1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a gripper assembly for a data storage system.
2. Background Art
A data storage system that houses multiple media cartridges may include a robotic arm for removing a cartridge from a storage slot and for moving the cartridge to another location. Such a robotic arm may include a gripper assembly that is used to grasp the media cartridge. An example of a gripper assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,291.
Under the invention, a gripper assembly for use with a media cartridge is provided. The gripper assembly includes a gripper support and first and second gripper members supported by the gripper support. The gripper members are moveable asymmetrically with respect to the gripper support for gripping the media cartridge.
A data storage system according to the invention includes a cartridge storage frame for storing multiple media cartridges, and a robotic arm assembly that is moveable with respect to the cartridge storage frame. The robotic arm assembly includes a guide member and a gripper subassembly having a carriage that is moveable along the guide member. The gripper subassembly further including first and second gripper members supported by the carriage. The gripper members are moveable asymmetrically with respect to the carriage for gripping one of the media cartridges.
Further under the invention, a data storage system includes a cartridge storage arrangement for storing multiple media cartridges, and a robotic device that is moveable with respect to the cartridge storage arrangement for selectively gripping first and second media cartridges having different sizes. The robotic device includes a gripper assembly having a gripper support and first and second gripper members supported by the gripper support. The first and second gripper members are moveable with respect to the gripper support for gripping each of the first and second media cartridges. The first gripper member is configured to achieve a predetermined position with respect to the gripper support when gripping each of the first and second media cartridges. The second gripper member is configured to achieve a first closed position when gripping the first media cartridge and a second closed position different than the first closed position when gripping the second media cartridge.
While exemplary embodiments in accordance with the invention are illustrated and disclosed, such disclosure should not be construed to limit the claims. It is anticipated that various modifications and alternative designs may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
The robotic arm assembly 20 includes a base 24 that is moveable horizontally along a track 26 of the frame 14, a guide member 28 attached to the base 24, and a picker subassembly 30 that is moveably attached to the guide member 28 such that the picker subassembly 30 is moveable vertically with respect to the guide member 28. Alternatively, the system 10 may be provided with one or more robotic arm assemblies that have any suitable configuration such that at least a portion of each robotic arm assembly is moveable with respect to the frame 14.
Referring to
The gripper subassembly 34 includes a gripper support, such as a carriage 40, that is moveable along the rail 32, and first and second gripper members, such as first and second gripper fingers 42 and 44, respectively, that are supported by the carriage 40. In the embodiment shown in
While the gripper subassembly 34 may have any suitable configuration to enable movement of the gripper fingers 42 and 44, in the embodiment shown in
The gripper subassembly 34 may further include a biasing member, such as a spring 60, for urging the first gripper finger 42 toward a home position shown in
Referring to
The gripper subassembly 34 may instead be configured such that the gripper fingers 42 and 44 move in any suitable manner. For example, the gripper subassembly 34 may be configured such that the first gripper finger 42 moves toward its open position prior to the second gripper finger 44 reaching its full open position.
As shown in
When the lead screw 56 is driven in a second direction opposite the first direction, the gripper fingers 42 and 44 move toward their closed positions to grip a media cartridge 12, as shown in
After gripping the media cartridge 12, the gripper subassembly 34 may be retracted so as to remove the media cartridge 12 from the slot 18. Returning to
Advantageously, referring to
Furthermore, during a media cartridge extraction or removal procedure, the gripper subassembly 34 may be oriented in the same relative position with respect to a particular slot 18 regardless of the size of the media cartridge 12 disposed in the slot 18. For example, each slot 18 may be configured to receive different sized media cartridges 12 and to bias each media cartridge 12 toward one side (datum side) of the slot 18 using a biasing member, such as a spring or wedge, and/or gravity. With such a configuration, rather than orienting the gripper assembly 34 with respect to the centerline of the media cartridge 12, the gripper subassembly 34 may be oriented such that the home position of the first gripper finger 42 is generally aligned with the datum side of the slot 18, regardless of the size of the media cartridge 12 disposed in the slot 18. The gripper fingers 42 and 44 may then be moved to grip the media cartridge 12 such that the first gripper finger 42 achieves the home position, and the second gripper finger 44 achieves a variable closed position depending on the size of the media cartridge 12.
With such generic positioning of the gripper subassembly 34, repeatability and accuracy may be improved. As a result, wear on slots 18 and media cartridges 12 may be reduced. Furthermore, control software for the system 10 may be simplified, as the one or more controllers (not shown) do not need to determine the size of the media cartridges 12 disposed in the slots 18.
With the configuration described above, both gripper fingers 42 and 44 are also able to float with respect to the carriage 40. As a result, even if a particular media cartridge 12 is improperly positioned in a respective slot 18, the gripper subassembly 34 may align the media cartridge 12 with respect to the home position of the first gripper finger 42 upon extraction of the media cartridge 12 from the slot 18. For example, if the first gripper finger 42 is not in the home position upon extraction of the media cartridge 12 from the slot 18, the spring 60 will urge both gripper fingers 42 and 44 to move simultaneously in the same direction until the first gripper finger 42 reaches the home position. Thus, propagation of errors is reduced or eliminated when repositioning the media cartridge 12 in the slot 18 or at a different location.
The ability of the gripper fingers 42 and 44 to float with respect to the carriage 40 also enables the gripper subassembly 34 to compensate for abnormal loads that may be encountered during media cartridge extraction and placement operations. For example, a horizontal force acting on one or both gripper fingers 42 and 44 may cause the gripper fingers 42 and 44 to move with respect to the carriage 40 and compress the spring 60.
Referring to
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the gripper fingers 42 and 44 shown in the Figures are configured to grip left and right sides of a particular media cartridge 12, the gripper fingers 42 and 44 may be configured to grip top and bottom surfaces of the media cartridge 12.
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/819,032 filed Apr. 6, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,134,799, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4132318 | Wang et al. | Jan 1979 | A |
4675856 | Rudy et al. | Jun 1987 | A |
4680523 | Goumas et al. | Jul 1987 | A |
4707013 | Vranish et al. | Nov 1987 | A |
4736971 | McManus | Apr 1988 | A |
4772170 | Oldfield | Sep 1988 | A |
4835634 | Ostwald | May 1989 | A |
4864511 | Moy et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4984108 | Grant et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
5036503 | Tomita | Jul 1991 | A |
5184861 | Voellmer | Feb 1993 | A |
5235474 | Searle | Aug 1993 | A |
5236296 | Ostwald | Aug 1993 | A |
5242259 | Yeakley | Sep 1993 | A |
5253911 | Egan et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
5848872 | Manes et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5893295 | Bronnert | Apr 1999 | A |
6016291 | Joos | Jan 2000 | A |
6034927 | Pollard | Mar 2000 | A |
6064544 | Wada | May 2000 | A |
6094321 | Pollard | Jul 2000 | A |
6301218 | Jones | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6454509 | Kappel et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6826008 | Paulat | Nov 2004 | B2 |
7002772 | Yardy | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7212375 | Dickey et | May 2007 | B2 |
7753638 | Ishiyama | Jul 2010 | B2 |
8134799 | Ostwald et al. | Mar 2012 | B1 |
8238053 | Yamakawa | Aug 2012 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20120139277 A1 | Jun 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10819032 | Apr 2004 | US |
Child | 13363815 | US |