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  Scalable composite rectangular/cylindrical automated data storage library systemUSPTO Application #: 20070124019Title: Scalable composite rectangular/cylindrical automated data storage library system Abstract: This system includes a base unit having an array of data storage locations mounted in a rectangular form factor along a back wall of the housing and at least one read/write device. The robotic mechanism includes a stationary vertical shaft on which is mounted on a horizontal track, movable in the vertical direction. The horizontal track extends from end to end of the base unit housing. The robotic mechanism includes a rotatable gripper that moves on the horizontal track and swivels on a pivot about an axis that is parallel to the vertical shaft to provide access to all interior surfaces of the base unit housing where data storage locations reside. An expansion module, comprising a rotary carousel of data storage locations, can be connected to either end of the base unit which enables the robotic mechanism to access the data storage elements within the expansion module without modification. (end of abstract)
Agent: Patton Boggs - Denver, CO, US Inventors: Thomas J. Studebaker, William R. Brennan, Chad A. Follmar, Everette C. Van Wert, William H. Vermeer USPTO Applicaton #: 20070124019 - Class: 700214000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Data Processing: Generic Control Systems Or Specific Applications, Specific Application, Apparatus Or Process, Article Handling, Article Storing, Retrieval, Or Arrangement (e.g., Warehousing, Automated Library) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070124019. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates to automated data storage library systems and in particular to a scalable composite rectangular/cylindrical library system that provides a simple and flexible architecture for serving various customer needs. PROBLEM [0002] It is a problem in the field of automated data storage library systems to provide a simple, inexpensive method to incrementally increase the data storage capacity of the library system while also retaining an acceptable access time to retrieve a data storage element and mount it in a data read/write device. [0003] Automated data storage library systems function to provide a host computer with access to a plurality of data storage elements (such as tape cartridges, tape cassettes, disks, and the like). The automated data storage library system includes an array of data storage locations, each of which houses a data storage element, and uses a robotic mechanism to move the data storage element between its storage location and a read/write device. There are two architectures used in automated library systems: cylindrical and rectangular. [0004] The cylindrical architecture of an automated data storage library system provides an array of data storage locations that are arranged in a cylindrical shape. The robotic mechanism may either be stationary while the cylindrical array of data storage locations rotates or the robotic mechanism may rotate around or within the cylindrical array of data storage locations. In the case where dual concentric cylindrical arrays of data storage locations are employed, the robot may rotate between the two cylinders at the same time. The use of a cylindrical array of data storage locations, or dual concentric cylinders of data storage locations, provides a high density data storage capacity for an automated data storage library system. However, a problem with this architecture is that the user can not incrementally increase the data storage capacity of the library system. Once the cylindrical array of data storage locations is fully occupied, the customer cannot expand the capacity of the automated library system without adding an entire new library, with a full complement of data storage locations and complete robotic mechanism. Therefore, there is no ability to incrementally increase the storage capacity of these library systems. A further limitation of this architecture is that the speed of the data storage element retrieval operation is limited by the use of a single robotic mechanism. To gain speed results in the use of expensive robotic mechanisms. [0005] The more common automated data storage library system architecture is the rectangular architecture, in which the data storage locations are configured in a flat plane in the horizontal and vertical directions (also termed an X-Y configuration). The robotic mechanism travels on a continuous horizontal track along the face of this array of data storage locations and includes a retrieval mechanism that travels vertically up and down to transport the data storage elements between a data storage location and a selected read/write device. The capacity of these rectangular automated data storage library systems, while not as dense as the cylindrical architecture, can be incrementally increased by linearly attaching additional data storage modules to the existing array of data storage modules. In this manner, the capacity of the automated data storage library system can be managed in discrete blocks, as the needs of the customer change. [0006] A first problem with attaching additional data storage modules in a linear mode to an existing rectangular library system is the complexity required for the interconnection among the data storage modules. A typical rectangular architecture automated data storage library system 10 is shown in FIG. 3 and includes a robotic mechanism 30 that travels along the X-axis on a set of stationary horizontal tracks 32, 34 to serve an existing set of data storage modules 14, 16, 18. To add an expansion module 12 that includes a plurality of data storage locations requires extension of the horizontal tracks 32, 34 on which the robotic mechanism 30 travels into the added data storage module 12. This change requires modification of the drive system, additional cabling to accommodate the extended distance traveled by the robotic mechanism 30, and precise alignment of the expanded linear horizontal tracks 32, 34 in all three dimensions. In addition, as data storage modules are added to the automated data storage library system 10, the access time for the robotic mechanism to retrieve a data storage element and mount it in a data read/write device increases. One traditional solution to this access time problem is the addition of an additional robotic mechanism 30, operating on the same set of stationary horizontal tracks 32, 34. The use of multiple robotic mechanisms 30 on the same set of tracks results in another problem of coordinating the operation of the multiple robotic mechanisms 30 to ensure that there are no collisions and that all data storage locations are served. [0007] Thus, existing automated data storage library systems either cannot incrementally expand their data storage capacity or can do so, but at the cost of complexity required to expand the automated data storage library system, the increased access time to retrieve a data storage element and mount it in a data read/write device, and the need to coordinate the operation of multiple robotic mechanisms, operating on the same set of stationary horizontal tracks. SOLUTION [0008] The present scalable automatic data storage library system solves the above described problems and provides an advance in the art of automated data storage library systems by providing a composite rectangular-cylindrical architecture that overcomes the problems with existing library systems. The scalable automatic data storage library system includes a base unit housing having an array of data storage locations mounted in a rectangular form factor along a back wall of the housing and at least one read/write device. An X-Y-Z robotic mechanism located in the base unit includes a stationary vertical shaft (Y-axis) on which is mounted on a horizontal track (X-axis), located in front of the array of data storage locations, and movable in the vertical direction along the stationary shaft. The horizontal track extends from one end of the base unit housing to the other end of the base unit housing, for transporting individual data storage elements between their assigned data storage locations and the read/write devices. The robotic mechanism includes a rotatable gripper that moves end-to-end on the horizontal track and swivels on a pivot about an axis that is parallel to the vertical shaft to provide access to all interior surfaces of the base unit housing where data storage locations reside, reaching in the Z-axis direction to access the data storage elements. [0009] The base unit may include at least one access door located on the front wall of the base unit housing, which may contain additional data storage locations. These doors also provide the operator with access to the robotic mechanism for maintenance purposes, access to the read/write devices for manual operation and access to data storage locations for bulk loading and unloading of data storage elements. The front of the base unit housing may include a stationary panel incorporating one or more I/O ports, each containing a removable magazine of data storage locations. The I/O ports allow the operator to import and export one or more magazines of data storage elements without interrupting the operation of the robotic mechanism. The rotatable gripper also accesses the data storage locations in the access doors and within the magazines to move data storage elements between the I/O ports and the array of data storage locations. A control panel can be mounted on the front of the base unit housing to allow the operator to control the operation and configuration of the base unit. [0010] An expansion module, comprising a rotary carousel having a plurality of columns of outwardly facing data storage locations arranged around the circumference of the carousel, can be connected to either end of the base unit to allow the robotic mechanism to access the data storage elements that are stored in the data storage locations in the expansion module. Installation of the expansion module only requires the removal of the end cover of the base unit housing and the attachment of the expansion module to the base unit housing. There are no additional tracks or robotic mechanisms to install since the rotatable gripper mechanism reaches into the expansion module to retrieve a data storage element but the horizontal track does not need to extend into the expansion module, so the expansion of the scalable automated data storage library system is a simple process. The data storage element retrieval time is not impacted by the addition of the expansion module since the robotic mechanism has no additional travel distance to reach the carousel of data storage locations and the rotation of the carousel overlaps with the movement of the robotic mechanism in the base unit. Thus, the expansion module presents only one column of data storage locations at a time to the rotatable gripper mechanism, which rotates to align with the column of data storage locations as it is being simultaneously translated in the horizontal and vertical directions to be positioned opposite a selected data storage location in the column of data storage locations. An interface in the expansion module allows a control processing system within the base unit to control and coordinate the operation of the robotic mechanism and the rotary carousel. [0011] To further increase the storage capacity of the scalable automated data storage library system, a second expansion module may be connected to the other end of the base unit housing. Alternatively, an expansion module may be centrally located between two base units wherein each robotic mechanism within each base unit has access to the shared storage locations within the expansion module. The combination of expansion module(s) and base unit(s) can be architected in many configurations, to thereby incrementally increase the storage capacity of the scalable automated data storage library system. In all of these configurations, each robotic mechanism travels only within the original extent of their base unit and the rotatable gripper mechanism reaches into the adjacent expansion module(s) to move data storage elements between the expansion module(s) and the read/write device(s) within the base unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a top down view of implementation details of the present scalable automated data storage library system; [0013] FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate perspective and schematic views, respectively, of the present scalable automated data storage library system; [0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art automated data storage library system with banks of tape cartridge storage locations; [0015] FIG. 4A illustrates a perspective view of a base unit according to the present scalable automated data storage library system and FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of the interior of the scalable automated data storage library system showing the front wall and the robotic mechanism; [0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the interior of the scalable automated data storage library system with the covers and front panel removed, showing the back wall and the robotic mechanism; [0017] FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the base unit with the left and right front doors in a closed location; [0018] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the base unit with the left and right front doors in an open location; [0019] FIG. 8 illustrates the I/O ports located on the center panel between the left and right front doors with the magazine carrier shown outside the ports; [0020] FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of an expansion module according to the present scalable automated data storage library system; Continue reading... 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