Tape driver, tape unit equipment, tape and storage system

Abstract

The invention discloses a magnetic tape driver, magnetic tape unit equipment, a magnetic tape and a storage system, and relates to the technical field of magnetic tapes. The tape driver comprises a base, two writing heads and a reading head located between the two writing heads. One surface, far away from the base, of one writing magnetic head is in arc-shaped transition with an adjacent surface of the surface, so that under the condition that the magnetic tape is rewound through the writing magnetic head, the writing magnetic head in arc-shaped transition enables air flowing along with the magnetic tape to enter a gap between the writing magnetic head and the magnetic tape. The gap enables the magnetic tape to suspend on the writing magnetic head, air entering the gap between the writing magnetic head and the magnetic tape upwards generates pressure intensity, downward pressure intensity exists above the magnetic tape, and when the upward pressure intensity is equal to the upward pressure intensity, the gap between the writing magnetic head and the magnetic tape is kept constant. Therefore, the problem that the magnetic powder in the magnetic tape falls off due to contact between the writing head and the magnetic tape is avoided, the service life of the magnetic tape is prolonged, and the possibility that magnetic tape unit equipment where the magnetic tape driver is located breaks down is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of magnetic tape technology, and in particular to a magnetic tape drive, a magnetic tape device, a magnetic tape and a storage system. Background Art

[0002] A tape drive is a single-drive product that includes a tape drive and a tape. The tape drive usually reads and writes data by sliding the tape on the head in the tape drive. In a tape drive, the head is rectangular and has angular edges. When the head is in use, the angular head edge will cause friction with the tape, causing the tape to wear out, such as magnetic powder falling off the tape, resulting in a reduction in the service life of the tape; and a large amount of magnetic powder may be attached to the head, reducing the head's ability to read and write signals, such as a large number of errors in the read signal, or even causing tape failure. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a tape drive, a tape machine device, a tape and a storage system, which solves the problem of reduced tape service life caused by magnetic powder falling in the tape machine, is beneficial to improving the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, and reduces tape failures.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a tape drive. The tape drive includes: a base, a first write head, a read head, and a second write head. The first write head, the read head, and the second write head are located on one side of the base, and the read head is located between the first write head and the second write head. The first write head includes: a first surface away from the base and an adjacent surface of the first surface, and the first surface and the adjacent surface of the first surface have an arc-shaped transition. The adjacent surface of the first surface includes: one or two of the first adjacent surface of the first write head away from the read head and the second adjacent surface of the first write head close to the read head.

[0005] In the present application, if the rewinding direction of the tape drive is from the first write head to the second write head during the access of the tape by the tape drive, then after the first write head contacts the tape, the first write head with the first surface and the first adjacent surface in an arc-shaped transition will allow the air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between the first write head and the tape. Correspondingly, if the rewinding direction of the tape drive is from the second write head to the first write head, after the first write head contacts the tape, the first write head with the first surface and the second adjacent surface in an arc-shaped transition will allow the air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between the first write head and the tape. Since the aforementioned gap will cause the tape to float on the first write head, the problem of magnetic powder falling off the tape due to contact between the first write head and the tape is avoided, which is beneficial to increase the service life of the tape and improve the ability of the head to read and write signals, and reduce the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0006] In an optional implementation, the second write head includes: a second surface away from the base, and an adjacent surface of the second surface, and the second surface and the adjacent surface of the second surface transition in an arc shape. The adjacent surface of the second surface includes: one or two of: a third adjacent surface of the second write head close to the read head, and a fourth adjacent surface of the second write head away from the read head. During the access of the tape by the tape drive, the rewinding direction of the tape drive is from the first write head to the second write head. After the second write head contacts the tape, the second write head with the second surface and the third adjacent surface transitioning in an arc shape will allow the air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between the second write head and the tape. Correspondingly, if the rewinding direction of the tape drive is from the second write head to the first write head, after the second write head contacts the tape, the second write head with the second surface and the fourth adjacent surface transitioning in an arc shape will allow the air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between the second write head and the tape. Since the aforementioned gap will cause the magnetic tape to float on the second write head, the problem of magnetic powder falling off the tape due to contact between the second write head and the tape is avoided, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the tape and improving the ability of the head to read and write signals, further reducing the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0007] In another optional implementation, the read head includes: a third surface away from the base, and an adjacent surface of the third surface, and the third surface and the adjacent surface of the third surface have an arc-shaped transition. The adjacent surface of the third surface includes: one or two of: a fifth adjacent surface in the read head close to the first write head, and a sixth adjacent surface in the read head close to the second write head. Regardless of whether the rewind direction is from the first write head to the second write head or from the second write head to the first write head, the arc-shaped transition between the third surface and the adjacent surface of the third surface will cause the air flowing with the magnetic tape to enter the gap between the read head and the magnetic tape, and then, the existence of the gap will cause the magnetic tape to float on the read head, avoiding the problem of magnetic powder in the magnetic tape falling off due to contact between the read head and the magnetic tape.

[0008] In an optional implementation, the tape drive further includes a tape reel motor and a plurality of rollers. The plurality of rollers are used to carry the tape. The tape reel motor is used to drive the plurality of rollers to rewind the tape in a first direction, rewind in a second direction, or stop rewinding, and the first direction and the second direction are opposite.

[0009] Exemplarily, if the first direction is from the first adjacent surface of the first write head to the second adjacent surface of the second write head, the second direction is from the third adjacent surface of the first write head to the fourth adjacent surface of the second write head.

[0010] As another example, if the second direction is from the first adjacent surface of the first write head to the second adjacent surface of the second write head, then the first direction is from the third adjacent surface of the first write head to the fourth adjacent surface of the second write head.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present application provides a tape drive device. The tape drive device includes: a tape, a tape drive in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect. The tape drive is used to access data in the tape, and the tape is used to store data. Since the tape drive device includes the tape drive in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect, the tape drive device can also achieve the beneficial effects in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect, which will not be described in detail herein.

[0012] In an optional implementation, the magnetic tape is fixedly sealed in the above-mentioned tape drive device. In this way, the magnetic tape will not directly contact the air, liquid, dust and other media outside the tape drive device, which is conducive to reducing the loss of magnetic powder or other magnetic media used to store data in the magnetic tape, thereby increasing the service life of the magnetic tape.

[0013] In an optional implementation, the above-mentioned magnetic tape includes a data area and a take-off and landing area, and the data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other. The data area includes magnetic powder for storing data, and the take-off and landing area does not include magnetic powder. The take-off and landing area includes a take-off area and a landing area, and the take-off area refers to: when the magnetic head and the magnetic tape are in contact with each other and then suspended, the area on the magnetic tape passes through; the landing area refers to: when the magnetic head and the magnetic tape are in contact with each other and then suspended, the area on the magnetic tape passes through. In the implementation provided by the present application, the take-off area and the landing area are collectively referred to as the take-off and landing area. During the operation of the tape drive device, since the take-off and landing area of ​​the tape does not include magnetic powder for storing data, during the process of the magnetic head accessing the tape, whether the magnetic head takes off from the take-off and landing area or lands in the take-off and landing area, no magnetic powder will fall in the take-off and landing area, so that the magnetic head in the tape drive device will not be attached with a large amount of magnetic powder, which is conducive to maintaining the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, thereby improving the service life of the tape drive device.

[0014] In an optional implementation, the above-mentioned magnetic tape includes: a data area, a take-off and landing area, and a hardness enhancement structure, and the data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other. Among them, the side of the take-off and landing area close to the base is connected to the hardness enhancement structure. As an optional situation, the hardness enhancement structure refers to a protective film with anti-wear function, and the protective film can be applied to the take-off and landing area, so that the existing magnetic powder of the magnetic tape will not directly contact the magnetic head, but the magnetic head will contact the hardness enhancement structure. According to the characteristics of the material, the higher the hardness of the material, the better the wear resistance of the material. Therefore, in the take-off and landing area, the side close to the base is connected to the hardness enhancement structure, so that in the process of contact between the magnetic tape and the magnetic head, the contact between the magnetic head and the hardness enhancement structure will not cause a large amount of magnetic powder to fall, which is beneficial to reduce the magnetic powder attached to the magnetic head in the tape drive device, thereby maintaining the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, thereby improving the service life of the tape drive device.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present application provides a magnetic tape. The magnetic tape includes: a data area and a take-off and landing area. The data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other. The data area includes magnetic powder for storing data, and the take-off and landing area does not include magnetic powder. Since the take-off and landing area does not include magnetic powder, during the process of the magnetic head accessing the magnetic tape, no magnetic powder will fall in the take-off and landing area, whether the magnetic head takes off from the take-off and landing area or lands in the take-off and landing area, so that the magnetic head in the tape drive device will not be attached with a large amount of magnetic powder, which is beneficial to maintaining the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, thereby improving the service life of the tape drive device where the magnetic tape is located.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a magnetic tape, including: a data area, a take-off and landing area, and a hardness enhancement structure, wherein the data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other, and a side of the take-off and landing area close to the magnetic head is connected to the hardness enhancement structure. The higher the hardness of the material, the better the wear resistance of the material. Therefore, the side of the take-off and landing area close to the magnetic head is connected to the hardness enhancement structure, so that during the contact between the magnetic tape and the magnetic head, the contact between the magnetic head and the hardness enhancement structure will not cause a large amount of magnetic powder to fall, which is beneficial to reducing the magnetic powder attached to the magnetic head in the tape drive device, thereby maintaining the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, thereby improving the service life of the tape drive device.

[0017] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a storage system, which includes: a tape drive device in the second aspect or any one of the implementations of the second aspect, used to store data, and a controller, used to access the tape drive device according to a data access request.

[0018] Based on the implementations provided in the above aspects, this application can also be further combined to provide more implementations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a tape drive;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an arc-shaped transition effect provided by the present application;

[0022] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 4B A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 3 ;

[0024] Figure 5 A fourth structural diagram of a tape drive provided for the present application;

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 5 ;

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive device provided for this application;

[0027] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a magnetic tape provided for this application;

[0028] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a data access process provided for this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In the present application, the head portion of the tape drive has an arc-shaped transition structure, which allows an air gap to be formed between the tape and the head when the tape is rolled. The existence of the gap avoids (or reduces) the falling of magnetic powder from the tape caused by direct contact between the tape and the head.

[0030] Specifically, the present application provides a magnetic tape drive, which includes a base, two write heads, and a read head located between the two write heads. One side of the write head away from the base has an arc-shaped transition with the adjacent side of the side, so that when the magnetic tape is rewound through the write head, the write head with the arc-shaped transition will cause the air flowing with the magnetic tape to enter the gap between the write head and the magnetic tape. The gap will cause the magnetic tape to float on the write head, and the air entering the gap between the write head and the magnetic tape will generate pressure upward (toward the magnetic tape), while there is a downward pressure (toward the write head) above the magnetic tape. When the pressure on the upper surface is equal to the pressure on the lower surface, the gap between the write head and the magnetic tape remains constant. Thus, the problem of magnetic powder falling off the magnetic tape due to contact between the write head and the magnetic tape is avoided, which is beneficial to increase the service life of the magnetic tape and improve the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, and reduce the possibility of failure of the magnetic tape drive device where the magnetic tape drive is located.

[0031] The technical solutions involved in this application may not only be applied to tape drive devices, but also may be applied to future tape drive devices, or storage systems including tape drive devices. The terms used in the implementation methods of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit this application. The following is a brief introduction to some concepts that may be involved in this application.

[0032] Head: (header): The component that reads and writes the magnetic medium on the tape through the magnetic principle, which is divided into a write head and a read head. The write head records data by magnetizing and changing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium (such as magnetic powder), and the read head reads the data on the magnetic medium by sensing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium.

[0033] Magnetic tape: A tape material with a magnetic layer used to record sound, images, numbers or other signals. The magnetic tape contains a magnetic medium such as magnetic powder or other media for storing data. For example, the magnetic field change in the magnetic medium is usually formed by coating a layer of granular magnetic material on a plastic film tape base (support) or evaporating and depositing a layer of magnetic oxide or alloy film. The tape base of the magnetic tape may include, but is not limited to: paper, celluloid or polyester film.

[0034] Take-off area: The area on the magnetic tape that the magnetic head passes through during the process of going from contact with the magnetic tape to suspension.

[0035] Landing zone: The area on the magnetic tape that the magnetic head passes through during the process of the magnetic head and the magnetic tape moving from suspension to contact.

[0036] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0037] In the following, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0038] In addition, in the present application, directional terms such as "upper" and "lower" are defined relative to the orientation of the components in the drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms are relative concepts. They are used for relative description and clarification, and they can change accordingly according to the changes in the orientation of the components in the drawings.

[0039] In conventional technology, the magnetic head in a tape drive is rectangular and the edges of the magnetic head are ridged, such as Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive. The tape drive 100 includes a tape 130 and a tape drive. The tape drive includes Figure 1 In the figure: base 110 , roller 111 , roller 112 , magnetic head 121 , magnetic head 122 and magnetic head 123 . Magnetic head 121 and magnetic head 123 are write magnetic heads, and magnetic head 122 is a read magnetic head. Each magnetic head is located on base 110 .

[0040] See also Figure 1The edge of each magnetic head is ridged. When the magnetic head is in use, for example, roller 111 and roller 112 are both rotating in the clockwise direction, that is, when the tape drive drives the tape to slide from roller 111 to roller 112, magnetic heads 121 and 123 with ridged edges will come into contact with the tape, causing friction between magnetic heads 121 and 123 and magnetic tape 130, resulting in tape wear, such as magnetic powder on the tape falling off, resulting in a reduction in the service life of the tape; and, a large amount of magnetic powder may be attached to the magnetic head, which reduces the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, such as generating a large number of bit errors in the reading signal, and even causing tape failure.

[0041] To at least solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a possible tape drive, which can exist independently as a component of a tape drive device, or can be installed in a tape drive device. In some optional situations, the tape drive device equipped with the tape drive provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be set in a storage system, which can refer to a centralized storage system or a distributed storage system, etc.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 1 The tape drive 200 includes a base 201 , a write head 210 , a write head 220 and a read head 230 .

[0043] The write head 210, the write head 220 and the read head 230 are on one side of the base 201. Figure 2 As shown, the bottoms of the write head 210, the write head 220 and the read head 230 are all disposed on one surface of the base 201. It is worth noting that Figure 2 In the embodiment, one side of the base 201 for supporting each magnetic head is a plane, but in some feasible cases, the side of the base 201 can also be a curved surface or a surface of other shapes, as long as the base 201 can support and fix the above-mentioned magnetic heads.

[0044] The read head 230 is located between the write head 210 and the write head 220. Figure 2 Taking the movement direction of the magnetic tape in the example, the magnetic tape slides from left to right, and the write head 210 magnetizes the storage position of the data to be written in the magnetic tape, thereby changing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium (such as magnetic powder) in the storage position, and then storing the data to be written in the storage position. In addition, the read head 230 senses the magnetic field of the storage position, thereby reading back and verifying the data written by the write head 210 on the magnetic tape to ensure the accuracy of the written data.

[0045] like Figure 2As shown, the write head 210 includes: a first surface away from the base 201 and a surface adjacent to the first surface, and the first surface and the surface adjacent to the first surface are in an arc-shaped transition.

[0046] In case (1), the adjacent surface of the first surface refers to the first adjacent surface far away from the read head in the write head 210. The first surface and the first adjacent surface transition in an arc shape, such as arc 1.

[0047] Optionally, the angle formed by the arc 1 may be a circular arc angle (referred to as fillet angle), and the size of the fillet angle may be adjusted according to the specific size of the write head 210 , which is not limited in the present application.

[0048] To illustrate the beneficial effects of the above arc-shaped transition, the embodiment of the present application provides a possible implementation method, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an arc-shaped transition effect provided by this application. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the arc-shaped transition write head 210 allows the air flowing with the magnetic tape to enter the gap between the write head 210 and the magnetic tape. The gap causes the magnetic tape to suspend on the write head 210, and the air entering the gap between the write head 210 and the magnetic tape generates an upward pressure. At the same time, there is a downward pressure above the magnetic tape. When the pressure on the upper surface is equal to the pressure on the lower surface, the gap between the write head 210 and the magnetic tape remains constant. Thus, the problem of magnetic powder falling off the magnetic tape due to contact between the first write head and the magnetic tape is avoided, which is beneficial to increase the service life of the magnetic tape and improve the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, and reduce the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0049] It is worth noting that in Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the present invention, the first adjacent surface refers to a plane, but in some optional cases, the first adjacent surface may also refer to a surface with an arc, and the same is true for other adjacent surfaces shown in this article, and the present application is not limited to this.

[0050] In case (2), the adjacent surface of the first surface refers to the second adjacent surface close to the read head in the write head 210. The first surface and the second adjacent surface transition in an arc shape, such as arc 2. The fillet corresponding to arc 1 and the fillet corresponding to arc 2 may be the same or different, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0051] During the process of the tape drive accessing the tape, if the rewinding direction of the tape drive is from the write head 220 to the write head 210, after the write head 210 contacts the tape, the write head 210 with the arc-shaped transition between the first surface and the second adjacent surface allows the air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between the write head 210 and the tape. The gap allows the tape to float on the write head 210, avoiding the problem of magnetic powder falling off the tape due to the contact between the write head 210 and the tape, which is beneficial to increase the service life of the tape and improve the ability of the head to read and write signals, and reduces the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0052] It should be understood that the above Figure 2 The cases (1) and (2) in the above description may also be combined, that is, the first surface has an arc-shaped transition with the first adjacent surface and also has an arc-shaped transition with the second adjacent surface. Figures 5 to 7 , which will not be elaborated here.

[0053] In an optional implementation, the above write head 220 may include an arc-shaped transition surface. Figure 2 Based on the situation (1) in the above, this embodiment provides a possible example, such as Figure 4A As shown, Figure 4A A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 2 . Figure 4A The illustrated tape drive 200 includes components and Figure 2 They are the same and will not be described again here.

[0054] exist Figure 4A In the embodiment, the write head 220 includes: a second surface away from the base 201 and a surface adjacent to the second surface, and the second surface and the surface adjacent to the second surface are in an arc-shaped transition.

[0055] In case (3), the adjacent surface of the second surface refers to the third adjacent surface of the write head 220 close to the read head 230, and the second surface and the third adjacent surface transition in an arc shape, such as arc 3.

[0056] During the process of the tape drive accessing the tape, the rewinding direction of the tape drive is from the write head 210 to the write head 220. After the write head 220 contacts the tape, the write head 220 with an arc-shaped transition between the second surface and the third adjacent surface will allow the air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between the write head 220 and the tape.

[0057] In case (4), the adjacent surface of the second surface refers to the fourth adjacent surface of the write head 220 away from the read head 230, and the second surface and the fourth adjacent surface transition in an arc shape, such as arc 4.

[0058] Correspondingly, if the rewind direction of the tape drive is from write head 220 to write head 210, after write head 220 contacts the tape, the arc-shaped transition between the second surface and the fourth adjacent surface of write head 220 will allow air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between write head 220 and the tape.

[0059] Based on and Figure 3 The aforementioned gap will cause the magnetic tape to float on the write head 220, thereby avoiding the problem of magnetic powder in the magnetic tape falling off due to contact between the write head 220 and the magnetic tape, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the magnetic tape and improving the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, and further reducing the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0060] It should be understood that the above Figure 4A The cases (3) and (4) in the above-mentioned embodiment can also be combined, that is, the second surface has an arc-shaped transition with the third adjacent surface and an arc-shaped transition with the fourth adjacent surface. Figures 5 to 7 , which will not be elaborated here.

[0061] based on Figure 2 The relationship between the magnetic tape and the magnetic heads in the magnetic tape drive 200 shown in FIG. Figure 1 In order to solve the problem that both the write head and the read head will contact the magnetic tape and cause the magnetic powder to fall off, in this embodiment, Figure 2 There is a gap (no contact) between the first write head (write head 210) and the read head 230 and the magnetic tape, and there is also a gap (no contact) between the second write head (write head 220) and the magnetic tape, which avoids the problem of magnetic powder falling, effectively improves the service life of the magnetic tape and improves the ability of each head in the tape drive to read and write signals.

[0062] above Figure 2 The writing head 210, the writing head 220 and the movement direction of the magnetic tape are only examples provided in this embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the protection scope of this application. Figure 2 Based on this, the present application also provides another possible tape drive, such as Figure 4B As shown, Figure 4B A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 3 . Figure 4B The illustrated tape drive 200 includes components and Figure 2 They are the same and will not be described again here.

[0063] Figure 4A and Figure 4B The difference between the two is that the positions of the write head 210 and the write head 220 are interchanged. Figure 2The positions of the first surface, the first adjacent surface, the second surface and the second adjacent surface described in the figure have also changed, which will not be repeated here.

[0064] by Figure 4B Taking the movement direction of the magnetic tape in the example, the magnetic tape slides from right to left, and the write head 210 magnetizes the storage location of the data to be written in the magnetic tape, thereby changing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium (such as magnetic powder) in the storage location, and then storing the data to be written in the storage location. In addition, the read head 230 senses the magnetic field of the storage location, thereby performing a readback check on the data written by the write head 210 on the magnetic tape to ensure the accuracy of the written data.

[0065] The write head 210 mentioned above may also be referred to as a first write head, and the write head 220 may also be referred to as a second write head.

[0066] It should be understood that no matter whether the tape drive provided by the present application is Figure 2 , Figure 4A still Figure 4B The tape drive shown has a design in which each write head can reduce the drop of magnetic powder during data access, thereby increasing the service life of the tape and reducing the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0067] above Figure 2 , Figure 4A and Figure 4B The tape drive shown can prevent magnetic powder from falling when the tape is in a single moving direction. In order to further improve the use effect of the tape drive, this embodiment provides another possible tape drive, such as Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 The fourth structural diagram of a magnetic tape drive provided in the present application. The magnetic tape drive 500 includes: a base 501, a write head 510, a write head 520, and a read head 530. The write head 510, the write head 520, and the read head 530 are located on the base 501, and the read head 530 is located between the write head 510 and the write head 520. The use process of each magnetic head can refer to the description of the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0068] like Figure 5 As shown, the write head 510 includes: a first surface away from the base 501, a first adjacent surface away from the read head 530, and a second adjacent surface close to the read head 530. The first surface and the first adjacent surface have an arc-shaped transition, such as arc 1; the first surface and the second adjacent surface have an arc-shaped transition, such as arc 2.

[0069] In the present application, if the rewinding direction of the tape drive is from the second adjacent surface of the write head 520 to the first adjacent surface of the write head 510 (from right to left), then during the access process of the tape drive to the tape, after the write head 520 contacts the tape, the arc-shaped transition of the write head 520 allows the air flowing with the tape to enter the gap between the write head 520 and the tape. The gap allows the tape to float on the write head 520, avoiding the problem of magnetic powder falling off the tape due to contact between the write head 520 and the tape, which is beneficial to increase the service life of the tape and improve the ability of the head to read and write signals, and reduce the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0070] The write head 520 includes: a second surface away from the base 501, a third adjacent surface close to the read head 530, and a fourth adjacent surface away from the read head 530. The second surface and the third adjacent surface have an arc transition, such as arc 3; the second surface and the fourth adjacent surface have an arc transition, such as arc 4.

[0071] Since the second surface and the third adjacent surface of the write head 520 have an arc-shaped transition, and both the write head 510 and the write head 520 are located on the base 501, based on the relationship between the write head 510 and the magnetic tape, the magnetic tape will also float above the write head 520, thereby avoiding the problem of magnetic powder in the magnetic tape falling off due to contact between the write head 520 and the magnetic tape, further increasing the service life of the magnetic tape and improving the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, thereby reducing the possibility of failure of the tape drive device where the tape drive is located.

[0072] Optionally, the surface of each magnetic head close to the base and other adjacent surfaces may be in an arc-shaped transition. For example, the read head 530 includes: a third surface away from the base 501 and an adjacent surface of the third surface, and the third surface and the adjacent surface of the third surface are in an arc-shaped transition.

[0073] In case (5), the adjacent surface of the third surface refers to the fifth adjacent surface of the read head 530 close to the write head 510, and the third surface and the fifth adjacent surface transition in an arc shape, such as arc 5.

[0074] In case (6), the adjacent surface of the third surface refers to the sixth adjacent surface of the read head 530 close to the write head 520, and the third surface and the sixth adjacent surface transition in an arc shape, such as arc 6.

[0075] Regardless of whether the rewinding direction is from write head 510 to write head 520 or from write head 520 to write head 510, the arc-shaped transition between the third surface and the adjacent surface of the third surface will cause the air flowing with the magnetic tape to enter the gap between the read head and the magnetic tape. Furthermore, the existence of the gap will cause the magnetic tape to float on the read head, thereby avoiding the problem of magnetic powder falling off the magnetic tape due to contact between the read head and the magnetic tape.

[0076] It should be understood that the surface of each magnetic head close to the base and other adjacent surfaces may also be in other transition shapes, and the present application is not limited to this.

[0077] For example, the read head 530 further includes a surface close to the base 501, and the surface close to the base 501 also transitions to the fifth adjacent surface and the sixth adjacent surface in an arc shape. It is worth noting that: Figure 5 Any two adjacent surfaces of the read head have an arc-shaped transition, but in some possible situations, a part of two adjacent surfaces may have an arc-shaped transition, while another part of two adjacent surfaces may have a right-angle transition, etc. The present application does not limit the number and position of the arc-shaped transitions included in the write head and the read head.

[0078] In an optional implementation, in order to drive the magnetic tape to rewind or stop, the magnetic tape drive further includes a tape winding motor and a plurality of rollers. Figure 5 Based on the provided tape drive 500, this embodiment also provides a possible example, such as Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 5 For details about the base 501, the write head 510, the write head 520 and the read head 530 included in the tape drive 500, please refer to Figure 5 The description is not repeated here.

[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, the tape drive further includes a roller 541 , a roller 542 and a tape winding motor 550 .

[0080] The roller 541 and the roller 542 are respectively disposed on both sides of each magnetic head to carry the magnetic tape to be accessed by the magnetic tape drive.

[0081] The tape winding motor is used for driving a plurality of rollers to rewind the magnetic tape in a first direction, rewind in a second direction or stop rewinding.

[0082] The first direction and the second direction are opposite.

[0083] Exemplarily, if the first direction is from the first adjacent surface of the write head 510 to the second adjacent surface of the write head 520 (from left to right), the second direction is from the third adjacent surface of the write head 510 to the fourth adjacent surface of the write head 520 (from right to left).

[0084] As another example, if the second direction is from the first adjacent surface of write head 510 to the second adjacent surface of the second write head (from left to right), then the first direction is from the third adjacent surface of write head 510 to the fourth adjacent surface of write head 520 (from right to left).

[0085] In this embodiment, the tape motor 550 can be an AC servo motor or a brushless DC servo motor, etc. The tape motor 550 drives the roller to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise to make the magnetic tape carried on the roller slide, so that each magnetic head in the magnetic tape drive can write data to the magnetic tape or read data stored in the magnetic tape, etc.

[0086] Based on the tape drive provided in the above figures, the present application also provides a tape drive device, such as Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 The structure diagram of a tape drive device provided by the present application is as follows: The tape drive device 700 comprises: a tape reel 701 , a tape reel 702 , a tape 710 and a tape drive 720 .

[0087] The tape 710 is used to store data, and the tape drive 720 is used to access the data in the tape. The specific implementation of the tape drive 720 can refer to the tape drive described in any of the above figures, and will not be described in detail here.

[0088] The tape reels 701 and 702 are used to roll up the magnetic tape 710 to form a circle (or other shapes) to reduce the space occupied by the magnetic tape 710 in the tape drive device 700 and improve the space utilization rate in the tape drive device 700.

[0089] Combination Figure 7 The magnetic tape drive in the above-mentioned embodiment is used as an example to illustrate: during high-speed rewinding, the magnetic head can be separated from the tape body, and the read head in the magnetic tape drive does not need to read data during this process, and the flying height of the magnetic tape can be very high. During the process of the magnetic tape drive device reading data at a low speed, the magnetic head is separated from the tape body, but the distance between the magnetic head and the tape body is controlled at the nanometer (nm) level, thereby reducing the wear of the magnetic head on the tape body during data access.

[0090] The tape drive is equivalent to the combination of a tape drive and a tape. The tape is fixedly integrated inside the tape drive when it leaves the factory, thus forming an overall structure similar to a hard disk drive (HDD), which is called a "tape reel". This means that it is difficult to remove / insert the tape by opening the drive, so it is difficult to easily replace the tape; it is also difficult to move the tape to the position of the drive by a robot arm / manually to read / write the data on the tape. The advantage is that the tape is sealed inside the tape reel, and it is difficult for external media such as dust, liquid or air to contact the tape and each magnetic head, thereby increasing the service life of the tape and each magnetic head in the tape reel.

[0091] In some possible situations, if the tape is fixedly sealed in a tape drive device, the tape drive device may also be called an integrated tape drive, an integrated tape reel or an integrated tape drive, etc., which is not limited in the present application.

[0092] In order to reduce the magnetic powder falling off the tape during data access, the embodiment of the present application provides a possible implementation method for the implementation of the tape 710, such as Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a magnetic tape provided in the present application. The magnetic tape 710 includes: a data area and a take-off and landing area.

[0093] The data area includes magnetic particles for storing data. Figure 8 As shown, the data area includes: data area 711A, data area 711B and data area 711C. In some feasible situations, the data area may also be called a data part, a data segment, a data band, a data space or other names.

[0094] The take-off and landing area includes the take-off area and the landing area. For the contents of the take-off area and the landing area, please refer to the description of technical terms, which will not be elaborated here. Figure 8 As shown, the take-off and landing area includes: a take-off and landing area 712A and a take-off and landing area 712B.

[0095] like Figure 8 As shown, the data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0096] Figure 8 The number and position of the data area and the take-off and landing area are only examples provided in this embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the present application. For example, if the tape includes only one take-off and landing area, the take-off and landing area can be set at the center of the tape to reduce the overall addressing delay of the tape, such as the addressing delay is 1 / 2 of the maximum rewinding time.

[0097] When the magnetic tape stops and starts moving, the magnetic head and the magnetic tape still need to rub against each other. By making the magnetic head stop in the take-off and landing area of ​​the magnetic tape and specially treating the magnetic tape body corresponding to the take-off and landing area, the life of the magnetic tape can be greatly improved.

[0098] For special handling of takeoff and landing areas, two possible examples are provided below.

[0099] In a first possible example, the take-off and landing area does not include magnetic particles.

[0100] During the operation of the tape drive device, since the take-off and landing area of ​​the tape does not include magnetic powder for storing data, when the magnetic head accesses the tape, no matter whether the magnetic head takes off from the take-off and landing area or lands in the take-off and landing area, no magnetic powder will fall in the take-off and landing area, so that the magnetic head in the tape drive device will not be attached with a large amount of magnetic powder, which is beneficial to maintaining the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, thereby increasing the service life of the tape drive device.

[0101] In a second possible example, the magnetic tape further includes: a stiffness enhancement structure, and a surface of the take-off and landing area close to the base is connected to the stiffness enhancement structure.

[0102] As an optional situation, the hardness enhancement structure may be a material that is anti-friction and does not drop powder.

[0103] Exemplarily, the hardness enhancement structure refers to a protective film with anti-wear function, which can be coated on the take-off and landing area so that the existing magnetic powder on the tape does not directly contact the magnetic head, but the magnetic head directly contacts the hardness enhancement structure.

[0104] According to the characteristics of the material, the higher the hardness of the material, the better the wear resistance of the material. Therefore, the side close to the base in the take-off and landing area is connected to the hardness enhancement structure so that during the contact between the magnetic tape and the magnetic head, the contact between the magnetic head and the hardness enhancement structure will not cause a large amount of magnetic powder to fall, which is beneficial to reducing the magnetic powder attached to the magnetic head in the tape drive device, thereby maintaining the ability of the magnetic head to read and write signals, thereby increasing the service life of the tape drive device.

[0105] It is worth noting that the magnetic tapes belonging to the take-off and landing areas provided in the above two possible examples may be set in a tape drive device or exist separately as an independent product, and this application is not limited to this.

[0106] For example, when a magnetic tape exists alone, the magnetic tape may refer to a strip of material including a magnetic medium for storing data, such as magnetic powder or other media.

[0107] For another example, according to different user needs, the magnetic tape can be stored in a housing, such as a tape cassette. The physical form of the tape cassette is similar to that of a recording tape. In the tape cassette, the magnetic tape is wound around one or more fixed shafts, and the tape cassette provides a gap for access. For example, the magnetic head in the tape drive is aligned with the gap provided by the tape cassette, and the magnetic tape in the tape cassette is driven to start rewinding, so that the tape drive can access the data in the tape.

[0108] As an optional implementation, the set number and length of the take-off and landing zones are determined according to the length of the magnetic tape and the moving speed of the magnetic tape.

[0109] For example, assuming that the tape speed is v=4m / s and the acceleration of the tape motor is a=4m / s2, the length of the take-off and landing area is designed to be 4m. Assuming that the tape length is 1000m, one take-off and landing area consumes 0.4% of the capacity space in the tape.

[0110] Combination Figure 7 The tape drive equipment provided and Figure 8 The tape provided below combines Fig. 9 The following is an example of how to use the tape drive. Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a data access process provided by the present application. The data access process includes the following S910 to S970.

[0111] S910: The tape drive device obtains a data access instruction.

[0112] The data access instruction may be a write instruction, a read instruction, an erase instruction, or the like.

[0113] S920. The tape reel motor in the tape drive device drives the roller to make the tape carried on the roller take off from the take-off and landing area.

[0114] Exemplarily, when the tape winding motor drives the tape body to accelerate, the magnetic head separates from the tape body, and the tape drive begins to enter a high-speed rewinding addressing process.

[0115] S930: The tape is continuously in a high rewind state and reaches within a reference range of the target area.

[0116] The reference range may refer to n meters before and after the storage location (target area) where the data to be accessed is located, where n is a positive number. The value of n may be preset by the manufacturer of the tape device or the tape drive, or may be adjusted according to user needs.

[0117] S940: The tape drive device determines whether the position corresponding to the magnetic head in the tape has reached the vicinity of the target area.

[0118] If yes, execute S950; if no, return to execute S930.

[0119] S950: The tape reel motor drives the tape to move at a low speed, locates the area to be accessed, and accesses the data on the tape based on the magnetic head.

[0120] The area to be accessed refers to: the tape drive device searches for the precise address and drives the tape body corresponding to the precise address in the tape to correspond to the position where the magnetic head can read and write data.

[0121] S960: The tape drive device determines whether data access is completed.

[0122] Taking writing data as an example, the read head will read back and verify the written data. If the verification is successful, the tape drive device determines that the data access is completed.

[0123] If the data access is completed, execute S970; if the data access is not completed, return to execute S950.

[0124] S970, the tape winding motor drives the roller to land the magnetic tape carried on the roller in the take-off and landing area.

[0125] In an optional implementation, Figure 7 The tape drive device 700 shown is an integrated tape drive, in which the tape drive and the tape are arranged in a non-detachable housing, so that the user cannot manually clean the magnetic powder dropped in the integrated tape drive. When the tape drive and the tape provided in this embodiment are applied to the integrated tape drive, the effect of preventing the magnetic powder from falling is more significant, and the ability of each magnetic head in the integrated tape drive to read and write signals can be effectively improved, thereby increasing the service life of the integrated tape drive.

[0126] The present application also provides a storage system. The storage system includes a tape drive device provided by any of the aforementioned embodiments, and a controller. The tape drive device is used to store data, and the controller is used to access the tape drive device according to a data access request. The storage system is, for example, a tape library, or a computer / server that uses the tape drive device as a persistent storage medium.

[0127] The controller includes one or more processors, and the processor can be a very large scale integrated circuit. The processor is installed with an operating system and other software programs, so that the processor can access the tape drive device and various peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) devices. The processor includes one or more processor cores. The processor core in the processor is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or other specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. In practical applications, the storage system can also include multiple controllers.

[0128] Optionally, the storage system may also include but is not limited to other storage media: dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc., which are used to cache data from the tape drive device for processing by the processor. In addition, other storage media may also be read-only memory (ROM). As for read-only memory, for example, it may be programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), etc. This embodiment does not limit the number and type of other storage media. In addition, other storage media may be configured to have a power-saving function. The power-saving function means that when the system loses power and then powers on again, the data stored in the memory will not be lost. Storage media with a power-saving function are called non-volatile memories.

[0129] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Various equivalent modifications or replacements are conceivable within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A tape drive, characterized in that: The magnetic tape drive comprises: a base, a first write head, a read head, and a second write head; The first write head, the read head and the second write head are located on one side of the base, and the read head is located between the first write head and the second write head; The first write head includes: a first surface away from the base and an adjacent surface of the first surface, and the first surface and the adjacent surface of the first surface have an arc-shaped transition; the adjacent surface of the first surface includes: one or two of the first adjacent surface of the first write head away from the read head and the second adjacent surface of the first write head close to the read head.

2. The tape drive according to claim 1, wherein: The second write head comprises: a second surface away from the base and a surface adjacent to the second surface, wherein the second surface and the surface adjacent to the second surface have an arc-shaped transition; The adjacent surface of the second surface includes one or both of: a third adjacent surface of the second write head close to the read head, and a fourth adjacent surface of the second write head far from the read head.

3. The tape drive according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The read head comprises: a third surface away from the base and a surface adjacent to the third surface, wherein the third surface and the surface adjacent to the third surface have an arc-shaped transition; The adjacent surfaces of the third surface include one or both of: a fifth adjacent surface of the read head close to the first write head, and a sixth adjacent surface of the read head close to the second write head.

4. The tape drive according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The tape drive also includes a tape winding motor and a plurality of rollers; The tape reel motor is used to drive the plurality of rollers to rewind the magnetic tape in a first direction, rewind in a second direction, or stop rewinding, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction; The multiple rollers are used to carry the magnetic tape.

5. A tape drive device, characterized in that: include: A magnetic tape and a magnetic tape drive according to any one of claims 1 to 4; The tape drive is used to access data in a magnetic tape, and the magnetic tape is used to store data.

6. The tape drive device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The magnetic tape is fixedly sealed in the magnetic tape drive device.

7. The tape drive device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The magnetic tape comprises a data area and a take-off and landing area, wherein the data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other; The data area includes magnetic powder for storing data, and the take-off and landing area does not include magnetic powder.

8. The tape drive device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The magnetic tape comprises: a data area, a take-off and landing area, and a hardness enhancement structure, wherein the data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other; A surface of the take-off and landing area close to the base is connected to the hardness enhancement structure.

9. A magnetic tape, characterized in that: include: Data area and take-off and landing area; The data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other; The data area includes magnetic powder for storing data, and the take-off and landing area does not include magnetic powder.

10. A magnetic tape, characterized in that: include: A data area, a take-off and landing area and a hardness enhancement structure, wherein the data area and the take-off and landing area are arranged adjacent to each other, and a surface of the take-off and landing area close to the magnetic head is connected to the hardness enhancement structure.

11. A storage system, characterized in that: include: One or more tape drive devices according to any one of claims 5 to 8, for storing data; A controller that accesses tape drive devices based on data access requests.

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