JPH11110867A - Automatic changer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the cost by minimizing the number of exchanging components. SOLUTION: Relating to this automatic changer 1, the housing position against a magazine rack 10 and the transporting position of a cartridge (QIC (quarter.in.cartridge) cartridge or 8 mm cartridge) against a driver 15 are unified. When other kinds of cartridge is used, only the exchange of a magazine rack 10, a part of cartridge loading device 50 and the driver 15, is required. Consequently, the number of exchanging components is minimized, and the cost is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an autochanger. In more detail, the cartridge storage position with respect to the magazine rack and the cartridge transfer position with respect to the driver are unified to minimize the number of replacement parts when using cartridges having different shapes and dimensions, thereby reducing costs. It was done.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic changer 1 as shown in FIG. 32 is known as a device for taking out and reproducing an arbitrary one from a large number of stored cartridges. In the autochanger 1, a plurality of cartridges are stored in a storage section of the magazine rack 10.

At the time of loading, when a specific cartridge is selected, a cartridge loading device 50 is selected.
Slides along the column 12, moves to the position of the cartridge according to the instruction of the control unit 14, and the cartridge is taken out and stored in the cartridge loading device 50. Next, the cartridge loading device 50
Moves to the position of the cartridge insertion slot 16 of the driver 15, and the cartridge is inserted from the cartridge insertion slot 16. Thereby, the selected cartridge is reproduced. The cartridge for which the reproduction process has been completed is returned to the original position by the cartridge loading device 50.

As such a recording / reproducing cartridge, for example, a QIC (Quarter Inch C) is used.
It is conceivable to use an cartridge (artridge) or an 8 mm cartridge. As shown in FIG. 33, the QIC cartridge 19 includes a plastic casing 18 and a metal plate 17 disposed on one surface of the casing. As can be seen from FIGS. 33 and 34A, a part of the casing 18 is formed as a plate-like rib 18a due to a design configuration. Further, a QIC cartridge 19 is located near a surface 18 b corresponding to the rear surface of the casing 18.
Take-out recesses 18c, 18c are formed for engaging an arm, which will be described later, at the time of loading.

As shown in FIG. 34B, a concave portion 17 a is formed at a predetermined position of the metal plate 17. This recess 17a
Engages with a holding means (not shown) mounted in the magazine rack 10 and the driver 15, whereby the QIC cartridge is held.

On the other hand, the appearance of the 8 mm cartridge 20 is shown in FIG.
A lid 53 is attached to the front of the lid 53 and is turned around the center 52 when the tape is pulled out. Rectangular windows 54 are formed on both sides of the opening / closing lid 53 to detect a tape end.

The opening / closing lid 53 is locked by a locking means (not shown) when the lid is closed so that the lid is not opened carelessly. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 36A, a release lever 55 for releasing the lock is provided at a predetermined position of the casing 51. When the cover 53 is opened, the lock is released by moving the release lever 55 in the direction of the arrow 56. The release lever 55 is the driver 15
When loaded into the device, it is pressed from the front side by a pressing member (not shown) so that the pressing member can enter.
A groove 57 is formed in a portion of the casing 51 where the release lever 55 is disposed (see FIGS. 36A and 36B).

Further, take-out recesses 18c, 18c are formed near the surface 51a corresponding to the rear surface of the 8 mm cartridge 20 so that an arm to be described later can be engaged at the time of loading.

[0009]

As shown in FIGS. 33 and 35, the shape and size of the cartridge differ depending on the type. Therefore, the magazine rack 10, the loading mechanism of the cartridge loading device 50, the driver 15 and the like in FIG. 32 need to be designed specifically for the shape and size of the cartridge to be used. However, there are only a few types of cartridges that can be used in currently popular autochangers. For this reason, it is conceivable to replace parts according to the shape and size of the cartridge to be used. However, in this case, many parts must be replaced, which is troublesome and costly. Also, if the dimensions (thickness etc.) of the cartridge change, the transport distance of the cartridge also changes slightly, so that the sequence related to the transport portion must also be changed, and the change work becomes troublesome.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and provides an autochanger capable of reducing costs by minimizing the number of replacement parts when using cartridges having different shapes and dimensions. Is what you do.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a magazine rack according to the present invention, a cartridge containing a recording medium such as a magnetic tape is housed in the magazine rack, and the selected cartridge is stored in a magazine rack. In an auto changer that is transported and automatically played back, the cartridge storage position for the magazine rack and the cartridge loading position for the driver are always fixed, so that cartridges with different shapes and dimensions can be used by simple part replacement. It is characterized by having done.

In the present invention, the storage position for the magazine rack and the cartridge transfer position for the driver are unified. When using another type of cartridge, it is only necessary to replace the driver with a magazine rack and a part of the cartridge loading device. Therefore, the number of replacement parts can be minimized, and the cost can be reduced.

[0013]

Next, an embodiment of a magazine rack according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same portions as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

The autochanger described here is designed so that one type of apparatus can use different types of cartridges of different shapes and sizes. By unifying the storage position and the loading position for the driver, it is possible to minimize the number of replacement parts when changing the cartridge. In this example, a single autochanger uses a QIC (Quart
The case where two types of cartridges, an er Inch Cartridge) cartridge and an 8 mm cartridge, are used will be described.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the autochanger 1 when a QIC cartridge 19 is used as a cartridge. As shown in the figure, the autochanger 1 is a magazine rack 10 for a QIC cartridge 19.
And a cartridge loading device 50 for taking out and transporting a selected one of the plurality of QIC cartridges 19, and a driver 15 for recording or reproducing the selected QIC cartridge 19.

In the present invention, the cartridge to be used can be changed only by exchanging some parts as described above, and it is not necessary to change the sequence for controlling each mechanism in accordance with the cartridge. For example, QI
8mm cartridge 20 instead of C cartridge 19
Replacement parts are used when the magazine rack 10 is used.
It is a part of the cartridge loading device 50 and the driver 15. These replacement parts are 8mm cartridge 20
The same applies to the case where the QIC cartridge 19 is changed to (see FIG. 2).

These replacement parts will be described below in order. It is to be noted that the driver 15 is configured so as to be replaced with its main body, and the mechanical configuration thereof is the same as that of the conventional one, so that the detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, the driver 15 according to the present invention is characterized by its mounting position. That is, in the autochanger 1 set for the QIC cartridge 19, the right side surface (the metal plate 1) of the QIC cartridge 19 stored in the driver 15 for the QIC cartridge 19 is used.
7) from the right side (metal plate 17) of the QIC cartridge 19 housed on the rightmost side of the magazine rack 10, and the driver 15 for the 8mm cartridge 20 in the autochanger 1 configured for the 8mm cartridge 20. 8 m stored from the right side of a certain 8 mm cartridge 20 to the rightmost side of the magazine rack 10
The distance to the right side of the m cartridge 20 is made equal (42 mm in this example) so that the loading position of the QIC cartridge 19 with respect to the driver 15 and the loading position of the 8 mm cartridge 20 with respect to the driver 15 are the same.
It is characterized in that the mounting positions of the driver 15 for the QIC cartridge 19 and the driver 15 for the 8 mm cartridge 20 are selected.

Now, referring to FIG.
Is a horizontally long box, in which 17 QIC cartridges 19 are housed vertically in this example. On the other hand, FIG.
, 17 8 mm cartridges 20 are stored vertically. As can be seen from both figures, the configuration of the magazine rack 10 and the location thereof are selected in order to arrange cartridges having different shapes and sizes at the same location at the same pitch at the same location.

That is, the remaining cartridges are arranged in the magazine rack 10 at the same pitch (P = 18 mm in this example) with the cartridge (QIC cartridge 19 or 8 mm cartridge 20) housed on the rightmost side of the magazine rack 10 as a reference position. It has been made to be. If cartridges having different widths (thicknesses) are arranged at the same pitch as described above, the moving position of the cartridge loading device 50 is not changed, and the sequence can be used as it is.

Here, the configurations of the magazine rack 10 for the QIC cartridge 19 and the magazine rack 10 for the 8 mm cartridge 20 will be described in detail. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same components in the configuration of each magazine rack 10, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the magazine rack 10 for the QIC cartridge 19. As shown in the figure, a magazine rack 1 made of plastic resin
Reference numeral 0 denotes a box having a front portion opened, and a base plate 84 having the side plate 25, a mounting plate 85 having the holding plate 30,
86.

The base plate 84 and the mounting plates 85, 86
Thus, a storage section for the QIC cartridge 19 is configured. As described above, the magazine rack 10 accommodates a plurality of (17) QIC cartridges 19,
In order to partition these QIC cartridges 19, QI
A plurality of partition plates 87 set shorter than the depth dimension of the C cartridge 19 are provided on each of the mounting plates 85 and 86 so as to be parallel to each other. Then, in order to hold the stored individual QIC cartridges 19 with a constant force, holding means 88 are attached to the base plate 84 in accordance with the number of the storage sections.

In FIG. 4, a thin metal plate is used for the holding means 88 so as to have elasticity, and both ends thereof are bent and pressed so as to have a substantially U-shape as a whole. Then, central portions of the bent pieces formed at both ends are provided with engaging portions 89, 89 having a C-shape so as to face inward each other.
Are formed. The QIC cartridge 19 is held by engaging the engaging portions 89 with the concave portions 17a of the cartridge (FIG. 34B).

The distal end of the bent piece is formed as a substantially L-shaped distal end portion 90, which is engaged with an engaging portion 91 integrally formed on the upper and lower end surfaces of the base plate 84.

As shown in FIG. 5, the engaging portion 91 is formed with a rectangular hole 91a so that the engaging portion 89 faces the inside, and is formed so as to correspond to each holding means 88 (FIG. 4). Have been.

Since the holding means 88 cannot be positioned simply by being locked by the locking portion 91, in order to prevent this, as shown in FIG.
2 and 92 are formed, and cylindrical projections 93 and 93 are provided on the back surface of the base plate 84 so as to be fitted therein.

Thus, the holding means 88 is connected to the base plate 84.
Is accurately arranged at a predetermined position. When the holding means 88 is attached, the distal end portion 90 is locked by the locking portion 91, and the hole 92 is fitted into the cylindrical projection 93, whereby
The holding means 88 is temporarily fixed to the base plate 84.

On the other hand, the holding plate 30 is formed vertically on one end side of the mounting plates 85 and 86 so as to have a brim shape. By configuring the holding plate 30 in this manner, the mounting plate 8
When the 5, 86 is attached, the holding plate 30 comes into contact with the holding means 88.

The locking portions 9 of the mounting plates 85 and 86
A rectangular hole 95 is formed in a portion facing 1 so that the distal end portion 90 of the holding means 88 does not contact the mounting plates 85 and 86.

Now, the base plate 8 on which the holding means 88 is disposed
When mounting plates 85 and 86 are mounted on top of
The holding means 88 is pressed by the pressing plate 30 from the back side. As described above, when the back surface of the holding means 88 is pressed, both ends of the holding means 88 on which the engaging portions 89 are formed are held in a state of having a spring force. In this state, the mounting plates 85 and 86 are fixed to the base plate 8 by screws 94.
4 and fixed.

Therefore, the holding means 88 can be easily fixed only by attaching the mounting plates 85 and 86. Further, since it is not necessary to use a screw or the like for directly tightening the holding means 88, the cost of parts is reduced.

The magazine rack 10 constructed as described above
When the cartridge is stored, as shown in FIG.
The engaging portion 89 is engaged by contacting a corner formed by the concave portion 17a of the metal plate 17. Therefore,
Both sides of the cartridge are firmly held by the engaging portions 89, 89.

Here, returning to FIG.
The configuration for making the unit detachable from the apparatus main body will be described.

In FIG. 3, a carrying handle 83 is provided on the mounting plate 85 for the magazine rack 10, and a holding member 21 for mounting the magazine rack 10 is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the apparatus main body. Are fixed by screws.

The holding member 21 is made of a metal plate, and has a mounting surface 22 on which the magazine rack 10 is mounted, and a guide plate for facilitating mounting of the magazine rack 10 and restricting the front, rear, left and right movements. The parts 23 and 24 are formed integrally.

The guide plate 24 is engaged with a hook 81 provided on the side plate 25 of the magazine rack 10 so that the hook 2 is engaged with the guide plate 24.
7 are formed. As a result, the claw portion 81 is attached when the
Is hung on the hanging portion 27, and the magazine rack 10 is held on the mounting surface 22 with a constant holding force.

In order to prevent the force of inserting and removing a cartridge by a loading mechanism (not shown) from pushing down the magazine rack 10, a stopper 29 set to be substantially equal to the width of the gap 82 between the guide plates 23 and 24 is provided in the magazine. It is provided at a predetermined position on the side plate 25 of the rack 10.
Thus, in a state where the magazine rack 10 is mounted on the mounting surface 22, the stopper 29 is regulated by the guide plate portions 23 and 24, so that a force acts on the magazine rack 10 in a direction of pushing down the magazine rack 10. Even if it does not fall.

Further, holes 9 for fitting three projections 96 (FIG. 6) provided for positioning on the magazine rack 10 (the lower surface of the mounting plate 86) are provided at predetermined positions on the mounting surface 22.
7 are drilled. Thereby, the magazine rack 10 can always be accurately arranged at a predetermined place.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the magazine rack 10 for the 8 mm cartridge 20 comprises a base plate 84 having side plates 25 and mounting plates 85 and 86, similarly to the magazine rack 10 for the QIC cartridge 19. I have.

In this magazine rack 10, 8 mm
In order to regulate the insertion direction of the cartridge 20, as shown in FIG.

The small piece-shaped protrusion 61 is arranged at a position facing the inside of the groove 57 (FIG. 36) of the 8 mm cartridge 20 when the 8 mm cartridge 20 is inserted. As can be seen from FIG. 36B, the groove 5
7 is provided at the lower left when viewed from the front side of the cartridge.
0 has an asymmetric shape.

Therefore, unless the cartridge is inserted in the correct insertion direction as shown in FIG. 8, the 8 mm cartridge 20 cannot be pushed to the innermost part of the cartridge storage device 10. This is because, for example, when the 8 mm cartridge 20 is inserted with the left-right direction reversed, the front portion of the cartridge collides with the projecting piece 61. Of course, the collision also occurs when the front and rear are reversed. This prevents erroneous insertion of the 8 mm cartridge 20. It goes without saying that the length of the projecting piece 61 is selected so that the locking of the opening / closing lid 53 is not released depending on the projecting piece 61.

As shown in FIG. 9, holding means 62 are integrally formed on the mounting plates 85 and 86 to hold the accommodated 8 mm cartridge 20 (FIG. 35) with a constant force.
The holding means 62 is attached to the mounting plate 8 so as to have a predetermined elasticity.
It is slightly thinner than the thickness of 5,86. Holding means 6
A protrusion 98 for engaging with the rectangular window 54 (FIG. 35) of the 8 mm cartridge 20 is formed at the tip of 2. As shown in FIG. 10, the 8 mm cartridge 20 is held by engaging the projection 98 with the rectangular window 54.

Further, in the magazine rack 10 for the 8 mm cartridge, the structure of the magazine rack 10 for the QIC cartridge 19 that can be freely attached to and detached from the main body of the autochanger 1 is the same.

Subsequently, the cartridge loading device 5
0 will be described. In the description of the cartridge loading device 50, first, the one configured for the QIC cartridge 19 will be generally described,
Thereafter, the arm and the pressing portion for the 8 mm cartridge 20 as replacement parts in the cartridge loading device 50 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cartridge loading device 50 is configured such that the rectangular main body 13 can be moved in the horizontal direction with respect to the magazine rack 10 along two columns 12 inserted at the lower ends thereof. .

This moving force is transmitted by the timing belt 77. A part of the timing belt 77 is fixed to the lower end surface of the cartridge loading device 50 and is mounted on pulleys 75 and 76. Since the shaft of the stepping motor 90 is press-fitted into the pulley 76,
The timing belt 77 is provided with the torque of the stepping motor 90. Thereby, the stepping motor 9
By rotating 0 forward and reverse, the cartridge loading device 50 can be freely moved left and right. In this case, the amount of movement of the cartridge loading device 50 by one step of the stepping motor 90 is 0.1.
1 mm. Therefore, for example, when the cartridge loading device 50 is moved by 10 mm, the stepping motor 90 may be operated by 100 steps.

As shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13,
The cartridge loading device 50 includes a main body 13, a first slider 70 slidably provided with respect to the main body 13,
A second slider 80 further slidably provided with respect to the first slider 70, and first and second sliders 10, 2;
0 and a rotatable arm 40 provided in relation to
The main part is constituted by the hooking member 33 attached to the slider 80.

According to the present invention, a pair of substantially L-shaped arms 40,
40 are used. First, the configuration around the arm 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 14A.
Claws 28, 28 for engaging with the take-out recesses 19, 19 (FIG. 11) of the QIC cartridge 19 are formed at the respective front ends of the 40 so as to face each other. The other ends of the arms 40, 40 are rotatably supported on the block-shaped first slider 70 by the rotating shafts 26, 26 in a state of being close to each other. A long hole 31 is formed in the bent portion of the arm 40, and a pin 32 projecting from the lower surface of the end of the second slider 80 is inserted into the long hole 31.

As shown in FIG. 14B, the first slider 70 has a ridge formed substantially at the center thereof, and the second slider 80 is mounted on the slide itself so as to cover the ridge.
Therefore, the second slider 80 is configured as a concave strip having a flange on each of the left and right sides. In such a configuration, when the first slider 70 is moved while the second slider 80 is stopped, the arm 40 rotates with the pin 32 as a fulcrum while the rotation shafts 26, 26 are retracted.

As shown in FIG. 15, the long hole 31 and the pin 3
2 is mounted on the side surface 29 of the QIC cartridge 19.
Are arranged substantially on the extension line A of FIG. Thus, when the arm 40 clamps the QIC cartridge 19, the claw portion 28 of the arm 40 enters the deep part of the take-out recess 19 of the QIC cartridge 19, and is thereby easily separated.

The opening / closing operation of the arm 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 15A shows the first and second sliders 10,
A state is shown in which the arm 20 is closest to the QIC cartridge 19, and in this state, the pair of arms 40, 40 has the maximum opening angle. In this state, the arm 40
Is located at such a position as to face the extraction recess 19. When the first slider 70 is pulled forward from the state shown in FIG. 15A, the rotating shaft 26 moves in the direction away from the QIC cartridge 19 as shown in FIG.
Rotates around the pin (fulcrum) 32 toward the extraction recess 19.

The first slider 7 is further changed from the state shown in FIG.
When 0 is pulled forward, the arm 40 further rotates and engages so as to fit into the deep portion of the extraction recess 19. This state is shown in FIG. 15C.

As described above, when the arm 40 is rotated about the pin 32 while slightly moving the rotation shaft 26 serving as the reference of the arm 40, the tip of the claw 28 at that time moves on the locus P. It moves, and the claw portion 28 and the QIC cartridge 19
Intersect with the side surface 29 at an angle close to a right angle.

Therefore, the claw portion 28 is formed in the concave portion 1 of the side surface 29.
Enter at right angles to 9. As a result, the claw portion 28 can be taken out and can be made to enter the deep portion of the concave portion 19, so that the engagement with the QIC cartridge 19 becomes strong. Even when the arm 40 is opened and the QIC cartridge 19 is released, the tip of the claw 28 can be separated without colliding with the corner 21 of the concave portion 19, so that the chucking operation of the QIC cartridge 19 by the arm 40 is performed smoothly and reliably. can do.

Next, the configuration of each part of the cartridge loading device 50 having the arm 40 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG.
The cartridge loading device 50 is formed by attaching a plate-shaped cover 39 to the opening side of the main body 13.
The first slider 70 described above is slidably mounted therein, and the second slider 80 is slidably mounted on the first slider 70.

As shown in FIG. 13, two guide pins 24 erected at predetermined positions of the ridges 10a of the first slider 70 are inserted into the elongated holes 25 formed in the second slider 80. This makes it slidable. Thus, the second slider 80 is moved relative to the first slider 70 by a predetermined range ｛(the length of the elongated hole 25) − (the pair of pins 24, 24).
It is possible to slide back and forth within the interval)｝.

The first slider 70 is used to slide the main body 13 in order to pull the QIC cartridge 19 into the cartridge loading device 50, store the drawn QIC cartridge 19 in the magazine rack 10 and load it into the driver 15. It is configured to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the direction.

For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 12, a slide hole 23 is formed near the center of the first slider 70, and the rod-shaped support 22 (see FIG. Is inserted into the main body 13.
It is slidable with respect to.

The driving means for obtaining the sliding force is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a timing belt 36 fixed to the first slider 70, pulleys 38 and 38 on which the timing belt 36 is mounted, and a motor 35 (FIG. 12) for applying a rotational force to the pulley 38 The timing belt 36 is screwed to the first slider 70 via a holding plate 37 shown in FIG. The driving force of the motor 35 fixed to the main body 13 is applied to the pulley 38 by the gear 4.
1 is provided.

The upper and lower ends of the first slider 70 have rolling elements 4 for rolling the arm sliding surface 42 of the main body 13.
The first slider 70 can be slid with respect to the main body 13 stably.

As described above, the arm 40 is opened and closed by the relative sliding of the first slider 70 with respect to the second slider 80. In this example, the arm 40 is opened and closed by stopping the second slider 80 with respect to the moving first slider 70.

For this purpose, the cartridge loading device 50 is provided with a locking means for stopping the second slider 80 at a predetermined position. As shown in FIG. 13, the hooking means is a hooking member 33 attached to and fixed to the center of the outer surface of the second slider 80, and a hooking portion formed at the center of the inner surface of the cover 39 as well. End face 63 (6
4).

As shown in FIG. 16, the hooking member 33 is composed of a plate-shaped spring portion 58 and columnar rollers 59 and 60 rotatably attached to both ends of the spring portion 58. Fixed. The spring portion 58 has a function as a leaf spring, and can bend around the screw 57 as a fulcrum when the rollers 59 and 60 are urged against a rolling surface 65 described later. For this reason, both sides of the portion where the screw 57 is attached are cut off to form the inclined portions 44, 44. On the other hand, the hook end faces 63, 6
4 is formed by cutting off the front and rear ends of the cover 39 as shown in FIG.

As can be seen from FIG. 17, when no force is applied to the roller 59 (60) of the hooking member 33, the roller 59 (60) is set so as to fall toward the hooking end surface 63 (64). ing. This depression causes the roller 59
(60) is hooked on the hooking end surfaces 63 (64), and the movement of the second slider 80 with respect to the first slider 70 is regulated.

The roller 59 (60) is engaged with the engaging end surface 63 (6).
The movement of the second slider in a state where it is not hooked in 4) must be performed smoothly, so that the hooking end surfaces 63 and 6 are not moved.
A belt-like rolling surface 65 is formed between the rollers 4 so that the roller 59 (60) can roll.

In the locking means thus constructed,
The roller 59 is hooked on the hook end surface 63 and the second slider 8
When the first slider 70 advances while the first slider 70 is in the stopped state, the arm 40 is opened, and when the roller 60 is locked on the opposite locking end surface 64, the first slider 7 is locked.
When 0 retreats, the arm 40 closes.

Accordingly, the engaging member 33 is attached to the second slider 80, and the engaging end face 6 serving as an engaging portion is attached to the cover 39.
The second slider 8 has a simple structure in which only the third slider 64 is formed.
0 can be reliably stopped at a predetermined position, whereby the opening and closing of the arm 40 can be realized.

Since the arm 40 is configured to automatically open when the first slider 70 starts moving forward and closes automatically when the first slider 70 starts moving backward, the QIC cartridge 19 is completely inserted into the magazine rack 10. When the first slider 70 is moved forward to accommodate, the arm 40
When the QIC cartridge 19 is removed from the cartridge 19,
Cannot be completely stored. The same applies to the case where the QIC cartridge 19 is loaded in the driver 15.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, a pressing member 54 for pressing the QIC cartridge 19 is disposed in front of the first slider 70. The pressing member 54 is attached by the shafts 55 and 55 so as to be slightly slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the first slider 70, and applies a repulsive force to the pressing member 54 between the pressing member 54 and the first slider 70. Coil spring 5
6 is attached.

Therefore, when the first slider 70 is further advanced even when the arm 40 is disengaged from the QIC cartridge 19, the pressing member 54
Can be pushed into the magazine rack 10. First slider 70
Is further advanced, the QIC cartridge 19 can be pushed to the innermost part by the repulsive force of the pressing member 54.

On the other hand, after the QIC cartridge 19 is stored in the magazine rack 10 or loaded in the driver 15, the first slider 70 retreats. During the retreat operation, the arm 40 acts in the closing direction as described above. Therefore, the QIC cartridge 19 that has been housed or loaded is held again, and the arm 40 is retracted and pulled into the cartridge loading device 50.

To prevent this, the arm 40 may be retracted with the arm 40 kept open. Since the opening and closing of the arm 40 is given by the relative movement of the first slider 70 and the second slider 80, to keep the arm 40 open, the movement of the second slider 80 in the state where the arm 40 is open is set. First
What is necessary is just to lock with respect to the slider 70. To do this, a locking means is provided between the first slider 70 and the second slider 80.

The locking means comprises a locking member 34 arranged on the first slider side as shown in FIG.
And a hook hole 45 provided on the side. The lock member 34 is a small piece, and is rotatably supported by a shaft 47 (see FIG. 11) so as to face a rectangular window 46 formed above the center of the first slider 70. .

One end of the lock member 34 is engaged with a distal end portion 51 of a plunger 49 fixed in the rectangular window 46,
As a result, rotational power is applied. In addition, the lock member 3
A lock portion 52 is formed at the other end of the lock member 4, and a spring 48 is mounted on the other end of the lock member 3.
4 is urged counterclockwise.

On the other hand, the hook hole 45 is formed in a rectangular shape and is formed at a predetermined position corresponding to the height of the lock member 34 (see FIG. 11). The locking hole 45 is in a state where the arm 40 is open, that is, the first slider
The positional relationship between the two is selected so that the slider 70 faces the lock portion 52 of the lock member 34 when the slider 70 advances by a predetermined amount.

When the plunger 49 is not operating,
Since the lock portion 52 is in contact with the step portion 53 formed in the rectangular window 46 by the urging force of the spring 48, the upper surface of the lock member 34 does not contact the lower end surface of the second slider 80. As a result, the first slider 70 of the second slider 80
The slide to is not disturbed.

However, when the plunger 49 is operated in a state where the locking hole 45 and the locking portion 52 face each other, the locking member 34 rotates and the locking portion 52 enters the locking hole 45 and the second slider The forward movement of the first slider 70 with respect to the first slider 70 is locked (restricted). Therefore, even when the first slider 70 is retracted, the arm 40 is retracted while being opened.

Subsequently, FIGS. 11, 17 and FIGS. 19 to 3
0, the cartridge loading device 50 described above.
Will be described. The QIC cartridge 19 is taken out of the magazine rack 10, and the taken out QIC cartridge 19 is moved and loaded into the driver. When the reproduction is completed, the QIC cartridge 19 is taken out of the driver, moved, and returned to the original position of the magazine rack 10. Such an operation will be described in order.

When a specific QIC cartridge 19 is selected by the user, the cartridge loading device 5
0 slides left or right along the support 12 and moves to the position of the QIC cartridge 19. At this time, the arm 40 is at the home position (initial position) (FIG. 11 or FIG. 17).

When the cartridge loading device 50 reaches the position of the selected QIC cartridge 19, the motor 35 rotates forward, and drives the timing belt 36, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the first slider 70 is advanced.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 20, even if the first slider 70 moves forward, the roller
9, the guide pin 2
The second slider 80 slides while the first slider 70 moves by a distance {(length of the long hole 25) − (interval between the pair of pins 24, 24)} formed between the first slider 70 and the front end surface of the long hole 25. do not do.

That is, the first slider 70 moves forward by a predetermined interval with respect to the stopped second slider 80, whereby the rotation shaft 26 of the arm 40 is moved as shown in FIG.
Arm 40 is moved forward, so that the arm 40 is
, And open.

With the arm 40 in the maximum open state, the guide pin 24 comes into contact with the front end face of the long hole 25 as shown in FIG.
When the first slider 70 further advances in this state, the second slider 70
The slider 80 is pulled by the first slider 70 and slides together with the first slider 70. As a result, the roller 59 of the hooking member 33 also moves away from the hooking end face 63 and the spring portion 58
Is rolled on the rolling surface 65 of the cover 39 in a state where is bent.

As shown in FIG. 21, when the first slider 70 moves to the front end of the main body 24 while the arm 40 is open, the claw 28 of the arm 40
9 as well as the take-out recess 19 of FIG.
As shown in 2, the roller 60 of the hooking member 33 falls to the hooking end surface 64 side.

When the motor 35 is rotated in this state, only the first slider 70 moves backward as shown in FIG. This is because the roller 60 is hung on the hooking end surface 64 and the second slider 80 is fixed to the main body 13 as shown in FIG. When the first slider 70 retreats, the arm 4
The pivot shaft 26 of the second slider 80 also retreats.
0 moves in the closing direction. By this arm rotation, the arm 40
The tip portion of the cartridge enters the extraction recess 19 and chucks the QIC cartridge 19.

When the first slider 70 further retreats, the roller 59 is disengaged from the engaging end surface 63, so that the second slider 80 retreats simultaneously with the first slider 70, so that the QIC cartridge 19 is pulled out of the magazine rack 10. 25 and 26, the QIC cartridge 19 is housed in the cartridge loading device 50. The first slider 70 retreats and stops until the state shown in FIG. 11 (home position).

The cartridge loading device 50 from which the QIC cartridge 19 has been pulled out moves to the position of the driver 15. Then, as shown in FIG. 27, the first slider 70 moves forward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 28, even if the first slider 70 moves forward,
The second slider 80 does not slide until the first slider reaches a predetermined position because the second slider 80 is hooked on the hooking end face 63. Therefore, since the rotating shaft 26 of the arm 40 moves forward, the arm 40 is opened as described above.
At this time, the pressing member 5 is moved with the movement of the first slider 70.
4 also advances at the same time, and comes into contact with the QIC cartridge 19 as shown in FIG.

When the first slider 70 moves further, the pressing member 54 pushes out the QIC cartridge 19, so that the QIC cartridge 19 is loaded into the driver 15 as shown in FIG. Then, the first slider 70
Before retracting, the plunger 49 operates to rotate the lock member 34 against the urging force of the spring 48, as shown in FIG. As a result, the lock portion 52 of the lock member 34 enters the engaging hole 45 of the second slider 80 to lock the slide of the second slider 80 with respect to the first slider 70.

When the motor 35 is rotated reversely in this locked state, the first slider 70 moves backward as shown in FIG.
Since the second slider 80 is locked and does not slide with respect to the first slider 70, the arm 40 is not closed. Therefore, each slider 10, 20 is retracted to the original position while the QIC cartridge 19 is left in the driver 15.

When the reproduction process is completed, the magazine rack 10
The QIC cartridge 19 is pulled out of the driver 15 and stored in the cartridge loading device 50 in the same procedure as that drawn out of the cartridge loading device 50.

Then, the cartridge loading device 5
0 moves to transport the QIC cartridge 19 to the original storage position of the magazine rack 10. Next, the QIC cartridge 19 is pushed into the magazine rack 10 by the pressing member 54 of the first slider 70 in the same operation as in FIGS. After the QIC cartridge 19 is completely housed in the magazine rack 10, the second
Since the slide of the slider 80 is locked by the lock member 34, as shown in FIG.
20 retracts to its original position. This completes the storing operation.

Subsequently, the cartridge loading device 5
The arm 40 for the 8 mm cartridge 20 as a replacement part and the pressing portion for the 8 mm cartridge 20 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 31, the arm 40 for the 8 mm cartridge 20 in the cartridge loading device 50 has substantially the same shape as the arm 40 for the QIC cartridge 19.
The arm portion is formed slightly longer in accordance with the size of the arm. In the case of the arm 40 for the 8 mm cartridge 20 as well, the claw 28 is formed at the tip of the arm 40 so as to engage with the extraction recess 18 c of the 8 mm cartridge 20.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 31, the pressing member 54 used for the QIC cartridge 19 is
The function is performed by a pressing portion provided integrally with the slider 80. That is, while removing the pressing member 54 attached for the QIC cartridge 19,
8 mm for the second slider 80 for the QIC cartridge 19
Replace with the second slider 80 for the cartridge 20.

As can be seen from FIG. 31, the pressing portion protrudes farther forward than the pressing member 54. this is,
This is because the depth dimension of the 8 mm cartridge 20 is shorter than the depth dimension of the QIC cartridge 19. The operation at the time of loading of the cartridge loading device 50 configured for the 8 mm cartridge 20 using such replacement parts is almost the same as the operation of the cartridge loading device 50 configured for the QIC cartridge 19.

The autochanger 1 configured as described above
Since the storage position for the magazine rack 10 and the transfer position of the cartridge for the driver 15 are unified, other types of cartridges can be used simply by replacing the driver with the magazine rack 10 and a part of the cartridge loading device 50. Become like Therefore, the number of replacement parts can be minimized, and the cost can be reduced.

In this example, the QIC cartridge 1
The case where the 9 and 8 mm cartridges 20 are used has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where a DAT or a video cassette is used.

In this example, the magazine rack 10 has been described as being capable of storing a large number of cartridges. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the magazine rack can store only a single cartridge, for example. You may.

[0101]

As described above, in the automatic changer according to the present invention, the storage position with respect to the magazine rack and the transfer position of the cartridge with respect to the driver are unified.
By simply exchanging a driver with a part of a magazine rack and a cartridge loading device, other types of cartridges can be used.

Therefore, the number of replacement parts can be minimized, and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of an autochanger (for a QIC cartridge) according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the autochanger (for an 8 mm cartridge) according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a magazine rack 10 and a holding member 21 for a QIC cartridge.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a magazine rack 10 for a QIC cartridge.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a main part of a base plate 84.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a magazine rack 10 for a QIC cartridge.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a magazine rack 10 for an 8 mm cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view (part 1) of a magazine rack 10 for an 8 mm cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view (part 2) of the magazine rack 10 for an 8 mm cartridge.

FIG. 10 is a magazine rack 10 for an 8 mm cartridge.
It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (the 3).

11 is a plan view showing a configuration of the cartridge loading device 50. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram when the cartridge loading device 50 is viewed from the front side.

FIG. 13 is a diagram when the cartridge loading device 50 is viewed from the rear side.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an arrangement relationship between an arm 40, a first slider 10, and a second slider 20;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the operation of the arm 40.

16 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the second slider 20. FIG.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a rear view of the cartridge loading device 50.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure (1/7).

20 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure (2/7).

FIG. 22 is a transverse sectional view of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure (3/7).

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure (4/7).

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure (5/7).

FIG. 28 is a transverse sectional view of FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure (6/7).

FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure (7/7).

FIG. 31 shows a cartridge loading device 50 to which an arm 40 for an 8 mm cartridge and a second slider 80 are attached.

FIG. 32 is a configuration diagram of a general autochanger 1;

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a QIC cartridge.

34 is a plan view of the metal plate 17 and the casing 18. FIG.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of an 8 mm cartridge.

FIG. 36 is a rear view and a side view of the 8 mm cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 auto changer 10 magazine rack 12 support 15 driver 18 c extraction recess 21 holding member 22 mounting surface 23, 24 guide plate portion 25 side plate 26 rotation shaft 27 hook portion 28 claw portion 29 stopper 30 holding plate 31 long hole 32 base plate 33 Hook member 34 Lock member 35 Motor 36 Timing belt 37 Pressing plate 39 Cover 40 Arm 41 Gear 42 Arm sliding surface 43 Rolling element 44 Inclined part 46 Rectangular window 47 Shaft 50 Cartridge loading device 70 First slider 80 Second slider 81 Claw Part 82 gap 83 handle 84 base plate 85, 86 mounting plate 87 partition plate 88 holding means 89 engaging part 90 tip part 91 locking part 92 hole 93 cylindrical projection 94 screw 95 rectangular hole 96 projection 97 hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An autochanger in which a cartridge containing a recording medium such as a magnetic tape is housed in a magazine rack, the selected cartridge is transported to a driver, and is automatically played back. An autochanger wherein a cartridge having a different shape and size can be used by simple component replacement by always keeping a storage position and a loading position of the cartridge with respect to the driver. 2. The autochanger according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the cartridges are stored in the magazine rack. 3. The autochanger according to claim 1, wherein the parts are the magazine rack, a part of a cartridge loading device for transporting the cartridge, and the driver.