Granted Patent B2

US 7,242,549 · App. 11/280,870 · Granted Jul 10, 2007

Abstract

Claims (45)

1. A media cartridge autoloader comprising:

a media cartridge picker including

a turntable capable of supporting a media cartridge and rotating to change the orientation of the media cartridge supported thereby;

a turntable rotating mechanism configured to rotate the turntable; and

a media cartridge transport mechanism provided on the turntable and configured to transport the media cartridge onto and off of the turntable;

a mail slot through which the media cartridge is inserted or ejected;

a media drive into which the media cartridge is loaded; and

a media cartridge storage section configured to store the media cartridge therein;

wherein the mail slot, the media drive, and the media cartridge storage section are arranged around the media cartridge picker; and

the media cartridge picker further includes a turntable lifting mechanism that raises and lowers said turntable.

2. The media cartridge autoloader as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said media cartridge picker further includes a base having a first cylindrical section;

said turntable lifting mechanism comprises:

a second cylindrical section having a boss on a periphery thereof, said second cylindrical section engaging an outer periphery of the first cylindrical section so as to be raised/lowered;

a rotating ring gear having a slit in a shaft direction wherein the boss fits in the slit, said rotating ring gear engaging the outer periphery of the second cylindrical section;

a lifting ring gear having a slant groove wherein a tip end of the boss fits in the slant groove, said lifting ring gear rotatably engaging the outer periphery of the rotating ring gear;

a sub chassis fixed on an upper side of the rotating ring gear; and

a motor rotating the lifting ring gear, said motor being attached to the sub chassis; and

said turntable is fixed on an upper side of the second cylindrical section.

3. The media cartridge autoloader as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said turntable comprises:

a barcode reader reading a barcode of the media cartridge which is retained in the media drive; and reading a barcode of another media cartridge stored in the media cartridge storage section; and

a control device configured such that said media cartridge picker monitors a state where the barcode reader reads the barcode; and

when the barcode is not read normally, a position of a beam of the barcode reader scanning the barcode is shifted and the barcode reader reads the barcode again.

4. The media cartridge autoloader as claimed in claim 3 , wherein when the barcode is not normally read, said control device is configured to operate the turntable lifting mechanism to raise and lower the turntable.

5. The media cartridge autoloader as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said media cartridge picker comprises:

a base including a first cylindrical section; and

a second cylindrical section wherein the turntable is fixed on the upper side thereof and rotatably engages an outer periphery of the first cylindrical section; and wherein

a cable extending from the barcode reader and reaching an under surface of the base of the media cartridge picker via the first cylindrical section is led along inside edges of the first cylindrical section so as to form a spiral section.

6. A media cartridge picker for a media cartridge autoloader, the media cartridge picker moving a media cartridge between the media cartridge picker and one or more of a mail slot through which the media cartridge enters or exits the media cartridge autoloader, a media drive that receives the media cartridge and a media cartridge storage section that stores the media cartridge, the media cartridge picker comprising:

a turntable having a support surface, the turntable rotatably supporting the media cartridge on the support surface;

a turntable rotating mechanism that rotates the support surface to change the rotational orientation of the media cartridge;

a media cartridge transport mechanism that moves the media cartridge relative to the turntable; and

a turntable lifting mechanism that adjusts a height of the support surface relative to one of the mail slot, the media drive and the media cartridge storage section.

7. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising a motor and a base, and wherein the turntable lifting mechanism includes a cylindrical section that supports the turntable, the motor causing an adjustment of the height of the cylindrical section relative to the base to adjust the height of the turntable.

8. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the turntable lifting mechanism includes a ring gear having a groove, and wherein cylindrical section includes a boss that engages the groove, wherein the motor rotates the ring gear to cause the boss and the groove to move relative to one another, the groove being configured to guide the boss to adjust the height of the cylindrical section during rotation of the ring gear.

9. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the turntable includes a barcode reader that reads a barcode of the media cartridge.

10. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the barcode reader reads the barcode of the media cartridge when the media cartridge is at least partially retained in the media drive.

11. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the barcode reader reads the barcode of the media cartridge when the media cartridge is at least partially stored in the media cartridge storage section.

12. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a control device that monitors the location that the barcode reader reads the barcode on the media cartridge.

13. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the barcode reader directs a beam toward the barcode on the media cartridge during reading of the barcode, the positioning of the beam relative to the media cartridge being adjustable.

14. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the control device causes the turntable lifting mechanism to raise or lower the turntable to adjust the positioning of the beam relative to the media cartridge.

15. The media cartridge picker as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising a cable extending from the barcode reader, wherein the media cartridge picker includes a base having a first cylindrical section and a second cylindrical section, the turntable being fixed on the second cylindrical section, the turntable rotatably engaging the first cylindrical section; and

wherein the cable is positioned against an inner edge of the first cylindrical section to position the cable in a substantially spiral configuration.

16. A method for moving a media cartridge within a media cartridge autoloader, the operating a media cartridge autoloader including a media cartridge picker moving a media cartridge between the media cartridge picker and one or more of a mail slot through which the media cartridge enters or exits the media cartridge autoloader, a media drive that receives the media cartridge, a media cartridge storage section that stores the media cartridge and a turntable, said method comprising the steps of:

rotating a turntable that supports the media cartridge on a support surface to change a rotational orientation of the media cartridge; and

adjusting a height of the support surface relative to one of (i) a mail slot through which the media cartridge enters an interior of the autoloader, (ii) a media drive that receives the media cartridge to transmit data from the media cartridge and (iii) a media cartridge storage section that stores the media cartridge, with a turntable lifting mechanism.

Assignments (10)