Cartridge accessor

This topic explains how the cartridge accessor moves cartridges between storage slots, tape drives, and the I/O station of the TS4500 tape library.

The cartridge accessor moves cartridges between the storage slots, tape drives, and the I/O station of the TS4500 tape library. The accessor consists of several components:

X- and Y-axis motion assemblies

A group of parts that includes a controller (circuit board) for the Controller Area Network interface, servo motor, pinion drive gear, and lead screw. These assemblies provide the motive force to move the accessor side to side (on the X-axis) and up and down (on the Y-axis). The controller part of this assembly is referred to as the XY controller.

Pivot assembly

A group of parts that provides a mounting platform for the gripper mechanism and the bar code reader. The Pivot assembly is capable of 180° rotation about the vertical axis.

Optimized dual gripper

An electromechanical device (mounted on the pivot assembly) that gets or puts cartridges from or to a storage slot, tape drive, or I/O station. The gripper is independently controlled and can grip a single cartridge. There are two grippers on the pivot assembly (Gripper 1 and Gripper 2). The grippers are located in the dual-gripper transport mechanism.

In libraries that mix drive types, the optimized dual gripper can handle both Ultrium and 3592 tape cartridges.

Bar code scanner

A component that reads the bar code on a label that is affixed to a cartridge or to the rear of empty storage slots. The bar code scanner is mounted on the pivot assembly. It is used during inventories, audits, insertions, and inventory updates. An inventory update is a process that is invoked each time that you open a door. It determines whether cartridges were added to or removed from the library, or moved within the library.