Sony Corporation

Keiji Tadokoro

Nobuhiro Tsurumaki

Toru Yumine

Masato Yokota

Hideaki Noguchi

Junichi Saiki

Noriyuki Yamazaki

Takao Mokutani

Koichi Aikawa

A cassette library ( ) is provided with a driving apparatus ( ), cassette housing shelves ( ) and a cassette carrier ( ). A library controller ( ) simulates as if driving apparatuses ( ) having continuous address numbers were apparently used in the host computer ( ) even when physically discontinuous address numbers are allocated to the driving apparatus ( ), thereby making it possible to set occupancy for a driving apparatus with an arbitrary address number. The library controller ( ) has the cassette carrier ( ) automatically carry, at a preset timing, a cleaning cassette from the cassette housing shelf ( ) to the driving apparatus ( ) to clean a recording reproduction head of the driving apparatus ( ) using the cleaning cassette which is then carried back to the housing section in the original cassette housing shelf ( ) after the cleaning work.

Recording medium library device and control method thereof

A cassette auto changer system including a member for selectably providing a plurality of cassettes to be loaded into one or more tape signal readers. A cassette rack is provided including a plurality of cassette receiving compartments, a cassette port accessible from an outer side of the auto changer apparatus whereby cassettes may be inserted or removed from the auto changer apparatus, a tape transfer mechanism operable to selectably transport cassettes between the cassette rack and the tape signal reader, and the cassette port. A YES/NO sensor at the cassette port determines whether a cassette is present in the cassette port. In applicants' cassette auto changer system, when a YES indicator determined by the YES/NO sensor changes to a NO determination, a controller sets the cassette port an IN port empty condition. When in such IN port empty condition the YES/NO sensor changes to a YES condition to indicate the presence of a cassette in the cassette port, operation of the tape transfer mechanism to the cassette port is disabled and an IN port loaded condition is determined. When, in an IN port empty condition of the cassette port and operation of the tape transfer mechanism is detected by the YES/NO sensor, the controller determines an OUT port loaded condition of the cassette port. When in the OUT port loaded condition, a change from a YES indication to a NO indication is determined by the the YES/NO sensor, an IN port empty condition of the cassette port is determined by the controller.

Cassette auto changer system

A recording medium library apparatus made up of a combination of units and capable of readily outputting information representing the configuration and readily collecting management information. A library controller of a recording medium library apparatus recognizes the configuration of a library. Based on the information on the recognized configuration, a status monitoring view showing the actual arrangement of consoles is provided on a display. Part of the statuses of the sections are displayed on the status monitoring view. The library controller collects system information as management information sorted according to the functions or structural part of the library for each function or structure block element and rearranges the collected system information into data in a form which can be outputted all at a time, and the data is recorded as a system information file on, for example, a hard disk.

Recording medium library apparatus and method for operating the same

A library device, that is able to remote-actuate a recording/reproducing apparatus. The library device includes a recording/reproducing unit for recording or reproducing the information using a removable recording medium, a plurality of housing unit that is able to accommodate the recording medium therein, a transporting unit for transporting the recording medium between an optional housing unit in the housing unit and the recording/reproducing unit, and a control unit for controlling the transporting unit and/or the recording/reproducing unit. The control unit selects an operating mode of setting a control operation of permitting external terminal unit to perform the same control as that performed by the control unit or an operating mode of permitting the external terminal unit to perform control limited with respect to the control operation of the control unit, when the transporting unit and/or the recording/reproducing unit is controlled by the external terminal unit. The transporting unit and/or the recording/reproducing unit is controlled by the external terminal unit based on the operational mode selected by the control unit.

Library device and logical number allocating method therefor

Library device, operating mode setting method therefor

A cassette library ( ) is provided with a driving apparatus ( ), cassette housing shelves ( ) and a cassette carrier ( ). A library controller ( ) simulates as if driving apparatuses ( ) having continuous address numbers were apparently used in the. host computer ( ) even when physically discontinuous address numbers are allocated to the driving apparatus ( ), thereby making it possible to set occupancy for a driving apparatus with an arbitrary address number. The library controller ( ) has the cassette carrier ( ) automatically carry, at a preset timing, a cleaning cassette from the cassette housing shelf ( ) to the driving apparatus ( ) to clean a recording reproduction head of the driving apparatus ( ) using the cleaning cassette which is then carried back to the housing section in the original cassette housing shelf ( ) after the cleaning work.

A cassette auto changer system includes a cassette console mounting a rack for holding a plurality of tape cassettes, a drive console for mounting a tape playing or playing and recording device or a plurality of such devices. A base console mounts the cassette and drive consoles and the entire cassette auto changer system is housed in a housing console. According to a compact design a cassette shuttle portion of the transport mechanism is rotatable both vertically and horizontally and includes structure, such as a cassette hand portion, for effecting insertion and extraction of a cassette from one of a plurality of cassette compartments provided in the cassette rack. The cassette hand may also include a release lever engaging a lock lever at each cassette compartment. Further, grasping members include a centering device for achieving a predetermined support position for a cassette. In addition, paired position detection portions and corresponding sensors are provided. For compactness, driven components receive driving power from a power source via other, intervening driven compartments. The cassette transport is also operable to and from a cassette port whereby cassettes may be inserted into and removed from the housing console. Control portion is provided to allow a single cassette port to function as both an IN or an OUT port. Thus a compact, full featured cassette auto changer may be provided which is robust, reliable and compact.

A cassette auto changer system including a tape signal reading member and a selection member for selecting between a plurality of cassettes. The cassette auto changer includes a base console including a port for tape insertion or extraction operations and having a tape insert compartment. The base console has upper and lower guide rails. A drive console mounts the tape signal reading member and a cassette console mounts a plurality of compartments for storing the tape cassettes. A tape transfer member transports the tape cassettes selectively between the base console, the drive console and the cassette console. An electrically conductive rail is disposed proximate to the guide rails which is powered by enclosed electrical wiring circuitry. In addition, an unmagnetized cassette shuttle body of the tape transfer member is driven along the electrically conductive rail and is guided along the guide rails. Electrical current is input to the tape transfer member form the electrically conductive rail via the cassette shuttle body.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Keiji Tadokoro