ACTIVE SPACING CONTROL FOR CONTACTLESS TAPE RECORDING

• Main Authors: Kaddeche, Karim, Goglia, Peter, Wang, John
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.07.2023
• Subjects: INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; PHYSICS

The present invention relates to the field of controlling tape drive magnetic head spacing and the use of hard disk drive heads in a tape drive. 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 the tape and the magnetic heads. Methods and apparatus of the present invention may 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 magnetic heads, or that move both magnetic heads and the tape of a tape drive. This may include supporting a back surface of the tape. The movement of the tape past the magnetic heads may be performed using mechanisms that contact and drive the back surface of the tape.