Library system communication and control arrangement

Details Library system communication and control arrangement Library system communication and control arrangement

1994-09-23

2001-09-25

Evans, Jefferson (Department: 2754)

Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval

Record transport with head stationary during transducing

Tape record

C369S034010

Reexamination Certificate

active

06295179

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a library system which is capable of storing a large number of recording medium within a store house and recording and reproducing data to or from a recording medium by automatically loading the recording medium to a recording and reproducing unit from a store house and ejecting the medium therefrom without operator's intervention.
In more detail, the library system of the present invention comprises a store house for storing a large number of recording mediums, for example, of cartridge type, a recording and reproducing unit for recording and reproducing data to or from the recording mediums and a carrying the apparatus for carrying recording mediums between the store house and recording and reproducing unit, and the present invention particularly relates to a method of controlling transfer of a recording medium from the carrying apparatus to the recording and reproducing unit and of carrying the recording medium from the recording and reproducing unit to the carrying apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In these years, a computer system deals with a numerous quantity of data. Therefore, a large scale and high speed disk unit is used for ordinary jobs and a magnetic tape or optical disk unit is generally used for storing of data. With increase of data, such recording mediums increases in number. As a result, an operator is required to take much labor and longer time to load the target recording medium to the recording and reproducing unit.
Therefore, reduction in size of the recording medium itself and automatic loading, ejection and storing of the recording medium are required and, moreover, a library system which is capable of storing a large number of small-sized recording medium and realizing automatic loading and ejection of recording medium has been developed. Such a library system is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 62-267175.
FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
show structures of a library system.
FIG. 1
shows a structure of the library system as a whole, while
FIG. 2
shows a structure of carrying apparatus of the inside of the library system. The library system is formed by a rectangular parallelopiped cabinet which comprises therein a store house
7
for storing a large number of cartridge type recording mediums
10
, a recording and reproducing unit
6
for recording and reproducing data for recording mediums
10
and a carrying apparatus
8
for carrying recording mediums
10
between the store house
7
and recording and reproducing unit
6
.
In more detail, the store house
7
provides a plurality of square shelves for storing cartridge type recording mediums
10
and this shelf is arranged to the front and rear surface walls of the inside of the library system
2
. The carrying apparatus
8
picks up a recording medium
10
designated from a control unit in the store house
7
and then loads it in the recording and reproducing unit
6
, or transfers and stores a recording medium
10
exhausted from the recording and reproducing unit
6
up to the store house
7
. Such a carrying apparatus
8
is provided, for example, in two units within the library system
2
and these are alternately used for shortening the access time to the recording mediums
10
. The recording and reproducing unit
6
is provided, for example, with a plurality of units which are on the same plane as a part of the shelf of the store house
7
.
The accessor
8
also loads the recording mediums
10
to the recording and reproducing unit
6
, just like storing the recording mediums
10
into the store house
7
.
FIG. 3
is a control block diagram of the library system of the prior art. In this figure, the reference numeral
1
designates a library system control system in the side of host unit and
2
designates the library system main body.
The library system control system
1
in the side of the host unit comprises an operating system (OS)
4
, an operator console
3
and a library support program (LIBSP)
5
.
The library system
2
comprises, as explained previously, a recording and reproducing unit
6
for recording or reproducing data to or from a recording mediums, a store house
7
for storing recording medium, an accessor (ACC) for carrying recording mediums between the store house
7
and the recording and reproducing unit
6
, and a director (DIR)
9
for controlling the library system
2
as a whole including the recording and reproducing unit
6
and carrying apparatus
8
.
The recording and reproducing unit
6
comprises a loading unit (LOD)
6
a
for dealing with recording mediums for the carrying apparatus
8
, a read/write processing unit (R/W)
6
b
for writing or reading data to a recording medium after loading the medium to the recording and reproducing position with the loading unit
6
a,
a detector
6
aa
for notifying that the carrying apparatus
8
makes access to the loading unit
6
a
and is separated therefrom and a detector
6
ab
for detecting that a recording medium is placed within the loading unit
6
a
or not and notifying it to the read/ write processing unit
6
b.
The carrying apparatus
8
comprises an carrying mechanism
8
a
for carrying recording mediums between the read/write processing unit
6
b
and the store house
7
and a controller
8
b
for controlling such carrying mechanism
8
a.
Hereafter, the loading and ejecting operations of recording mediums for this library system
2
will be explained.
FIG. 4
indicates recording medium loading and ejecting operations.
First, when a recording medium loading request is issued from OS
4
to a console
3
and LIBSP
5
, it reads such request (step
11
) and issues a loading instruction (step
12
) to the carrying apparatus
8
through the director
9
of library system
2
.
The carrying apparatus
8
takes out the requested recording medium from the store house
7
by operating the carrying mechanism
8
a,
inserts such medium to the loading unit
6
a
of the recording and reproducing unit
6
, causes the loading unit
6
a
to insert the recording medium into the loading unit
6
a
and thereafter causes the carrying mechanism
8
a
to be retired (step
14
).
The recording and reproducing unit
6
notifies, at the time of inserting a recording medium carried by the carrying apparatus
8
, that the carrying mechanism
8
a
has entered the loading unit
6
a
to the read/write processing unit
6
b
(step
15
) when the detector
6
aa
detects that the carrying mechanism
8
a
has entered the loading unit
6
a
and thereby turns ON, and then notifies that the loading unit
6
a
has accepted the recording medium to the read/write processing unit
6
b
when the detector
6
ab
has detected that the recording medium is perfectly loaded and thereby turns ON. When the carrying mechanism
8
a
withdraws from interior of loading unit
6
a,
the detector
6
aa
turns OFF, notifying that the transfer mechanism
8
a
has retired to the read/write processing unit
6
b
(step
16
).
The recording and reproducing unit
6
operates the loading unit
6
a
and loads a recording medium to the read/write processing unit
6
b
(step
17
), after the recording medium has been transferred to the loading unit
6
a
and the carrying mechanism
8
a
for retired from the loading unit
6
a,
namely after the detector
6
aa
turns OFF.
Thereafter, the read/write processing unit
6
b
executes the read/write operation for the recording medium loaded under the control of director
9
. When the read/write processing is completed, the recording medium is ejected from the loading unit
6
b
and is then stored in the store house
7
.
Control for ejecting a recording medium is carried out as explained hereafter.
When the read/write processing for a certain recording medium is completed, LIBSP
5
issues a recording medium eject instruction to the director
9
of the library system
2
and the director
9
sends such instruction to the recording and reproducing unit
6
(step
21
).
The recording and reproducing unit
6
having received the eject instruct

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