JPH1145489A - Aggregate storage device incorporated with recording medium cleaning mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently clean a recording medium without delaying a medium transfer command from a host processor. SOLUTION: The recording medium 15 is cleaned by releasing the shutter part 20 of the recording medium 15 during a recording medium transporting operation in a state the recording medium 15 is trapped in the mechanical hand part 14 of a recording medium transporting mechanism and by rotating a disk surface 25 of the recording medium 25 while bringing the cleaning part 24 provided with a brush at its top end part into contact with the surface of the medium. The releasing of the shutter part 20 exposes the optical disk surface 25 by sliding a recessed part 22 on a shutter opening and closing mechanism 21 with a projecting part 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collective storage device, and more particularly, to an optical disk cartridge as a recording medium.
The present invention relates to a collective storage device having a storage area including a plurality of storage chambers for storing a recording medium and having a recording medium transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium, and a cleaning control method for the recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a control method for cleaning a recording medium in a collective storage device is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-78179. The collective storage device is a large-capacity storage device used as an auxiliary storage device of a computer system, and has a loading / unloading port for loading / unloading an optical disc cartridge as a recording medium, a storage chamber for storing a recording medium, It has a recording / reproducing section for reading / writing the recording medium, and a recording medium transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium between each of the storage room and the recording / reproducing section.

In the above-mentioned collective storage device, a storage shelf for storing a plurality of recording media is provided, and the recording medium is stored in a plurality of storage rooms (cells) provided in the storage shelf for storing the recording media. . First, a designated recording medium is taken out by a mechanical hand of a medium and a transport mechanism, transported to a recording / reproducing unit, set, and data writing / reading is performed. When the data writing / reading is completed, the recording medium is again taken out of the recording / reproducing unit, transported to the storage shelf and stored in the storage room, and the recording medium that is no longer required by a command (command) from the host processing device is discharged. Conveyed to b. In a disk cartridge for writing / reading data by using a laser beam, if a certain amount of dust adheres to the surface of the disk, a data error occurs, so that the disk surface must be cleaned. Therefore, a collective storage device configured as a kind of warehouse has a mechanism for cleaning a recording medium inside the device.

A method of cleaning a recording medium in such a conventional collective storage device is performed in a gap in which there is no instruction to transfer a medium from an upper processing device, or a method of performing the process periodically.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional collective storage device, a cleaning mechanism for the recording medium is provided inside the apparatus, and when performing the cleaning process of the recording medium, the storage shelf in which the recording medium is stored. Further, the medium must be transported to the medium cleaning mechanism by the medium transport mechanism, and when the cleaning processing is completed, the processing must be returned to the storage shelf again. In other words, in the above-described cleaning process in the conventional collective storage device, since the recording medium transport mechanism is used to transport the recording medium, there is a possibility that another recording medium transport instruction from a higher-level processing device during that time may be delayed. There was a problem.

Further, even when the recording medium is periodically cleaned, there is a possibility that dust or the like may adhere again until the cleaned recording medium is written / read next time. There is a problem that it is not a proper cleaning process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to efficiently execute a recording medium cleaning process without delaying a medium transfer command from a host processor.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a collective storage device according to the present invention comprises a storage area in which storage chambers for storing a recording medium are arranged, and a recording medium transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium. Wherein the recording medium transport mechanism includes a cleaning mechanism for opening and cleaning the shutter of the recording medium in a state where the recording medium is taken in.

Further, it is preferable that the recording medium transport mechanism executes cleaning processing of the recording medium immediately before writing / reading of the recording medium, thereby effectively performing the cleaning.

[0010] Further, it is preferable that the recording medium transport mechanism includes a mechanical hand section which reaches all of the plurality of storage chambers and takes in the designated recording medium when the recording medium is taken in.

Still further, the recording medium transport mechanism includes a horizontal rail extending in one direction of the storage area, a recording medium transport section moving along the horizontal rail, and a vertical direction extending perpendicular to the horizontal rail. A rail is preferably provided, and the mechanical hand unit reaches all of the plurality of storage rooms by moving the mechanical hand unit along the vertical rail.

It is preferable that the recording medium transport mechanism performs cleaning while exposing the optical disk surface of the recording medium in a state where the mechanical hand takes in the recording medium.

Further, the recording medium transport mechanism includes a shutter opening / closing mechanism extending in the direction of movement of the shutter section of the recording medium, a convex section sliding on the shutter opening / closing mechanism, and a concave section provided in the shutter section of the recording medium. It is preferable that the projections are moved to move the recesses, and the shutters are opened and closed.

Further, it is preferable that the cleaning mechanism has a disk cleaning unit provided with a brush so as to abut on the optical disk surface.

Further, according to the cleaning method of the present invention, the storage method includes a storage area in which a plurality of storage chambers for storing a recording medium are arranged and a storage medium transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium. In a cleaning control method for cleaning an optical disk surface which is a recording medium taken into an area, a step of taking a recording medium by a recording medium transport mechanism, and a step of exposing an optical disk surface of the recording medium with the recording medium taken in; Arranging a disk cleaning unit with a brush on the surface of the optical disk for cleaning, and cleaning the recording medium during the conveyance of the recording medium.

The collective storage device equipped with the recording medium cleaning mechanism-equipped medium transport mechanism of the present invention executes the cleaning process of the recording medium surface during the execution of the recording medium transport instruction instructed by the host processor. It is characterized in that the recording medium is cleaned without affecting the normal operation.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the cleaning is effectively performed by executing a cleaning process of the recording medium immediately before writing / reading of the recording medium.

In the collective storage device of the present invention having a recording medium cleaning mechanism built-in medium transport mechanism, the recording medium cleaning mechanism is built in the medium transport mechanism.
It is possible to execute the cleaning process of the recording medium surface during the execution of the recording medium transport instruction instructed by the host processor. Therefore, since it is not necessary to separately execute the cleaning process of the recording medium, the cleaning process of the recording medium can be performed without affecting the normal operation.

If the medium transport command instructed by the host processor is a command for mounting the recording medium in the recording / reproducing unit, the cleaning process for the recording medium to be written / read should be executed immediately before. Thereby, the cleaning effect can be improved.

[0020]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the collective storage device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the collective storage device 10 includes a plurality of storage chambers 18 which are divided in the X direction and the Y direction and are adjacent to each other, and a recording medium transport mechanism. The recording medium transport mechanism includes a lateral rail 12 extending in the X direction from a position near point O, and a recording medium transport unit supported to be reciprocally movable in the OX direction along the lateral rail 12. 11, a vertical rail 13 extending in the Y direction from the recording medium transport unit 11 and a mechanical hand mechanism 14 supported reciprocally in the OY direction along the vertical rail 13. Having. When instructed by the host processor to convey the recording medium 15, the recording medium transport unit 11 moves in the X direction along the horizontal rail 12, and the mechanical hand mechanism 14 moves in the Y direction along the vertical rail 13. Then, the designated recording medium 15 is taken into the positioning mechanical hand mechanism 14 in front of the recording medium 15, and the conveyance of the recording medium 15 to the recording / reproducing unit 16 or the recording medium loading / unloading port 17 is started.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the recording medium is taken into the mechanical hand of the recording medium transport mechanism. Usually, the optical disk surface 25 of the recording medium 15 is protected by a shutter unit 20 that opens and closes. In the operation of the present embodiment, first, in a state where the recording medium 15 is taken in the mechanical hand unit 14, the concave portion 22 provided in the shutter unit 20 is moved in the horizontal direction by the convex portion 23 which slides the shutter opening / closing mechanism 21 in the left-right direction. To the shutter 2
0 is opened to expose the optical disk surface 25. On the optical disk surface 25, a disk cleaning unit with a brush is arranged. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mechanical hand unit 14 along the line AA in which the optical disk surface 25 is exposed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a mechanical hand unit of the embodiment of the collective storage device of the present invention. The recording medium 15 is taken into the mechanical hand unit 14.
The disk cleaning unit 24 provided with a brush at the tip is brought into contact with the optical disk surface 25 exposed by opening the shutter unit 20. At the same time, the clutch 30 is engaged with the lower rotation center of the recording medium 15, and the optical disc surface 25 is rotated by the clutch rotation motor 31. By this operation, dust adhering to the surface of the optical disk surface 25 is removed. This operation is performed in parallel with the operation of moving the recording medium transport unit 11 to a target position.

[0024]

As described above, according to the collective storage device equipped with the recording medium cleaning mechanism built-in medium transport mechanism of the present invention, it is possible to execute the medium transport command from the host processor without delay. Further, by performing the cleaning process of the recording medium immediately before performing the writing / reading, the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a collective storage device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an optical disk cartridge is taken into a mechanical hand portion of the medium transport mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a mechanical hand unit of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Collective storage device 11 Recording medium conveyance part 14 Mechanical hand part 15 Recording medium 20 Shutter part 21 Shutter opening / closing mechanism 22 Depression 23 Convex part 24 Disk cleaning part 25 Disk surface of recording medium 30 Clutch part 31 Clutch rotation motor part

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A collective storage device comprising: a storage area in which storage chambers for storing a recording medium are arranged; and a recording medium transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium, wherein the recording medium transport mechanism includes the recording medium. And a cleaning mechanism for opening and cleaning a shutter portion of the recording medium in a state where the recording medium is loaded. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium transport mechanism performs cleaning of the recording medium immediately before writing / reading of the recording medium, thereby effectively performing cleaning. 2. A collective storage device according to claim 1. 3. The recording medium transport mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanical hand unit that, when loading said recording medium, reaches all of said plurality of storage chambers and takes in a designated recording medium. 3. The collective storage device according to 1 or 2. 4. A recording medium transport mechanism, wherein the recording medium transport mechanism extends in one direction of the storage area, a recording medium transport section moving along the horizontal rail, and extends perpendicular to the horizontal rail. 4. A vertical rail, wherein the mechanical hand unit reaches all of the plurality of storage chambers by moving the mechanical hand unit along the vertical rail. Set storage device. 5. The recording medium transport mechanism performs cleaning by exposing an optical disk surface of the recording medium while the mechanical hand takes in the recording medium. 2. A collective storage device according to claim 1. 6. A recording medium transport mechanism comprising: a shutter opening / closing mechanism extending in a moving direction of a shutter section of the recording medium; a convex section sliding on the shutter opening / closing mechanism; and a shutter section of the recording medium. 6. The collective storage device according to claim 5, further comprising a concave portion provided, wherein the concave portion is moved by moving the convex portion, and the shutter portion is opened and closed. 7. The optical disk drive according to claim 5, wherein said cleaning mechanism has a disk cleaning unit with a brush which comes into contact with said optical disk surface.
2. A collective storage device according to claim 1. 8. A collective storage device including a storage area in which a plurality of storage chambers for storing a recording medium are arranged and a recording medium transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium are taken into the storage area. A cleaning control method for cleaning an optical disc surface as a recording medium, wherein the recording medium transport mechanism takes in the recording medium; and, in a state where the recording medium is taken in, exposes an optical disc surface of the recording medium. Cleaning the recording medium by arranging a disk cleaning unit with a brush on the optical disk surface, wherein the cleaning of the recording medium is performed during the conveyance of the recording medium.