Storage media library device

• US 20090234500A1
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Kiyotaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/250
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/6835 the cassettes being transferred to a fixed recorder or player using a moving carriage
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/225 wherein the disks are transferred from a fixed magazine to a fixed playing unit using a moving carriage
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/08 Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds

Abstract

A storage media library device includes a media drive unit which writes and reads information on storage media, a media storage unit which stores the storage media, a robot which transports the storage media between the media drive unit and the media storage unit, a robot control unit which controls the storage media transport operation of the robot, and a vibration detection unit which detects occurrence of vibrations. The robot control unit is controlled by a library control unit, wherein if occurrence of vibrations is detected by the vibration detection unit during the robot transports the storage media, the robot control unit causes the robot to stop the storage media transport operation, and when subsidence of the vibrations is detected within a predefined time period preset in a storage media transport command and monitored by the library control unit, the robot control unit causes the robot to resume.

Claims

1. A storage media library device comprising a media drive unit which writes and reads information on a plurality of storage media, a media storage unit which stores said storage media in a media storage rack, a robot which is operated to transport said storage media between said media drive unit and said media storage unit, an identification code/relative position detection unit which detects an identification code attached to each of said storage media and also detects relative positions of said robot with respect to said media drive unit and said media storage unit, and a robot control unit which controls the storage media transport operation of said robot based on said identification code and said relative positions detected by said identification code/relative position detection unit, wherein

said storage media library device comprises a vibration detection unit which detects occurrence of vibrations, and

said storage media library device is connected to a host computer having a library control unit which controls various operations of said media drive unit and said robot control unit, and wherein

when said robot is performing said storage media transport operation, if occurrence of vibrations is detected by said vibration detection unit, said robot control unit causes said robot to temporarily stop said storage media transport operation and puts said robot in a standby state, and

when said vibration detection unit has detected that the vibrations have subsided within a predefined time period preset in a storage media transport command and monitored by said library control unit, said robot control unit causes said robot to resume said storage media transport operation.

2. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when said robot is held in the standby state, if it is expected that said predefined time period preset in said storage media transport command and monitored by said library control unit will expire before said robot completes said storage media transport operation after resuming said transport operation, said robot control unit shuts down said storage media library device and notifies said library control unit that abnormality has occurred.

3. A storage media library device comprising a media drive unit which writes and reads information on a plurality of storage media, a media storage unit which stores said storage media in a media storage rack, a robot which is operated to transport said storage media between said media drive unit and said media storage unit, an identification code/relative position detection unit which detects an identification code attached to each of said storage media and also detects relative positions of said robot with respect to said media drive unit and said media storage unit, and a robot control unit which controls the storage media transport operation of said robot based on said identification code and said relative positions detected by said identification code/relative position detection unit, wherein

said storage media library device comprises a vibration detection unit which detects occurrence of vibrations, and

said storage media library device is connected to a host computer having a library control unit which controls various operations of said media drive unit and said robot control unit, and wherein

when said robot is performing said storage media transport operation, if occurrence of vibrations is detected by said vibration detection unit, said robot control unit causes said robot to temporarily stop said storage media transport operation and puts said robot in a standby state, and

when said vibration detection unit has detected that the vibrations have subsided within a predefined time period preset in a storage media transport command and monitored by said library control unit, said robot control unit corrects any displacements in said relative positions based on said relative positions detected by said identification code/relative position detection unit, and thereafter causes said robot to resume said storage media transport operation.

4. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 3, wherein when said robot is held in the standby state, if it is expected that said predefined time period preset in said storage media transport command and monitored by said library control unit will expire before said robot completes said storage media transport operation after resuming said transport operation, said robot control unit shuts down said storage media library device and notifies said library control unit that abnormality has occurred.

5. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 3, wherein after the occurrence of vibrations is detected, said library control unit monitors the expiration of said predefined time period in said storage media transport command by considering robot initialization time required to initialize said robot after resuming said storage media transport operation, relative position correcting time required to correct the displacements in said relative positions, and remaining time left for completion of said storage media transport operation.

6. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the occurrence of vibrations is detected, said robot control unit performs control to move said robot to a safe place where said robot does not come into contact with said media storage unit or said media drive unit by controlling up-and-down, back-and-forth, right-and-left, and rotational motions of said robot.

7. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said vibration detection unit has the function of detecting the magnitude of shaking caused by vibrations, and wherein when the magnitude of shaking detected by said vibration detection unit is smaller than a threshold, said robot control unit causes said robot to resume said storage media transport operation from said standby state, while on the other hand, when the magnitude of shaking detected by said vibration detection unit is larger than said threshold, said robot control unit shuts down said storage media library device and notifies said library control unit that abnormality has occurred.

8. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said robot control unit performs control so that said robot is moved from said standby state so as to bring said storage media to a safer place in accordance with the storage media transport operation being performed by said robot when the occurrence of vibrations is detected.

9. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 3, wherein when it is detected that the vibrations have subsided, said robot control unit causes said robot to perform a pushing action for pushing said storage media into said media storage rack in said media storage unit, and corrects displacements in said relative positions after determining by the storage media pushing action of said robot whether any of said storage media had fallen off said media storage rack.

10. A storage media library device as claimed in claim 3, wherein when it is detected that the vibrations have subsided, said robot control unit detects by using said identification code/relative position detection unit whether any of said storage media is protruding from said media storage rack in said media storage unit and, after correcting displacements in said relative positions by avoiding the position of any storage media protruding from said media storage rack, causes said robot to perform a pushing action for pushing any protruding storage media into said media storage rack in said media storage unit.

11. A storage media library device control method for controlling a storage media library device comprising a media drive unit which writes and reads information on a plurality of storage media, a media storage unit which stores said storage media in a media storage rack, a robot which is operated to transport said storage media between said media drive unit and said media storage unit, an identification code/relative position detection unit which detects an identification code attached to each of said storage media and also detects relative positions of said robot with respect to said media drive unit and said media storage unit, and a vibration detection unit which detects occurrence of vibrations, said control method comprising:

when said robot is performing said storage media transport operation, if occurrence of vibrations is detected by said vibration detection unit, causing said robot to temporarily stop said storage media transport operation and putting said robot in a standby state, and

when said vibration detection unit has detected that the vibrations have subsided within a predefined time period preset in a storage media transport command, correcting any displacements in said relative positions based on said relative positions detected by said identification code/relative position detection unit, and thereafter causing said robot to resume said storage media transport operation.

12. A control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein when said robot is held in the standby state, if it is expected that said predefined time period preset in said storage media transport command will expire before said robot completes said storage media transport operation after resuming said transport operation, said storage media library device is shut down and a notification is delivered to notify that abnormality has occurred.

13. A control method as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the occurrence of vibrations is detected, control is performed to move said robot to a safe place where said robot does not come into contact with said media storage unit or said media drive unit by controlling up-and-down, back-and-forth, right-and-left, and rotational motions of said robot.

14. A control method as claimed in claim 13, wherein when smaller magnitude shaking caused by vibrations than a threshold is detected by said vibration detection unit, said robot is caused to resume said storage media transport operation from said standby state, while on the other hand, when larger magnitude shaking caused by vibrations than said threshold is detected by said vibration detection unit, said storage media library device is shut down and a notification is delivered to notify that abnormality has occurred.

15. A control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein control is performed so that said robot is moved from said standby state so as to bring said storage media to a safer place in accordance with the storage media transport operation being performed by said robot when the occurrence of vibrations is detected.

16. A control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein when it is detected that the vibrations have subsided, said robot is caused to perform a pushing action for pushing said storage media into said media storage rack in said media storage unit, and

displacements in said relative positions are corrected after determining by the storage media pushing action of said robot whether any of said storage media had fallen off said media storage rack.

17. A control method as claimed in claim 11, wherein when it is detected that the vibrations have subsided, then it is detected by using said identification code/relative position detection unit whether any of said storage media is protruding from said media storage rack in said media storage unit, and

after correcting displacements in said relative positions by avoiding the position of any storage media protruding from said media storage rack, said robot is caused to perform a pushing action for pushing any protruding storage media into said media storage rack in said media storage unit.