JP2988688B2 - Exchange control method in automatic cassette exchange / reproduction device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exchange control method for a video tape cassette automatic conversion / reproduction device used in, for example, a TV broadcast station.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a TV broadcasting station or the like uses a plurality of information recording / reproducing devices (hereinafter simply referred to as “reproducing devices”) in order to continuously perform video broadcasting, and exchanges a video cassette in each reproducing device. Was done automatically by the robot. The replacement work has been performed by allocating the cassette to be played back to the playback device in the order of early playback start time.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Incidentally, according to the above-described conventional configuration, the reproduction start time,
Due to the difference in playback time and rewind time after playback,
If the playback device is ejected (ejected) earlier than the other playback devices even if the playback start time is earlier, the cassette replacement robot inserts the next cassette in front of the information recording and playback device with the earlier playback start time. The next cassette is held by the first manipulator and is waiting for replacement. However, the control device returns the cassette to the storage shelf once in order to allocate the cassette to the playback device that has been discharged first (the cassette is once returned to the storage shelf according to the control system), then removes the cassette again and discharges the cassette first. To the playback device, and the cassette cannot be ready for playback by the playback start time of the cassette.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a replacement control method in an automatic cassette replacement device that can solve the above-mentioned problems.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, an exchange control method in the cassette automatic exchange device according to the present invention includes a plurality of information recording / reproducing devices and a recording medium cassette ejected from the information recording / reproducing device. Automatic manipulator having a second manipulator and a first manipulator for holding a recording medium cassette to be inserted into the information recording / reproducing apparatus, and a cassette automatic exchange / reproducing apparatus including the information recording / reproducing apparatus and a control device for controlling the robot Calculating the time from the end of reproduction of the information recording / reproducing apparatus to the time when the recording medium cassette is ejected based on a given reproduction list, and moving the recording medium cassette to the next time to perform reproduction. There is a method of assigning the information recording / reproducing device to be discharged.

According to the cassette exchange control method described above, in the order in which the recording medium cassettes are actually ejected from the information recording / reproducing device,
Since the next cassette is allocated, the information recording / reproducing apparatus is most efficiently used even if the information recording / reproducing apparatus having the earliest reproduction start time is not necessarily ejected at the earliest due to the difference between the reproduction time and the rewind time after the end of reproduction. It can be used, and continuous reproduction of a large number of cassettes becomes possible with a limited number of information recording / reproducing devices.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, a schematic configuration of the cassette automatic exchange / playback apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

That is, this cassette automatic exchange / playback apparatus includes a plurality of (for example, three) information recording / playback apparatuses (hereinafter, simply referred to as playback apparatuses) 1 arranged vertically and a video cassette arranged adjacent to the playback apparatus 1. A robot 3 for transferring a cassette A to and from a storage shelf 2 of A (an example of a recording medium cassette, hereinafter simply referred to as a cassette); and a control device 4 for controlling the reproducing device 1 and the robot 3; Further, the robot 3 is provided with a second manipulator 6 for taking out a cassette discharged from the reproducing apparatus 1 and a first manipulator 5 for holding a recording medium cassette into which the information recording / reproducing apparatus is to be inserted.

Then, the control device 1 calculates the time from the end of the reproduction of the reproducing device 1 until the cassette is ejected based on the given reproduction list (shown in FIG. 2), and sets the cassette to the next reproduction. A function of assigning the playback device 1 to be discharged first is provided.

Next, a cassette exchange control method will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the control device 4 allocates the cassettes for the number of the reproduction devices 1 to the reproduction devices 1 in order from the head of the reproduction list as shown in FIG. Next, the rewind time of the cassette is calculated based on the given playback start time and playback time of each assigned cassette based on the following or formula, and the ejection time of each cassette is calculated.

In the case of the reproduction list shown in FIG. 2, the control device 4 allocates the cassette # 1 to the first reproduction device 1A, allocates the cassette # 2 to the second reproduction device 1B, and allocates the cassette # 3 to the third reproduction device 1C. , And issues a movement command to the robot 3 from the cassette storage shelf 2 to each of the playback devices 1A, 1B, and 1C. Next, the control device 4 allocates the cassette # 4 to any one of the playback devices 1. At this time,
The playback device 1 to which the cassette ejected first among the cassettes # 1, 2, and 3 is assigned, in this case, the cassette # 2
Is ejected first, so after assigning cassette # 4 to the second reproducing apparatus 1B, cassette # 4 is
4 is held by a first manipulator 5 and a second reproducing device
Command to wait in front of 1B. Therefore, the robot 3 receiving this command takes out the cassette # 4 from the cassette storage shelf 2 with the first manipulator 5, and stands by in front of the second reproducing apparatus 1B to exchange the cassette. . Then, the control device 4 controls the second playback device 1B
In, the reproduction is completed, rewinding is performed, and the cassette #
When 2 is ejected, the robot 3 is instructed to exchange the cassette. The robot 3 receiving this command takes out the cassette # 2 with the second manipulator 6, and inserts the cassette # 4 held by the first manipulator 5 into the second reproducing device 1B. Next, the ejection time of the inserted cassette is similarly obtained, and a reproducing apparatus to which the next cassette is to be allocated is obtained.

By controlling in this way, a limited number of playback devices can be used most efficiently, and continuous playback of a large number of cassettes becomes possible.

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of the control procedure described above.

As described above, according to the exchange control method in the cassette automatic exchange / reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the next cassette is allocated in the order in which the recording medium cassettes are actually ejected from the information recording / reproduction apparatus. In this case, the unread state of the cassette which occurs when the rewind time of the cassette is not taken into account can be eliminated, so that a limited number of information recording / reproducing devices can be used most efficiently, and Continuous playback of programs and commercials with a playback time becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an automatic cassette exchange control method, FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a play list, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the reproducing apparatus. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information recording / reproducing apparatus, 2 ... Shelf, 3 ... Robot, 4 ... Control device, 5 ... First manipulator, 6
... Second manipulator, A. Cassette.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of information recording / reproducing apparatuses, a second manipulator for taking out a recording medium cassette ejected from the information recording / reproducing apparatus, and a first manipulator holding a recording medium cassette to be inserted into the information recording / reproducing apparatus. An exchange control method in an automatic cassette exchange / reproduction device including a robot having a manipulator, the information recording / reproduction device, and a control device for controlling the robot, wherein the reproduction of the information recording / reproduction device is performed based on a given reproduction list. Calculate the time until the recording medium cassette is ejected after completion,
Next, an exchange control method in an automatic cassette exchange / reproducing apparatus for allocating a recording medium cassette to an information recording / reproducing apparatus which is ejected first to perform reproduction.