Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-29
2001-02-20
Butler, Dennis M. (Department: 2787)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
C700S056000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192294
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information medium carrying system, and more particularly to positioning system and method for positioning an information medium carrying device at one of a plurality of medium processing sections.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-325355 disclosed a carrying and storing mechanism for cartridge-type recording mediums. In a cabinet of a medium carrying apparatus, storage shelves having a plurality of storage cells for housing cartridge recording mediums, are arranged facing each other. An access mechanism for carrying a medium grasping device is provided between the opposing shelves. Near the storage shelves are provided a recording/reproducing device for recording and reproducing data on the recording mediums, and an insert-eject opening through which a recording medium is inserted to an ejected from inside.
A conventional medium carrying apparatus as described above is generally equipped with a positioning means which is used when the access mechanism carries the medium grasping device to one of medium processing sections, for example, the recording/reproducing device, the storage cell, the insert-eject opening or the like. The positioning means is comprised of positioning flags fixed to each of storage shelves, and flag detection sensors provided on the access mechanism side. The medium grasping device can be carried to a desired processing section while the flag detection sensors detecting the positioning flags.
Actually, the access mechanism which determines the position of the medium grasping device, the processing sections such as the storage cells, and the position detecting sensor are provided separately from each other. As a result, variations in precision when assembling the respective elements of the configuration cause positioning errors.
As a conventional example, a positioning method using an absolute positioning sensor and a relative positioning sensor has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 4-20403. According to this positioning method, the absolute positioning sensor is used for a first positioning mode and, if the first positioning fails to be successfully ended, then a relative error is measured and the relative positioning sensor is used for a second positioning mode to correct the relative position error.
However, this type of positioning method needs much more time for positioning in the case where amount of storage of the recording medium is increased by the addition of another cabinet having similar processing sections as described before.
Another method of solving this problem is to estimate in advance the amount of error due to variation in assembly precision for each processing section, and to store these errors as corrective values. Then, the operation of the access mechanism is corrected as appropriate based on the corrective values to position the medium grasping device at a desired processing section.
However, with this conventional positioning correction method, when amount of storage of the recording medium is increased by the addition of another cabinet having similar processing sections, the number of points at which the amount of error needs to be measured in advance becomes greater. As a consequence, the error at all processing sections must be measured when setting up the medium carrying apparatus, or when performing maintenance of the apparatus. This results in disadvantages that measurement takes considerable time and is complex.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a positioning system and method for a medium carrying apparatus in which amounts of error at medium processing sections can be easily measured with a large reduction in measurement time and a simplified operation.
According to the present invention, in a method for positioning a medium carrying device at a desired one of processing sections which are provided on a base frame in a designed arrangement, after selecting at least three predetermined sections which are two-dimensionally arranged on the base frame, an error between a designed position and a reference position is detected for each of the predetermined sections, where the designed position is an actual position to which the medium carrying device is moved in each of the predetermined sections according to the designed arrangement and the reference position is a predetermined position in each of the predetermined sections. Based on detected errors of the predetermined sections, a corrective value is calculated for each of the processing sections. The medium carrying device is carried and positioned at a desired processing section using a corrective value of the desired processing section.
The processing sections are secured to the base frame in the designed arrangement and the distance between the processing sections are guaranteed by the precision of the base frame. Therefore, it is possible to determine the corrective values for all processing sections based on the detected errors of the predetermined sections. Hence there is no need to perform measuring for all the processing sections when, for instance, setting up the medium carrying apparatus or carrying out maintenance thereto, enabling measuring time to be greatly reduced.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5426581 (1995-06-01), Kishi et al.
patent: 5740061 (1998-04-01), Dewey et al.
patent: 5818723 (1998-10-01), Dimitri
patent: 5867003 (1999-02-01), Hashimoto et al.
patent: 5959866 (1999-09-01), Hanaoka et al.
patent: 62-236170 (1987-10-01), None
patent: 64-46808 (1989-02-01), None
patent: 4-20403 (1992-01-01), None
patent: 5-325355 (1993-12-01), None
Japanese Office Action, dated Aug. 18, 1999, with English language translation of Japanese Examiner's comments, 1 page.
Butler Dennis M.
McGuireWoods LLP
NEC Corporation
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