The present invention is related to a data storage apparatus and a processing method thereof, and more particularly to a data storage apparatus and a processing method thereof, which ensure processing safety when changing data storage media.
In the process of the storage media, optical disks have outstanding advantages of storing a large amount of data over various storage media. By using optical disks, it not only is more convenient to utilize data, but also helps users carry. Therefore, optical disks are a kind of necessary storage medium nowadays.
Now, it comes an era of information exploding, it is common to own multiple optical disks. Therefore, the owners of the optical disks all wish to have an optical disk drive capable of putting multiple optical disks simultaneously to select and read any time. Therefore, multiple optical disk drives are produced.
A structure of a prior art multiple optical disk drive is shown in
The processing flow of loading/unloading and reading optical disks is shown in
If data of another optical disk is needed to be read, then the up-down mechanism is again used to move the disk pulling mechanism and reading mechanism to a position of a next optical disk to be read 211. Next, perform step 203 and the following steps to form a cyclic flow of reading data.
Although the previous mentioned structure of the prior art optical disk mechanism can achieve the function of selecting and reading multiple optical disks, the locking mechanism 185 is set on the reading mechanism 18, it is only locked when the disk pulling mechanism 16 completely loading the tray 121 and the optical disk 125 and the reading mechanism 18 holds the optical disk and performs the action of reading, and it is unlocked after finishing reading and before unloading the optical disk and the tray. In other words, only when reading data, the whole system is locked. However, in the step of the disk pulling mechanism loading or unloading optical disk and tray, the whole linked system does not have stable enough support. This way, when performing the step of loading or unloading the optical disk and tray, because of the effect of external force attacking or the vibration of the mechanism, the instability of the system will cause the failure of loading or unloading of the optical disk and tray. More seriously, the disk will be stuck because of shifting such that the system will be in a failure status of unable to continue acting.
Accordingly, how to design a data storage apparatus and a processing method thereof which not only is benefit to select and access multiple data storage media but also prevent failures occurring because of vibrations against the shortcomings of the previous mentioned prior art multiple optical disk drive is the key point of the present invention. Therefore,
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a data storage apparatus mainly has a locking mechanism set on an up-down mechanism which locks after the up-down mechanism reaching the position to prevent failures due to external force attacking or mechanical vibrations.
It is a secondary object of the present invention to provide a data storage apparatus. Its locking mechanism can also be set on the disk loading/unloading mechanism which locks before the disk loading/unloading mechanism loading to prevent failures during loading the data storage media and trays because of external force attacking or vibrations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a processing method of a data storage apparatus. It locks after the up-down mechanism arrives in the position and before performing the action of loading the data storage media to prevent failures caused by attacking or vibrations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a processing method of a data storage apparatus. It makes the locking mechanism unlock the locking status after completing the action of unloading the data storage media and trays to ensure the stability of the action of unloading disks.
To achieve the previous mentioned objects, the present invention provides a data storage apparatus whose main structure comprising: a magazine, a plurality of trays set therein capable of carrying a plurality of data storage media; a disk loading/unloading mechanism for loading and unloading one of the trays of the magazine; an accessing mechanism for selectively perform one of the actions of reading, writing, and one of the combination thereof to the data storage media loaded by the disk loading/unloading mechanism; and an up-down mechanism for carrying and moving the disk loading/unloading mechanism and the accessing mechanism and capable of moving them to a position accessing the data storage media; wherein the up-down mechanism has further a locking mechanism capable of locking and positioning the up-down mechanism when it reaches the position and then performing actions of loading disks and accessing data. Furthermore, the present invention further provides a data storage apparatus whose main structure comprising: a magazine, a plurality of trays set therein capable of carrying a plurality of data storage media; a disk loading/unloading mechanism for pulling out and unloading one of the trays of the magazine thereby loading and unloading the data storage media; an accessing mechanism for selectively perform one of the actions of reading, writing, and one of the combination thereof to the data storage media loaded by the disk loading/unloading mechanism; and an up-down mechanism for carrying and moving the disk loading/unloading mechanism and the accessing mechanism and capable of moving them to a position accessing the data storage media; wherein the disk loading/unloading mechanism has further a locking mechanism capable of locking and positioning the up-down mechanism when it reaches the position and then performing actions of loading disks and accessing data.
The present invention further provides a processing method of a data storage device wherein the main structure of the data storage apparatus comprises: a magazine using a plurality of trays to carry a plurality of data storage media, a disk loading/unloading mechanism, an accessing mechanism, an up-down mechanism, and a locking mechanism; the processing method mainly comprising the steps of: using the up-down mechanism to move the disk loading/unloading mechanism, accessing mechanism, and locking mechanism to a default position corresponding to the data storage medium to be read; using the locking mechanism to lock the up-down mechanism, accessing mechanism, and disk loading/unloading mechanism to the default position; and using the disk loading/unloading mechanism to pull out a corresponding tray of the magazine to load the data storage medium, and using the accessing mechanism to perform one of the actions of reading, writing, and a combination thereof to the data storage medium.
The structural features and the effects to be achieved may further be understood and appreciated by reference to the presently preferred embodiments together with the detailed description.
Firstly, refer to
The disk loading/unloading mechanism 36 and the accessing mechanism 38 are respectively set on the up-down mechanism 34. By raising and falling the up-down mechanism 34, the disk loading/unloading mechanism 36 and the accessing mechanism 38 are moved to positions corresponding to the data storage media 325 to be accessed. The disk loading/unloading mechanism 36 is used to pull out the tray 321 to load the data storage media 325, and then the accessing mechanism 38 is used to read or write data.
In the present embodiment, a locking mechanism 345 is set on the up-down mechanism 34 which can be in a locking status of embedding the position opening 35 set on the body after the up-down mechanism 34 arrives position thereby ensuring the following disk loading/unloading and the stability of accessing data.
Next, refer to
After completing accessing data, first, stop accessing data 409; using the disk loading/unloading mechanism to unload the data storage medium as well as the tray back to the original position in the magazine 411; then making the locking mechanism in the up-down mechanism to unlock the locking status 413. Till such a step, a cycle of accessing data is completed.
If another data storage medium is to be accessed, then the up-down mechanism is used to move the disk loading/unloading mechanism and accessing mechanism to a position of the tray carrying a next predefined data storage medium to be accessed 415; next, perform step 403 and its following disk loading/unloading and data accessing actions to form cyclic steps of selecting and changing the data storage media.
Finally, refer
Of course, the technical feature of the structure and method of the present invention can be applied in optical disk drives and data storage apparatuses with other similar functions, and the data storage media which they used corresponds to the types of the data storage apparatus, i.e. optical disks or other corresponding data storage media. By the structure and method of the present invention, it is ensured in the process of changing disks and accessing data of the data storage apparatus, even suffering attacks or vibrations, the failures will not be caused and become a more endurable product.
In summary, the present invention relates to a data storage apparatus and a processing method thereof, and more particularly to a data storage apparatus and a processing method thereof which ensures the processing safety when changing data storage media. It not only is benefit to change multiple data storage media but also prevents failure due to vibrations.
The foregoing description is merely one embodiment of present invention and not considered as restrictive. All equivalent variations and modifications in process, method, feature, and spirit in accordance with the appended claims may be made without in any way from the scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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094100550 | Jan 2005 | TW | national |