Abstract: A mechanical assembly for alternately producing displacement of a carriage with respect to a carriage track and rotation of a gear mounted on the carriage, in response to torque provided from a single drive motor including: a latching assembly, having a latched state and an unlatched state, operably associated with the carriage for preventing relative movement between the carriage and the track during the latched state; and a locking assembly, having a locked state and an unlocked state, operatively associated with the gear for preventing relative rotation of the gear during the locked state.

Abstract: A mechanical assembly for alternately producing displacement of a carriage with respect to a carriage track and rotation of a gear mounted on the carriage, in response to torque provided from a single drive motor comprising: a latching assembly, having a latched state and an unlatched state, operably associated with the carriage for preventing relative movement between the carriage and the track during the latched state; and a locking assembly, having a locked state and an unlocked state, operatively associated with the gear for preventing relative rotation of the gear during the locked state.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical disk handling system, called an autochanger, having two control systems to provide the six motions necessary to move optical disk cartridges from storage holding cells to an optical drive. The system uses shaft encoders on two motors of the two control systems, and current or voltage feedback from the motors for all positioning, and for detecting the location of the mechanisms during, and at the end of, moves. The shaft encoders are used to position a mechanism close to the eventual move location, then motor current or voltage feedback is used to determine the opposition to the movement of the mechanism, which tells the control system whether the mechanism has reached its destination.

Abstract: A cartridge handling system including a cartridge engaging assembly for engaging an exposed end portion of a cartridge positioned in an aligned holding unit; a longitudinal displacement assembly for longitudinally displacing a cartridge engaged by the engaging assembly; a flipping assembly for invertingly rotating a cartridge engaged by the engaging assembly about a longitudinally extending flip axis; a lateral displacement assembly for laterally displacing a cartridge engaged by the engaging assembly; and a unitary, rotatable drive motor drivingly linked to the longitudinal displacement assembly, the flipping assembly, and the lateral displacement assembly for providing driving force thereto. The cartridge handling system is constructed and arranged such that neither sensors nor motors need be mounted on any moving system components.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical disk handling system, called an autochanger, having two control systems to provide the six motions necessary to move optical disk cartridges from storage holding cells to an optical drive. The system uses shaft encoders on the motors of the two control systems, and current or votlage feedback from the motors, for all positioning, and for detecting the location of the mechanisms during and at the end of moves. The shaft encoders are used to position a mechanism close to the eventual move location, then motor current or voltage feedback is used to determine opposition to the movement to the mechanism, which informs the control system as to whether the mechanism has reached its destination. An important aspect of the invention is that the motor current or voltage feedback is used by one control system to provide five of the six motions.

Abstract: A cartridge handling apparatus comprising: a guide assembly for guiding a cartridge engaging assembly along a longitudinally extending cartridge movement path; a longitudinal displacement assembly for displacing the cartridge engaging assembly along the cartridge movement path; and a passively actuated cartridge engaging assembly for latchingly engaging a cartridge, longitudinally displacing the cartridge, and unlatchingly releasing the cartridge.

Abstract: A cartridge handling system comprising: a cartridge engaging assembly for engaging an exposed end portion of a cartridge positioned in an aligned holding unit; a longitudinal displacement assembly for longitudinally displacing a cartridge engaged by the engaging assembly; a flipping assembly for invertingly rotating a cartridge engaged by the engaging assembly about a longitudinally extending flip axis; a lateral displacement assembly for laterally displacing a cartridge engaged by the engaging assembly; and a unitary, rotatable drive motor drivingly linked to the longitudinal displacement assembly, the flipping assembly, and the lateral displacement assembly for providing driving force thereto. The cartridge handling system is constructed and arranged such that neither sensors nor motors need be mounted on any moving system components.

Abstract: An optical disk handling apparatus for producing controlled linear and rotational displacement of an optical disk received therein comprising: a base member; a guide assembly; a shaft for rotatably mounting the guide assembly on the base member; an optical disk holding assembly received by the guide assembly in linearly forwardly and rearwardly displaceable, rotationally nondisplaceable relationship therewith; a reversible drive motor; a linear displacement assembly for producing relative linear displacement between the guide assembly and the holding assembly; a transmission assembly for transmitting torque from the drive for producing rotational displacement of the guide assembly and linear displacement of the holding assembly; projection members projecting rearwardly from the guide assembly rear end for coacting with a latch assembly; axially extendable and retractable plunger members operatively associated with the optical disk holding assembly and projectable relative the rear end of the guide assembly fo