Carousel apparatus for handling data storage cartridges
AssigneeStorage Technology Corporation
InventorWarren L. Dalziel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved carousel apparatus for use in carousel-type magnetic tape library systems and the like, including a cylindrical magazine carried by a rotatable turntable. The turntable includes a sprocket wheel that is engaged by a drive belt or chain connected to a stepper motor affixed to a rotatable base plate. Affixed to the sprocket is a shutter plate having a plurality of notches in its perimeter for detection by an optical-indexing sensor. The apparatus also includes a carousel-indexing sensor and a cartridge-in-carousel and cartridge-orientation sensor. Disposed within the central cavity of the carousel magazine unoccupied by cartridges is a cartridge-onloading/offloading mechanism which is rotatably mounted concentric with the carousel turntable.
Claims25
Carousel apparatus for rotatably carrying an annular magazine for transporting a plurality of cartridges containing recorded media, the magazine including a plurality of cartridge-receiving slots oriented to lie along radial lines emanating from a central axis of the magazine and arrayed in an annular band surrounding said axis and defining a central chamber, comprising:
- turntable means for rotatably supporting the magazine and for selectively aligning the slots thereof with a plurality of cartridge-loading/unloading stations disposed around said turntable means;
- drive means for rotatably driving said turntable means from one rotary position to another so that selected ones of said slots may be aligned with said drives;
- and
- cartridge-loading/unloading means disposed at the center of and rotatably supported by said turntable means, said cartridge-loading/unloading means being rotatable about said central axis and selectively positionable in alignment with each said loading/unloading station, said cartridge-loading/unloading means being operative to engage a cartridge contained in said magazine and to push it out of the magazine and into one of said loading/unloading stations, and being operative to grippingly engage a cartridge disposed at one of said loading/unloading stations and to pull the cartridge into said magazine, said turntable means being rotatable independent of said cartridge-loading/unloading means to move said magazine so that a particular one of its slots is aligned with one of said loading/unloading stations when said cartridge-loading/unloading means is disposed at said one loading/unloading station.
A cartridge magazine for use in a carousel apparatus comprising:
- means forming an annular body having a plurality of cartridge-receiving slots oriented to lie along radial lines emanating from a central axis of the body, said slots being arrayed in an annular band surrounding said axis and defining a central chamber, said body being formed by a pair of identical top and bottom molded parts, each having cartridge-receiving slot-defining guide means and elongated stand-off means integrally formed in a first side thereof, said first sides being disposed in facing relationship and the distal ends of said stand-off means being mated together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.