JPH0737306A - Cassette auto-changer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize a conveyor while preventing the generation of chips, etc., at the time of the access of a cassette to a recording reproducer. CONSTITUTION:When a cassette 5 is infected into a cassette compartment 15 in a data recorder 6 from an elevator 2, both left and right side faces of the cassette 5 are held by a pair of left and right side arms 35 of an adapter 7 installed on the data recorder 6, and the cassette 5 is pulled in by a fixed distance. The rear end face 5b of the cassette 5 is pushed in by an infection bar 37 bridged between a pair of left and right infection arms 36, and the front end face 5c of the cassette 5 is pushed out by a pair of left and right election arms 38 of the adapter 7 at the time of ejection.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette / recorder for carrying out continuous recording and / or reproduction for a long time while automatically exchanging various cassettes containing tape-shaped recording media and disk-shaped recording media. It's about an autochanger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a cassette autochanger for a television broadcasting station, there is a cassette autochanger capable of continuously recording and / or reproducing for a long time while automatically replacing a tape cassette with a VTR. this is,
A transporter is arranged between a plurality of storage shelves in which a plurality of tape cassettes are stored and a plurality of VTRs which are recording / reproducing devices, and the tape cassettes selectively taken out from the storage shelves by the transporter are transported to the VTR. One of the tape cassettes is selectively injected (INJECT) to record and / or reproduce, while the recording and / or reproduction is completed in another VTR and the ejected tape cassette is conveyed by a conveyor. The operation of storing in the original storage rack is repeated.

Most of the conventional cassette autochangers receive cassette compartments in the VTR (injected tape cassettes at the up position, then pull the tape cassettes horizontally and then make the tape cassettes parallel to the down position). The tape cassette injecting and ejecting access to the descending and loading cassette) is performed by the carrier machine itself. In addition, at that time, as a cassette moving mechanism in the carrier, there are many cases in which the tape cassette is pressure-bonded onto the carrier belt by a pressure roller and the tape cassette is moved by utilizing the frictional force of the carrier belt.

[0004]

However, unlike the tape cassette access to the storage rack, the cassette access to the cassette compartment in the VTR is
Since the tape cassette has to be pushed deep into the VTR, the stroke for accessing the tape cassette becomes long and the transport machine becomes large. In addition, a large transfer space is required to transfer a large transfer machine, and the entire cassette autochanger becomes large. Further, in the system in which the tape cassette is moved by the frictional force of the conveyor belt, shavings of the tape cassette and the conveyor belt are likely to occur during access of the tape cassette, which easily causes dropout during recording and / or reproduction. There was a problem to say.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and makes it possible to reduce the size of a carrier and to prevent shavings or the like from easily occurring when the cassette is accessed by the recording / reproducing apparatus. The purpose is to provide a cassette auto changer.

[0006]

A cassette autochanger of the present invention for achieving the above object comprises a plurality of cassettes in which recording media are stored, a plurality of storage shelves in which the plurality of cassettes are stored, A cassette provided with a recording / reproducing device for selectively recording and / or reproducing the plurality of cassettes, and a carrier for selectively conveying the plurality of cassettes between the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device.・ In the auto changer, a pair of left and right side arms that hold the left and right sides of the cassette injected from the carrier by a fixed distance by an adapter attached to the recording and reproducing device, and a cassette pulling operation by the side arm Then, press the rear end face of the cassette to insert the cassette into the cassette in the recording / reproducing apparatus. A pair of left and right eject arms for injecting into the compartment, and a pair of left and right eject arms for ejecting the cassette into the transporting machine by pushing the front end surface of the cassette ejected from the cassette compartment were provided. It is a thing.

[0007]

The cassette autochanger of the present invention configured as described above has an adapter attached to the recording / reproducing apparatus, and when the cassette is injected from the carrier to the cassette compartment in the recording / reproducing apparatus, a pair of left and right adapters are provided. After the left and right side surfaces of the cassette are clamped by the side arms and pulled for a certain distance, the rear end surface of the cassette is pushed by the pair of left and right injection arms to inject the cassette into the cassette compartment. When the cassette is ejected from the cassette compartment in the recording / reproducing apparatus to the carrier, the cassette is ejected into the carrier by pushing the front end surface of the cassette by a pair of left and right eject arms provided on the adapter.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a cassette autochanger to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition,
This cassette auto-changer automatically replaces a tape cassette (hereinafter simply referred to as cassette) with respect to a data recorder (hereinafter simply referred to as DIR) which is a recording / reproducing device.

[0009]

[General Description of Cassette / Automatic Changer] First, a general description of the entire cassette / autochanger will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

First, an elevator moving passage 3 for moving the elevator 2 which is a carrier is formed along the center of the autochanger body 1. And
A large number of storage shelves 4 that are stacked in multiple rows vertically and horizontally on both front and rear sides of the elevator moving passage 3.
And a cassette 5 is horizontally stored in each of the storage shelves 4. A plurality of DIRs 6 are vertically stacked on one side of the elevator moving passage 3 so that the front faces the elevator 2, and the cassettes 4 are handled (passed) to the front of each DIR 6. Adapters 7 for each are attached.

Then, the elevator 2 is moved by the high-speed positioning feed mechanism (not shown) to the elevator moving passage 3
Along the inside, the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) and the Y direction (FIG. 1)
And in the left and right direction in FIG. 2) at a high speed, the X, Y
It is configured to be stopped and positioned at any position in the direction.

Then, the elevator 2 carries out the cassette insertion / removal in the directions of arrows a and a'to the storage shelf 4 through a pair of left and right cassette entrances / outlets 2a formed on the left and right side surfaces, and D
It is configured so that cassette insertion / removal in the directions of arrows b and b ′ can be performed with respect to the adapter 7 from one cassette inlet / outlet 2b formed on the front side of the IR6.

[0013]

[Cassette loading operation] The operator performs the loading operation of the large number of cassettes 5 into the large number of storage shelves 4 of the cassette / autochanger by the operator.
Simply insert the cassettes 5 into the input ports 8 for insertion only formed on the front of the elevator, and the elevator 2 sequentially takes in the cassettes 5 according to the command of the host controller and sequentially conveys them to the designated storage shelves 4. Set (store).

[0014]

[Automatic cassette exchange operation] In the automatic cassette exchange operation by this cassette auto changer, the upper controller takes the cassette 5 out of the designated storage rack 4 by the elevator 2 and conveys it to the designated DIR 6 by the adapter 7. The DIR 6 is automatically injected to record and / or reproduce. On the other hand, the cassette 5 recorded and / or reproduced by another DIR 6 is ejected to the elevator 2 by the adapter 7, and the elevator 2 conveys the cassette 5 to the original storage rack 4 and returns it. By repeating this operation,
It is possible to continuously record and / or reproduce data for a long time by a plurality of DIRs 6.

An output port 9 is formed below the input port 8, and a front and rear door 1 of the autochanger body 1 is partially formed with a transparent window.
0 is attached.

[0016]

[Explanation of Adapter Mounting Structure] Next, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the adapter mounting structure for the DIR will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the front panel of the DIR 6 is removed, and a cassette compartment (hereinafter simply referred to as a cassette compartment) 15 in the DIR 6 is DI.
The cassette compartment mounting plate (hereinafter simply referred to as the cassette mounting plate) 16 installed in the R6 is replaced by the DIR6.
And the opening 17 is formed in the upper part of the cassette mounting plate 16.

Then, the adapter body 1 of the adapter 7
The rear side of 8 is inserted into the opening 17 of the DIR 6 from the direction of arrow c, and the pair of left and right mounting reference pins 20 mounted on the vertical rear plate 19a of the horizontal adapter stage 19 of the adapter body 18 16 into the pair of left and right mounting reference holes 21 from the direction of arrow c, and attach the rear plate 19a to the front of the cassette mounting plate 16 by the adapter 1
It contacts from the direction of arrow c by its own weight. Then, the horizontal adapter-side fixing plate 22 attached to the upper portion on the back side of the adapter body 18 is replaced with the horizontal cassette-side fixing plate 23.
It is placed on the upper side and is screwed into the pair of tapping holes 26 of the cassette side fixing plate 23 to fix the pair of setscrews 25 inserted into the pair of screw insertion holes 24 of the adapter side fixing plate 22 from above. . And finally, as shown in FIG.
Attach the top plate 27 of IR6 from above the set screw 25, and
Installation of adapter 7 to R6 is completed.

As described above, if the adapter 7 is directly attached to the cassette mounting plate 16 in the DIR 6,
Since it is possible to stabilize the mounting accuracy of the adapter 7 to the cassette 7, it is possible to improve the reliability of the access of the cassette 5 to the cassette case 15 of the DIR 6 by the adapter 7.

[0020]

[Description of cassette moving mechanism of adapter] Next, referring to FIGS.
The cassette moving mechanism in the adapter will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the adapter stage 19 is horizontally installed between the vertical left and right side plates 29 in the adapter body 18. Then, along the center of the upper part of the adapter stage 19, the cassette 5
Between the elevator 2 and the cassette computer 15 in the DIR 6, a cassette moving passage 30 for handling in the directions of arrows b and b'is horizontally formed. The cassette moving mechanism 3 is provided on both left and right sides of the cassette moving passage 30.
1 are provided symmetrically.

The cassette moving mechanism 31 is symmetrically arranged along the left and right sides of the cassette moving passage 30 so as to be movable in the access direction of the eject direction (arrow b direction) and the eject direction (arrow b'direction). Attached to the first, second, and third sliders 32, 33, and 34, and the pair of left and right first sliders 32, and the arrows b, b '.
A pair of left and right symmetrical side arms 35 that move in the direction, and a pair of left and right symmetrical injection arms 36 that are attached to the pair of left and right second sliders 33 and move in the directions of arrows b and b ′. A pair of left and right symmetrical symmetrical left and right rods attached to a pair of left and right third sliders 34 and attached to a pair of left and right third sliders 34 are installed horizontally between the tip ends of these injector arms 36. The eject arm 38 and a pair of left and right first sliders 32 are configured by a left-right symmetrical drive mechanism 39 for driving in the directions of arrows b and b '.

Then, as shown in FIG.
Is an arrow b wound around a T-shape between four guide pulleys 41 and one drive pulley 42,
A horizontal drive that connects a pair of left and right symmetrical belt mechanisms 44 having a pair of left and right timing belts 43 parallel to the b'direction and a pair of left and right drive pulleys 42 at right angles to the directions of arrows b and b '. The shaft 45 is configured by a geared motor 47 that is rotationally driven by a single motor 46 via a gear train 47.

The pair of left and right first sliders 32 are fixed to a part of the upper horizontal path of the pair of left and right timing belts 43, and the drive shaft 45 is moved forward and backward in the directions of arrows d and d'by a geared motor 48. By rotationally driving the pair of left and right timing belts 43, the pair of left and right first sliders 32 are horizontally moved simultaneously in the directions of arrows b and b ′.

The pair of left and right belt mechanisms 44 of the drive mechanism 39 are, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, provided on the horizontal adapter stage 19 so as to be vertically attached to the left and right sides of the cassette moving passage 30 by arrows b. , B'directions are parallel to the outside of a pair of left and right guide rail mounting plates 49, and the drive shaft 45 and the geared motor 48 are horizontally mounted below the adapter stage 19.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a pair of left and right first sliders are provided on a pair of left and right guide rails 50 which are horizontally mounted inside the pair of left and right guide rail mounting plates 49 and which are parallel to the directions of arrows b and b '. Sliding member 5 fixed to 32
1 is fitted and is guided by these guide rails 50 so that the pair of left and right first sliders 32 slide in the directions of arrows b and b '.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a pair of left and right side arm mounting plates 55 are provided at the inner lower ends of the pair of left and right first sliders 32 through vertical fulcrum shafts 56, and arrows e, e '. A pair of left and right side arms 35 are rotatably attached to these side arm attachment plates 55 via a vertical fulcrum shaft 57 in the directions of arrows f and f '. A pair of left and right cassette pressure rollers 58 made of rubber rollers and the like are fixed in a non-rotating state inside the tips of the pair of left and right side arms 35.

The pair of left and right side arm mounting plates 55 are rotationally biased by the pair of left and right tension springs 59 in the arrow e'direction with respect to the pair of left and right first sliders 32, so that the pair of left and right side arm mounting plates 55 are attached. On the other hand, the pair of left and right side arms 35 are rotationally biased in the direction of arrow f within a certain angle by the pair of left and right compression springs 60.

A pair of left and right first cam mechanisms 61 for controlling the rotation in the directions of arrows e and e'which are directions for pressing and separating the pair of left and right side arms 35 from and to both side surfaces 5a of the cassette 5 are A pair of guide rail mounting plates 4
9, a pair of left and right cam plates 62 having a pair of left and right bulging portions 62a horizontally fixed to each other, a pair of left and right side arm mounting plates 55, and cam driven rollers 63 mounted outside the tips of the left and right side arm mounting plates 55. And the tension spring 59 of FIG. The pair of left and right tension springs 59 constantly presses the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 63 against the cam plate 62 in the arrow e'direction.

Therefore, the pair of left and right side arms 35 is configured to be horizontally moved simultaneously with the pair of left and right first sliders 32 in the directions of arrows b and b'at the same time. During the movement, the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 63 ride on the pair of left and right bulging portions 62a of the pair of left and right cam plates 62 against the tension springs 59, so that the pair of left and right side arms 35 are moved as shown in FIG. From the non-crimping position retracted from the cassette moving passage 30 to the left and right sides as shown by the dashed line and the two-dot chain line, to the crimping position that has entered the cassette moving passage 30 as shown by the solid line, it is symmetrical in the direction of arrow e. Pushed out. The pair of left and right side arms 35 are configured to move in the directions of arrows b and b ′ while being pushed out to the crimping position by a certain distance in a section riding on the bulging portion 62a of the cam plate 62. .

The pair of left and right side arms 35 is shown in FIG.
When a pair of left and right cassette pressure rollers 58 are pressed symmetrically in the direction of arrow e to the pressure bonding position indicated by 0 in the direction of arrow 0, a pair of left and right cassette pressure rollers 58 compress the left and right side surfaces 5a of the cassette 5 from both left and right sides. It is configured to be crimped against the spring 60.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 9, 12 and 14, the inside of both ends of the pair of left and right guide rail mounting plates 49 in the directions of arrows b and b'at the upper part of the moving path of the pair of left and right side arms 35. A pair of left and right guide shaft mounting plates 65, 66 are fixedly attached to the pair of left and right guide shaft mounting plates 6.
A pair of left and right guide shafts 67 and 68, which are parallel to the pair of left and right guide rails 50, are horizontally installed between the upper and lower portions 5 and 66 in a vertically two-tiered manner.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, a pair of left and right second sliders 33 are attached horizontally along the pair of left and right upper guide shafts 67 so as to be horizontally movable in the directions of arrows b and b '. . A connecting shaft 69 is horizontally installed between the upper portions of the pair of left and right second sliders 33 at right angles to the directions of arrows b and b ', and the upper ends of the pair of left and right injector arms 36 are connected to the connecting shaft 69. Are attached to the left and right ends of the rotatably in the directions of arrows g and g '.
The pair of left and right injector arms 36 are formed in a substantially symmetrical L-shape, and an injector bar 37 is provided between the tip ends, which are the lower ends of the pair of left and right injector arms 36, in the directions of arrows b and b '. It is installed horizontally at a right angle to. A cassette pressing roller 70 is rotatably attached to the outer periphery of the injector bar 37 near the left and right ends.

Then, a pair of left and right injector arms 3
6 and the injector bar 37 are urged downward in the direction of the arrow g'by their own weight, and the pair of left and right second sliders 3
In the upper part of 3, the arrow g of a pair of left and right injector bars 37
A pair of left and right stoppers 71 that restrict the rotation in the direction are attached.

The pair of left and right second sliders 33 is provided with a pair of left and right tension springs 72 provided between the pair of left and right guide shaft mounting plates 65 on the arrow b'direction side, and is indicated by the arrow b '.
It is configured so that it is urged to move in the direction, comes into contact with the guide shaft mounting plate 65, and is stopped.

The pair of left and right first sliders 32 are moved forward in the direction of arrow b from the backward movement position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. The driving projections 73 formed horizontally on the ends of the pair of left and right second sliders 33 are the end portions 3 on the arrow b direction side.
3a is contacted from the direction of arrow b, and the pair of left and right second
Slide the slider 33 in the direction of arrow b to a pair of left and right tension springs 72.
It is configured to drive simultaneously against.

The pair of left and right second sliders 33 are simultaneously moved horizontally in the direction of arrow b'following the pair of left and right first sliders 32 by the pair of left and right tension springs 72. Is stopped at the backward movement position where it comes into contact with the guide shaft mounting plate 65 in the direction of the arrow b ', and after a certain time has elapsed, the pair of left and right first sliders 32
Is configured to reach the backward movement position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. Then, the pair of left and right second sliders 33
The pair of left and right injector arms 36 and the injector bar 37 are horizontally moved simultaneously in the directions of arrows b and b '.

Then, a pair of left and right third cam mechanisms 74 for raising the injector bar 37 from the position retracted below the cassette moving passage 30 into the cassette moving passage 30.
However, on the adapter stage 19, the cassette moving passage 30
A pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 75 fixed in parallel with the directions of the arrows b and b'in the vicinity of the left and right ends of the left and right, and a pair of left and right cam driven rollers rotatably attached to the outer periphery of the left and right ends of the injection bar 37 And 76.

Then, a pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 7
5, a pair of left and right cutouts 75a for allowing the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 76 to fall below the cassette moving passage 30 is formed at the end on the arrow b'direction side. A pair of left and right cam follower rollers 76 from the lower part 75a of the cassette moving path 3 to the arrow b direction side.
A horizontal high place 75b for raising the height to 0 is formed.

Then, a pair of left and right injector arms 3
When 6 is moved to the return position in the direction of arrow b ', the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 76 fall into the low place 75a of the pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 75, and the pair of left and right injector arms 36 are indicated by the arrow g. The injector bar 37 is configured to be rotated in the ‘direction’ and lowered below the cassette moving passage 30.

Then, a pair of left and right injector arms 3
At the moment when 6 starts to move horizontally in the direction of arrow b at the same time, the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 76 ride on the high place 75a of the pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 75, and the pair of left and right injection arms 36 move in the direction of arrow g. When the injector bar 37 is rotated in the direction, the injector bar 37 enters the cassette moving passage 30, and the pair of left and right cassette pressing rollers 70 can press the rear end surface 5b of the cassette 5 in the arrow b direction.

A pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 7
A pair of left and right cassette guide rollers 77 and 78 are rotatably mounted on the arrow b side of FIG. The diameter of the pair of left and right cassette guide rollers 78 in the direction of the arrow b is slightly larger than that of the pair of left and right cassette guide rollers 77 in the direction of the arrow b ′.
As shown in, the bottom surface level 30a on the pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 75 of the cassette moving passage 30 is formed so as to have an ascending slope in the direction of arrow b.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a pair of left and right third sliders 34 are attached horizontally along the lower pair of left and right guide shafts 68 in the directions of arrows b and b '. ing. Then, a pair of left and right guide pins 81 parallel to the directions of arrows b and b'are horizontally attached in a pair of left and right guide grooves 80 formed along the outside of the pair of left and right third sliders 34.

A pair of left and right drive pins 82 horizontally mounted inside the pair of left and right first sliders 32 are loosely fitted in the pair of left and right guide grooves 80 at right angles to the directions of arrows b and b '. A pair of left and right split grooves 83 (see FIG. 9) formed at the tips of these drive pins 82 are loosely fitted to the outer peripheries of the pair of left and right guide pins 81. It should be noted that the outer circumference of the pair of right and left guide pins 81 is closer to the arrow b direction side than the pair of left and right drive pins 82, the outer circumference of the pair of left and right guide shafts 68 is the guide shaft mounting plate 65 on the arrow b'direction side, and the left and right pair of first A pair of left and right compression springs 84 and 85 for cushions are inserted between the three sliders 34.

Then, a pair of right and left eject arms 38
Are formed in a substantially symmetrical L-shape, and the pair of left and right eject arms 38 are connected to each other via a pair of left and right fulcrum shafts 86 that are perpendicular to the inside of the ends of the pair of left and right third sliders 34 on the arrow b direction side. Is attached rotatably in the directions of arrows h and h '. The pair of left and right eject arms 38 is moved by the pair of left and right compression springs 87 to form an arrow h '.
It is urged to rotate in the direction.

A pair of left and right eject arms 38 is provided.
A pair of left and right third cam mechanisms 90 for inserting the left and right sides of the cassette moving passage 30 into the cassette moving passage 30 from the left and right sides. A pair of left and right cam plates 91 fixed to the same direction as the pair of left and right guide shafts 68.
And a pair of left and right cam driven rollers 92 rotatably attached to the outside of the ends of the pair of left and right eject arms 38 on the arrow b direction side, and a pair of left and right cam driven rollers 92 inside the pair of left and right guide shafts 68. And a pair of left and right compression springs 87 that constantly press in the direction of the arrow h '.

Therefore, when the pair of left and right first sliders 32 are horizontally moved in the direction of arrow b, the pair of left and right drive pins 82 are paired with the pair of left and right third springs via the pair of left and right compression springs 84.
The slider 34 is driven in the direction of arrow b along the pair of left and right guide shafts 68. Then, the pair of left and right eject arms 38 are integrally formed with the pair of left and right third sliders 34 as indicated by the arrow b.
Move horizontally in the same direction.

At this time, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 15, the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 92 rolls in the direction of the arrow b while riding on the inside of the pair of left and right guide shafts 68, so that the pair of left and right The eject arm 38 is moved in the arrow b direction while being inserted into the cassette moving passage 30 from both left and right sides.

Then, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.
When the pair of left and right third sliders 34 reach the forward position in the direction of arrow b, the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 92 pass over the pair of left and right guide shaft mounting plates 6 and the pair of left and right cam plates 91.
The pair of left and right eject arms 38 is rotated in the direction of arrow h ′ by the pair of left and right compression springs 87, and retracted from the cassette moving passage 30 to the left and right sides.

When the pair of left and right first sliders 32 are moved back in the direction of arrow b'from the forward movement position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 15, the pair of left and right first sliders 32 are in the direction of arrow b '. After a lapse of a certain time from the start of the backward movement, the pair of left and right drive pins 82 come into contact with the ends 34a of the pair of left and right third sliders 34 on the arrow b'direction side, and the pair of left and right third sliders 34 are indicated by the arrow Move back in the b'direction.

Then, at the moment when the pair of left and right third sliders 34 starts to return from the forward movement position shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 15 in the direction of arrow b ', the pair of left and right cam driven rollers 92 form a pair of left and right cams. The pair of left and right eject arms 38 is mounted on the pair of left and right guide shafts 68 as shown in FIG.
As shown by the solid line, the tape moves into the cassette moving passage 30 in the direction of arrow h. Then, a pair of left and right eject arms 3
8 is moved back in the direction of the arrow b'while keeping the state that it has entered the cassette moving passage 30.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a pair of upper and lower switch substrates 95 and 96 are horizontally attached to the upper and lower sides of one side of the cassette moving passage 30 in the adapter body 18. Three cassette sensors S ₁ and S, which are optical sensors composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, are provided on the upper and lower opposing surfaces of the pair of switch substrates 95 and 96.
₂ , S ₃ are attached at intervals in the direction of the arrow b ′ and in an arrangement that vertically traverses the cassette moving passage 30.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and 16, a substantially U-shaped photocoupler is formed on the lower surface of one end of the upper switch substrate 95 in the direction of the arrow b. The eject / standby sensor IC ₁ and the injection completion sensor IC ₂ are attached downward in a line along the directions of arrows b and b ′. A shutter plate 97 common to these sensors IC ₁ and IC ₂ is attached to one of the second sliders 33.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and 17, a switch board 98 is attached to one end portion of the adapter body 18 near the direction of the arrow b '. Inject standby sensor IC ₃ composed of a photo-coupler with a U shape on the upper surface of the
And the eject completion sensor IC ₄ are attached in a line along the directions of the arrows b and b ′ so as to face upward. A shutter plate 99 common to the sensors IC ₃ and IC ₄ is attached to one of the first sliders 32.

[0055]

[Explanation of Case Computer] Next, referring to FIG. 18 and FIG.
The case computer in the DIR will be described.

In the cassette computer 15 in the DIR 6, the cassette 5 is moved along a substantially L-shaped locus between the cassette insertion position (up position) shown in FIG. 18 and the cassette mounting position (down position) shown in FIG. A cassette holder 101 is provided for loading so as to be pulled in parallel to the arrow i direction and ejecting so as to be pushed out in parallel to the arrow i'direction. The top plate 101 of the cassette holder 101
A cassette pressing roller 101c for strongly pressing and holding the cassette 5 on the bottom plate 101b is attached to a.

An up / down sensor IC ₅ for discriminating up / down of the cassette holder 101 is mounted in the adapter body 18.

That is, this up / down sensor IC ₅
Is composed of an almost U-shaped photo coupler,
The up / down sensor IC ₅ is mounted upward on the upper surface of one end of the lower switch substrate 96 on the arrow b direction side. Then, the upper end of the shutter plate 102, which is the operating means of the up / down sensor IC ₅ , rotates in the direction of the arrow j, j ′ along the direction of the arrow b, b ′ through the fulcrum shaft 103 horizontal to the one side plate 29. It is attached freely. The shutter plate 102 is urged to rotate in the direction of arrow j by a torsion spring 104,
The rear plate 19a of the adapter stage 19 is abutted from the direction of arrow j.

The upper end of the drive arm 105, which is the drive means for the shutter plate 102, is attached to the side plate 106, which is integral with the cassette mounting plate 16, through the horizontal fulcrum shaft 107, arrow k,
It is mounted rotatably in the k'direction. The drive arm 105 is urged to rotate in the direction of arrow k by the tension spring 108, and the stopper 109 of the side plate 106 is pushed by the arrow k.
It is abutted from the direction.

Then, the operation projection 110 for rotating the drive arm 105 in the direction of the arrow k'is formed by the cassette holder 1.
01 is attached to the lower surface.

An up sensor 111, which is a photo sensor for discriminating the up of the cassette holder 101, is also installed in the cassette computer 15, and a shutter plate 112 for operating the up sensor 111 is integrated with the lower end of the drive arm 105. Has been formed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 18, when the cassette holder 101 is moved up to the cassette insertion position (up position) in the direction of the arrow i ', the operation projection 110 abuts on the drive arm 105, and the drive arm 105 is moved. 105 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow k ′ against the tension spring 108.

Then, the drive arm 105 contacts the shutter plate 102, and the shutter plate 102 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow j ′ against the torsion spring 104.

Then, the shutter plate 102 closes the up / down sensor IC ₅ , and the control system of the adapter 17 is the cassette holder 10 of the cassette computer 15.
The up state of 1 can be determined.

Next, as shown in FIG. 19, when the cassette holder 101 is moved down to the cassette mounting position (down position) in the direction of arrow i, the drive projection 110 separates from the drive arm 105 in the direction of arrow i.

Then, both the drive arm 105 and the shutter plate 112 are returned by the tension spring 108 and the torsion spring 104 in the directions of the arrows k and j, the up / down sensor IC ₅ is opened, and the control system of the adapter 17 is closed. The down state of the 15 cassette holders 101 can be determined.

[0067]

[Description of cassette moving mechanism of elevator] Next, referring to FIG.
The cassette moving mechanism in the elevator 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The cassette moving mechanism 115 provided in the elevator 2 has a plurality of conveyor belts 116 for moving the cassettes 5 in and out of the storage shelves 4 in the directions of arrows a and a'from the cassette inlets / outlets 2a on both the left and right sides, and the front cassettes. From the doorway 2b to the adapter 7, attach the cassette 5 to the arrow b,
It is composed of a plurality of conveyor belts 117 and a plurality of cassette pressure rollers 118 which are taken in and out in the b'direction. The plurality of conveyor belts 117 are configured so that they can be moved up and down in parallel with the directions of arrows m and m '. Reference numeral 119 is a cassette guide.

Further, above and below the cassette entrance / exit 2b in the front of the elevator 2, there are provided cassette feeding sensors S ₄ which are optical sensors composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

[0070]

[Explanation of elevator power failure control circuit] Next, the power failure control circuit of the elevator 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

The power failure control circuit 124, which is a control means at the time of power failure of the elevator 2, is a backup output from the capacitor backup circuit 125 when the external power source outside the cassette autochanger is input to the capacitor backup circuit 125 and the power failure detection circuit 126. The power supply is an elevator holding motor 127 and a cassette moving mechanism 11
5 is input to the cassette moving motor 128 that drives No. 5. In addition, the power failure signal output from the power failure detection circuit 126 is input to the elevator controller 129, and the elevator controller 129 controls the cassette moving motor 128 by inputting the cassette moving command signal from the host controller 130. The signal is being output.

[0072]

[Description of Operation of Cassette Autochanger] Next, the operation of the cassette autochanger configured as described above will be described. 20 and 22 to 32, two sensor ICs are provided in order to make it easy to see the movement of the cassette 5.
₃ , IC ₄ is shown lower than the normal position.

[0073]

[Operation of sending out cassette from elevator] First, based on the power outage control circuit 124 of FIG. 38 and the flowchart of FIG.
The feeding operation of the cassette 5 from the inside to the adapter 7 will be described.

First, FIGS. 20 and 21 show the elevator 2
In the cassette delivery standby state, the elevator 2 is positioned by the elevator holding motor 127 in a state where the cassette inlet / outlet 2b faces the front of the adapter 7.

At this time, the cassette moving mechanism 115
The plurality of conveyor belts 117 are lowered to the down position in the direction of the arrow m ′, and the cassette 5 horizontally mounted on the plurality of conveyor belts 117 is at the home position.

Next, when the cassette move command is issued from the host controller 130 to the elevator controller 129, as shown in FIG. 22, the plurality of conveyor belts 117 are raised to the up position in the direction of the arrow m, and the plurality of cassettes are pressure-bonded. The roller 5 presses the cassette 5 onto the plurality of conveyor belts 117 relatively.

Then, when the plurality of conveyor belts 117 are raised to the up position, the plurality of conveyor belts 117 are rotated counterclockwise to horizontally feed the cassette 5 toward the adapter 7 in the direction of arrow b.

At this time, in a normal time, the elevator controller 129 outputs a low speed rotation command signal to the cassette moving motor 128, and the plurality of conveyor belts 11 are conveyed.
7 is rotationally driven in a low speed movement mode of about 100 mm / sec, and sends out the cassette 5 horizontally in the direction of arrow b at a low speed.

On the other hand, before the plurality of conveyor belts 117 start feeding the cassette 5 in the direction of arrow b (or in FIG. 2).
As shown in 2, a power failure occurs immediately before the cassette feeding sensor S _{4 at the} cassette entrance / exit 2b is closed by the cassette 5 started to be fed in the direction of the arrow b),
When the power failure detection circuit 126 detects a power failure, the power failure detection circuit 126 outputs a power failure signal to the elevator controller 129.

At the time of power failure, the backup power is supplied from the condenser backup circuit 125 to the elevator holding motor 127 and the cassette moving motor 128.

Then, the elevator controller 129
When a power failure signal is output to the elevator controller 129, the elevator controller 129 outputs a cassette movement stop command to the cassette movement motor 128, and the plurality of conveyor belts 117 are immediately moved to the position shown in FIG.
0 to the down position in the direction of the arrow m '(or the plurality of conveyor belts 117 are driven to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 22 to return the cassette 5 in the direction of the arrow b', and then to the arrow m '.
Direction) to return the cassette 5 to the original home position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 22, after the cassette feeding sensor S _{4 at the} cassette inlet / outlet 2b is closed by the cassette 5 which is started to be fed in the direction of arrow b by the plurality of conveyor belts 117, a power failure occurs. When the power failure occurs, the elevator controller 129 outputs a high speed command signal to the cassette moving motor 128 based on the power failure signal output from the power failure detection circuit 126 to the elevator controller 129.

Then, the plurality of conveyor belts 117 are rotationally driven from the low speed movement mode in the high speed movement mode of about 200 mm / sec, and the feeding speed of the cassette 5 by the plurality of conveyance belts 117 is doubled, and the cassette 5
Is sent at high speed in the direction of arrow b.

Therefore, at the time of this power failure, while the power supply to the motor 127 for holding the elevator and the motor 128 for moving the cassette is backed up, the cassette 5 is moved to the position shown in FIGS.
As shown in, it can be fed horizontally into the adapter at high speed and quickly from the direction of arrow b.

As described above, according to the power failure control circuit 124 of the elevator 2 shown in FIG. 38 and the flowchart of the power failure control shown in FIG. 39, the cassette 5 is normally moved from the elevator 2 to the adapter 7 in the low speed movement mode. so as to send out at a low speed, after the sensor S ₄ out only cassette Eating by the cassette 5 has become close, and the time became a power failure, because it is so sent out at high speed from the elevator the cassette 5 in the fast-moving mode to the adapter 7,
The normal cassette moving speed can be reduced without changing the power backup circuit, and the load on the cassette moving mechanism 115 and the cassette 5 can be reduced.
The reliability and durability can be improved.

Since the cassette 5 can be sent to the adapter 7 at a low speed during normal operation, the abrasion of the plurality of conveyor belts 117 and the cassette 5 and the like causes the generation of shavings of the conveyor belt 117 and the cassette 5. In addition to being able to prevent it, the load on the transport belt 117, the cassette 5, etc. can be reduced, and the reliability and durability of these can be improved.

[0087]

[Adapter injecting operation] Next, Figs.
8, FIG. 33 to FIG. 35, the adapter 7 to DIR
The operation of injecting the cassette 5 into the cassette computer 15 will be described.

First, FIG. 23 and FIG. 33 show the injector 7 in the injection / standby state, in which the pair of left and right side arms 35, the injection arm 36 and the ejection arm 38 are all returned to the return position in the direction of the arrow b '. Has been done. The pair of left and right side arms 35 are retracted to the left and right sides of the cassette moving passage 30, and the injector bar 37 is retracted below the cassette moving passage 30.

At the time of this injection standby, the injection standby sensor IC ₃ is closed by the shutter plate 99.

Then, at the time of injection, first, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 33, the plurality of conveyor belts 117 of the elevator 2 cause the cassette 5 to move to the elevator 2
From the adapter 7 to the pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 75 of the body portion in the cassette moving passage 30, passing over the injector bar 37, and fed horizontally from the direction of the arrow b.

Then, an arrow b is inserted in the cassette moving passage 30.
By the cassette 5 fed from the direction, the cassette sensors S ₃ and S ₂ are sequentially closed.

When the cassette sensor S ₃ is closed, the feeding of the cassette 5 into the adapter is detected,
The closing of the cassette sensor S ₂ serves as a start trigger, the motor 46 shown in FIG. 8 is driven to rotate in the forward direction, and the pair of left and right first sliders 32 simultaneously start moving in the direction of arrow b.

The pair of left and right side arms 35, which is moved integrally with the pair of left and right first sliders 32 in the direction of the arrow b, is moved by the first cam mechanism 61 shown in FIGS. The cassette 5 is clamped from both left and right sides to sandwich the cassette 5 from both left and right sides, and the cassette 5 is drawn from the elevator 2 into the cassette moving passage 30 of the adapter 7 in the arrow b direction by the pair of left and right side arms 35. At this time, centering at the time of injecting the cassette 5 is performed by the pair of left and right side arms 35.

Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the front end surface 5c side of the cassette 5 which is pulled from the elevator 2 into the adapter 7 by the pair of left and right side arms 35 in the direction of the arrow b continues to be the cassette of the cassette computer 15 in the DIR 6. It is inserted into the holder 101 in the direction of arrow b.

At this time, the cassette 5 is provided with a pair of left and right guide rollers 77, 7 on a pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 75.
8 is moved in the direction of arrow b with a low friction. Moreover, FIG.
As shown in, the pair of left and right guide rollers 77, 78
The bottom surface level 30a of the cassette moving passage 30 is formed in an ascending slope in the direction of the arrow b by using the difference in diameter of the cassette holder 101 with the front end surface 5c side of the cassette 5 being slightly raised. It is inserted in the direction of the arrow b.

Therefore, the center guide groove formed on the bottom surface of the cassette 5 is formed in the bottom plate 1 of the cassette holder 101.
01b can be smoothly engaged with a center guide (none of which is shown), so that the cassette 5 can be smoothly inserted into the cassette holder 101 in the direction of arrow b.

Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the cassette 5
When the rear end surface 5b passes over the injector bar 37 in the direction of the arrow b, the pair of left and right second sliders of the pair of left and right drive protrusions 73 of the pair of left and right first sliders 32 shown in FIGS. The pair of left and right injector arms 36 starts to move in the direction of arrow b via 33.

Then, the pair of left and right second cam mechanisms 74 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 are used to inject the injector bar 37.
25 and 26, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, ride on the high place 75b of the pair of left and right cassette sliding guides 75, and the injector bar 37 thereof enters the cassette moving passage 30.
The pair of left and right cassette pressing rollers 70 starts to push the rear end surface 5b of the cassette 5 in parallel with the arrow b direction.

The cassette 5 is moved from the position shown in FIG.
The cassette sensor S ₁ is also closed by the cassette 5 while being moved to the position 5 in the direction of the arrow b.

Then, as shown in FIG. 26, when the rear end surface 5b of the cassette 5 is pushed in the direction of arrow b by the pair of left and right cassette pressing rollers 70 of the injector bar 37, the pair of left and right side arms 35 is moved to the first position. The 1-cam mechanism 61 separates the cassette 5 from the left and right side surfaces 5a to the left and right sides, and moves in the arrow b direction in a state of being retracted to the left and right side positions of the cassette moving passage 30.

Therefore, after FIG. 26, FIG. 27 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the pair of left and right cassette pressing rollers 70 of the injector bar 37 pushes only the rear end surface 5b of the cassette 5 in the direction of the arrow b, so that the cassette 5 can be securely and securely placed in the cassette holder 5. It can be pushed in from the direction of arrow b. As shown in FIG. 19, the cassette 5 inserted in the cassette holder 101 is strongly pressed and held on the bottom plate 101b by the cassette pressing roller 101c.

Therefore, the cassette 5 is placed in the cassette holder 1
When pushing it into 01 from the direction of the arrow b, a certain amount of strong force is required to push the cassette 5 against the cassette pressure of the cassette pressure roller 101c. End face 5b with arrow b
Since it can be strongly and reliably pushed in the direction, the pushing operation of the cassette 5 into the cassette holder 101 in the direction of the arrow b can be reliably performed.

Still, the cassette 5 itself has a rear end surface 5
Since the pressing force in the direction of arrow b is only applied to b, and the cassette 5 can move lightly on the four guide rollers 77 and 78 in total, the pressing force is not applied to the left and right side surfaces 5a of the cassette 5 and the upper and lower surfaces. And so on. Therefore, the cassette 5 is hardly damaged, and the scraping powder or the like is hardly generated on the cassette 5 due to the frictional force. Further, since the injector bar 37 pushes the rear end surface 5b of the cassette 5 in parallel to the direction of the arrow b, no rotational force is applied to the cassette 5, and the cassette 5 is stably inserted in parallel in the cassette holder 101.

In the above-described manner, the injecting operation of the cassette 5 into the cassette holder 101 of the cassette computer 15 by the adapter 7 is performed. In the middle of this injecting operation, the pair of left and right first and second pairs shown in FIGS. The pair of left and right drive pins 82 of the one slider 32 simultaneously move the pair of left and right eject arms 38 through the pair of left and right third sliders 34 in the direction of arrow b so as to precede the front end surface 5c of the cassette 5. It

Then, as shown in FIG. 26, after the eject bar 37 starts pushing the rear end surface 5b of the cassette 5 in the direction of the arrow b, as shown in FIGS. The third cam mechanism 90 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 retracts the cassette moving passage 30 to the left and right sides.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 35, the cassette 5
Is inserted into the cassette holder 101 from the direction of arrow b without interfering with the pair of right and left eject arms 38.

As described above, the injecting operation of the cassette 5 into the cassette holder 101 of the cassette computer 15 by the adapter 7 is completed, and the cassette 5 is switched on by the cassette in switch (not shown) provided on the cassette holder 101 side. Object is detected.

Then, the cassette computer 15 is driven and the cassette holder 101 is moved down in the direction of arrow i from the cassette insertion position (up position) shown in FIG. 27 to the cassette mounting position (down position) shown in FIG.
Is loaded in the cassette mounting position, and recording and / or reproducing of the cassette 5 is performed by the DIR 6.

Then, when the cassette holder 101 is moved down to the cassette mounting position, as shown in FIG.
The up / down sensor IC ₅ is opened, and the down state of the cassette holder 101 is determined by the control system software of the adapter 6.

On the other hand, the cassette sensors S ₃ , S ₂ , S ₁ once closed in the adapter 7 are sequentially opened by the movement of the cassette 5 shown in FIGS. 25 to 28 in the directions of arrows b and i. When the cassette sensor S ₁ is opened, the completion of the injection of the cassette 5 into the cassette holder 101 is detected.

As shown in FIG. 27, when the shutter plate 97 closes the injection completion sensor IC ₂ , the motor 46 shown in FIG. 8 is stopped. And
After that, the motor 46 is subsequently rotated in the reverse direction, and the pair of left and right first sliders 32 are slightly returned in the direction of the arrow b ′,
As shown in FIG. 28, when the shutter plate 97 opens the eject / standby sensor IC ₁ , the motor 46 is stopped and the cassette moving mechanism 30 is set to the eject / standby state.

[0112]

[Adapter ejecting operation] Next, Figs. 29 to 3
The ejecting operation of the cassette 5 from the adapter 7 into the elevator 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIGS. 29 and 36, D
After the cassette holder 101 of the cassette 15 of IR15 is moved up to the cassette insertion position (up position) in the direction of the arrow i ', the cassette 5 in the cassette holder 101 is moved to the adapter 7 by the cassette pushing mechanism (not shown) on the side of the cassette 15. Arrow b'in the cassette moving passage 30 of
Is pushed in the direction.

Then, when the cassette holder 101 is moved up to the cassette insertion position, as shown in FIG.
The up / down sensor IC ₅ is closed, and the control system software of the adapter 6 determines the up state of the cassette holder 101.

The cassette 5 pushed out from the cassette holder 101 into the cassette moving passage 30 in the direction of the arrow b ', after closing the cassette sensor S ₁ ,
The next cassette sensor S ₂ is pushed out in the direction of the arrow b ′ to a position where it is closed.

Then, the closing of the cassette sensor S ₂ serves as a start trigger, and the pair of left and right first sliders 32 are simultaneously started to move in the direction of the arrow b'in the reverse operation of the above-described injection operation.

First, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 37, a pair of left and right eject arms 38 are inserted into the cassette moving passage 30 from both left and right sides, and the pair of left and right eject arms 38 are attached to the front end surface of the cassette 5. Both left and right ends of 5c are pushed simultaneously in the direction of arrow b '.

Therefore, the cassette 5 is taken out from the cassette holder 101 in the direction of arrow b'by the pair of left and right eject arms 38 and ejected in the cassette moving passage 30 in the direction of arrow b '.

On the other hand, the pair of left and right side arms 35, the injector arm 36, and the injector bar 37 are also moved in the direction of the arrow b ′ together with the pair of left and right first sliders 32, and as shown in FIG. At the same time that 37 is retracted below the cassette moving passage 30,
Centering at the time of ejecting the cassette 5 is performed by the pair of left and right side arms 35 shown in FIG.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 37,
The cassette 5 ejected in the arrow b ′ direction by the pair of left and right eject arms 38 is attached to the eject bar 37.
After passing above, it is inserted into the elevator 2 in the direction of the arrow b '.
Is separated from the left and right side surfaces 5a of the cassette 5 to the left and right sides.

Even during this ejection, since the pair of left and right side arms 35 can push the left and right ends of the front end surface 5c of the cassette 5 in parallel with each other in the direction of the arrow b ', no rotational force is applied to the cassette 5, The cassette 5 is stably pushed in parallel between the plurality of conveyor belts 117 of the elevator 2 and the plurality of cassette pressure rollers 118.
Also, at the time of this agent, the arrow b ′ is attached to the cassette 5.
Only directional force is applied.

Then, the cassette 5 inserted into the elevator 2 from the direction of the arrow b'closes the cassette feeding sensor S _{4 of the} elevator 2 and triggers it, so that the plurality of conveyor belts 117 are rotated clockwise in FIG. The cassette 5 driven to rotate between the plurality of conveyor belts 117 and the plurality of cassette pressing rollers 118 is moved by the plurality of conveyor belts 117 to the position shown in FIGS. It is captured in the'direction.

During the eject operation of the cassette 5, the cassette sensors S ₁ , S ₂ and S ₃ are sequentially closed and then sequentially opened. Then, the ejection of the cassette 5 into the elevator 2 is completed, and the completion of the ejection is detected by opening the cassette sensor S ₃ .

Further, as shown in FIG. 32, when the shutter plate 99 closes the eject completion sensor IC ₄ , the motor 46 shown in FIG. 8 is stopped. Then, the motor 46 is again reversed rotation subsequently Thereafter, the first slider 32 of the pair is a little back in the direction of the arrow b, as shown in FIG. 23, inject standby sensor IC ₃ by the shutter plate 99 Is opened, the motor 46 is stopped and the cassette moving mechanism 30 is set to the inject standby state.

[0125]

[Explanation of double insertion preventing mechanism for cassette into cassette case] Next, FIGS. 18, 19, 23 to 32, and 40 to 42
The double insertion preventing mechanism of the cassette 5 in the cassette computer 15 will be described below.

[0126]

[Structure of cassette double-prevention mechanism] This cassette double-prevention mechanism is, as shown in FIGS. 23 to 32, an adapter for detecting positional information of the cassette 5 at the time of injecting and ejecting the cassette 5. A plurality of cassette sensors S ₁ , S ₂ , S ₃ arranged in 7 and an up / down sensor IC arranged in adapter 7 for detecting up / down information of cassette holder 101 in cassette 15 of DIR 6. It is composed of ₅ and.

[0127]

[Explanation of Operation for Preventing Double Insertion of Cassette] First, when attempting to inject the cassette 5 into the cassette holder 101 from the adapter 7 at the time of cassette injection, the cassette sensors S ₁ , S
_2, S ₃ is, S ₁ = closed as shown in FIG. 24, S ₂ = closed, a state 1 as the S ₃ = closing, S shown in FIG. 25
State 2 occurs in which ₁ = closed, S ₂ = closed, S ₃ = open. 40 (A) and FIG. 41 (A), 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 shown on the vertical axis represent changes in time at the time of injecting and at the time of ejecting, and cassette sensors S ₁ , S "1" _2, S ₃ shows a close.

This change in state is indicated by the state 1 shown in FIG.
The control system software of the adjuster 7 judges that the state changes from the state 2 to the state 2. Then, when this series of operations is completed, a history that the cassette 5 is injected into the cassette 15 of the DIR 6 remains, so that "there is a cassette in the cassette 15" can be determined based on the history. You can get the injection prohibition software.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19,
Up / down of the cassette holder 101 in the cassette computer 15 can be discriminated by the up / down sensor IC ₅ .

Therefore, by the OR circuit of FIG. 42, the up / down detection information by the cassette computer up / down sensor IC ₅ and the cassette sensors S ₁ , S ₂ , S ₃ are detected.
It is possible to prevent double insertion of the cassette 5 from the adapter 7 into the DIR 6 by determining the presence or absence of the cassette 5 in the cassette computer 15 by <OR> determination with the injection prohibiting software.

At the time of cassette eject, as opposed to the time of inject, as shown in FIG. 31, with the passage of time, S ₁ = closed, S ₂ = closed, and S ₃ = closed. S ₁ shown in 32 = open,
State 2 in which S ₂ = close and S ₃ = close is generated. Therefore, due to this change in state, as shown in FIG. 41, a history of ejecting the cassette 5 is left,
Based on the history, it is possible to obtain the injection prohibition software that can judge "there is a cassette in the cassette computer 15".

Therefore, in this cassette double insertion preventing mechanism, either the up / down detection information by the up / down sensor IC ₅ or the injection prohibiting software by the cassette sensors S ₁ , S ₂ , S ₃ fails. As an insurance function in such a case, the <OR> judgment is provided in the control system software of the cassette auto changer system.

According to this cassette double insertion preventing mechanism, the DIR can be set in the control system software of the cassette auto changer system without directly communicating with the DIR 6.
Since the presence or absence of cassette 5 in 6 can be determined,
Double insertion of the cassette 5 into the cassette 5 can be prevented, and the safety is very high. Also, troubles such as double insertion of the cassette 5 will not occur during development of the upper application software.

The above is a description of one embodiment of the present invention.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. Further, the present invention is not limited to the autochanger of the data recorder, and can be applied to various cassette autochangers accommodating various other tape-shaped recording media and disk-shaped recording media.

[0135]

The cassette autochanger of the present invention constructed as described above has the following effects.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an adapter is attached to the recording / reproducing apparatus, and at the time of injecting the cassette from the carrier to the cassette compartment in the recording / reproducing apparatus, a pair of left and right side arms provided on the adapter is used to attach both side surfaces of the cassette. After sandwiching and pulling for a certain distance, the pair of left and right injection arms push the rear end surface of the cassette to inject the cassette into the cassette compartment, and then from the cassette compartment in the recording / reproducing device to the carrier machine. When ejecting the cassette, the pair of left and right eject arms provided on the adapter pushes the front end surface of the cassette to eject the cassette into the transport machine.Therefore, access the cassette between the transport machine and the cassette compartment. Long for To be able to cover the majority of the stroke in the adapter, it can be simplified and miniaturization of the transfer machine of the cassette moving mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to promote the downsizing of the transporting machine and save the transporting space of the transporting machine, so that it is possible to downsize the entire cassette / autochanger.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cassette is accessed to the cassette compartment, a pair of left and right inject arms or eject arms alternately presses the front and rear end surfaces of the cassette in parallel, so that no rotational force is applied to the cassette. In addition to being able to move the cassette in parallel in a stable manner, it is unlikely that shavings of the cassette, the conveyor belt, etc. will occur when the cassette is accessed, and the cause of dropout during recording and / or reproduction can be eliminated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a pair of left and right first sliders configured to be movable in the access direction of the cassette inject and eject along the left and right sides in the adapter, and the first sliders as a pair of left and right belts. Since it is provided with one motor that is simultaneously driven through the mechanism, and is provided with a drive mechanism that drives the pair of left and right side arms, the inject arm, and the eject arm in synchronization with the pair of left and right first sliders, The drive mechanism of the adapter is simple, which simplifies and downsizes the adapter.
Cost reduction can be achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the pair of left and right side arms are attached to the pair of left and right first sliders to reciprocate in the access direction of the cassette. Since the first cam mechanism for controlling the pressure contact and the separation from the surface is provided, the side arm can be controlled easily and reliably, and the centering at the time of accessing the cassette can be reliably performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pair of left and right second sliders which are moved in parallel with the pair of left and right first sliders, and the pair of left and right injector arms are attached to the pair of left and right second sliders. An injector bar, which is installed between the front end portions of the pair of left and right injector arms and presses the rear end surface of the cassette, is provided.
Since a second cam mechanism for raising the injector bar from the position retracted from the cassette moving passage to the inside of the cassette moving passage by starting the driving of the slider in the cassette injecting direction is provided, the control of the injection arm is performed. In addition to the simple and reliable operation of the cassette, the rear end surface of the cassette can be pushed in parallel and reliably and easily by the injector bar during injection, ensuring stable and reliable injection operation of the cassette. You can do it.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pair of left and right third sliders which are moved in parallel with the pair of left and right first sliders, and the pair of left and right eject arms are attached to the pair of left and right third sliders. When the pair of left and right first sliders start driving the pair of left and right second sliders in the eject direction of the cassette, the pair of left and right eject arms move from the positions retracted to the left and right sides of the cassette movement passage into the cassette movement passage. Since it has a third cam mechanism that allows it to enter from both the left and right sides, the eject arm can be controlled easily and reliably, and the front end surface of the cassette is made parallel during ejection.
Moreover, it can be pushed reliably and easily, and the ejecting operation of the cassette can be stably and reliably performed.

According to the present invention, since the adapter and the cassette compartment mounting plate of the recording / reproducing apparatus are directly mounted, it is possible to stabilize the mounting accuracy of the adapter with respect to the cassette compartment, and the reliability of cassette access is improved. It is possible to improve the property.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall front view illustrating a cassette autochanger that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a data recorder and an adapter of the cassette auto changer.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting structure of an adapter for the data recorder of the above.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view illustrating an adapter of a cassette auto changer.

6 is a view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway side view showing an adapter and an elevator.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a drive mechanism in the above adapter.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a first slider and a side arm in the above drive mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an inject arm in the adapter of the same.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a second cam mechanism for controlling the above-described inject arm.

13 is a plan view showing a partially cutaway portion of FIG. 12. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an injection arm in the adapter of the same.

15 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 14. FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing an eject / standby sensor and an injection completion sensor in the adapter of the same.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an inject standby sensor and an eject completion sensor in the adapter of the above.

FIG. 18 is a partially cutaway side view showing a closed state of an up / down sensor that detects up / down of a cassette compartment in the adapter.

FIG. 19 is a partially cutaway side view showing the open state of the up / down sensor of the same.

FIG. 20 is a partially cutaway side view showing the cassette moving mechanism in the elevator of the cassette autochanger and the start of the injection of the cassette into the adapter.

21 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 20. FIG.

FIG. 22 is a partially cutaway side view showing the middle of injecting the cassette into the adapter in the elevator of the above.

FIG. 23 is a partially cutaway side view showing the start of the operation when injecting the cassette into the cassette compartment from the elevator of the cassette auto changer through the adapter.

FIG. 24 is a partially cutaway side view showing the middle of the same injection.

FIG. 25 is a partially cutaway side view showing the middle of the same injection.

FIG. 26 is a partially cutaway side view showing the middle of the same injection.

FIG. 27 is a partially cutaway side view showing the completion of the above injection.

FIG. 28 is a partially cutaway side view showing the loading state of the cassette by the cassette compartment of the above.

FIG. 29 is a partially cutaway side view showing the start of operation when ejecting a cassette from the cassette compartment of the cassette autochanger through the adapter into the elevator.

FIG. 30 is a partially cutaway side view showing the middle of the above ejection.

FIG. 31 is a partially cutaway side view showing the middle of the above ejection.

FIG. 32 is a partially cutaway side view showing the completion of the above ejection.

33 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 23. FIG.

34 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 26. FIG.

35 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 27. FIG.

36 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 29. FIG.

37 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 32. FIG.

FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing a power failure control circuit of a cassette moving mechanism of an elevator of a cassette auto changer.

FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing the control operation at the time of power failure in FIG. 38.

FIG. 40 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the cassette sensor and the judgment of the history of cassette injection at the time of cassette injection of the adapter of the cassette auto changer.

FIG. 41 is a view for explaining the operation of the cassette sensor and the judgment of the history of cassette ejection at the time of cassette ejection of the adapter of the cassette auto changer.

FIG. 42 is a diagram illustrating a determination routine of a double insertion mechanism of a cassette into the cassette compartment of the cassette auto changer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 cassette auto changer main body 2 elevator (conveyor) 4 storage shelf 5 tape cassette 5a left and right side surfaces of tape cassette 5b tape cassette rear end surface 5c tape cassette front end surface 6 data recorder (recorder / reproducer) 7 adapter 15 cassette compartment 16 Cassette compartment mounting plate 20 Mounting reference pin 21 Mounting reference hole 25 Set screw 30 Cassette moving passage 31 Cassette moving mechanism 32 First slider 32 Second slider 33 Third slider 35 Side arm 36 Inject arm 37 Inject bar 38 Eject arm 39 Drive mechanism 44 Belt mechanism 45 Drive shaft 46 Motor 61 First cam mechanism 74 Second cam mechanism 90 Third cam mechanism

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of cassettes containing recording media,
A plurality of storage shelves accommodating the plurality of cassettes, a recording / reproducing device that selectively records and / or reproduces the plurality of cassettes, and a plurality of the plurality of storage shelves and the recording / reproducing device. In a cassette autochanger equipped with a transporter that selectively transports cassettes, an adapter attached to the recording / playback device holds both left and right sides of the cassette injected from the transporter and pulls in a certain distance. A pair of left and right side arms and a pair of left and right injection arms for injecting the cassette into the cassette compartment of the recording / reproducing apparatus by pushing the rear end surface of the cassette subsequent to the cassette retracting operation by the side arms. And before the cassette ejected from the above cassette compartment A cassette autochanger comprising a pair of left and right eject arms for ejecting the cassette into the carrier by pushing an end surface thereof. 2. A pair of left and right first sliders configured to be movable along the left and right sides of the adapter in the directions of cassette injection and ejection, and a pair of left and right first sliders for the pair of left and right belts. A pair of left and right first sliders that drive the motors in synchronism with each other. The cassette autochanger according to claim 1. 3. The pair of left and right side arms is attached to the pair of left and right first sliders to reciprocate in the access direction of the cassette, and the pair of left and right side arms are attached to both left and right side surfaces of the cassette. 3. The cassette autochanger according to claim 2, further comprising a first cam mechanism that controls to press and separate. 4. A pair of left and right second sliders that are moved in parallel with the pair of left and right first sliders are provided, and the pair of left and right injector arms are attached to the pair of left and right second sliders. Is provided between the front end portions of the injector arms to push the rear end face of the cassette, and the pair of left and right first sliders starts driving the pair of left and right second sliders in the cassette inject direction. 3. The cassette autochanger according to claim 2, further comprising a second cam mechanism for raising the injector bar from a position retracted below the cassette moving passage into the cassette moving passage. 5. A pair of left and right third sliders that are moved in parallel with the pair of left and right first sliders are provided, and the pair of left and right eject arms are attached to the pair of left and right third sliders. When the first slider starts driving the pair of left and right second sliders in the eject direction of the cassette, the pair of left and right eject arms are retracted from the cassette moving passage to the left and right sides to the cassette moving passage from the left and right sides. 3. The cassette autochanger according to claim 2, further comprising a third cam mechanism that allows it to enter from the inside. 6. The cassette autochanger according to claim 1, wherein the adapter is directly attached to a mounting plate of a cassette compartment of the recording / reproducing apparatus.