JPH03212849A - Recording medium cartridge carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maximize the effective stroke of a holding means by sliding a first sliding member along a guide shaft when the holding means is moved, and moving a second sliding member to the most front position in the traveling direction of the holding means of the first sliding member. CONSTITUTION:This carrier is equipped with the first sliding member 15 supported with bearings with the guide shaft G and mounted slidably along the shaft, and the second sliding member 19 which supports the holding means 10 and mounted slidably with the holding means 10 along the first sliding member 15. The first sliding member 15 is slid along the guide shaft G when the holding means 10 is moved along the guide shaft 10 in either direction, and also, the second sliding member 19 is moved to the most front position in the travel direction of the holding means 10 of the first sliding member 15. Thereby, it is possible to maximize the effective stroke of the holding means, and to prevent space in the vicinity of both terminal parts of the guide shaft from being used wastefully.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a recording medium cartridge transport device, and particularly to one that can maximize the length over which a holder can move along a transport guide.

[Conventional technology]

Optical disk cartridge (hereinafter referred to as cartridge)
As illustrated in FIG. 6, an optical disk library device that stores and drives cartridges 1 includes a multi-stage storage rack 2 that stores a plurality of cartridges 1, and a storage rack 2 that stores a plurality of cartridges 1. The drive 3 includes a drive 3 that performs reading or writing information to an optical disk, and a transport device 4B that transports the cartridge 1 between the storage rack 2 and the drive 3. The transport device 4B has a holder 6 that can take in and hold the cartridge 1, and can also release the held cartridge 1. The holder 6 is supported by a support frame 5 disposed around it, and when the support frame 5 is moved up and down along the guide shaft G by a lifting means consisting of a motor M and an endless belt B, the support frame 5 is moved up and down along the guide shaft G. The holder 6 and the support frame 5 are collectively referred to as a holding means H, which transports the held cartridge 1 by moving up and down integrally with the frame 5.

As mentioned above, the support frame 5 supporting the holder 6 has a bearing 8 inserted into the guide shaft G and slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the shaft G at only one end thereof.
is fixed to. Since the support frame 5 is fixed to the bearing 8 only at one end thereof, that is, in a cantilevered manner, a large rotational moment is applied to the bearing 8 in the direction of arrow C due to the weight of the holding means H, and the bearing 8 may not be able to slide smoothly on the guide shaft G, or may cause wobbling. Therefore, at present, the bearing 8 is lengthened to increase the area of contact with the guide shaft G to prevent the influence of the rotational moment as described above.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when the bearing 8 is made longer, the length Ll in the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft G in the bearing 8 and the guide shaft G in the holding means H are
The difference from the length (that is, height) L2 in the longitudinal direction becomes large, and the bearing 8 is connected to one of the stoppers provided at the upper and lower ends of the guide shaft G (in the example shown, the stopper at the lower end of the guide shaft G). sb) and stops, the support frame 5 will stop considerably before the stopper sb. Therefore, the length (effective stroke) that the holding means H can actually move along the guide shaft G is considerably shorter than the length of the guide shaft G.
The device space near both ends of the guide shaft G is wasted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium cartridge transport device that can maximize the effective stroke of the holder.

[Means to solve the problem]

The recording medium cartridge conveyance device according to the present invention includes: a holding means for detachably holding a recording medium cartridge to be conveyed; and a long guide shaft provided over the entire conveyance range along the conveyance direction of the recording medium cartridge. ,
a first slide member of a predetermined length supported by the guide shaft and slidably mounted along the guide shaft; a second slide member slidably attached; first stopper means provided at both ends of the guide shaft for stopping movement of the first slide member at both ends of the guide shaft; a second slide member provided at both ends of the slide member, the second slide member being configured to stop movement of the second slide member at both ends of the first slide member;
and drive means for driving the holding means to move the holding means along the guide shaft, when the first sliding member is located at the end of the guide shaft, The second slide member slides with respect to the first slide member and is located at the most forward part of the first slide member in the moving direction of the holding means, thereby displacing the holding means over substantially the entire length of the guide shaft. It is characterized by making it possible to

[Effect]

The operation of the recording medium cartridge conveying device according to the present invention will be described assuming that the recording medium cartridge is conveyed in the vertical direction, and therefore the guide shaft extends in the vertical direction.

When the holding means is moved, e.g. upward, along the guide shaft, the driving force of the driving means causes the holding means to move in the second direction.
is moved along the first slide member until it abuts stop means at the upper end of the first slide member. In this way, the holding means is located at the uppermost part of the first sliding member.Then, by further application of the driving force of the driving means, the holding means is moved at its upper end to the stop at the upper end. Pressing the means upwardly causes the first slide member to slide upwardly relative to the guide shaft. In this way, the holding means moves upwardly along the guide shaft while being located at the uppermost part of the first slide member. Therefore, when the first sliding member is stopped by the stopper means at the upper end of the guide shaft, the holding means can be located at the uppermost part of the guide shaft. Further, when the holding means that has been moved upward along the guide shaft as described above is moved downward, the holding means is moved through the second slide member by the driving force of the driving means in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned one. and is moved along the first slide member until it abuts stopper means at the lower end of the first slide member. In this way, the holding means moves downward along the guide shaft while being located at the lowermost portion of the first slide member.

Note that the above-mentioned effect occurs because the frictional force between the guide shaft and the first sliding member is considerably larger than the frictional force between the first sliding member and the second sliding member, and there is no driving by the driving means. When the first slide member starts sliding along the guide shaft,
This assumes that the second slide member starts sliding along the first slide member. Contrary to the above case, when the frictional force between the guide shaft and the first sliding member is smaller than the frictional force between the first sliding member and the second sliding member and there is a drive by the driving means, When the first slide member starts sliding along the guide shaft before the second slide member starts sliding along the first slide member, the following effect occurs.

That is, for example, when the initial state is such that the second slide member is locked to the stopper means at the lower end of the first slide member, and the first slide member is locked to the stopper means at the lower end of the guide shaft. , when the holding means is driven upward by the driving means, the driving force of the driving means is transmitted to the first sliding member via the holding means and the second sliding member, and the first sliding member is moved upwardly by the driving means. It begins to slide upwards along the guide shaft, accompanied by the sliding member and the holding means. Next, when the first sliding member is stopped by the stopper means at the upper end of the guide shaft, the second sliding member is moved to the first sliding member by the driving force.
slides upwardly along said first slide member until stopped by stop means at the upper end of said first slide member; will be located. In this way, when the first sliding member is stopped by the stopper means at the upper end of the guide shaft, the holding means
Located at the top of the guide shaft. Also, after that,
Even when the holding means is driven downward by the driving means, the second sliding member slides to the stopper means at the lower end of the first sliding member, so that the holding means is located at the lowest part of the guide shaft. .

As described above, in the recording medium cartridge conveying device according to the present invention, when the holding means is moved in any direction along the guide shaft, the first sliding member slides along the guide shaft. At the same time, the second slide member is also moved to the forefront in the moving direction of the holding means in the first slide member. As a result, the effective stroke of the holding means can be maximized, and even if the difference between the length of the first sliding member and the height of the holding means is large, space near both ends of the guide shaft is not wasted. There's nothing to do.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a recording medium cartridge conveying device 4 according to the present invention.
This shows one embodiment of A, in which the present invention is implemented in the optical disk library device shown in its entirety in FIG. 2, and only one part related to the present invention is shown. That is, the optical disk library device not only has the first storage rack 2A and the drive 3 on one side of the transport device [4A], but also has a second storage rack (additional storage rack) on the other side of the transport device 4A. Rack) 2B is provided. The optical disk library device thus has two storage racks 2A and 2 on both sides of the transport device [4A].
By providing B, the cartridge storage capacity is expanded.

In FIG. 1, the holder 10 has two first storage racks and a first cartridge entrance 10a at one end facing the drive 3, and a second storage rack 2.
A second cartridge entrance/exit port 10a2 is provided at the other end opposite to B.
and the first storage rack 2A or the drive 3
The cartridge 1 is shaped to allow the cartridge 1 to pass in both directions, ie, in the direction toward the storage rack 2B and in the direction toward the second storage rack 2B. Therefore, the cartridge 1 can be taken in and out (output and take-in) not only between the first storage rack 2A and the drive 3 but also between the second storage rack 2B. By the way,
Cartridge 1 stored in second storage rack 2B
When the cartridge is transferred to the drive 3, the second cartridge entrance 11a of either one of the holder pockets 11 or 12 is opened.
2 or 12a2 into said one holder pocket 11 or 12, said holder pocket 11 or 12
The cartridge is sent to the drive 3 from the first cartridge entrance/exit 11a1 or 12a□. Also, holder 1
0 is fixed to a rotating shaft 14 that is supported by the vertical ends 5b□, 5b2 of the support frame 5, and is supported by the supporting frame 5 by the rotating shaft 14. The support frame 5 is.

It is connected to an endless belt B driven by a motor M, and one vertical end (in the illustrated example, the second storage rack 2
At the − side of the vertical end 5b2) facing B,
It is supported by the guide shaft G in a cantilevered manner. In this way, when the support frame 5 is moved up and down along the guide shaft G by driving the endless belt B by the motor M, the holder 10 moves up and down integrally with the support frame 5. This is for transporting the cartridge 1. Further, the holder 10 is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the support frame 5 by the rotation shaft 14 driven by an appropriate means so that the recording surface of the cartridge 1 accessed by the head of the drive 3 can be reversed. It can be rotated. Although not shown, a feeding mechanism including a feeding roller or the like is provided on the horizontal portions 5a of the support frame 5 located on both sides of the holder 10 in order to take the cartridge 1 into and out of the holder 10.

In FIG. 3, the support frame 5 is shown at the vertical end 5b.

The mechanism supported by the guide shaft G on the - side is shown in detail. The bearing 15 (that is, the first sliding member) inserted into the guide shaft G is a sliding bearing having a bearing portion 15a made of oil-impregnated metal or the like, and is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft G. . An upper flange portion 16a and a lower flange portion 16b that project horizontally toward the holder 10 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the bearing 15. In the bearing 15, between the upper flange part 16a and the lower flange part 16b, there are flange parts L6a and 16b at the upper end and the lower end, respectively.
A vertical rail portion 17 is formed integrally with the vertical rail portion 17. The rail portion 17 has a flange portion 18 having a substantially isosceles triangular cross section that becomes wider in the direction toward the holder 10 . On the negative side of the vertical end 5b□, on the side facing the guide shaft G, a member 19 (i.e., a second slide member) is fitted around the flange portion 18 and has a substantially C-shaped cross section. It is fixed. The bearing is member 19.

For example, the two side edges 18a, 18 of the flange portion 18 are made of cross roller bearings with high precision and high load resistance.
It has side protrusions 19a, 19a facing a. Each side protrusion 19a is attached with a roller R that contacts the surface of the opposing side edge 18a, and a plurality of rollers R are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the side protrusion 19a. In addition, in FIG. 3, only one roller R is shown for each side protrusion 19a.

When the support frame 5 is moved, for example, upward by the endless belt B, the bearing member 19 moves upward relative to the vertical rail portion 17 until its upper end abuts the upper flange portion 16a of the vertical rail portion 17. It is something. on the other hand,
The bearing 15 slides upward along the guide shaft G as the upper end of the member 19 presses the upper flange portion 16a upward due to the force of the endless belt B to move the support frame 5 further upward. It is something that moves. Similarly, when the support frame 5 is moved downward, the bearing member 19 continues to move around the vertical rail portion 19 until its lower end abuts the lower flange portion 16b of the vertical rail portion 17.
Move downward relative to 7. The bearing 15 is caused by the force of the endless belt B to move the support frame 5 further downward, so that the lower end of the member 19 is moved to the lower flange portion 16.
By pressing b downward, it slides downward along the guide shaft G. The bearing member 19 is
When no movement of the holder 1o has taken place, depending on whether the holder 10, and therefore the support frame 5, has recently been moved upwardly or downwardly,
It is locked in a state in which it is in contact with the upper flange portion 16a side or the lower flange portion 16b of the vertical rail portion 17. For clarity, in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bearing member 19 is shown as the vertical rail portion 1 for convenience.
7 is shown positioned in the middle of the figure.

Next, an example of the operation of the recording medium cartridge conveying device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In FIG. 4A, the bearing member 19 is the upper flange portion 1.
It is locked in a state where it is in contact with 6a.

The holder 10 is located at the uppermost part of the rail section 17. In this state, when the holder 10 is moved downward toward the lower end of the guide shaft G, the support frame 5 is first pulled downward by the rotational force of the endless belt B in a predetermined direction, and the bearing member 19 is moved downward. It moves downward along the vertical rail section 17 until its lower end abuts the lower flange section 16b. In this way, the holder 10 is moved to the lowermost part of the rail section 17. Next, as the support frame 5 is further pulled downward by the endless belt B, the bearing member 19 presses the lower flange portion 16b downward with its lower end.

Due to such a pressing force, the bearing 15 begins to slide downward along the guide shaft G, and the sliding is stopped by coming into contact with a lower stopper sb provided at the lower end of the guide shaft G. At this time, since the holder 1 has moved to the lowermost part of the rail section 17 as described above,
0 will stop at a position between the bearing 15 and the road.

Further, when moving the holder 10 in the state shown in FIG. 4A upward, the support frame 5 is pulled upward by the rotational force of the endless belt B in the opposite direction, and the bearing member 9 is The bearing 10 is slid by pressing the upper flange portion 16a upward at the upper end. In this case.

The holder 1o is moved upward while remaining located at the uppermost part of the rail portion 17, that is, without preliminary movement along the rail portion 17.

Further, in FIG. 4B, the bearing member 19 is locked in contact with the lower flange portion 16b, and the holder 1o is located at the lowermost portion of the rail portion 17. In this state, when moving the holder 10 toward the upper end of the guide shaft G, the support frame 5 is first pulled upward by the rotational force of the endless belt B in the opposite direction, and the bearing member 19 is moved toward the rail. It moves upward along section 17. In this way, the holder 10 is moved to the top of the rail section 17. Next, as the support frame 5 is further pulled upward by the endless belt B, the bearing member 19 is attached to the upper flange portion 16 at its upper end.
Press a upward.

Due to such a pressing force, the bearing 15 begins to slide upward along the guide shaft G, and the sliding is stopped when it comes into contact with an upper stopper Sa provided at the upper end of the guide shaft G. At this time, since the holder 10 has been preliminarily moved to the uppermost part of the rail portion 17, the holder 10 stops at a position spaced apart from the bearing 15. Also, the fourth
Needless to say, when the holder 10 in the state shown in Figure B is moved downward, the holder 10 is moved downward without preliminary movement along the rail portion 17.

FIG. 5 shows a holder 10' according to a modification of the invention. This holder 10' has two holding parts, each of which can hold one cartridge 1, by arranging two holders 10 shown in FIG. 1 in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft G. .

That is, it is a double-structured holder comprising a first holder pocket 11 and a second holder pocket 12.

Such a holder 10' is called a double pocket type holder. Incidentally, the holder 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a one-pocket type holder. In the optical disk library device using this double-pocket type holder 10', for example, when replacing the cartridge 1 driven by the drive 3, the driven cartridge 1 is taken from the drive 3 into the first holder pocket 11, At approximately the same time as this (that is, without the need to return the cartridge 1 to the storage rack 2), it becomes possible to supply a new cartridge 1 to the drive 3 from the second holder pocket 12, and the one pocket This has the advantage that work efficiency can be further improved compared to using the type holder 10. The holding means H including this holder 10' is also attached to the guide shaft G by a mechanism as shown in FIG.

Note that the present invention is not limited to an optical disk library device in which a storage rack is provided on both sides of the transport device as described above, but also an optical disk library device in which a storage rack and a drive are provided only on one side of the transport device, Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to an optical disk library apparatus in which a storage rack is provided on the right side and a drive is provided on the other side. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to devices that transport not only optical disk cartridges but also magnetic disk cartridges and other recording medium cartridges.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, when the holding means is moved in any direction along the guide shaft, the first sliding member slides along the guide shaft and the second sliding member, thus , the holding means moves to the furthest position in the movement direction of the holding means on the first slide member.

As a result, the present invention can maximize the effective stroke of the holding means, and even when the difference between the length of the first sliding member and the height of the holding means is large, the effective stroke of the holding means can be maximized. This has the excellent effect of not wasting space.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording medium cartridge transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the entire optical disk library device to which the transport device is applied, and FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing the details of the mechanism in which the holding means is connected to the guide shaft in the transport device; FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the transport device; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a holder according to a modified example, FIG. 6 is a side view showing the entire optical disk library device in which a storage rack and a drive are provided only on one side of the transport device, and FIG. 7 is a problem with the conventional transport device. FIG. 1... Disc cartridge, 5... Support frame. 10.10'...Holder, 15...Bearing (first slide member), 19...Bearing member (second slide member), G...Guide shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Holding means for removably holding a recording medium cartridge to be transported; an elongated guide shaft provided over the entire transport range along the transport direction of the recording medium cartridge; and the guide shaft. a first slide member of a predetermined length that is supported by the retainer and is slidable along the first slide member with the retainer; a second slide member attached to the guide shaft; first stopper means provided at both ends of the guide shaft to stop movement of the first slide member at both ends of the guide shaft; second stopper means provided at both ends of the first slide member to stop movement of the second slide member at both ends of the first slide member; and second stop means for driving the holding means;
drive means for moving the holding means along the guide shaft, and when the first slide member is located at the end of the guide shaft, the second slide member is moved relative to the first slide member. The recorder is characterized in that the holding means can be displaced over substantially the entire length of the guide shaft by being positioned at the most forward part of the first slide member in the moving direction of the holding means. Media cartridge transport device.