JPH0262908B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a mechanism for inserting an optical disk cartridge into the device in an optical disk library device for storing and driving an optical disk cartridge. The present invention relates to a mechanism that allows an optical disk cartridge to be rotatably rotated by a predetermined angle when inserted.

[Conventional technology]

As shown in FIG. 4, the optical disk cartridge 1 has a recess 2 for hanging a transport hook, and
Some discs are equipped with a shutter 3 (the arrows in the figure indicate the opening/closing directions) that are opened when reading the recorded contents of the disc.

When holding this cartridge 1 by hand, it is necessary to avoid the structurally weak portion of the shutter 3 and hold the portion between the recesses 2 (portion A in the figure). As a result, the cartridge 1 held by hand in this manner is moved to the front surface of the optical disk library device 4.
Immediately before inserting the cartridge 1 into the device 4 through the insertion opening 4a at the top of the device 4, the orientation of the cartridge 1 is such that the recess 2 is closer to the shutter 3 than the shutter 3 when viewed from the front of the device 4, as shown in FIG. The orientation is as shown in .

On the other hand, when the cartridge 1 is loaded into or taken out from the storage rack 6 or the drive section 7 by the transport mechanism 5 in the apparatus 4, the orientation of the cartridge 1 is determined so that the transport hook (not shown) of the transport mechanism 5 is hung in the recess 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the recess 2 must be oriented further back than the shutter 3 when viewed from the front of the device (referred to as the hook engagement orientation).

Therefore, in the optical disk library device,
Upon insertion, it is necessary to rotate the optical disk cartridge 180 degrees to orient it for hook engagement.

However, in the past, no insertion mechanism suitable for rotating the cartridge existed.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

This invention was made in view of the above points,
The present invention seeks to provide an insertion mechanism suitable for rotating and orienting an optical disk cartridge for hook engagement.

[Means for solving problems]

The insertion mechanism according to the present invention is a mechanism for inserting an optical disk cartridge into an optical disk library device, and has a pinion attached thereto and a support portion that supports the optical disk cartridge to be inserted. a cartridge support member having a cartridge support member, a displacement member that rotatably supports the support member in the rotational direction of the pinion and is movable in a direction that displaces the position of the rotation axis of the pinion along a predetermined trajectory; disposed along a path in which the pinion of the support member is displaced by displacement of the member, and the pinion engages in response to the displacement;
It is also characterized by comprising a rack for rotating the pinion by a predetermined angle in response to this engagement.

[Effect]

When the displacement member is displaced, the cartridge support member rotates due to the meshing of the rack and pinion. Therefore, when an optical disk cartridge is supported by the support member, the cartridge also rotates together with the support member.

In this way, the optical disk cartridge can be easily rotated as the displacement member is displaced, so by manually displacing the displacement member by a certain distance, the cartridge can be easily rotated.
You can now rotate it 180 degrees and set the orientation for hook engagement.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an insertion mechanism according to the present invention. This insertion mechanism is provided at the insertion opening (4a in FIG. 5) of the optical disk library device 4.

The turntable 8 has a pinion 9 fixedly attached to the bottom surface with its rotation center line oriented in the vertical direction (direction orthogonal to the drawing), and is designed to accommodate the optical disk cartridge in the dimensions of the optical disk cartridge. It has a concave surface 8a of suitable dimensions on the upper surface. The optical disk cartridge has a concave 8
By being housed in a, it is mounted and supported on the turntable 8.

The turntable 8 is placed on the moving table 10,
It is mounted and supported so as to be rotatable in the rotational direction of the pinion 9 (direction of arrow B in the figure). The circumferential surface of the turntable 8 is provided with recesses 8b and 8c at two locations separated by 180 degrees from each other, and the surface of the movable table 10 facing the circumferential surface is provided with recesses 8b and 8c. plunger 11 for
is installed. The turntable 8 is rotatable and is weakly fixed to the movable table 10 by inserting the plunger 11 into the recess 8b or 8c. (The figure shows a state in which the plunger 11 is inserted into the recess 8b.) The movable table 10 is attached to the guide table 12.
It is supported so as to be linearly movable in a certain direction (direction of arrow C in the figure) on a plane perpendicular to the rotation center line of the pinion 9 (that is, a horizontal plane). Mobile table 10
Recesses 10a and 10b are provided at two locations separated by a certain distance on each outer surface of the guide table 12, and when facing each of the outer surfaces of the guide table 12, the guide table 12 is engaged with the recess 10a or 10b. A convex plate spring 13 is attached to each. The movable table 10 is linearly movable, and is weakly fixed to the guide table 12 by engagement of the plate springs 13 with each recess 10a or 10b. (The figure shows a state in which the plate springs 13 are engaged with each recess 10a.) In the guide table 12, the movable table 1
A rack 14 is attached to the side surface 12a along the path along which the pinion 9 of the turntable 8 moves due to the linear movement of the turntable 8. The length of the rack 14 is determined to be 1/2 of the circumference of the pinion 9. In addition, the recesses 10a and 1 of the moving table 10
0b is set to be longer than the length of the rack 14. As a result, the recess 10a or 1
When the moving table 10 moves linearly from the position where the leaf spring 13 engages with either one of the recesses 10a or 10b to the position where the leaf spring 13 engages with the other one of the recesses 10a or 10b, the rack 14 and pinion 9 Due to the engagement, the turntable 8
Rotate by 180°.

An example of the insertion operation of the optical disk cartridge in this insertion mechanism is as follows.

Plunger 1 is placed in recess 8b of turntable 8.
1, and the recess 10 of the moving table 10.
The optical disk cartridge 1 is stored in the concave surface 8a of the turntable 8, with the plate spring 12 engaged with the optical disk cartridge 1 held by the portion between the concave portions 2 (the portion A in FIG. 4). At this time, the cartridge 1 is oriented so that the key portion 2 is located in front of the shutter 3 when viewed from the front of the device 4, as shown in FIG. (This is clear from the explanation given above.)

Next, move the moving table 10 onto the guide rail 1.
1, push it by hand to the position where the leaf spring 12 engages with the hole 10b. Then, in the middle of the rotation, the cartridge 1 rotates 180 degrees together with the turntable 8, and the plunger 11 is inserted into the recess 8c, so that the turntable 8 is weakly fixed again. As a result, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. direction)
is set to

In this way, with a simple and inexpensive configuration,
Moreover, by simply moving the moving table a short distance (i.e. within a small space),
The optical disk cartridge can be easily rotated and oriented for hook engagement.

Next, FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the insertion mechanism according to the present invention. This insertion mechanism is also provided at the insertion opening (4a in FIG. 5) of the optical disk library device 4.

The turntable 8 is exactly the same as that shown in FIG. Turntable 8 is
It is mounted and supported on a fan-shaped rotating table 15 in a state where it can rotate in the rotational direction of the pinion 9. The rotation table 15 is mounted on the front face F of the device 4 and rotates on a plane perpendicular to the rotation center axis of the pinion 9 (that is, on a horizontal plane) with the rotation center at a point corresponding to the key point of the fan (point D in the figure). supported in a movable manner. The range of rotation is from a rotational position where one side l is perpendicular to the front face F and the rotary table 15 is completely outside the device 4 (the position indicated by the solid line in the figure), to a position where the side l is parallel to the front face F. It is 90 degrees to the rotation position (the position indicated by the dashed line in the figure) in which the rotation table 15 is completely housed in the device 4.

A rack 16 is provided along the path along which the pinion 8 moves due to the rotation of the rotation table 15, and at a position closer to the center of rotation D than the path. The length of the rack 16 is set to 1/4 of the circumference of the pinion 9. As a result, when the rotary table 15 rotates 90 degrees, the turntable 8 rotates an additional 90 degrees in the same direction as the direction of rotation (i.e., turns Table 8 rotates 180° as a whole).

An example of the rotation operation of the optical disk cartridge in this insertion mechanism is as follows.

With the rotary table 15 completely outside the device 4, the part between the key parts 2 (part A in FIG. 4)
The optical disk cartridge 1 held in the hand is stored in the concave surface 8a of the turntable 8. At this time,
The orientation of the cartridge 1 is such that the key portion 2 is located in front of the shutter (not shown) when viewed from the front of the device 4, as shown by the dashed-dotted line on the solid line rotary table 15 in FIG. (This is also clear from the explanation using FIG. 5).

Subsequently, the rotary table 15 is manually pushed and rotated by 90 degrees to a rotary position in which it is completely accommodated within the device 4. Then, in the middle of the process, cartridge 1
rotates 180° together with turntable 7. As a result, as shown by the dot-dash line on the rotation table 15 in FIG. It is set in a certain orientation (that is, the orientation for hook engagement).

In this way, with a simple and inexpensive configuration,
The optical disk cartridge can be easily rotated and oriented for hook engagement.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the insertion mechanism according to the present invention, in an optical disk library device, when inserting an optical disk cartridge into the device, the cartridge can be easily rotated 180 degrees and set in the orientation for hook engagement. It has the effect of being able to

In addition, if the potential member is made to be able to move linearly, and the cartridge support member is rotated 180° by the meshing of the rack and pinion during linear movement, the rotation of the cartridge supporting member by 180 degrees will occur due to the linear movement of the displacement member over a short distance. You can change the direction of the optical disk cartridge. Therefore, the optical disk cartridge can be easily set in the orientation for hook engagement with a simple and inexpensive structure, and especially within a small space.

Further, the displacement member is made rotatable about a predetermined location on the member as a rotation center, and the rack is positioned along the path along which the pinion is displaced and closer to the rotation center than the path, so that the displacement Due to the engagement of the rack and pinion when the member rotates, the cartridge support member further rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction, and the support member as a whole
Even when the optical disk cartridge is rotated by 180 degrees, the optical disk cartridge can be easily set in the direction for hook engagement using a simple and inexpensive structure.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the insertion mechanism according to the present invention, in which a is a top view, b is a side view seen from the front of the optical disk library device, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a top view showing another embodiment of the insertion mechanism according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an example of the optical disk cartridge. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view schematically showing an example of an optical disk library device. 1... Optical disk cartridge, 2... Concavity,
3... Shutter, 4... Optical disk library device, 4a... Insertion slot, 5... Transport mechanism, 6...
Storage rack, 7... Drive unit, 8... Turntable, 8a... Concave surface, 8b, 8c... Concave portion, 9
...Pinion, 10...Moving table, 10a,
10b... recess, 11... plunger, 12...
...Guide table, 13...Plate spring, 14, 16
...Easy, 15...Rotating table.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A mechanism for inserting an optical disk cartridge into an optical disk library device, which is equipped with a pinion and has a support portion that supports the optical disk cartridge to be inserted. a cartridge support member; a displacement member that rotatably supports the support member in the rotational direction of the pinion and is movable in a direction that displaces the position of the rotation axis of the pinion along a predetermined trajectory; and the displacement member a rack that is disposed along a path in which the pinion of the support member is displaced due to the displacement of the support member, and that is engaged with the pinion in response to the displacement and rotates the pinion by a predetermined angle in response to the engagement; An optical disk cartridge insertion mechanism characterized by: 2. The optical disk cartridge insertion mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the displacement member is linearly movable, and the cartridge supporting member is rotated 180 degrees by engagement of the rack and pinion during linear movement. 3. The displacement member is rotatable about a predetermined location on the member, and the rack is located along the path along which the pinion is displaced and closer to the rotation center than the path, and the rack is The cartridge supporting member further rotates in the same direction as the rotational direction due to the engagement of the rack and pinion when the member rotates, thereby rotating the supporting member as a whole by 180°. The optical disk cartridge insertion mechanism according to scope 1. 4. The support part of the cartridge support member is made of a concave surface with dimensions that match the dimensions of the optical disk cartridge for storing the cartridge.Claim 1, 2, or 3. The optical disk cartridge insertion mechanism described.