JPS6244341B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic tape storage case selection and performance device that selectively takes out a tape storage case from a storage part and plays it on a deck, and particularly relates to a tape storage case automatic selection performance device that selectively takes out a tape storage case from a storage part and plays it on a deck. By having a configuration in which the transport unit that transports the tape storage case between the two is moved up and down within the columnar space in the center of the annular storage unit, the projected floor area is reduced and miniaturization is effectively achieved. An object of the present invention is to provide a performance device that automatically selects a tape storage case.

Various devices have been proposed for selectively taking out a cassette from a storage section that stores a large number of tape storage cases such as cassettes or cartridges and playing the tape. These devices have a structure in which the cassette transport section is located outside the cassette storage section, or the deck is located at a distance from the storage section, so the projected floor area of the entire device is quite large. . Therefore, when installing the device, a large space is required, the installation conditions are limited, and in some cases, the device cannot be installed.

The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an embodiment thereof will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, showing a schematic configuration of a tape storage case (cassette) automatic selection performance device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the device according to the present invention.

First, to explain the outline of the device, the automatic cassette selection performance device 1 includes a storage section 2 for storing cassettes, a cassette deck section 3, and a cassette transport section for transporting cassettes between the storage section 2 and the cassette deck section 3. It is roughly composed of 4 and more.

The cassette storage section 2 has four cassette trays 5.
It is constructed by stacking elements a, 5b, 5c, and 5d, and is placed above the base 6 by a predetermined distance. The cassette trays 5a to 5d have an annular shape and have a columnar space 7 in the center. The cassettes 8 are fitted into radially formed recesses 5a _-1 to 5d _-1 of the cassette trays 5a to 5d, and housed in a radially lined state.

The cassette deck section 3 consists of two decks 9a and 9b installed on a base 6. Detsuki 9a,
9b are arranged radially around the columnar space 7 and within a region included below the cassette storage section 2 in plan view.

The cassette transport section 4 is disposed within the columnar space 7 and moves up and down within the columnar space 7 to transport the cassettes 8 between the storage section 2 and the deck section 3. Further, the transport section 4 rotates within the space 7 to select (retrieve) a cassette to be removed from the tray and to select the surface of the cassette to be played.

As a result, the device 1 has a structure in which each mechanical section is built into a cylindrical body formed by the outer peripheral surface of the storage section 2, that is, a cylindrical structure. Therefore, the base 6, which determines the floor area of the apparatus 1, can have a square shape with one side having the outer diameter of the cassette tray 5.
The projected floor space is small and the structure is compact. As a result, the device 1 can be easily installed even in a narrow space, and installation restrictions are largely eliminated.
Note that the device 1 operates in response to an operation to designate a cassette to be played by operating a small operation panel installed at a separate location.

Next, the configuration of each part of the above-mentioned component device will be specifically explained.

The cassette storage section 2 has a four-tiered structure in which four cassette trays 5 of the same shape as shown in FIG. 3 are stacked. The cassette tray 5 consists of an annular tray body 10, and support columns 11, 12, guide path columns 13, and guide path/rack columns 14 fixed at four locations on the outer circumferential side of the tray body 10. The cassette 8 is placed in the recess 10d in an upright position with the head insertion opening facing downward.
They are inserted horizontally into the interior and stored in a radial arrangement. The support columns 11 and 12 are disposed on both diametrical ends of one of the cassette trays 5, and the columns 13 and 14 are disposed on both diametrical ends perpendicular to this diameter. Further, in the cassette tray 5, the portions corresponding to the pillars 13 and 14 are provided with notches 10a and 10b.

Each tray has holes (not shown) in support columns 11, 12.
The pillars 11 to 14 are positioned and stacked so as to fit into the top protrusions 11a and 12a of the pillars, respectively. In this stacked state, the guideway pillars 13 and the guideway/rack pillars 14 are linearly aligned and connected. Further, the center through hole 10c of each tray forms a columnar space 7, and the notches 10a and 10b form a columnar passage 15. Each tray 5 can store 30 cassettes, and the storage section 2 has a maximum storage capacity of 120 cassettes.

Since the cassette storage section 2 has a structure in which a plurality of cassette trays 5 are stacked, the number of cassettes stored can be changed by changing the number of trays. It is possible to prepare multiple types of devices with different numbers of stored windings, which is convenient for actual commercialization. The reason why you can simply change the number of trays is that the tray 5 itself has pillars 11 to 14.
This is because it has been assembled in advance. Furthermore, since each tray has the same shape, it is convenient to prepare only one type of tray. Moreover, since the apparatus is of a stacked structure, the user of the apparatus can add, remove, and even replace trays as necessary, and change the number of cassettes stored.

Further, the cassette storage section 2 is disposed at the upper part of the device 1, and a space can be secured at the upper side, and cassette trays can be stacked and expanded as desired. can be performed with good workability. Note that if the cassette storage section is placed at the bottom of the device, the cassette deck will be placed in the area where the cassette trays are to be stacked, creating a problem when adding more cassette trays and making it troublesome to replace the cassette trays. This is the result.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cassette transport section 4 consists of a base section 20 and a rotating section 21 above it. By operating the cassette on the operation panel, the transport section 4
performs the operation of selecting (searching) the specified cassette. That is, the transport section 4 moves up and down to the height position of the tray in which the designated cassette is stored, and the rotating section 21 rotates so that the cassette retrieval/return arm mechanism 31 and the cassette storage chamber 30, which will be described later, are aligned with the designated cassette. position.

In the base section 20, the tip roller 23 of the rod 22 on the right side is inside the guide path of the guide path column 13, and the pair of rollers 25a and 25b of the L-shaped arm section 24 on the left side is inside the column 14.
The left drive shaft 2 fits into the guide path 14a of the
The pinion 27 of No. 6 is located in the columnar space 7 in a state of meshing with the rack 14b of the column 14. The base portion 20 is attached to a bracket 28 on the base side of the rod 22.
By adjusting the mounting position of the columnar space 7, it can be easily positioned at the center of the columnar space 7. The pinion 27 is rotated by the lifting motor 29 of the base part 20 and rolls while meshing with the rack 14b, and the base part 20 moves each roller 23, 25a, 25b along a guide path located at a considerable distance from each other. is guided along the turning section 2.
1 and within the columnar space 7, as shown by arrows A ₁ and A ₂ in FIG.

The rotating section 21 is composed of a cassette storage chamber 30 at the lower part and a cassette ejecting/returning arm mechanism 31 at the upper part, and is rotated by a rotating motor 32 on the base side to rotate the center of the base section 20, that is, the center O of the columnar space 7. It turns around as indicated by arrows B ₁ and B ₂ in FIG. 1.

The cassette storage chamber 30 has a pair of side wall plates 33a, 3 disposed apart from each other by the thickness of the cassette.
3b and more. Cassette 8 is in cassette storage room 3
It can be inserted and removed from either end of the 0.

The cassette take-out/return arm mechanism 31 consists of an upper basic arm section 34 and a lower operating arm section 35. Both arm parts 34 and 35 are aligned with the longitudinal direction of the cassette storage chamber 30. Between the basic arm part 34 and the operating arm part 35, there is a double displacement mechanism (not shown) consisting of a rack and pinion. It is incorporated and the operating arm portion 35
is displaced by twice the amount of displacement of the basic arm portion 34. The basic arm portion 34 is operated by a pair of pinions 36a and 36b driven by a belt by a motor (not shown).
Displaced in C ₁ and C ₂ directions. Basic arm 34 is arrow C ₁
When displaced in the (C ₂ ) direction, the operating arm 35 is displaced as shown by the dashed line (double-dashed line) in FIG.
Opposed to the cassette storage recess or cassette deck.

The operating arm portion 35 has hanging arms 35a, 35 at both ends thereof.
b, and when the cassette 8 is displaced in the directions of the arrows C ₁ and C ₂ , the hanging arm 35 a or 35 b locks a portion of the side wall of the cassette 8 located on the upper side near the back side and moves the cassette 8 in the same direction. As a result, the cassette 8 is moved in the radial direction in the plan view of the apparatus 1 (FIG. 1A) between the tray 5 and the cassette storage chamber 30, and the cassette removal/return operation is performed. The cassette is moved between the cassette 9b and the cassette storage chamber 30, and the cassette is mounted on and removed from the deck. In addition, when removing/returning a cassette and mounting/removing the cassette, the cassette transport section 4
The hanging arms 35a, 35 move up and down in small steps.
The height position of b with respect to the cassette 8 is adjusted.
Also, especially when taking out a cassette from the tray, the plunger 37 operates and the push-up roller 38
, and the cassette 8 is lifted up on the inner peripheral side of the tray.

In addition, the cassette storage chamber 3 is
0 must be aligned so as to coincide with predetermined cassette storage recesses 5a _-1 to 5d _{-1 of trays 5a to 5d} or cassette holders 9a _-1 and 9b _-1 of decks 9a and 9b. This alignment operation is performed by rotating the rotating section 21 of the cassette transport section 4 instead of the tray or deck. In this case, a pulse motor is used to rotate at an angle corresponding to the specified pulse and stop accurately.

Further, with the cassette 8 stored in the cassette storage chamber 30, the cassette transport section 4 moves up and down, and the cassette 8 is transported between a predetermined tray and deck. The cassette 8 is stably held in the cassette storage chamber 30 while being held between the pressing plates 39. Further, the cassette 8 is pulled into the chamber 30 by the tapered portions 3 of the side wall plates 33a and 33b.
This is ensured by the guiding action of 3 _a-1 and 33 _b-1 .

Therefore, cassette take-out/return, loading/unloading operations, related operations, and cassette transport operations are all performed using the columnar space 7.

The cassette deck section 3 has two decks 9a and 9.
Consists of b. Each deck 9a, 9b has a deck main body 9a _-2 , 9b _-2 and a rotatable cassette holder 9a _-1 ,
Consists of 9 _b-1 . Cassette holder 9 _a-1 , 9 _b-1
is driven by a motor (not shown) to rotate between an upright position and a horizontal position, and the top surface and inner peripheral surface in the upright position are open. The cassette 8 is laterally inserted into and removed from the cassette holders 9 _a-1 and 9 _b-1 by the action of the operating arm 35, and is made horizontal by the rotation of the holders 9 _a-1 and 9 _b-1. It is attached to the deck bodies 9 _a-2 and 9 _b-2 and played.

Here, two decks are provided, and while one deck 9a is playing, the cassette transport section 4 operates, and the other deck 9b is loaded with the next cassette to be played. In other words, the program is in a standby state. This makes it possible to immediately start playing the next program after the playing of one program ends.

Next, the operation of the apparatus having the above structure will be explained with particular attention to the movement of the cassette, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 shows a case where a cassette 8a is mounted on a deck 9a with its A side as the playing surface. The cassettes are arranged radially on the tray, with the A-side display section on the outer periphery and the B-side display section on the inner periphery. First, the cassette 8a is selected by the rotating section 21, and the cassette 8a _-1
As shown in , the cassette is pulled out to the center of the tray 5 by the cassette eject/return arm mechanism 31, and then _8a-
As shown at ₂ , 8 _a-3 , 8 _a-4 , the cassette transport section 4
It turns 180 degrees and descends to a position facing the deck 9a, and then the mechanism 31 moves the deck _8a-
As shown in ₅ , it is inserted into the cassette holder 9 _a-1 ,
8 As shown at _a-6 , it is attached to the deck body 9 _a-2 with side A serving as the playing surface.

FIG. 6 shows a case where a cassette 8a is mounted on a deck 9a with its B side as the playing surface. First, the cassette 8a is pulled out to the center of the tray 5 as shown at 8 _a-1 , and then lowered without rotating by the conveying section 4 as shown at 8 _a-7 and 8 _a-8 , and is placed on the deck 9 a.
It is then inserted into the cassette holder 9 _a-1 as shown at 8 _a-9 , and then inserted into the deck body 9 _a-2 with side B as the performance surface as shown at 8 _a-10 . It will be installed.

Further, the cassette moves in the opposite path to that described above, is removed from the deck 9a, and is returned to the original storage recess of the tray.

As is clear from the above, the operation of selecting sides A and B of the cassette and the operation of placing the cassette in the storage section 2
The operation of searching within is performed by the same mechanism, that is, the turning section 21, and the mechanism is simplified accordingly.

Although the above embodiment has been described with respect to a performance apparatus that handles cassettes, the basic arrangement according to the present invention can be similarly applied to cartridges. Further, the number of cassette trays and the number of decks are not limited to those in the above embodiment.

As described above, according to the tape storage case automatic selection performance device according to the present invention, the storage section for storing a plurality of tape storage cases is arranged on the upper side, and the deck is arranged at the lower side of the storage section. However, since the transport section that transports the tape storage case between the storage section and the deck is arranged to move up and down within the columnar space in the center of the storage section, the projected floor area of the device can be reduced. As a result, it can be effectively miniaturized and can be installed in a narrow space. Furthermore, since the guide pillars for supporting and guiding the transporting part are provided in the tape storage housing storage part itself, there is no need for pillars in the pillar space, which allows the pillar space to be used effectively. Furthermore, since the carrying section is supported and guided by a plurality of guide road pillars at locations separated from each other, the carrying section is supported and guided more stably than when supported by a single support. Furthermore, since the storage section disposed on the upper side is configured by stacking storage trays, it is possible to add more units, and the work for this purpose is also easy.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1A and 1B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a tape storage case automatic selection performance device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway view of the overall configuration of this device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first cassette tray in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the cassette transport section in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the movement of the cassette from cassette selection and removal to cassette mounting. 1...Tape storage case (cassette) automatic selection performance device, 2...Cassette storage section, 3...Cassette deck section, 4...Cassette transport section, 5, 5a-5
d...Cassette tray, 6...Base, 7...Central columnar space, 8...Cassette, 9a, 9b...Deck, 10...Tray body, 11, 12...Support column, 13...Guideway Pillar, 14...Rack/guide path pillar, 15...Columnar passage, 20...Base part, 21...
...Swivel part, 23, 25a, 25b...Roller, 2
7, 36a, 36b...pinion, 29...lifting motor, 30...cassette storage chamber, 31...cassette removal/return arm mechanism, 32...swivel motor, 34...basic arm section, 35... Working arm.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An annular tape storage housing storing section for accommodating a plurality of tape storage housings in a radial arrangement is disposed on the upper side, and the tape storage housing is attached to perform a performance. A deck is disposed at a position below the tape storage case storage section, and a plurality of transport section guide path pillars are provided in the tape storage case storage section itself, and the tape storage case is selected from the storage section. A tape storage casing transport section that holds the tape storage casing and moves between the tape storage casing accommodating section and the deck is supported and guided by the plurality of guide path pillars and moves toward the center of the annular tape storage casing accommodating section. A tape storage case automatic selection performance device characterized in that the tape storage case is arranged to move up and down in a columnar space. 2. The tape storage case automatic selection performance device according to claim 1, wherein the tape storage case storage section has a structure in which storage trays are stacked.