Fujitsu Corporation

Copal Company Limited

Kohjiroh Hashimoto

Hiroshi Shibuya

Kengo Yamakawa

Tsukasa Minemura

Hiroyuki Sugihara

Hidetaka Kaneko

Hidenori Maeda

A library apparatus includes a storage shelf that has a plurality of cells for housing a cartridge that stores a plurality of recording media; a recording and reproducing unit that performs recording/reproducing of information to/from the recording media; and a conveying mechanism that conveys the cartridge to a predetermined position in the storage shelf, between the storage shelf and the recording and reproducing unit. The conveying mechanism includes a first conveying mechanism that conveys the cartridge during a normal operation of the library apparatus; and a second conveying mechanism that conveys the cartridge during an abnormal-operation of the first conveying mechanism.

Library apparatus

A library apparatus in which a plurality of cell drums are divided into two groups respectively placed on the left and right side of a recording/reproducing unit placed in a central part thereof. In this library apparatus, rails are placed in a direction along which the cell drums and the recording/reproducing unit are arranged. The conveying of media, which are contained in the cell drums placed on the left side of the recording/reproducing unit, is assigned to an accessor placed on the left side thereof. Simultaneously, the conveying of media, which are contained in the cell drums placed on the right side of the recording/reproducing unit, is assigned to an accessor placed on the right side thereof. A robot hand of each of the accessors is opened and closed by a turn of a motor. At that time, a power supply is turned off. Moreover, the robot hand is prevented by a locking mechanism from popping out of the accessor. Furthermore, ordinary cartridges are discriminated from cleaning cartridges.

A hand mechanism of an accessor, capable of gripping a recording medium cartridge in a horizontal condition thereof. The accessor automatically exchanges the recording medium cartridge between a cell unit having a plurality of cells each accommodating the recording medium cartridge and a recording medium drive unit for performing read/write of data from/to the recording medium cartridge. The hand mechanism includes a base mounted swingably about a vertical axis, a grip hand mounted on the base movably between an advanced position and a retracted position, for gripping the cartridge, and a tray mounted on the base and under the grip hand movably between an advanced position projecting from the base and a retracted position. The hand mechanism further includes a cartridge gripped condition correcting mechanism for correcting a gripped condition of the cartridge gripped by the grip hand.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Kohjiroh Hashimoto