Quasi-statically oriented, bi-directional tape recording head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9721601-B2
Application number	US-201514852400-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2015
Priority date	May 1, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A computer program product for orienting a head, according to one embodiment, includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith that are readable/executable by a controller to cause the controller to determine a desired pitch for transducers of a magnetic head for reading and/or writing to a magnetic tape, and are readable/executable by the controller to cause the controller to cause a mechanism to orient the magnetic head towards first and second positions to achieve the desired pitch when the tape travels in first and second directions, respectively. Outer data transducers of the third array are about aligned with outer data transducers of the second array when the magnetic head is positioned towards the first position, and the outer data transducers of the third array are about aligned with outer data transducers of the first array when the magnetic head is positioned towards the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer program product for orienting a head, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable and/or executable by a controller to cause the controller to:
determine, by the controller, a desired pitch for transducers of a magnetic head for reading and/or writing to a magnetic tape, the magnetic head having a first array of data transducers, a second array of data transducers spaced from the first array, and a third array of data transducers positioned between the first and second arrays, the magnetic head being positionable between a first position and a second position, wherein a longitudinal axis of the third array has a negative angle relative to a line oriented perpendicular to a first direction of tape travel thereacross when the magnetic head is in the first position, wherein the longitudinal axis of the third array has a positive angle relative to the line oriented perpendicular to the first direction of tape travel thereacross when the magnetic head is in the second position;
cause, by the controller, a mechanism to orient the magnetic head towards the first position to achieve the desired pitch when the tape travels in the first direction, wherein outer data transducers of the third array are about aligned with outer data transducers of the second array when the magnetic head is positioned towards the first position;
cause, by the controller, the mechanism to orient the magnetic head towards the second position to achieve the desired pitch when the tape travels in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein the outer data transducers of the third array are about aligned with outer data transducers of the first array when the magnetic head is positioned towards the second position,
wherein determining the desired pitch for the transducers of the magnetic head for reading and/or writing to the magnetic tape includes:
determining a state of expansion of a tape based on a readback signal from the tape; and
determining skew of the tape based on the readback signal from the tape,

wherein at least one of: the first array, the second array and the third array, includes at least one chiplet, wherein the at least one chiplet includes at least one of: a read transducer and a write transducer, wherein a resting position of the third array is offset relative to a resting position of the first and second arrays in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the third array, wherein transducers of a leading array are active during operation, wherein transducers of a trailing array are not active during operation, wherein the first, second and third arrays are rotatably fixed relative to each other such that longitudinal axes of the first, second and third arrays are oriented about parallel to each other, wherein the first array is positioned on a first module, wherein the second array is positioned on a second module, wherein the third array is positioned on a third module, wherein a width of the first, second and third modules parallel to the respective longitudinal axis of the array thereof is greater than a width of the magnetic tape, wherein the first, second and third modules are arranged in at least one of: a fly over configuration, an overwrap configuration and a tangential configuration, wherein the first, second and third arrays include servo readers.

2. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the negative angle is between less than 0 and about −8° when the magnetic head is positioned towards the first position, wherein the positive angle is between greater than 0 and about 8° when the magnetic head is positioned towards the second position.

3. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the data transducers of the first and second arrays are readers, wherein the data transducers of the third array are writers.

4. A computer program product as recited in claim 3 , comprising program instructions readable and/or executable by the controller to cause the controller to cause writing data in a non-serpentine fashion.

5. A computer program product as recited in claim 3 , comprising program instructions readable and/or executable by the controller to cause the controller to cause writing data in a serpentine fashion.

6. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the data transducers of the first and second arrays are writers, wherein the data transducers of the third array are readers.

7. A computer program product as recited in claim 6 , comprising instructions readable and/or executable by the controller to cause the controller to cause writing data in a serpentine fashion.

8. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , comprising instructions readable and/or executable by the controller to cause the controller to cause selective adjustment of a position of the third array relative to the first and second arrays in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the third array.

9. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first and second arrays of transducers are nominally offset in a same direction along the longitudinal axes thereof relative to the third array of transducers.

10. A computer program product as recited in claim 9 , comprising instructions readable and/or executable by the controller to cause the controller to cause selective adjustment of a position of the third array relative to the nominally offset first and second arrays in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axes of the first and second arrays.

11. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third modules are arranged in a fly over configuration.

12. A computer program product as recited in claim 11 , wherein the fly over configuration creates a negative wrap angle at a trailing edge of a leading module.

13. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third modules are arranged in a tangential configuration.

14. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first, second and third modules are arranged in an overwrap configuration.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 1 , wherein determining the desired pitch for the transducers of the magnetic head for reading and/or writing to the magnetic tape includes:
determining a state of expansion of a tape based on a current readback signal from the tape; and
determining skew of the tape based on a previous readback signal from the tape.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 15 , wherein determining the skew of the tape based on the previous readback signal from the tape includes retrieving the previous readback signal from memory.

17. A system, comprising a controller having a memory comprising the computer program product of claim 16 .

18. A system, comprising a controller having a memory comprising the computer program product of claim 1 .

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Biskeborn Robert G
• Lo Calvin S

Classifications

• G11B5/584

  for track following on tapes · CPC title

• G11B5/29

  Structure or manufacture of unitary devices formed of plural heads for more than one track {(G11B5/33, G11B5/49 and subgroups take precedence; in thin film structure G11B5/31)} · CPC title

• G11B5/00817

  on longitudinal tracks only, e.g. for serpentine format recording · CPC title

• G11B5/4893

  relative to moving tape · CPC title

• G11B5/00826 Primary

  comprising a plurality of single poles or gaps or groups thereof operative at the same time · CPC title