JPH0554513A - Automatic changer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a highly reliable autochanger device that automatically cleans the objective lens and the information recording medium of the recording / reproducing apparatus and prevents contamination of the objective lens and the information recording medium itself by dust. With the goal. A cleaning cartridge 2 for cleaning an optical head on a shelf 4 for accommodating an information recording medium, and a cleaning device for removing dust adhering to the information recording medium are provided in an automatic changer together with a recording / reproducing device.
Each cleaning operation is performed according to the condition of the apparatus or periodically.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention selects a specified recording medium from a storage device accommodating a plurality of recording media, transfers it to a recording / reproducing device, and records an information signal on the selected recording medium. Or, it relates to an autochanger device for reproducing an information signal recorded on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an autochanger comprises a shelf for storing a recording medium, a transfer mechanism for transferring the recording medium from the shelf to a recording / reproducing apparatus, a controller for controlling the recording / reproducing apparatus and the entire autochanger, and a power source.

Since the control device and the power source generally radiate heat, it is necessary to radiate heat from the housing in order to protect the weakly heat resistant recording medium. Therefore, a fan is provided to efficiently dissipate heat from the housing. However, since the recording medium (optical disk) causes an information error due to the adhesion of dust, the dust may be sucked into the housing from the gap of the housing at the same time by the function of the exhaust fan, which may hinder the recording and reproduction of the recording medium. It was

[0004]

Conventionally, due to dust adhering to the optical head of a recording / reproducing apparatus built into an autochanger device and an optical disk as a recording medium, the reproduction signal of the recording / reproducing apparatus is deteriorated and the recording power is reduced. In some cases, the recording rate deteriorated and normal recording and reproduction could not be performed.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and relates to a means for returning to a normal state when dust interferes with the operation of a recording / reproducing apparatus or preventing dust from adhering in advance. An object of the present invention is to provide an autochanger device that is not affected by dust.

[0006]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention aims to restore the normal state when the operation of the recording / reproducing apparatus is hindered by dust or prevent dust from adhering in advance. With regard to the means, an optical disk cartridge for cleaning an optical head on a shelf for storing an optical disk (called a cleaning cartridge)
Are stored and loaded into the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the condition of the apparatus or periodically.

Further, an optical disk cleaning device for removing dust adhering to the optical disk is provided with a recording / reproducing device, and the optical disk is inserted into the optical disk cleaning device according to the condition of the device or periodically.
The optical disk is configured to be cleaned.

[0008]

With the above-described structure, the cleaning cartridge or the optical disk cleaning device is housed even in an autochanger in which no measures are taken against dust, so that the reliability is not affected by dust. Increase.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an optical disk autochanger which is an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 is a housing, 2 is a cleaning cartridge, 3 is a suction fan, 4 is a recording medium storage rack, 5 is a transfer mechanism, 6 is a recording / reproducing device, 7 is a power supply device, 8 is a control device, and 9 is a discharge fan.

Optical disk cartridge stored in the recording medium storage shelf 4 (optical disk stored in the cartridge)
Is transferred to the recording / reproducing device 6 by the transfer mechanism 5 or is stored in the shelf 4 from the recording / reproducing device 6. The recording / reproducing device 6 is controlled together with the transfer mechanism 5 by the control device 8. The cleaning cartridge 2 is previously mounted on the recording medium storage shelf 4, and the control device 8
Is loaded into the recording / reproducing apparatus 6 and the optical system such as the objective lens of the optical head of the recording / reproducing apparatus 6 is cleaned. The cleaning cartridge 2 observes a reproduction signal when an information signal is recorded / reproduced on / from the optical disk by using the recording / reproduction device 6, and when the optical head determines that the performance is deteriorated due to dust, Once loaded, clean the objective lens of the optical head. Of course, cleaning may be performed regularly.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the cleaning cartridge 2. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the cleaning cartridge, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view seen from the position AA in FIG. 3A. A cartridge 30 and a shutter 31 are movable in the direction of arrow 32. An optical disc 33 is a clamper portion 34 which is loaded into a disc motor of the recording / reproducing apparatus 6 and rotated. A brush 35 is provided at a position where the objective lens of the optical head of the recording / reproducing apparatus 6 is just cleaned when the optical disk 33 is loaded on the disk motor of the recording / reproducing apparatus and rotated. Moreover, the optical disk cartridge mounted on the recording medium storage shelf 4 may be contaminated on the surface of the optical disk due to dust that has entered the housing. As a countermeasure against this, in addition to the recording / reproducing device 6, an optical disk cartridge cleaning device for cleaning the surface of the optical disk can be provided in the housing in advance, and the surface of the optical disk can be cleaned by periodically loading the optical disk cartridge. Further, the cleaning timing of the optical disk cartridge can be commanded by the recording / reproducing device 6 for recording / reproducing the optical disk cartridge and for the cleaning state of the recorded data.

The optical disk cartridge cleaning device may be any device that loads the optical disk cartridge into the device and cleans the surface of the optical disk in the optical disk cartridge with a cleaning member.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the effect of the present invention.
In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents the passage of time and the vertical axis represents the reproduction amplitude of the optical disc. The reproduction amplitude generally represents the quality of the reproduction signal of the optical disc. It can be seen that if the objective lens of the optical head or the surface of the optical disk is cleaned at the time when the reproduction amplitude is reduced (t1), the reproduction amplitude is restored. After recording the information signal instead of the reproduction amplitude, a reproduction information signal called verification is performed to find an error, and when the error frequency exceeds a specified value, the objective lens of the optical head or the optical disk cartridge It is also possible to clean the optical disc.

Of course, when cleaning, the optical disk and the optical head may be simultaneously operated. At this time, when the number of errors during the verify operation exceeds a specified number, the optical disk cartridge is taken out from the recording / reproducing device 6 and the optical disk cartridge Load it into the cleaning device,
After that, this can be performed by loading the optical head cleaning cartridge into the recording / reproducing device 6.

As described above, according to the automatic changer device of the embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning means is built in,
The optical system of the optical head and the optical disk are cleaned regularly or according to the error rate determination result at the time of verification, and the apparatus is maintained in a good operating state.

Although the above description has been made on the autochanger using an optical disk, it is obvious that the scope of the present invention is also applicable to an autochanger using another package type recording medium such as an optical card.

[0018]

As is apparent from the above embodiments, according to the present invention, the optical head and the cleaning means for cleaning the optical disk are housed in the shelf for housing the optical disk, depending on the condition of the apparatus or at regular intervals. Since it is configured to be loaded into the recording / reproducing apparatus, it is possible to provide a highly reliable optical disk autochanger that is not affected by dust without significantly changing the structure of the autochanger.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an optical disc autochanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an amplitude change characteristic diagram of a reproduction signal of an optical disc according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view and an AA sectional view showing an embodiment of a cleaning cartridge according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 cleaning cartridge 6 recording / reproducing device 8 control device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A specified information recording medium is selected from a storage device accommodating a plurality of information recording media for optically recording / reproducing information, and the selected information recording medium is transferred to a recording / reproducing device using a transfer mechanism. An optical head for recording / reproducing of the recording / reproducing apparatus in a storage device for storing the information recording medium of an autochanger device for recording an information signal on the selected information recording medium or reproducing the information signal recorded on the information recording medium. Auto changer device that contains a cleaning cartridge for cleaning the car. 2. A specified information recording medium is selected from a storage device accommodating a plurality of information recording media for optically recording and reproducing information, and the selected information recording medium is transferred to a recording / reproducing device using a transfer mechanism. An autochanger device in which a cleaning device for cleaning an information recording medium is housed in an autochanger device for recording an information signal on a selected information recording medium or reproducing an information signal recorded on the information recording medium. 3. A specified information recording medium is selected from a storage device accommodating a plurality of information recording media, and is transferred to a recording / reproducing device by using a transfer mechanism, and an information signal is transferred to the selected information recording medium. Or storing a cleaning cartridge for cleaning an optical head of the recording / reproducing device in a storage device for accommodating the information recording medium of an autochanger device for reproducing an information signal recorded in an information recording medium, When an information signal is recorded and reproduced on the information recording medium by the recording / reproducing device and the number of errors when verifying the reproduced information signal exceeds a prescribed number,
An auto changer device for cleaning the optical head. 4. A specified information recording medium is selected from a storage device accommodating a plurality of information recording media, and the selected information recording medium is transferred to a recording / reproducing device using a transfer mechanism, and an information signal is transferred to the selected information recording medium. Recording device or a cleaning device for cleaning the information recording medium is housed in an autochanger device for reproducing the information signal recorded on the information recording medium, and the information signal is recorded on the information recording medium by the recording / reproducing device. An automatic changer device for cleaning the information recording medium when the number of errors in reproducing and verifying the reproduced information signal exceeds a prescribed number.