ACTIVE SPACING CONTROL FOR CONTACTLESS TAPE RECORDING

• Main Authors: Kaddeche, Karim, Goglia, Peter, Wang, John
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.01.2022
• Subjects: INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; PHYSICS

The present invention relates to the field of tape drives, tape transport, tape heads and tape head suspension. More particularly, the present invention is related to magnetic tape data storage and tape recorders that include components designed to minimize or eliminate head-to-tape contact to reduce or eliminate wear and contamination of tape drive heads. Methods and apparatus of the present invention may dynamically control the head-to-media spacing by moving locations of magnetic heads relative to a tape. Such apparatus may include components designed to minimize magnetic spacing. This may be accomplished using actuators that move the magnetic heads, that move the tape, or that move both the magnetic heads and the tape. This may include supporting a back surface of the tape. Alternatively, or additionally, the movement of the tape past the magnetic heads may be performed using mechanisms that contact and drive the back surface of the tape.