical cassette pitch in the storage shelf unit 6 results in the dimension S ₁ × 2 + G ₁ +2,・ The number of cassettes stored in the autochanger is greatly reduced. In this case, the thin cassette 11 is moved by the hand 15 to the upper and lower cassette mounting portions 3.
Then, the cassette must be removed after controlling the ascent to the intermediate position of No. 3, and the control of the hand 15 becomes troublesome. However, as for the mechanism for preventing the thin cassette 11 from falling out of the storage shelf 5, the cassette falling-off prevention stopper 44 may be formed in a vertical step as shown in FIG.

"Outline of Cassette Autochanger" First, an outline of the cassette autochanger will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this cassette autochanger, a plurality of types of recording tapes having different recording formats (outer diameter and thickness) of the same recording format are mixedly loaded. ,
The plurality of types of cassettes are configured so that they can be selectively recorded and / or reproduced by a VTR which is a plurality of types of recording / reproducing devices for each recording format.

Next, the cassette / autochanger main body (hereinafter simply referred to as the main body) 1 is formed in a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped casing, and an opening / closing door 2 is provided on the front surface thereof in the direction of arrow a which is horizontal. It is attached to open and close freely. In the main body 1, two types of storage shelf units each including one or a plurality of storage shelf units 4 having four upper and lower storage shelves 3 and a storage shelf unit 6 having seven upper and lower storage shelves 5 are provided. Are arranged side by side to form a storage shelf unit row 7. A top plate unit 8 is attached to the uppermost stage of the storage shelf unit row 7, and the height dimension H of the storage shelf units 4 and 6 and the top plate unit 8 in the upper and lower stages is the same. Therefore, compatibility of the mounting positions of the storage shelf units 4 and 6 and the top plate unit 8 is ensured.

Then, one or a plurality of storage shelf units 4
In the upper and lower four storage shelves 3, the same recording format,
Three types of large, medium, and small cassettes 10L, 10M,
10S can be mixed indiscriminately, and thin cassettes 11 of the same recording format and the same size are arranged in three rows in the upper and lower five storage shelves 5 of one or a plurality of storage shelf units 6 in the horizontal direction. , And can be placed in seven rows in the vertical direction. However, large, medium and small cassettes 10L, 10M,
The recording format of 10S and the recording format of the thin cassette 11 are different from each other.

At this time, the large, medium and small cassettes 10L, 10L
For the M and 10S, for example, a magnetic tape having a ／ inch width such as a digital cassette or a U-matic cassette is used, and a cassette having a large thickness T ₁ is used. For the thin cassette 11, for example, a DV (digital) is used. video) as the cassette, a magnetic tape 1/4-inch width, thickness T ₂ is thin thin cassette 11 is used. However, these cassettes 10L, 10M, 10S, and 1
It is also possible to apply other various cassettes to 1, and at that time, the size of the storage shelf may be changed according to the type of the other various cassettes.

Next, in the main body 1, large, medium, and small cassettes 10L, 10M,
10S and two types of VTRs 1 according to recording formats for selectively recording and / or reproducing the thin cassette 11.
2, 13 are mixed. And these VTR1
Large, medium, and small cassettes 10 are provided on the front surfaces of the cassettes 2 and 13, respectively.
A cassette insertion opening 12a for L, 10M and 10S and a cassette insertion opening 13a for the thin cassette 11 are formed. And a plurality of storage shelves 3, 5 and VTR 12,
13 are arranged in a line.

Next, in the main body 1, between the plurality of storage shelves 3, 5 and the VTRs 12, 13 and the opening / closing door 2, a transporter 16 having a hand 15 for transferring a cassette and a plurality of transporters 16 are provided. And a transporter transporting device 17 for transporting along the storage shelves 3 and 5 and the VTRs 12 and 13 in the directions of arrows a and b, which are vertical directions. In addition, the transporter 16 includes
The hand 15 is moved to a plurality of storage shelves 3, 5 and VTRs 12, 13.
Arrows d and e, which are horizontal cassette insertion / removal directions with respect to
A hand transfer mechanism 18 is mounted to transfer in the directions indicated by arrows f and g, which are horizontal directions perpendicular to the right and left directions.

Next, the two types of storage shelf units 4 and 6 and the VTRs 12 and 13 are arranged so that the user can freely change the set according to the recording format of the cassette used by the user. , 6 and VTRs 12 and 13 are exchangeably attached to the main body 1.

At this time, the outer diameters of the two types of storage shelf units 4 and 6 and the top plate unit 8 in a plane are substantially the same, but in particular, the two types of storage shelf units 4 and 6
Dimension H ₁ is configured for the same, making the replacement of change of the number of used changes or the arrangement of these accommodating rack units 4 and 6, any clearance adjustment between the storage rack units 4, 6 There is no need to perform the replacement, and the replacement can be easily performed.

The top plate unit 8 also serves as the top plate of the two types of storage shelf units 4 and 6, and depends on the type of the storage shelf units 4 and 6 arranged at the top of the storage shelf unit row 7. The top plate unit 8 is configured to be used upside down.

"Outline of Operation of Cassette Autochanger" Next, an outline of the operation of the cassette autochanger will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the loading and replacement of the plurality of cassettes 10L, 10M, 10S and the thin cassette 11 into the plurality of storage shelves 3, 5 are performed by an operator with the opening and closing door 2 opened. At this time, the large and medium cassettes 10L, 10L
M is stored at the center position of the storage shelf 3 in the left-right direction, and the small cassette 10S is sorted and stored at the left and right sides of the storage shelf 3. Further, the thin cassette 11 can be freely stored in a desired position of the storage shelf 5.

In this cassette autochanger, the storage positions of the large, medium and small cassettes 10L, 10M, 10S and the thin cassette 11 mixedly mounted on the plurality of storage shelves 3 and 5 are previously searched and stored. Then, based on the cassette exchange command signal, the transfer operation of the transfer device 16 in the directions of arrows b and c by the transfer device transfer device 17 and the transfer operation of the hand 15 in the directions of arrows d, e, f, and g of the hand 15 by the cassette transfer device 18 are performed. From the storage shelves 3, 5 designated by the hand 15 in the large, medium, and small cassettes 10L,
10M, 10S and the specified cassette among the thin cassettes 11 are selectively pinched, automatically extracted, transported to the specified VTRs 12 and 13, and automatically inserted into the cassette insertion openings 12a and 13a. To perform recording and / or reproduction. After the recording and / or reproduction is completed, the cassette insertion openings 12a and 13a of the VTRs 12 and 13 are set.
The used cassette discharged to the outside is returned to the original storage shelves 3 and 5 by the reverse operation described above. Then, by repeating this automatic cassette exchange operation, continuous video reproduction and recording / editing for a long time are performed.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the technical concept of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is not limited to an autochanger of a video cassette, but can be applied to an autochanger of various cassettes accommodating other various tape-shaped recording media and disk-shaped recording media.

[0045]

The cassette autochanger of the present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

According to the present invention, a plurality of cassettes accommodating recording media, a plurality of storage shelves accommodating the plurality of cassettes, and selectively recording and / or storing the plurality of cassettes are provided.
Or, in a cassette autochanger provided with a recording / reproducing device for reproducing and a transporter for selectively transporting a plurality of cassettes between the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device, respective cassette insertion openings of the plurality of storage shelves. Separate parts that can be used to prevent the cassette from falling off the storage shelf due to vibrations, etc. Is very simple compared to a structure in which is mounted on all the storage shelves, the production is very easy, and the cost can be significantly reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the stopper for preventing the cassette from falling off is formed in a slope or a radius which is inclined toward the cassette removal direction and toward the center of the storage shelf in the vertical direction. Can be reduced to the minimum size, and a reduction in the number of cassettes stored in the storage shelf unit can be reduced, or a useful cassette dropout prevention mechanism can be realized without the reduction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of cassettes accommodating recording media, a plurality of storage shelves accommodating the plurality of cassettes, and selectively recording and / or storing the plurality of cassettes.
Or, in a cassette autochanger including a recording / reproducing device for reproducing and a transporter for selectively transporting the plurality of cassettes between the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device, a plurality of cassettes are horizontally moved. A plurality of rows, a storage shelf unit that can be stored in a plurality of stages in the up and down direction, a substantially rectangular outer frame, and vertically incorporated at equal intervals in the horizontal direction inside the outer frame, along the vertical guide body A plurality of cassette mounting portions are constituted by a plurality of cassette guides in a substantially comb shape formed at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and are partitioned in a plurality of rows in a horizontal direction by a plurality of cassette guides inside the outer peripheral frame thereof. The space divided vertically into a plurality of stages by the cassette mounting section is composed of a plurality of storage shelves. By molding the stopper with synthetic resin, the material cost and processing cost of the storage shelf unit are reduced, and the weight is significantly reduced, compared to a storage shelf unit in which the outer peripheral frame and multiple shelf boards are all made of sheet metal. Thus, an inexpensive and lightweight cassette autochanger can be realized.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of cassette guides are formed by a vertical guide main body and a plurality of cassette mounting sections formed integrally on one side of the guide main body at equal intervals in the vertical direction. In addition, the plurality of cassette guides are configured vertically symmetrically, and the two cassette guides are vertically inverted and incorporated symmetrically at both left and right positions inside the outer peripheral frame. The two cassette guides are turned upside down, and these guide bodies are superimposed on each other and combined symmetrically, so that all cassette guides can be configured as common parts. Significant cost reduction can be realized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, since the guide means of the two cassette guides which are turned upside down and which are superposed on each other and removably connected to each other are integrally formed on the guide bodies, another means such as a set screw is used. Without using any parts, 2
The two cassette guides can be easily overlapped and connected to each other, and the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of assembly steps.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the stoppers for preventing the cassette from falling off are integrally formed on the upper and lower sides of the end of the plurality of cassette guides on the side of the cassette insertion opening in the plurality of cassette mounting portions. When the guides are incorporated inside the outer peripheral frame, it is possible to freely invert these plural cassette guides up and down and to incorporate them, so that all the cassette guides can be made into a common component and the cassette guides can be achieved. Can be reliably prevented from falling off even when the cassette is used upside down.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the stopper for preventing the cassette from falling off is formed in a slope or a radius that is inclined toward the vertical direction of the storage shelf in the cassette removal direction. Thus, the number of cassettes stored in the storage shelf unit can be prevented from being reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged side view of a main part showing a storage shelf and a cassette drop prevention stopper in an embodiment of a cassette autochanger to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of a storage shelf unit in the cassette autochanger according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view showing a combined state of the two cassette guides in the cassette autochanger of the above in a vertically inverted state.

FIG. 4 is a sectional front view in a state before coupling in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view showing one storage shelf unit in the cassette autochanger according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway plan view of the storage shelf unit of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating the start of the operation of extracting the cassette from the storage shelf.

FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a state where the hand grips the cassette in the operation of extracting the cassette from the storage shelf following FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating a state in which the cassette held by the hand is being removed when the stopper for preventing the cassette from falling off is a slope in the operation of removing the cassette from the storage shelf following FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a state in which the cassette has been completely pulled out by hand in the pulling-out operation of the cassette from the storage shelf following FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side view for explaining an operation of extracting a cassette from the storage shelf when the cassette drop prevention stopper of the storage shelf is a vertical step.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the entire cassette autochanger of the above.

FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway schematic side view of the entire cassette autochanger of the above.

FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway schematic plan view of the entire cassette autochanger of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 is a storage shelf, 6 is a storage shelf unit, 11 is a thin cassette having a small thickness, 12 and 13 are VTRs as recording / reproducing devices,
13b is a front panel of the VTR, 15 is a hand, 16 is a transporter, 17 is a transporter transfer device, 18 is a hand transfer mechanism,
21 is an outer peripheral frame, 22 and 23 are left and right side plates, 24 is a top plate, 25 is a bottom plate, 31 is a cassette guide, 32 is a guide body, 33 is a cassette mounting portion, 34 is a cassette insertion slot, and 37 is a locking claw. , 38 are locking holes, 39 is coupling means, 4
Reference numeral 4 denotes a cassette stopper stopper.

Claims (7)

[Claims] A plurality of cassettes accommodating a recording medium;
A plurality of storage shelves storing the plurality of cassettes; a recording / reproducing device for selectively recording and / or reproducing the plurality of cassettes; and the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device. A cassette autochanger comprising a transporter for selectively transporting a cassette, wherein a cassette drop-off prevention stopper is integrally formed at an end of each of the plurality of storage shelves on the side of a cassette insertion opening.・ Auto changer. 2. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the stopper for preventing the cassette from falling off is formed in a slope or a radius that is inclined toward the center in the vertical direction of the storage shelf in the cassette removal direction.・ Auto changer. 3. A plurality of cassettes containing a recording medium,
A plurality of storage shelves storing the plurality of cassettes; a recording / reproducing device for selectively recording and / or reproducing the plurality of cassettes; and the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device. In a cassette autochanger provided with a transporter for selectively transporting cassettes, a storage shelf unit capable of storing a plurality of cassettes in a plurality of rows in a horizontal direction and in a plurality of stages in a vertical direction is provided, and a substantially square outer frame is provided. A plurality of cassette-like cassettes which are vertically assembled at equal intervals in the horizontal direction inside the outer peripheral frame and a plurality of cassette mounting portions are formed at equal intervals in the vertical direction along the vertical guide body. The storage shelf unit is constituted by a guide, and is partitioned into a plurality of rows in a horizontal direction by the plurality of cassette guides inside the outer peripheral frame. Cassette, characterized in that the set placement unit configured to space partitioned into a plurality of stages in the vertical direction into a plurality of storage shelves,
Auto changer. 4. The plurality of cassette guides are constituted by a vertical guide body and a plurality of cassette mounting portions formed integrally on one side of the guide body at equal intervals in the vertical direction. In addition, the plurality of cassette guides are formed in a vertically symmetrical shape, and the two cassette guides are vertically inverted and installed symmetrically on both left and right positions inside the outer peripheral frame, and the middle of the inner side of the outer peripheral frame. 4. The cassette autochanger according to claim 3, wherein the two cassette guides are turned upside down, and these guide bodies are overlapped with each other and symmetrically connected to each other. 5. A connecting means for connecting said guide bodies of said two inverted cassette guides to each other so as to be overlapped with each other and detachably connected thereto. The cassette autochanger described. 6. A cassette drop-off prevention stopper is integrally formed vertically symmetrically on both upper and lower ends of a plurality of cassette mounting portions of the plurality of cassette guides on the cassette insertion port side. Cassettes described in
Auto changer. 7. A cassette according to claim 6, wherein the stopper for preventing the cassette from falling off is formed in a slope or round shape that is inclined toward the cassette removal direction and toward the center in the vertical direction of the storage shelf.・ Auto changer.