Nec Corporation

Nec Embedded Products, Ltd.

Kenichi Ojima

Atsushi Tanaka

Manabu Tsuchiya

Takeshi Suzuki

Hiroyuki Shimanuki

In a magnetic head cleaning mechanism applicable to a magnetic tape apparatus using a threading system, a cleaning member is placed at a cleaning position with high precision without excessively pushing the cleaning member. For this purpose, an arm to move a cleaning bristle to clean a magnetic head is disposed at a position on a side of the magnetic head relative to a threader track. The bristle moves through a moving path guided by a cam groove. The bristle first moves toward the threader track and then toward the cleaning position in front of the magnetic head. During the movement to approach the magnetic head through the moving path, the bristle does not exceed the cleaning position.

Magnetic head cleaning mechanism and a magnetic tape apparatus

A picker mechanism and a library device having the picker mechanism are provided in which their miniaturization can be achieved. A drive device mounted on the library device and the picker mechanism to load and unload data cartridges to and from a cell in a magazine include a swivel mechanism made up of a swivel driving motor to rotate the picker mechanism on an elevator that supports the picker mechanism, a feeding section having a picker arm on its side that is connected to a notch to be held in a fixed manner which is formed on a side of the data cartridge and, a feeding section driving mechanism made up of a picker driving motor to move the feeding section in a straight line.

Picker mechanism that rotatably accesses data cartridges at different heights and library device using same

Deck mechanism assembly comprises deck base, head guide assembly which is disposed on the deck base and which reads and writes data from/to a magnetic tape, cartridge reel motor which drives a reel on which the magnetic tape is wound, clutch which transmits a drive force of the cartridge reel motor to the reel enclosed in the cartridge, loader which conveys the loaded cartridge and mounts the cartridge in the state of the magnetic tape being able to be pulled out, loader motor which drives the loader, threader which pulls out a leader block placed at an edge portion of the magnetic tape and conveys the leader block, and head brush mechanism which functions corresponding to the leader block which is conveyed. Since the loader motor is disposed in the rear of the loader on the deck base, the width of apparatus can be decreased.

Magnetic tape drive apparatus

In a tape threading mechanism having a threading arm for moving a leader block from a tape cartridge to a take-up reel, the take-up reel is provided with a guide groove having an intrusion port in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the take-up reel so as to guide a leader block toward the take-up center of the take-up reel. One of side walls of the guide groove, against which the tip of the leader block abuts when the leader block intrudes into the guide groove, is formed in such a manner that the leader block can smoothly move into the take-up-center of the take-up reel.

Tape threading mechanism

A magnetic-tape library system for accurately mounting a magnetic tape on a magnetic-tape drive by using a hand assembly mounted on an accessor and a method for controlling the positioning of an accessor to the magnetic-tape drive. The magnetic-tape library system includes a magnetic-tape drive for at least reading data from a magnetic tape, an accessor mechanism for transferring a magnetic tape to and from the magnetic-tape drive, and a controller for controlling operations of the accessor mechanism.

Magnetic-tape library system and method for controlling positioning of accessor to magnetic-tape drive

The present invention provides a magnetic tape drive mounting detection apparatus in a composite type magnetic tape apparatus, which detection can surely detecting that a magnetic tape drive is mounted at a predetermined position, while absorbing irregularities between parts. The detection apparatus detects that a magnetic tape drive fixed onto a deck tray sliding in a frame is mounted on a predetermined position of a magnetic tape apparatus. The detection apparatus includes: a fixed plate spring attached to the deck tray for fixing the magnetic tape drive at a predetermined position; and a micro switch attached unitarily with the fixed plate spring . The micro switch performs detection operation at a position where the fixed plate spring is firmly fixed to the frame

Magnetic tape drive mounting detection apparatus

The present invention provides an apparatus for loading a cartridge into a deck, including (a) a cartridge tray designed to be movable relative to a deck and formed at a bottom surface thereof with a through hole, a cartridge being adapted to be placed on the cartridge tray, the cartridge being formed at a lower surface with a positioning groove into which a pin projecting from the deck is to be fit through the through hole of the cartridge tray when the cartridge tray is caused to move to the deck, (b) an arm plate designed to be movable towards the deck, (c) a mechanism for causing the arm plate to make contact with the cartridge and push the cartridge towards the deck until the pin fits into the positioning groove of the cartridge, and a device for making contact with the cartridge before the arm plate makes contact with the cartridge, and pushing the cartridge towards the deck before the motor crank causes the arm plate to push the cartridge towards the deck. For instance, the device includes a block disposed at a lower level than the arm plate, and a rod having resiliency which is connected at one end thereof to the block and fixedly connected at the other end thereof to the arm plate. The apparatus makes it possible to smoothly fit the pin into the positioning groove of the cartridge, and hence load the cartridge into the deck without failing for the pin to fit into the positioning groove and thus the cartridge being stuck on the pin.

Growing community of inventors

Yamagata, Japan

Kenichi Ojima