Automatic exchanging system for storage and retrieval of magnetic tape cassettes

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention has been developed in order to remove the drawbacks inherent to the conventional automatic cassette exchanging systems.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved automatic cassette exchanging system which is capable of adding to the cassette storage area to increase its cassette storage capacity and further surely and quickly effect the cassette exchanging operation.
An automatic cassette exchanging system according to the present invention has a basic storage unit comprising a box and a fixed cassette storage case which is aligned in the box with an information recording/reproducing apparatus.
A space is formed in the box facing entrance and exit ports of the fixed cassette storage case and a cassette exchanging robot is provided for movement in the space for inserting and extracting cassettes at selected locations.
The automatic cassette exchanging system allows addition of one or more units comprising a box which has a rotatable type cassette storage case with cassette entrance and exit ports that can face a similar space in which a robot can be moved.
The basic unit box and the addition unit box can be detachably coupled to each other with their spaces adjoining in a continuum.
A robot comprises a support structure and a manipulator whereby positioning and insertion and removal of cassettes can be performed by remote control.
In this arrangement the addition of units to the basic storage unit may be done selectively and easily to form a suitable cassette exchanging system in accordance with the cassette storage capacity required in a TV broadcasting station, for example.
Increasing the cassette storage capacity, can be achieved merely connecting the addition units to the basic unit.
Furthermore, the basic unit and the addition units are coupled to each other so that their robot moving spaces are coupled in line to each other and therefore this makes easy the connection work and the robot movement between the basic and addition units