Cartridge carrying apparatus and cartridge carrying method using notch-engagement projection

A cartridge carrying method for inserting/ejecting a cartridge to/from each cartridge insertion/ejection opening of a rack which houses aligned cartridges incorporating a storage medium and a storage playback device, the cartridge carrying method comprising:

• disposing a circular body in front of a cartridge insertion/ejection opening, at outside a projection plane of the cartridge, the circular body having a projection on a surface thereof, moving along a long ellipse shaped track extending in an inserting/ejecting direction for the cartridge, and having a substantial flexibility;
• moving the circular body in such a direction that the projection slides in the ejecting direction of the cartridge from the position at a half arc portion of the long ellipse shaped track near the cartridge insertion/ejection opening where a tip of the projection is placed slightly outside a projection plane of the cartridge to be along a radial direction of the half arc portion so as not to touch an end face of the cartridge, and engaging the projection with a notch section formed in a nearer side end portion of the cartridge projecting from the cartridge insertion/ejection opening so as to take out the cartridge from the cartridge insertion/ejection opening and carry it out along a linear portion of the long ellipse shaped track;
• and
• moving the circular body in such a direction that the projection on the linear portion of the long ellipse shaped track slides in the inserting direction of the cartridge, and moving and feeding the cartridge by the projection engaged with the notch section to insert the cartridge into the cartridge insertion/ejection opening, and removing the projection from the notch section.

A cartridge carrying method for inserting/ejecting a cartridge to/from each cartridge insertion/ejection opening of a rack which houses aligned cartridges incorporating a storage medium and a storage playback device, the cartridge carrying method comprising:

• disposing a circular body in front of a cartridge insertion/ejection opening, at outside a projection plane of the cartridge, the circular body having a projection and an auxiliary projection which is longer than the projection on a surface thereof, moving along a long ellipse shaped track extending in an inserting/ejecting direction for the cartridge, and having a substantial flexibility;
• projecting the cartridge from the cartridge insertion/ejection opening with the projection being positioned at a half arc portion near the cartridge insertion/ejection opening in the long ellipse shaped track, a tip of the projection being slightly outside a projection plane of the cartridge to be along a radial direction of the half arc portion so as not to touch an end force of the cartridge, and the auxiliary projection being at a linear portion in the long ellipse shaped track, and positioning a notch section formed in a front end portion of the cartridge, with supporting the cartridge at the front end face in the inserting/ejecting direction by the auxiliary projection;
• moving the circular body in such a direction that the projection slides in the ejecting direction of the cartridge, and engaging the projection with a notch section formed in a nearer side end portion of the cartridge projecting from the cartridge insertion/ejection opening so as to take out the cartridge from the cartridge insertion/ejection opening and carry it out along a linear portion of the long ellipse shaped track;
• and
• moving the circular body in such a direction that the projection and the auxiliary projection on the linear portion of the long ellipse shaped track slides in the inserting direction of the cartridge, and moving and feeding the cartridge by the auxiliary projection contacted with a front end face in the cartridge inserting/ejecting direction so as to insert the cartridge into the cartridge insertion/ejection opening, and removing the projection from the notch section.