JPH1173709A - Method for setting reference position in library device and its recovery method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain the accurate and inexpensive realization of the setting of the reference position of a recording medium transporting mechanism part in a library device, when plural storage media are stored to automatically perform the removal, storage, recording/reproducing operation, etc., of the storage media. SOLUTION: In the library device, a flag pattern 5 having only the patterns 6 formed to one row is used, and a sensor 8 having one set of light emitting/ receiving mechanisms for detecting the patterns 6 is used. At the time of initialization, after an accessor 7 is moved to the upper or lower end at first, it is moved in the reverse direction while detecting the patterns of the flag pattern 5, and the specified number of patterns up to the position of the pattern preliminarily determined as the reference position is counted, then the reference position is decided from the result of the count.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to mounting a storage medium,
The present invention relates to a method of setting a reference position of a mechanism for transporting a storage medium and a method of recovering the same in a library apparatus that automatically performs removal, storage, recording / reproduction, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hardware configuration of a conventional library apparatus and a method of controlling a transport mechanism thereof will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 11 is an internal schematic diagram of a library device. Generally, the library device 200 has the input / output port 20.
2, a cartridge access station (CAS) 203 for loading / unloading the storage medium 201, a plurality of cells 204 containing the storage medium 201, and a storage medium 20.
1 has a disk drive 205 for recording / reproducing data, and an accessor (ACC) 210 for transporting a storage medium between the components.

The library device 200 is designed based on the concept that a large-capacity storage device can be constructed at low cost. As an example of the application, there is a backup of data for a certain period (weekly / monthly / yearly), or a storage of a huge amount of image data or music data which has attracted attention in recent years.

[0005] Control of the accessor 210, which is the transport mechanism of the library device 200, mainly includes three signals output from a sensor 212 having three photo interrupters,
This is performed by a signal output from an encoder (not shown) of the motor (this is called a tacho pulse). The accessor 210 needs a specific reference position when moving upward or downward, respectively.

[0006] Also, when the storage medium is transported to the cells (storage locations) 204 and disk drives 205 of each stage (each row), a mechanism for accurately determining the position is essential.

FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of each mechanism of a conventional library device. In order to determine the vertical position of the accessor 210, a flag pattern 2 as shown in FIG.
11 and the sensor 212 are used. The sensor 212 attached to the accessor 210 is provided with photo interrupters having a triple light emitting / receiving mechanism, and these photo interrupters detect slits (holes) of the flag pattern 211 and determine the position of the accessor 210. I am able to judge.

The sensor 212 (hereinafter referred to as a “third sensor”) stores “θ inversion prohibited area information”, which is provided in the flag pattern 211 and indicates an area in which the accessor 210 is prohibited from being inverted, and a storage medium. “Mid (M) indicating the position of each cell 204 and the position of the disk drive 205
id) pattern information "," Home (Home) pattern information "for finding a reference position for the operation of the transport mechanism.
Has the function of detecting and outputting.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the third sensor 212. The third sensor 212 has three photointerrupters (FIG. 13:,), and the accessor 2
The control unit 10 monitors the output of the photo interrupter, detects three types of patterns arranged in three rows on the flag pattern 211, and determines the position of the accessor 210.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional flag pattern. The plate-like flag pattern 211 indicates the position of each cell 204 storing the storage medium, and the θ inversion prohibition area pattern 213 indicating “θ inversion prohibition area information (flag)” indicating the area where the inversion of the accessor 210 is prohibited. Three patterns, a mid pattern 214 indicating “mid pattern information (flag)” and a home pattern 215 indicating “home pattern information (flag)” for finding a reference position for operation of the accessor 210, are slits and edges. Engraved in shape.

[0011] The photo interrupter (,,) of the third sensor 212 corresponding to the θ inversion prohibited area pattern 213, the mid pattern 214, and the home pattern 215.
Are patterns 213 and 214 formed in a slit shape or a pattern 215 formed as a cutout of an edge.
Is detected and output as “flag = ON” when light is transmitted and received at the position, and is detected and output as “flag = OFF” when the light is out of the position and cannot be received.

FIG. 15 is a processing flowchart for explaining a control method of the reference position setting (initialization) processing. In step S501, immediately after the start of initialization,
Check whether the home pattern is ON.
If the home pattern is ON, the accessor 2 until the home pattern is turned OFF in step S502.
10 is moved upward, and the accessor 210 is once taken out of the home pattern.

Next, in step S503, the accessor 210 is moved to the lowermost mid-pattern side while detecting the home pattern. If home pattern = ON is detected in step S504, step S505 is performed.
Then, the tach counter is reset, and the position is set as the reference position. Then, in step S506,
The accessor 210 is positioned at the position of the lowermost mid pattern.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a hardware configuration of a conventional library device. As described above, the accessor is controlled by three signals (θ inversion prohibited area information, mid pattern information, and home pattern information) output from the photo sensor 308 and the tach pulse output from the encoder 309 of the motor 306. An MPU for controlling each of these signals is provided on the central board that performs collective control of each mechanism.
301, ROM 302, RAM 303, octopus counter L
An SI 304, a motor control circuit 305, and an I / O interface 307 are provided.

[0015]

As described above, in the conventional apparatus, the θ inversion prohibited area information, mid pattern information,
Since the home pattern information was determined using the three rows of patterns provided on the flag pattern, the third sensor was used.

However, since this third sensor is a custom product (manufactured by custom order), its price is compared with that of a photo interrupter having only one light receiving / emitting function (hereinafter referred to as a first sensor). , About 5 to 10 times as expensive. This causes a problem that the cost of the printed circuit board of the library device is increased.

Further, unlike the first sensor which is commercially available in various shapes, the shape and the like of the third sensor are limited to those currently used. For this reason, the mounting method and the like are limited to some extent, and there has been a problem that versatility is poor.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a method for setting a reference position of an accessor at a low cost without lowering the accuracy.

[0019]

In the initialization for setting the reference position of the accessor, checking whether there is an accessor in the home pattern at the start of the initialization, in other words, has an effect on the operation of determining the reference position. This means that it is determined whether or not there is an accessor at the position to be exerted. In the library device, the number of storage media that can be stored, the number of drive units such as disk drives to be mounted, and their positions are determined at the time of design. Therefore, if the accessor is moved in a specific movable direction after the start of the initialization and the information of the mid-pattern indicating the storage position of the storage medium or the position of the drive unit is collected, it is determined whether the accessor is at the position where the initialization can be performed. Can be determined.

Further, the "θ inversion prohibited area information" can be obtained by monitoring the position of the accessor as needed with a tacho pulse output from the encoder of the motor once the reference position of the accessor is determined.

In this case, it can be determined that the "home pattern" and the ".theta. Inversion prohibited area pattern" are not patterns that must be provided separately and independently, and the cost increases.
The initialization can be performed without using the third sensor.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration example of the present invention. The library device 1 includes a cartridge access station (CAS) 2 for inputting / ejecting a storage medium, a cell accommodating a storage medium having a plurality of rows and stages, and a disk drive for recording / reproducing data to / from the storage medium. 4,
It has a flag pattern 5 in which a mid pattern 6 is formed in one line, an accessor 7 for transporting a storage medium, and a sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a "first sensor") having one photo interrupter attached to the accessor 7 .

The present invention proposes the following method as an initialization method and a recovery method using the flag pattern 5 engraved with such one row of mid patterns 6 and the first sensor 8.

(1) After moving the accessor 7 to the upper or lower end, the accessor 7 is moved in the opposite direction while detecting the mid pattern 6 from the upper or lower end.
The number of predetermined patterns up to the position of the pattern determined in advance as the reference position is counted, and the position of the detected pattern is determined as the reference position based on the result of counting the predetermined number of patterns.

(2) If the accessor 7 stops before counting the predetermined number of patterns, recovery is performed to retry the process (1). (3) A pattern for determining a reference position formed at a specific interval is provided in the same column as the mid pattern 6 in the flag pattern 5. At the time of initialization, the accessor 7 is moved in a predetermined direction while detecting a pattern, and if a pattern formed at a specific interval is detected, a reference position is determined from the position.

(4) If the accessor 7 stops before detecting a pattern arranged at a specific interval, the accessor 7 is moved while detecting the pattern in a direction opposite to the previous moving direction, and Perform recovery to retry processing for detecting a pattern formed at a specific interval.

(5) A pattern having a specific pattern width in the vertical direction is provided in the same column as the mid pattern 6 in the flag pattern 5. Accessor 7 during initialization
Is moved in a certain direction while detecting a pattern, and when a pattern formed with a specific pattern width is detected, a reference position is determined from the position.

(6) If the accessor 7 stops before detecting a pattern formed with a specific pattern width,
The accessor 7 is moved while detecting the pattern in the direction opposite to the previous movement direction, and recovery is performed to retry the process of detecting the pattern formed at a specific interval.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Method] The first method is a method of counting and initializing the number of patterns and a recovery method thereof.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a flag pattern used in the first method of the present invention. 81 in the figure
Represents a sensor light receiving position. In the flag pattern 51, only the mid pattern 61 corresponding to the mid pattern (storage position of the storage medium and the position of the drive unit) in the conventional flag pattern is engraved. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the reference position of the accessor 7 is the lower edge of the second lower mid pattern 61s.

Before starting the initialization, in order to determine where the accessor 7 is, first, in the direction opposite to the direction in which the reference pattern 61s is located (here, upward),
Move the accessor 7. Since the movement has a hard limit (stopper), the position of the accessor 7 can be almost grasped when the movement is stopped. That is, it can be determined that the accessor 7 is at the uppermost end.

Next, the number of the passing mid-patterns 6 is counted while moving the accessor 7 in the direction (downward) of the reference mid-pattern 61s. The count result is compared with “the total number of mid patterns−1” to determine whether or not it is the reference mid pattern 61s. The reference mid pattern 61s is determined, and when the output of the first sensor 8 is turned "OFF", the tacho counter is reset and the reference position is determined. Finally, the accessor is moved to the position of the lowermost mid-pattern 61 to complete initialization.

In order to determine the reference mid-pattern, when moving downward, "the total number of mid-patterns-
If the operation is stopped without counting all “1” s, recovery processing is performed. The cause of the stoppage of the accessor 7 at this time is considered to be that the accessor 7 has not completely reached the uppermost end during the initial upward movement, and therefore, simply returns to the beginning of the control and resumes the initialization. . If the initialization is not completed even if the recovery processing is performed twice (or three or more times), it is determined that recovery is impossible and a predetermined error processing is performed.

FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart of the initialization method of the first method. In step S101,
The accessor 7 is moved upward. In step S102, it is determined whether the accessor 7 has reached the upper end stopper and has stopped. Whether it has stopped can be determined by the presence or absence of the output of the tacho pulse. When the accessor 7 stops, the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, the accessor 7 is moved in the direction of the lowermost mid pattern. Step S1
At 04, it is determined whether or not the operation has stopped halfway. If stopped, the process proceeds to step S111. If no stop is detected, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, it is determined whether or not the mid pattern is "ON". If it is not "ON", the process returns to step S104, and the stop or the detection of the mid pattern is continued. If the mid-pattern is "ON", the process proceeds to step 106, where 1 is added to the mid-pattern counter.

In step S107, it is determined whether or not "all the number of mid patterns-1" has been counted. If "the number of all mid patterns-1" has been counted, the process proceeds to step S108. Returns to step S104.

In step S108, it is determined whether or not the mid pattern is "OFF", and the movement of the accessor 7 is further continued until "OFF" is detected. If the mid pattern is turned "OFF", step S1
In step 09, the tach counter is reset. Thereby, the reference position is set.

In step S110, the accessor 7 is positioned at the position of the lowermost mid-pattern, and the process ends. In step S104, if the stop of the accessor 7 is detected before detecting the reference mid pattern 61s, step S111 is executed for recovery processing.
Then, add 1 to the recovery counter. Step S1
At 12, it is determined whether the value of the recovery counter is 2 or less. If the value of the recovery counter is 2 or less, the process returns to step S101, and the initialization process is performed again. When the value of the recovery counter is larger than 2, a predetermined error process is performed.

In the above example, the accessor 7 is first moved upward, but it may be moved downward, and after reaching the lower end, moved upward to detect the mid pattern 61s.

[Second Method] The second method is a method of providing a reference mid pattern at a specific interval and initializing the same, and a method of recovering the same.

First, the initialization method will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a flag pattern used in the second method of the present invention.

The flag pattern 52 includes a mid pattern 62 corresponding to the mid pattern (storage position of the storage medium and the position of the drive unit) in the conventional flag pattern, and a special mid pattern in the same row as these mid patterns 62. , A home pattern 62h for judging the reference and a dummy (Dummy) pattern 62d. Here, the home pattern 62h
And the dummy pattern 62d are the normal mid pattern 6
The slits are formed with slits having the same width as 2 and are arranged at intervals as shown in FIG. 4, for example.

That is, the distance between the home pattern 62h and the closest mid pattern 62 is X1, and similarly the dummy pattern 62d and the closest mid pattern 6
2, the interval between the home pattern 62h and the dummy pattern 62d is X2, the interval between the mid patterns 62 between the cells is X3, and these intervals are X1>X3>.
X2 is set to have a magnitude relationship.

In the example of FIG. 4, the reference position of the accessor 7 is the lower edge of the home pattern 62h. In the following, for convenience of description, the home pattern 62h and the dummy pattern 62d are also collectively referred to as a mid pattern.

At the time of initialization, while moving the accessor 7 toward the lowermost mid pattern 62,
The position where the mid pattern is turned "OFF" is stored.
Next, when the mid pattern is turned "ON", the position is stored again, and an operation is performed to obtain the distance between the patterns. Then, if the result is “X2” shown in FIG.
The mid pattern currently detected by the first sensor 8 is determined as the home pattern 62h. Thereafter, when the home pattern 62h is turned "OFF", the tacho counter is reset and the reference position is set. Thereafter, the accessor 7 is moved to the lowermost mid pattern 62, and the initialization is completed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the initialization process of the second method. In step S201, the accessor 7 is moved toward the lowermost mid pattern 62. In step S202, it is determined whether or not the operation has stopped halfway. If the stop is detected, step S220
(Recovery processing in FIG. 6).

If the stop is not detected, step S203
, It is determined whether or not the mid pattern is “ON”. If not "ON", the process returns to step S202,
The movement of the accessor 7 is continued until the stop is detected or the “ON” of the mid pattern is detected.

If the mid pattern has been turned "ON", it is next determined in step S204 whether or not it has stopped halfway. If a stop is detected, step S
Proceed to 220. In step S205, it is determined whether the mid pattern has been turned "OFF", and if it has been turned "OFF", the flow proceeds to step S206. If it is not “OFF”, the process returns to step S204, and the monitoring of the stop or “OFF” of the mid pattern is continued.

When the mid pattern is turned "OFF", the value (i) of the tacho counter at that position is stored in step S206. Subsequently, in step S207, it is determined whether or not the operation has stopped halfway. If the operation has stopped, the process proceeds to step S220.
In step S208, it is determined whether the mid pattern has been turned "ON". “ON”
If not, the process returns to step S207, and the monitoring of the stop or the “ON” of the mid pattern is similarly continued.

When the mid pattern is turned "ON", the value (j) of the tacho counter at that position is stored in step S209. In step S210, the calculation of the pattern interval (j)-(i) is performed, and the result of the calculation is "X".
It is determined whether the value is "2". If the result of the calculation is not "X2", the process returns to step S204, and the process is repeated. If the result of the calculation is "X2", the home pattern 62h can be detected. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S211.

In step S211, the process waits until the mid pattern is turned "OFF", and the mid pattern is turned "OF".
If F ", the tacho counter is reset in step S212, and this position is set as a reference position.

In step S213, the accessor 7 is positioned at the position of the lowermost mid-pattern, and the process ends. Next, a recovery method will be described.

If the accessor 7 is located at a position lower than the lowermost mid pattern 62 before the start of initialization, the home pattern 62h and the lowermost mid pattern 62
The following recovery processing is provided in consideration of the case where the dummy pattern 62d is between the dummy pattern 62d and the home pattern 62h. First, the accessor 7 is moved upward. At that time, the movement is stopped as soon as the mid pattern is found, and the process returns to the original initialization processing. This recovery can be performed up to twice.

The recovery process of the [second method] is as follows.
Since it is not necessary to make the accessor 7 full-stroke unlike the recovery processing of the [first method], it is advantageous in terms of the initialization time.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the recovery process in the second method. In step S220, FIG.
When the accessor 7 stops in the processing of steps S202, S204, and S207 shown in FIG.
Add.

In step S221, it is determined whether the value of the recovery counter has reached 2. Until the recovery counter becomes 2, the process proceeds to step S222 to perform the recovery process, and when the recovery counter becomes 2, the recovery is impossible and a predetermined error process is performed.

In step S222, the accessor 7 is moved upward. In step S223, it is determined whether the operation has stopped halfway. If stopped, the process proceeds to error processing. If the stop is not detected, the process proceeds to step S224, and it is determined whether the mid pattern is "ON". If “ON”, the process proceeds to step S225, and “O”
If it is not "N", the process returns to step S223, and monitoring of the stop or "ON" of the mid pattern is continued.

In step S225, it is determined whether or not the operation has stopped halfway. If stopped, the process proceeds to error processing. If no stop is detected, the process proceeds to step S226 to determine whether the mid pattern has been turned "OFF". If it is "OFF", the process proceeds to step S227. If it is not "OFF", the process returns to step S225 to stop or monitor the mid pattern "OFF".

In step S227, the value (i) of the tacho counter at the position where the mid pattern is turned "OFF" is stored. In step S228, it is determined whether or not the operation has stopped halfway. If stopped, the process proceeds to error processing. If not stopped, the process proceeds to step S229, and it is determined whether or not the mid pattern has been turned "ON". If it is "ON", the process proceeds to step S230, and if it is not "ON", the process returns to step S228 to stop or monitor the ON of the mid pattern.

When the mid pattern is turned "ON", in step S230, the value of the tach counter at that position is stored in (j). In step S231, the calculation of the pattern interval (j)-(i) is performed, and the result of the calculation is "X".
It is determined whether the value is "2". If the result of the calculation is "X2", the process proceeds to step S232.If the result of the calculation is not "X2", the process returns to step S222 to repeat the same processing.

In step S232, the accessor 7 is stopped, the process returns to step S201 (FIG. 5), and the reference position is set by the above-described processing. [Third Method] A third method is a method of providing a reference mid pattern with a specific width and initializing the same, and a recovery method thereof.

First, the initialization method will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a flag pattern used in the third method of the present invention.

The flag pattern 53 includes a mid pattern 63 corresponding to the mid pattern (storage position of the storage medium and the position of the drive unit) in the conventional flag pattern, and a home pattern 6 for determining the reference position.
3h is notched. The pattern width X5 of the home pattern 63h is a wide width different from the pattern width X4 of the mid pattern 63. For example, X5 is formed so as to be twice or more the width of X4. In the example of FIG. 4, the reference position of the accessor 7 is the lower edge of the home pattern 63h.

While moving the accessor 7 in the direction of the lowermost mid pattern 63, the mid pattern is turned "ON".
, The counter (n) is set, and the tach pulse (m) is counted. If the “ON” state of the output of the first sensor 8 has been detected for a longer time than the normal pattern width of the mid pattern 63 (for example, “X4 × 2” or more), the current state is detected. Is determined to be the home pattern 63h. After that, home pattern 6
The position where 3h is interrupted, that is, the position where the output of the first sensor 8 detects "OFF" is determined as the reference position, and the tacho counter is reset. Finally, the accessor 7 is moved to the lowermost mid pattern 63, and the initialization is completed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the initialization process according to the third method. In step S301, the accessor 7 is moved toward the lowermost mid pattern 63. In step S302, it is determined whether the operation has stopped halfway. If the operation has stopped, the process proceeds to step S311.
If the stop is not detected, the process proceeds to step S303, and it is determined whether the mid pattern is “ON”. “O
If "N", the process proceeds to step S304, and if not "ON", the process returns to step S302 to stop or monitor "ON" of the mid pattern.

If the mid pattern is turned "ON", in step S304 the mid pattern is turned "ON".
The octopus value (n) at the position indicated by is stored. Step S3
At 05, the previously stored (n) is subtracted from the newly read new tacho value (o) to determine the number (m) of tacho pulses. In step S306, the mid pattern is “OF
It is determined whether it has become “F.” If it has become “OFF,” the process returns to step S302, and the same processing is repeated.
It is determined whether the value of (m) has exceeded twice the value of X4. If (m) exceeds “X4 * 2” (* indicates multiplication), the process proceeds to step S308; otherwise, the process returns to step S305 to continue counting the number of tacho pulses (m).

In step S308, the control waits until the mid pattern is turned "OFF". If the mid pattern is turned off, the tacho counter is reset in step S309, and this position is set as a reference position. Thereafter, in step S310, the accessor 7 is positioned at the position of the lowermost mid-pattern 63, and the process ends.

If the stop of the accessor 7 is detected in step S302, the tacho value (n) is reset in step S311 and the process proceeds to the recovery processing in step S320 (FIG. 9).

Next, the recovery method will be described. Before the start of initialization, the following recovery processing is performed in consideration of the case where the accessor 7 is below the home pattern 63h or the case where it is within the home pattern 63h. In this recovery processing, the accessor 7 is first moved upward. At that time mid pattern 63
Is checked, and the home pattern 63h is searched. Then, as soon as the home pattern 63h is found, the movement of the accessor 7 is stopped, and the process returns to the initializing process. This recovery process can be performed up to twice.

Furthermore, this [third method] does not require the full stroke of the accessor 7 unlike the [second method], so it can be said that it is superior in terms of the initialization time.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a recovery process in the control of the third method using the mid pattern shown in FIG. In step S320, when the accessor 7 stops in the process of step S302 shown in FIG.
Add 1 to the recovery count.

In step S321, it is determined whether or not the recovery count has reached 2. The process proceeds to step S322 until the recovery count reaches 2, and when the recovery count has reached 2, recovery is impossible and predetermined error processing is performed.

In step S322, the accessor 7 is moved upward. In step S323, it is determined whether the operation has stopped halfway. If stopped, the process proceeds to error processing. If the stop is not detected, the process proceeds to step S324, and it is determined whether the mid pattern is "ON". If it is not "ON", the process returns to step S323, and the monitoring of the stop or "ON" of the mid pattern is continued.

When the mid pattern is turned "ON", in step S325, the tach value (n) at that position is stored. In step S326, the previously stored (n) is subtracted from the newly read new tacho value (o) to obtain the number (m) of tach pulses. In step S327,
It is determined whether the mid pattern has been turned "OFF". If "OFF", the process returns to step S322, and the same process is repeated. If it is not “OFF”, the value of (m) is set to 2 of X4 in step S328.
Determine if it has exceeded twice. (M) is "X4 * 2"
Is exceeded, the process proceeds to step S329; otherwise, the process returns to step S326 to continue counting the number of tacho pulses (m).

In step S329, it is determined whether or not the operation of the accessor 7 has stopped halfway, and if so, an error process is performed. In step S330, it is determined whether or not the mid pattern has been turned "OFF", and steps S329 and S33 are performed until the mid pattern is turned "OFF".
Repeat 0. If the mid pattern is turned "OFF", the movement of the accessor 7 is stopped in step S331, and the process returns to step S301 (FIG. 8) to set the reference position by the above-described processing.

The above is the initialization (reference position setting) method according to the present invention. In any of the control methods, it is possible to obtain the accuracy of the reference position which is not different from the conventional one.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the present invention. Unlike the conventional configuration, the first sensor is used as the photo sensor 108 for controlling the accessor 7 driven by the motor 106.
The signal connected to the I / O interface 107 is only the mid pattern information.

The signal of the mid pattern information and the motor 1
In order to perform the control by the tacho pulse output from the encoder 106 of FIG. 06, the central board includes an MPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103,
Tach counter LSI 104, motor control circuit 105, I
An / O interface 107 is provided. This hardware configuration is common to any of the first to third methods described above.

If the reference position of the accessor can be set by the method described above, the cell position and the position of the drive unit can be detected by a normal mid-pattern, and the .theta. It can be determined by the number of tacho pulses output from the encoder.

[0081]

According to the conventional initialization method, the mid-pattern, home pattern,
And θ inversion prohibited area pattern were independent,
A second sensor was required. As a result, the third sensor is 1
The cost is about 5 to 10 times higher than that of the third sensor, which is a factor in increasing the overall cost.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. 1) The cost of the printed circuit board can be reduced by the control mechanism using the first sensor.

2) Since the flag pattern is also a simpler pattern as compared with the conventional pattern, material costs and material processing costs can be reduced. 3) Accuracy of the reference position, which is not different from the conventional one, can be obtained.

4) As the first sensor, various types are commercially available, and since there are a wide variety of shapes, various mounting methods for saving space in the mechanism can be examined.

5) Since the recovery method is adopted, even if an abnormality occurs during the initialization process, the library device can be recovered without performing any operation by the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a flag pattern according to a [first method] of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart of initialization and recovery processing of the [first method] of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a flag pattern according to a [second method] of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an initialization process according to a [second method] of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a recovery process according to a second method of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a flag pattern according to a [third method] of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an initialization process according to a third method of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a recovery process according to a third method of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an internal schematic diagram of a library device.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism configuration of a conventional library device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a conventional third sensor.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional flag pattern.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart at the time of initialization of a conventional library device.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional hardware configuration.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Library apparatus 2 Cartridge access station (CAS) 3 Cell 4 Disk drive 5 Flag pattern 6 Mid pattern 7 Accessor (ACC) 8 Sensor

Claims (6)

[Claims] A storage medium is stored on the basis of a cell pattern storing a plurality of storage media, a flag pattern including a pattern indicating a storage location of the storage medium, and a flag pattern formed in a single line. A reference position setting method for a library device having an accessor to be transported, wherein the accessor is moved to an upper end or a lower end during initialization, and then moved in the opposite direction while detecting the flag pattern from the upper end or the lower end. A predetermined number of patterns up to a position of a pattern determined in advance as a reference position, and determining a position of the detected pattern as a reference position from the count result of the predetermined number of patterns, wherein . 2. The reference position setting method for a library device according to claim 1, wherein when the accessor stops before counting a predetermined number of patterns, the process of the reference position setting method is retried. A recovery method of a reference position setting method in a library apparatus which is a feature of the present invention. 3. A flag pattern comprising a cell for storing a plurality of storage media, a pattern indicating a storage position of the storage medium, and a pattern arranged in one line including a pattern defining a reference position formed at a specific interval, and a flag A reference position setting method in a library device having an accessor for transporting a storage medium based on a result of detecting a pattern of a pattern, wherein at the time of initialization, the accessor is moved in a certain direction while performing pattern detection of the flag pattern. Detecting whether the intervals between the detected patterns are the specific intervals, and determining a reference position based on the result of detecting the patterns formed at the specific intervals. Setting method. 4. The reference position setting method in a library device according to claim 3, wherein the accessor stops before detecting a specific interval between the patterns.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the accessor is moved in a direction opposite to a previous moving direction while performing pattern detection of the flag pattern, and a process of detecting a pattern formed at the specific interval is retried. Recovery method of reference position setting method. 5. A flag pattern comprising a cell storing a plurality of storage media, a pattern indicating a storage position of the storage medium and a pattern including a pattern having a specific pattern width and arranged in one line, and a pattern of the flag pattern are detected. A reference position setting method in a library device having an accessor for transporting a storage medium based on a result obtained by moving the accessor in a certain direction while performing pattern detection of the flag pattern during initialization. A reference position setting method in a library device, comprising: checking whether a width is the width of the specific pattern; and determining a reference position based on a result of detecting a pattern having the specific pattern width. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein when the accessor stops before detecting a specific pattern width, the accessor is moved in a direction opposite to a previous moving direction. A recovery method for a reference position setting method in a library apparatus, wherein the flag pattern is moved while performing pattern detection, and the process of detecting a pattern having the specific pattern width is retried.