Magnetic head assembly, magnetic tape driver, magnetic tape unit equipment and storage system

Abstract

The invention discloses a magnetic head assembly, a magnetic tape driver, magnetic tape unit equipment and a storage system, and relates to the technical field of magnetic tapes. Under the condition that the height of the magnetic head body is reduced, the bracket which is coplanar with the surface, far away from the base, of the magnetic head body is arranged, and the magnetic tape is supported by the bracket, so that the shortened magnetic head body does not need to bear the magnetic tape, and the problem that the shortened magnetic head body possibly scratches the magnetic tape is solved. Furthermore, under the condition that the height of the magnetic head body is reduced, the magnetic head stroke height of the magnetic head body in the magnetic tape unit equipment is reduced, the thickness of the magnetic tape unit equipment is reduced, and the space utilization rate of the magnetic tape unit equipment and the capacity density of the storage space are improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] A tape drive is a single-drive product, including a tape drive and a tape. A tape drive usually reads and writes data by sliding the tape on the header in the tape drive. The thickness of a tape drive is related to the head stroke height and the thickness of the tape drive housing. The head stroke height is the sum of the height of the head body and the maximum moving distance of the head body during data access. Taking linear tape open (LTO) as an example, the tape width in an LTO tape drive is about 12.7 mm, and the tape includes 4 data bands, and the effective access width of each data band is 3 mm. To avoid damage to the tape, even when the head is moving up and down, it is necessary to ensure that the head can cover the width of the tape, such as the height of the head body is about 27 mm, and the height of the read / write head in the head body is about 3 mm. Furthermore, the thickness of the tape drive reaches nearly 40 mm, but the thickness of the effective storage space in the tape drive is only 12.7 mm, resulting in low space utilization of the tape drive and low capacity density of the storage space. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a magnetic head assembly, a magnetic tape drive, a magnetic tape device and a storage system, which solve the problems of low space utilization of the magnetic tape device and low capacity density of the storage space.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a magnetic head assembly. The magnetic head assembly includes: a base, a bracket and a magnetic head body. The bracket includes a first main bracket assembly and a second main bracket assembly arranged at intervals. The first main bracket assembly includes: a first surface away from the base; the second main bracket assembly includes: a second surface away from the base. The magnetic head body is located between the first main bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly, and is located on a side of the first surface close to the base and connected to the base, and includes: a third surface away from the base. The aforementioned first surface, second surface and third surface are coplanar.

[0005] In the present application, the bracket in the head assembly can be used to support the magnetic tape, so that when the magnetic tape moves on the bracket of the head assembly (also called rewinding), the head body can access the magnetic tape through the gap included in the bracket. In the case of reducing the height of the head body, a bracket coplanar with the side of the head body away from the base is set, and the magnetic tape is supported by the bracket, so that the shortened head body does not need to carry the magnetic tape, which solves the problem that the shortened head body may scratch the magnetic tape. Furthermore, in the case of reducing the height of the head body, the head stroke height of the head body in the tape drive device is reduced, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the tape drive device and improving the space utilization rate of the tape drive device and the capacity density of the storage space.

[0006] The following is a further explanation:

[0007] The tape drive relies on a read-write head to read and write data on the tape. The data tape in the tape can be read / written by moving the head to the position of any data tape. In order to maintain the stability of the read-write head during movement and avoid scratching the tape, the technology usually puts the read-write on a swing structure driven by a motor, and the length of the swing combination cannot be too short, otherwise it will be difficult to avoid scratching the tape. The swing structure and the read-write head are called the head body as a whole. The head body is roughly in the shape of a long strip. In order to allow the read-write head to be moved to the position of any data tape, the tape drive has to provide it with enough space for movement, which limits the thickness of the tape drive, making it difficult to further reduce the thickness of the tape drive.

[0008] In this implementation, an additional fixed bracket is added to support the magnetic tape (to prevent the magnetic tape from being scratched by the magnetic head), and the magnetic head body swings within the range of the bracket to read and write different data tapes. Since the bracket has provided the function of supporting the magnetic tape, it can prevent the magnetic tape from being scratched by the contact between the magnetic tape and the read-write magnetic head, so the length of the magnetic head body can be reduced. The thickness of the tape drive is no longer limited by the length of the magnetic head body, but is determined by the length of the bracket. When the length of the bracket is shorter than the length of the magnetic head body in the conventional technology, the thickness of the tape drive can be further reduced.

[0009] In some optional implementations, in the extension direction of the head body, the length of the first main bracket assembly is greater than the height of the head body, and the length of the second main bracket assembly is greater than the height of the head body.

[0010] In a possible example, the height of the head body is 9 mm-16 mm.

[0011] In another possible example, the length of the first main bracket component is 12.7 mm-24 mm, and the length of the second main bracket component is 12.7 mm-24 mm.

[0012] In the present application, in the extension direction of the head body, the heights of the two main bracket assemblies are both greater than the height of the head body, and the magnetic tape can be loaded on the two main bracket assemblies, which makes it unnecessary for the head body to carry the magnetic tape, and further, the height of the head body can be less than the width of the magnetic tape, and the height of the head body can be smaller than the height of the head body in the conventional technology, which is conducive to reducing the head stroke height of the head body. Compared with the height of the head body of 27mm in the conventional technology, in the implementation provided by the present application, by reducing the height of the head body and setting a bracket to carry the magnetic tape, the head stroke height of the head body can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the tape drive device where the head assembly is located.

[0013] In an optional implementation, the bracket also includes: a first bracket assembly and a second bracket assembly. The first bracket assembly is connected to the base and is spaced apart from the first main bracket assembly, including: a fourth surface away from the base. The second bracket assembly is connected to the base and is spaced apart from the first bracket assembly, located between the first bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly, including: a fifth surface away from the base. The aforementioned first surface, second surface, third surface, fourth surface and fifth surface are coplanar. And, the head body in the head assembly includes: a first write head, a read head and a second write head. The first write head is located between the first main bracket assembly and the first bracket assembly, the read head is located between the first bracket assembly and the second bracket assembly, and the second write head is located between the second bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly. In the present application, each magnetic head (read head or write head) is located between two adjacent bracket assemblies, and the magnetic head can access the magnetic tape through the gap between the two bracket assemblies where the magnetic head is located; since each bracket assembly can be used to carry the magnetic tape, each magnetic head does not need to carry the magnetic tape, and the height of the magnetic head body can be smaller than the width of the magnetic tape, which is beneficial to reduce the head travel height of the magnetic head body while keeping the movable distance of the magnetic head body unchanged.

[0014] In an optional implementation, the first main bracket assembly further includes: an adjacent surface of the first surface, the aforementioned first surface and the adjacent surface of the first surface are in an arc-shaped transition, and the adjacent surface of the first surface includes: one or two of the surface of the first main bracket assembly close to the second main bracket assembly and the surface of the first main bracket assembly away from the second main bracket assembly. And / or, the second main bracket assembly further includes: an adjacent surface of the second surface, the aforementioned second surface and the adjacent surface of the second surface are in an arc-shaped transition, and the adjacent surface of the second surface includes: one or two of the surface of the second main bracket assembly close to the first main bracket assembly and the surface of the second main bracket assembly away from the first main bracket assembly. The arc-shaped transition structure allows an air gap to be formed between the magnetic tape and each main bracket assembly when the magnetic tape is rolled, and the existence of the gap avoids (or reduces) the magnetic powder of the magnetic tape from falling off due to direct contact between the magnetic tape and the bracket.

[0015] In an optional implementation, the first main bracket assembly includes: a first end and a second end away from the first end; the second main bracket assembly includes: a third end and a fourth end away from the third end; the first end is close to the third end and away from the fourth end, and the second end is away from the third end and close to the fourth end. The bracket in the head assembly provided in the present application also includes: one or two of the first beam and the second beam; the aforementioned first end and the third end are connected by the first beam; the second end and the fourth end are connected by the second beam. Fixing the two brackets by the beam allows the two brackets to carry the magnetic tape more stably, avoiding problems such as magnetic powder falling caused by direct contact between the magnetic tape and the read-write head in the magnetic head body, which is beneficial to increasing the life of the magnetic tape.

[0016] In an optional implementation, the first main bracket assembly includes: a first connection portion, a second connection portion and a roller, one end of the roller is rotatably connected to the base through the first connection portion, and the other end of the roller is rotatably connected to the base through the second connection portion, and the first surface is the outer peripheral surface of the roller away from the base. It should be understood that the outer peripheral surface refers to the side of the outer surface of the roller that is farthest from the base during the rotation of the roller. In the present application, the outer surface of the roller has a curvature, so that when the first surface carries the magnetic tape, an air gap is formed between the magnetic tape and the roller when the magnetic tape is rolled, and the existence of the gap avoids (or reduces) the magnetic powder of the magnetic tape from falling due to the direct contact between the magnetic tape and the bracket assembly.

[0017] In an optional implementation, the bracket in the magnetic head assembly provided in the present application also includes: a third beam and a fourth beam. The third beam is connected to the base; the fourth beam is connected to the base and is spaced apart from the third beam. The first main bracket assembly, the third beam, the second main bracket assembly and the fourth beam are connected to form an integrally formed structure, and the integrally formed structure has a cavity. The beam and the bracket assembly are made into an integrally formed structure, so that the reliability of the bracket of the integrally formed structure is improved, and the magnetic tape can be carried more stably, avoiding problems such as magnetic powder falling caused by direct contact between the magnetic tape and the read-write head in the magnetic head body, which is beneficial to improving the life of the magnetic tape.

[0018] In an optional implementation, the magnetic head body includes: a first edge along the extension direction of the magnetic head body and a second edge away from the first edge. The first edge is arc-shaped and concave relative to the aforementioned third surface, and / or the second edge is arc-shaped and concave relative to the aforementioned third surface. In this way, the edge of the magnetic head body can be hidden under the bracket, which can avoid the problem of the edge of the magnetic head body scratching the magnetic tape when the magnetic head body moves along the extension direction of the bracket assembly.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides a magnetic tape drive. The magnetic tape drive comprises a driving member and a magnetic head assembly as described in any optional implementation of the first aspect. The driving member is used to control the magnetic head body in the magnetic tape drive to move along a first direction, and the first direction is the extension direction of the read / write magnetic head in the magnetic head body. Since the magnetic tape drive comprises the magnetic head assembly in the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect, the magnetic tape drive can also achieve the beneficial effects in the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect, which will not be described in detail here.

[0020] In an optional implementation, the driving member includes: a first motor and a second motor. The first motor is used to control the magnetic head body to move in the area between the first main bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly along the first direction; the second motor is used to control the magnetic head body to move in the area between the first main bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly. The control accuracy of the magnetic head body by the first motor is lower than the control accuracy of the magnetic head body by the second motor.

[0021] Exemplarily, the first motor is a stepper motor, and the second motor is a voice coil motor (VCM).

[0022] In the present application, the magnetic tape drive uses different motors to control the position of the magnetic head body, so that the magnetic head body can move along the extension direction of the magnetic head body (the first direction, also called the height direction of the magnetic head body) to realize the function of the read-write magnetic head in the magnetic head body accessing different data bands in the magnetic tape. Moreover, since the height of the magnetic head body can be smaller than the height of the magnetic head body in the conventional technology, when the movable distance of the magnetic head body remains unchanged, it is beneficial to reduce the head travel height of the magnetic head body, thereby reducing the thickness of the magnetic tape drive device where the magnetic tape drive is located.

[0023] In a third aspect, the present application provides a tape drive device. The tape drive device comprises: a magnetic tape and the tape drive described in any one of the implementations of the second aspect. The tape drive is used to access data in the magnetic tape, and the magnetic tape is used to store data. The first side and the second side of the tape drive are used to carry the magnetic tape. In the present application, since the tape drive device comprises the tape drive in the second aspect or any one of the implementations of the second 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, as well as the beneficial effects in the second aspect or any one of the implementations of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0024] In an optional implementation, the magnetic tape is fixedly sealed in the 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.

[0025] In an optional implementation, the thickness of the tape drive device is greater than the width of the tape, the width of the tape is 12mm-15.7mm, and the thickness of the tape drive device is 14.7mm-26mm. Compared with the height of the head body of 27mm in the conventional technology, in the implementation provided by the present application, by reducing the height of the head body and providing a bracket in the head assembly to support the tape, the head stroke height of the head body can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the tape drive device.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a storage system. The storage system includes: a controller and a tape drive device as described in any optional implementation of the third aspect. 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.

[0027] 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

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive device provided for this application;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a magnetic tape provided for this application;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a general LTO tape drive;

[0031] Figure 4 A top view of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 1 ;

[0032] Figure 5 A right side view of the structure of a magnetic tape drive provided by the present application;

[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the edge of a magnetic head body with an arc-shaped structure provided by the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 A top view of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 2 ;

[0035] Figure 8 A top view of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 3 ;

[0036] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A front view of each bracket in FIG.

[0037] Fig.10A schematic diagram of the connection between the first main bracket assembly and the base provided in this application;

[0038] Fig.11 A schematic diagram comparing different tape drives provided for this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In the solution provided by the present application, the bracket in the head assembly can be used to support the magnetic tape, so that when the magnetic tape moves on the bracket of the head assembly (also called rewinding), the head body can access the magnetic tape through the gap included in the bracket. Exemplarily, when the height of the head body is reduced, a bracket coplanar with the side of the head body away from the base is provided, and the magnetic tape is supported by the bracket, so that the shortened head body does not need to carry the magnetic tape, which solves the problem that the shortened head body may scratch the magnetic tape. Furthermore, when the height of the head body is reduced, the head stroke height of the head body in the tape drive device is reduced, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the tape drive device and improving the space utilization rate of the tape drive device and the capacity density of the storage space.

[0040] The technical solutions involved in this application may not only be applied to current tape drive devices, but may also 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.

[0041] Magnetic head body: includes a magnetic head and a magnetic head support, wherein the support is used to fix the magnetic head on the magnetic head body.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] Head travel height: the sum of the height of the head body and the distance the head body moves up and down along the extension direction of the head body.

[0045] In order to make the description of the following embodiments clear and concise, a brief introduction to the related technology is first given.

[0046] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive device provided in this application. Figure 1 The tape drive device 100 is a top view in FIG. 1 , and includes: a tape reel 101, a tape reel 102, a tape 110, a tape drive 120, and a plurality of rollers (such as rollers 1 to 4). The tape 110 is used to store data, and the tape drive 120 is used to access the data in the tape. The specific implementation of the tape drive 120 can refer to the tape drive described in any of the following figures, and will not be described in detail here.

[0047] The tape reels 101 and 102 are used to roll up the magnetic tape 110 to form a circle (or other shapes) to reduce the space occupied by the magnetic tape 110 in the tape drive device 100 and improve the space utilization rate in the tape drive device 100 .

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] In the tape drive device 100, a magnetic head included in the magnetic tape drive 120 moves up and down along the thickness direction of the tape drive device 100 to access data stored in the magnetic tape 110. Figure 1 As shown in the front view of the magnetic tape drive 100, the magnetic head can move up and down between a height 1 and a height 2, and the height difference between the height 1 and the height 2 is the magnetic head travel height in the magnetic tape drive device 100.

[0051] Regarding the implementation of the magnetic tape 110, a possible example is given below: Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2The present application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a magnetic tape. The magnetic tape 110 includes a base tape 110A and a plurality of data bands. The base tape 110A refers to the tape base of the magnetic tape 110, and the base tape 110A can be, but is not limited to, paper, celluloid, or polyester film, etc., a material used to carry magnetic media.

[0052] exist Figure 2 In the embodiment, the plurality of data bands include: data band 0, data band 1, data band 2 and data band 3. The plurality of data bands are arranged side by side along the width direction of the magnetic tape 110. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the width direction of the magnetic tape 110 refers to the direction from data band 0 to data band 3, or from data band 3 to data band 0.

[0053] In one possible example, Figure 2 The width of each data band is 3mm; corresponding to the width of each data band is 3mm, Figure 2 The width of the middle magnetic tape 110 may be 12 mm to 15.7 mm. In some cases, the width of the data tape may be slightly larger than 3 mm or slightly smaller than 3 mm, etc., due to the limitation of the manufacturing process of the magnetic tape.

[0054] For example, if there is no gap between the four data tapes arranged side by side and there is no redundant width at the edge of the magnetic tape 110 , the width of the magnetic tape 110 is 3 mm×4=12 mm.

[0055] For another example, if there is no gap between the four data tapes arranged side by side and there is an edge at the edge of the tape 110, the width of the tape 110 is 3mm×4+the width of the edge. The edge can be: the edge of the tape 110 set in the width direction to prevent the data tapes in the tape 110 from directly contacting other hardware in the tape drive device. If the width of the edge is 0.7mm-3.7mm, the width of the tape is 12mm-15.7mm.

[0056] For another example, if there is a gap between adjacent data strips in four data strips arranged side by side and there is an edge at the edge of the magnetic tape 110, the width of the magnetic tape 110 is 3 mm×4+the width of the edge+the width of the gap. For example, if the width of each gap is 0.1 mm and the width of the edge of a single side of the magnetic tape 110 is 0.2 mm, the width of the magnetic tape 110 is 3 mm×4+0.1 mm×3+0.2 mm×2=12.7 mm.

[0057] In a possible scenario, each data tape in the magnetic tape 110 is connected to a base tape, and the edge of the magnetic tape 110 is the edge of the base tape.

[0058] It is worth noting that the above tape widths are only examples provided in this embodiment, and should not be understood as the tape widths included in the tape drive device provided in this application can only be within the range provided in the above examples, such as 13mm, 14mm or 15mm, etc. In some optional embodiments, the number of data tapes included in the tape may also be more or less, and the width of the data tape may also be other sizes besides 3mm, which is not limited in this application.

[0059] The thickness of the tape drive device is related to the head stroke height and the thickness of the tape drive housing. The head stroke height is the sum of the height of the head body and the maximum moving distance of the head body during data access.

[0060] The tape drive relies on a read-write head to read and write data on the tape. The data tape in the tape can be read / written by moving the head to the position of any data tape. In order to maintain the stability of the read-write head during movement and avoid scratching the tape, the technology usually puts the read-write on a swing structure driven by a motor, and the length of the swing combination cannot be too short, otherwise it will be difficult to avoid scratching the tape. The swing structure and the read-write head are called the head body as a whole. The head body is roughly in the shape of a long strip. In order to allow the read-write head to be moved to the position of any data tape, the tape drive has to provide it with enough space for movement, which limits the thickness of the tape drive, making it difficult to further reduce the thickness of the tape drive. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The figure is a schematic diagram of a general LTO tape drive. The LTO tape drive includes a head body and a tape. The tape width in the LTO tape drive is about 12.7 mm. The tape includes 4 data bands, and the effective access width of each data band is 3 mm. To avoid damage to the tape, even when the head body is moving up and down, it is necessary to ensure that the head can cover the width of the tape. Figure 3 When the head body in the image accesses different data bands, the position of the head body is different: position L1-data band 0, position L2-data band 1, position L3-data band 2, position L4-data band 3. Among these four positions, the height corresponding to position L1 is h1, and the height corresponding to position L4 is h2. Therefore, the height of the head body must be greater than 12.7 mm. Figure 3 The height of the head body is about 27mm, the height of the read / write head in the head body is about 3mm, and the head stroke height △H = h1-h2 = 36mm. Furthermore, combined with the shell thickness of the tape drive device (such as 2mm×2), the thickness of the tape drive reaches nearly 40mm, but the thickness of the effective storage space in the tape drive is only 12.7mm, resulting in low space utilization of the tape drive and low capacity density of the storage space.

[0061] In order to improve the space utilization rate of the tape drive in the tape drive device 100 and the capacity density of the storage space, in this embodiment, an additional fixed bracket is added to support the tape (to prevent the tape from being scratched by the magnetic head), and the magnetic head body swings within the range of the bracket to realize the reading and writing of different data tapes. Since the bracket has provided the function of supporting the tape, it can prevent the tape from being scratched by the contact between the tape and the read-write magnetic head, so the length of the magnetic head body can be reduced. Subsequently, the thickness of the tape drive is no longer limited by the length of the magnetic head body, but is determined by the length of the bracket. When the length of the bracket is shorter than the length of the magnetic head body in the conventional technology, the thickness of the tape drive can be further reduced. The following is a detailed description of the various components included in the tape drive provided in this embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Regarding the implementation of the tape drive 120, the following Figures 4 to 10 Several possible embodiments are provided. Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 A top view of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 1 The tape drive 400 may be used to implement Figure 1 The function of the tape drive 120 is as follows: Figure 4 , the structure of the tape drive 400 provided in this embodiment is exemplarily described.

[0063] The magnetic tape drive 400 includes a driving member 410 and a magnetic head assembly 420 .

[0064] The driving member 410 may include one or more motors, which are used to control the head body 422 in the head assembly 420 to move along a first direction, which is the extension direction of the read / write head in the head body 422. In some optional implementations, the first direction may also be referred to as the extension direction of the head body 422.

[0065] The head assembly 420 includes a base 421 , a head body 422 and a bracket 430 .

[0066] The bracket 430 includes a first main bracket component 4231 and a second main bracket component 4232 which are spaced apart from each other.

[0067] exist Figure 4 Based on Figure 5 The components of the driving member 410 and the magnetic head assembly 420 are further described by way of example. Figure 5 A right side view of the structure of a magnetic tape drive provided in the present application.

[0068] Combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 The first main bracket assembly 4231 is connected to the base 421, including a first surface (such as Figure 5 In some optional examples, the first surface may also be referred to as a first plane, a first surface, or an upper surface or a supporting surface of the first main bracket assembly 4231, etc., which is not limited in the present application.

[0069] The second main bracket assembly 4232 is connected to the base 421 and is spaced apart from the first main bracket assembly 4231, and includes: a second surface away from the base 421. Figure 5 In the embodiment, the second main bracket assembly 4232 is not shown, but the second surface is coplanar with the aforementioned first surface, so in Figure 5 The first side / second side Figure 5 The upper surface of the black figure shown is marked.

[0070] The head body 422 is located between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the second main bracket assembly 4232, and is located on a side of the first surface close to the base 421 and connected to the base 421, and includes: a third surface away from the base 421. Figure 5 In order to make the third surface of the head body 422 clearer, Figure 5 An exemplary illustration of the third surface is added to the upper right part of the figure, but this should not be understood as the position of the head body 422 being on the right side of the base 421.

[0071] Combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 The head body 422 includes a head base, a read / write head and edge regions (such as edge 1 and edge 2) of the read / write head. Figure 4 For example, the head body 422 includes three heads arranged side by side: a write head, a read head and a write head. The read head is located between the two write heads. In the process of writing data, the tape slides from left to right, and the write head on the left magnetizes the storage position of the data to be written in the 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 senses the magnetic field of the storage position, thereby reading back and verifying the data written by the write head to ensure the accuracy of the written data.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present application, the first surface, the second surface and the third surface are coplanar. Coplanarity is also called co-plane, which refers to the relationship that geometric shapes occupy the same plane in three-dimensional space.

[0073] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the meaning of coplanarity may also be that the relative distance between the planes is less than or equal to a distance threshold. The relative distance here refers to the offset between the planes in the same space. The distance threshold is determined so that each bracket carries (or supports) the magnetic tape without deformation or offset of the magnetic tape. For example, the distance threshold is 0.1 mm, 0.05 mm or other values, etc., which are not limited in the present application.

[0074] It is worth noting that, in the extension direction of the head body 422 , the length of the first main bracket assembly 4231 is greater than the height of the head body 422 , and the length of the second main bracket assembly 4232 is greater than the height of the head body 422 .

[0075] For example, the height of the magnetic head body 422 is 9 mm to 16 mm. Figure 2 The width of each data band in the magnetic tape shown is 3 mm, and the head body 422 includes at least a 3 mm effective read / write head, and the edge areas on both sides of the read / write head along the extension direction of the head body 422 (such as Figure 5 The height of the magnetic head body 422 is only an example, and the height of the magnetic head body 422 can also be 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm or other values ​​in the range of 9mm-16mm, such as 10.5mm, 11.5mm, 12.5mm, 13.5mm, 14.5mm or 15.5mm.

[0076] Combination Figure 5 The structure of the head body 422 is exemplarily described. The head body 422 includes: a read / write head, a first edge (edge ​​1) along the extension direction of the head body 422, and a second edge (edge ​​2) away from the first edge.

[0077] In a first possible scenario, the first edge (edge ​​1 ) is arc-shaped and concave relative to the third surface.

[0078] In a second possible scenario, the second edge (edge ​​2 ) is arc-shaped and concave relative to the third surface.

[0079] In a third possible scenario, the first edge (edge ​​1 ) is concave in an arc shape relative to the third surface, and the second edge (edge ​​2 ) is concave in an arc shape relative to the third surface.

[0080] Combine the following Figure 6 The functions of the first edge and the second edge are exemplarily described as follows: Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6A schematic diagram of the edge of a magnetic head body with an arc-shaped structure provided in the present application. The magnetic tape is carried between two main bracket assemblies, and is accessed by a read / write head. The magnetic tape can be considered to be carried on the third surface. When the drive 410 controls the magnetic head body 422 to move from right to left, the arc-shaped transition edge 1 causes the air flowing with the magnetic tape to enter the gap between the edge 1 and the magnetic tape. The gap causes the magnetic tape to suspend on the read / write head, and the air entering the gap between the edge 1 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 edge 1 and the magnetic tape remains constant. Thus, the problem of magnetic powder falling off the magnetic tape caused by the edge 1 scratching 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.

[0081] When the drive 410 controls the magnetic head body 422 to move from left to right, the arc-shaped transition edge 2 allows the air flowing with the magnetic tape to enter the gap between the edge 2 and the magnetic tape. The function of this gap is the same as the gap between the edge 1 and the magnetic tape, which will not be described in detail here.

[0082] In addition, since the edge area of ​​the head body 422 is designed to be arc-shaped and concave, the edge of the head body 422 can be hidden under the bracket, thereby preventing the edge of the head body from scratching the magnetic tape, further improving the reliability of the magnetic tape.

[0083] For another example, the length of the first main bracket assembly 4231 is 12.7 mm-24 mm, and the length of the second main bracket assembly 4232 is 12.7 mm-24 mm. Figure 6 In the example, the width of the tape is 12.7 mm. The width of the tape may also be other values, as described above. Figure 2 The description of the tape width is 12mm-15.7mm, which will not be repeated here. The length of each main bracket assembly should be greater than or equal to the width of the tape, so that the tape can be carried on the upper surface of the main bracket assembly (such as the first and second surfaces mentioned above), so that the read and write area (read / write head) in the head body is flush with the upper surface (first surface or second surface) of the main bracket assembly. If the width of the tape is 12.7mm, the minimum length of the main bracket assembly along the extension direction of the head body is 12.7mm. Furthermore, the head body can slide in the groove (the area between the first main bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly), and the upper surface of the main bracket assembly can be used to support the tape to ensure that the edge of the tape moved to the head area is not scratched.

[0084] In addition, taking the thickness of the head assembly 420 adapted to the 3.5-inch hard disk frame as an example, the thickness of the 3.5-inch hard disk frame is 26mm, and 2×1mm (single-side shell thickness) is reserved. Then, the maximum length of each main bracket assembly in the head assembly 420 along the extension direction of the head body 422 is 26mm-2×1mm=24mm.

[0085] For example, the length of each main bracket assembly along the extension direction of the head body 422 can also be other values, such as 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 20mm, 21mm, 22mm, 23mm or other values, such as 13.5mm, 14.5mm, 15.5mm, 16.5mm, 17.5mm, 18.5mm, 19.5mm, 20.5mm, 21.5mm, 22.5mm or 23.5mm, etc.

[0086] It is worth noting that in the present embodiment, since the head body moves along the extension direction of the head body in the area between the two main bracket assemblies, and the head body will not move outside the main bracket assembly, the head stroke height (△H) of the head body is less than or equal to the maximum length (24mm) of the main bracket assembly, so that the tape drive where the head assembly is located can be deployed in a 3.5-inch hard disk frame to match a general hard disk storage system.

[0087] In summary, in the extension direction of the head body, the heights of the two main bracket assemblies are greater than the height of the head body, and the magnetic tape can be loaded on the two main bracket assemblies, which makes it unnecessary for the head body to carry the magnetic tape, and further, the height of the head body can be less than the width of the magnetic tape, and the height of the head body can be smaller than the height of the head body in the conventional technology, which is conducive to reducing the head stroke height of the head body. Compared with the height of the head body of 27mm in the conventional technology, in the implementation method provided by the present application, by reducing the height of the head body and setting a bracket to carry the magnetic tape, the head stroke height of the head body can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the tape drive device where the head assembly is located.

[0088] Taking the example that the driving member 410 includes two motors, the driving member 410 is exemplarily described. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The driving member 410 includes: a first motor 411 and a second motor 412.

[0089] Exemplarily, the first motor 411 is used to control the magnetic head body 422 to move in the area between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the second main bracket assembly 4232 along the first direction. The first motor 411 may refer to a stepper motor, such as an open-loop control motor that converts an electrical pulse signal into an angular displacement or a linear displacement, also known as a pulse motor. In the case of non-overload, the speed and stop position of the stepper motor depend only on the frequency and number of pulses of the pulse signal, and are not affected by load changes. When the stepper driver receives a pulse signal, it can drive the stepper motor to rotate a fixed angle in a set direction, which is called a "step angle". It should be understood that the first motor 411 may also refer to other types of motors, such as an AC servo motor or a brushless DC servo motor, etc. The first motor 411 drives the magnetic head base to move in the first direction so that the magnetic head body 422 accesses the magnetic tape between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the second main bracket assembly 4232, so that each magnetic head in the magnetic head body 422 can write data to the magnetic tape or read data stored in the magnetic tape, etc.

[0090] As another example, the second motor 412 is used to control the head body 422 to move in the area between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the second main bracket assembly 4232. The second motor 412 may refer to a voice coil motor (VCM), which is also called a voice coil motor. The principle of the VCM is to control the position of the VCM motor movement by changing the magnitude of the coil current in the VCM in a fixed magnetic field, thereby changing the position of the head body 422 connected to the VCM, so that the head body 422 accesses the magnetic tape between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the second main bracket assembly 4232, so that each magnetic head in the head body 422 can write data to the magnetic tape or read data stored in the magnetic tape, etc.

[0091] It is worth noting that the control accuracy of the first motor 411 on the magnetic head body 422 is lower than the control accuracy of the second motor 412 on the magnetic head body 422. The control accuracy here is used to indicate the moving distance of the magnetic head body 422 when the motor rotates at the same angle. If the motor rotates a unit angle, the greater the moving distance of the magnetic head body 422, the lower the control accuracy of the motor; if the motor rotates a unit angle, the smaller the moving distance of the magnetic head body 422, the higher the control accuracy of the motor.

[0092] In this embodiment, the magnetic tape drive uses different motors to control the position of the magnetic head body, so that the magnetic head body can move along the extension direction (first direction) of the magnetic head body, so as to realize the function of the read-write magnetic head in the magnetic head body accessing different data bands in the magnetic tape. Moreover, since the height of the magnetic head body can be smaller than the height of the magnetic head body in the conventional technology, when the movable distance of the magnetic head body remains unchanged, it is beneficial to reduce the head travel height of the magnetic head body, thereby reducing the thickness of the magnetic tape drive device where the magnetic tape drive is located.

[0093] In order to fix the main bracket assembly on the base 421 in the magnetic head assembly 420, Figures 4 to 6 Based on this, this embodiment provides a possible implementation method, such as Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A top view of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 2 .

[0094] See also Figure 7 The detachable structure shown, the bracket 430 also includes a first crossbeam 4251 ( Figure 7 The black figure portion including the mark A1) and the second crossbeam 4252 ( Figure 7 The black graphic portion including the mark A2).

[0095] exist Figure 7 In the detachable structure shown, the first main bracket assembly 4231 includes: a first end and a second end away from the first end; the second main bracket assembly 4232 includes: a third end and a fourth end away from the third end; wherein the first end is close to the third end and away from the fourth end, and the second end is away from the third end and close to the fourth end. Then, the first end and the third end are connected by a first crossbeam 4251, and the second end and the fourth end are connected by a second crossbeam 4252.

[0096] Furthermore, the first crossbeam 4251 is connected to the base 421 , and the second crossbeam 4252 is also connected to the base 421 , so that the two main bracket assemblies are fixedly arranged on the base 421 , thereby improving the stability and reliability of the main bracket assemblies in the head assembly 420 .

[0097] It is worth noting that although Figure 7 In the detachable structure shown, the head assembly 420 includes a first beam 4251 and a second beam 4252. However, in some possible examples, the head assembly 420 may also include only one of the first beam 4251 and the second beam 4252, and the main bracket assembly is fixed by the one of the beams.

[0098] For example, the bracket 430 includes only the first cross beam 4251 , and the first end of the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the third end of the second main bracket assembly 4232 are connected by the first cross beam 4251 .

[0099] For another example, the bracket 430 only includes the second cross beam 4252 , and the second end of the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the fourth end of the second main bracket assembly 4232 are connected through the second cross beam 4252 .

[0100] In this example, the two bracket assemblies are fixed by a crossbeam so that the two bracket assemblies can carry the magnetic tape more stably, avoiding problems such as magnetic powder falling caused by direct contact between the magnetic tape and the read-write head in the head body, which is beneficial to increasing the life of the magnetic tape.

[0101] As a feasible example, each cross beam and the main bracket assembly can be connected to form an integral structure, such as in Figure 7 In the one-piece structure shown, the first main bracket assembly 4231 ( Figure 7 The black graphic portion including the mark 1), the first beam ( Figure 7 The black graphic portion including the mark A1), the second main bracket assembly 4232 ( Figure 7 The black part of the figure containing the mark 2) and the second beam ( Figure 7 The black graphic portion including the mark A2) is connected to form an integrally formed structure, and the bracket 430 of the integrally formed structure has a cavity.

[0102] In this example, the crossbeam and bracket assembly are made into an integrally formed structure, so that the reliability of the integrally formed bracket is improved, and the magnetic tape can be carried more stably, avoiding problems such as magnetic powder falling caused by direct contact between the magnetic tape and the read-write head in the head body, which is beneficial to increasing the life of the magnetic tape.

[0103] In some cases, when each crossbeam and the main bracket assembly are connected to form an integral structure, each crossbeam may also refer to a third crossbeam and a fourth crossbeam, and the third crossbeam and the fourth crossbeam are arranged at intervals. This application does not limit the name of the crossbeam.

[0104] As an optional implementation, the bracket 430 may further include: one or more secondary bracket components, such as a first bracket component and a second bracket component. Figure 8 For example, Figure 8 A top view of the structure of a tape drive provided in this application Figure 3 , Figure 8 and Figure 7 The difference between the one-piece molding structure is: Difference ①, Figure 8 The magnetic head assembly 420 further includes a first bracket assembly 4241 and a second bracket assembly 4242 .

[0105] The first bracket assembly 4241 is connected to the base 421 and is spaced apart from the first main bracket assembly 4231, and includes a fourth surface away from the base 421. Fig. 9 As shown, Fig. 9 for Figure 8 In the front view of each bracket, the fourth surface can also be referred to as the upper surface or supporting surface of the first bracket assembly 4241.

[0106] The secondary bracket assembly 4242 is connected to the base 421 and is spaced apart from the aforementioned primary bracket assembly 4241. The secondary bracket assembly 4242 is located between the primary bracket assembly 4241 and the second main bracket assembly 4232 and includes a fifth surface away from the base 421. Fig. 9 As shown, the fifth surface may also be referred to as the upper surface or support surface of the secondary bracket assembly 4242 .

[0107] Combination Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The first, second, third, fourth and fifth surfaces above are coplanar. For the meaning of coplanarity, please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The relevant description is not repeated here.

[0108] Please continue to see Figure 8 , the head body 422 includes: a first write head ( Figure 8 Marked as 1), read head ( Figure 8 Marked as 2 in the figure) and the second write head ( Figure 8 The first write head is located between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the first secondary bracket assembly 4241; the read head is located between the first primary bracket assembly 4241 and the second secondary bracket assembly 4242; and the second write head is located between the second secondary bracket assembly 4242 and the second main bracket assembly 4232.

[0109] The length of the above-mentioned secondary bracket assembly can refer to the description of the length of the aforementioned main bracket assembly, which will not be repeated here.

[0110] In an embodiment of the present application, each magnetic head (read head or write head) is located between two adjacent bracket assemblies, and the magnetic head can access the magnetic tape through the gap between the two brackets where the magnetic head is located; since each bracket assembly can be used to carry the magnetic tape, each magnetic head does not need to carry the magnetic tape, and the height of the magnetic head body can be smaller than the width of the magnetic tape, which is beneficial to reduce the head travel height of the magnetic head body while keeping the movable distance of the magnetic head body unchanged.

[0111] Please continue to see Fig. 9, the upper surface of each bracket and the adjacent surface of the upper surface are in an arc-shaped transition. Taking the first main bracket assembly 4231 as an example, the upper surface included in the first main bracket assembly 4231 is the first surface, and the adjacent surfaces of the first surface include: one or two surfaces of the sixth surface away from the first bracket assembly 4241 and the seventh surface close to the first bracket assembly 4241. The arc-shaped transition structure allows an air gap to be formed between the magnetic tape and the bracket when the magnetic tape is rolled. The existence of the gap avoids (or reduces) the falling of magnetic powder of the magnetic tape caused by direct contact between the magnetic tape and the bracket. The aerodynamic principle of the arc-shaped transition structure can be referred to. Figure 6 The description is not repeated here.

[0112] With respect to the first bracket assembly 4241 , the upper surface included in the first bracket assembly 4241 is the fourth surface, and the adjacent surfaces of the fourth surface include: one or two surfaces of the surface close to the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the surface close to the second bracket assembly 4242 .

[0113] With respect to the second bracket assembly 4242 , the upper surface included in the second bracket assembly 4242 is the fifth surface, and adjacent surfaces of the fifth surface include: one or two surfaces of the surface close to the first bracket assembly 4241 and the surface close to the second main bracket assembly 4232 .

[0114] Regarding the second main bracket assembly 4232 , the upper surface included in the second main bracket assembly 4232 is the second surface, and the adjacent surfaces of the second surface include: one or both of the surface close to the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the surface away from the first main bracket assembly 4231 .

[0115] exist Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the adjacent surface mentioned above is a plane, but in some optional implementations, the adjacent surface mentioned above may also refer to a curved surface or a surface of other shapes, which is not limited in the present application.

[0116] In this embodiment, by designing the edge of each bracket assembly in the bracket as a special arc design, combined with aerodynamic simulation, the magnetic tape can be suspended on the bracket when it moves at high speed on the bracket, thereby reducing the wear of the magnetic tape. To achieve the above effect, as an optional implementation method, the first main bracket assembly can also be designed as a structure rotatably connected to the base. Fig.10 As shown, Fig.10 The first main bracket assembly 4231 may include: a first connecting portion 4231A, a second connecting portion 4231B and a roller 4231C.

[0117] One end of the roller 4231C is rotatably connected to the base 421 through the first connection portion 4231A.

[0118] The other end of the roller 4231C is rotatably connected to the base 421 through the second connecting portion 4231B.

[0119] The first surface is the outer peripheral surface of the roller 4231C away from the base 421. It should be understood that the outer peripheral surface away from the base 421 refers to the outer surface of the roller 4231C that is farthest from the base 421 during the rotation of the roller 4231C.

[0120] In a possible example, the roller 4231C is a rotatable solid shaft, the first connecting part 4231A and the second connecting part 4231B are respectively connected to the two ends of the solid shaft, and the two connecting parts are rotatable connecting parts (such as bearings), so that the relative position between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the base 421 is fixed.

[0121] In another possible example, the roller 4231C is a rotatable hollow shaft, and the first connecting part 4231A and the second connecting part 4231B are respectively: the two ends of a rotatable cylinder passing through the hollow shaft in the opposite direction of the extension of the hollow shaft, and the rotatable cylinder is a rotatable connecting part (such as bearings may be included at both ends), so that the relative position between the first main bracket assembly 4231 and the base 421 is fixed.

[0122] In the present application, the outer surface of roller 4231C has a curvature, so that when the first side is carrying the magnetic tape, an air gap is formed between the magnetic tape and roller 4231C when the magnetic tape is rolled. The existence of this gap avoids (or reduces) the falling of magnetic powder of the magnetic tape caused by direct contact between the magnetic tape and the bracket.

[0123] It is worth noting that Fig.10 This is only an example provided in the present application and should not be construed as limiting the present application. In some feasible situations, the second main bracket assembly, the first bracket assembly and the second bracket assembly may also be configured as and Fig.10 The same structure as the first main bracket assembly 4231 is not described here.

[0124] Combined with the above Figures 4 to 10 For example, when the tape drive above is located at Figure 1In the tape drive device, since the height of the head body is less than the length of each bracket in the extension direction of the head body, and the head stroke height of the head body (the height of the head body + the moving distance of the head body) is also less than the length of the bracket, therefore, considering that the length range of the bracket is 12.7mm-24mm, the thickness of the tape drive device is the length of the bracket + 2×the thickness of the shell on one side, such as 14.7mm-26mm. For example, the thickness of the tape drive device may include but is not limited to: 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 20mm, 21mm, 22mm, 23mm, 24mm, 25mm or other values, such as 15.5mm, 16.5mm, 17.5mm, 18.5mm, 19.5mm, 20.5mm, 21.5mm, 22.5mm, 23.5mm, 24.5mm or 25.5mm, etc.

[0125] For example, when the thickness of the tape drive device is 26 mm, the tape drive device can be set to the same size as a 3.5-inch hard disk frame, so that the tape drive device (or tape reel) can be universally deployed with commonly used hard disk devices such as HDDs, thereby applying the tape drive device to conventional storage systems.

[0126] As another example, based on the minimum value of the head stroke height in the above embodiment being 14.7 mm, the minimum thickness of the tape drive device may be 12.7 mm+2×1 mm (the shell thickness on one side of the tape drive device).

[0127] It is worth noting that the thickness of the above tape drive device is only an example provided in this embodiment. The thickness of the tape drive device may vary according to the thickness of the shell and the head stroke height, and this application does not limit this.

[0128] In combination with the above-mentioned embodiments, in the embodiments of the present application, when the height of the magnetic head body is reduced, a bracket coplanar with a side of the magnetic head body away from the base is provided, and the magnetic tape is supported by the bracket, so that the shortened magnetic head body does not need to carry the magnetic tape, thereby solving the problem that the shortened magnetic head body may scratch the magnetic tape. Furthermore, when the height of the magnetic head body is reduced, the magnetic head stroke height of the magnetic head body in the magnetic tape drive device is reduced to 24 mm or less, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the magnetic tape drive device.

[0129] To further illustrate the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application, a possible implementation method is provided below. Fig.11 As shown, Fig.11 A schematic diagram comparing different tape drives provided for this application.

[0130] Fig.11The situation (1) shown corresponds to the relationship between the magnetic head and the magnetic tape in the conventional technology. When the magnetic head body moves up and down, it is also necessary to ensure that the magnetic head can cover the width of the magnetic tape. Fig.11 The height of the head body is about 27mm, the height of the read / write head in the head body is about 3mm, and the head stroke height △H1=h1-h2=36mm. Furthermore, combined with the shell thickness of the tape drive device (such as 2mm×2), the thickness of the tape drive reaches nearly 40mm, but the thickness of the effective storage space in the tape drive is only 12.7mm, and the proportion of the tape in the tape drive device is 12.7mm / 40mm≈32% (that is, the capacity density per unit volume), that is, the space utilization rate of the tape drive is low and the capacity density of the storage space is low.

[0131] Fig.11 The illustrated situation (2) corresponds to the relationship between the magnetic head and the magnetic tape in the embodiment of the present application. The magnetic head body does not need to cover the width of the magnetic tape during the up and down movement. The magnetic head body in the magnetic head assembly 420 only needs to move within the range or area of ​​the bracket, that is, in the magnetic head assembly 420, the length of the bracket along the extension direction of the magnetic head body is the magnetic head stroke height △H2 (i.e., h3-h4) = 12.7mm-24mm, wherein h3 is the length value of one end of the magnetic head assembly 420 along the extension direction of the magnetic head body, and h4 is the length value of the other end of the magnetic head assembly 420 along the extension direction of the magnetic head body. Regarding the magnetic head stroke height △H2 and the length of each bracket assembly, reference can be made to the description of each bracket assembly mentioned above, which will not be repeated here. Taking the case where the housing of the tape drive device is a 3.5-inch hard disk frame as an example, in this embodiment, the proportion of the magnetic tape in the tape drive device can be 12.7mm / (24mm+2×1mm)≈49%. This enables a layout with higher capacity density per unit volume, while reducing the thickness of the tape drive device to less than 27mm.

[0132] 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.

[0133] The controller includes one or more processors, and the processor can be a very large scale integrated circuit. An operating system and other software programs are installed in the processor, 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, DSPs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) 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.

[0134] 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.

[0135] 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 magnetic head assembly, characterized in that: include: Pedestal; A bracket, connected to the base, comprises: a first main bracket assembly and a second main bracket assembly arranged at intervals; The first main bracket assembly includes: a first surface away from the base; The second main bracket assembly includes: a second surface away from the base; and The magnetic head body is located between the first main bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly, and is located on a side of the first surface close to the base and connected to the base, and includes: a third surface away from the base; The first surface, the second surface, and the third surface are coplanar.

2. The magnetic head assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bracket also includes: a first main bracket assembly connected to the base and spaced apart from the first main bracket assembly, comprising: a fourth surface away from the base; A secondary bracket assembly is connected to the base and spaced apart from the first bracket assembly, located between the first bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly, and includes: a fifth surface away from the base; The first surface, the second surface, the third surface, the fourth surface and the fifth surface are coplanar; The magnetic head body comprises: a first write head, located between the first main bracket assembly and the first secondary bracket assembly; A read head, located between the first bracket assembly and the second bracket assembly; The second write head is located between the second secondary bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly.

3. The magnetic head assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first main bracket assembly includes: a first end and a second end remote from the first end; The second main bracket assembly includes: a third end and a fourth end away from the third end; The first end is close to the third end and away from the fourth end, and the second end is away from the third end and close to the fourth end; The bracket further includes: one or both of a first crossbeam and a second crossbeam; The first end and the third end are connected by the first crossbeam; The second end and the fourth end are connected by the second cross beam.

4. The magnetic head assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The bracket also includes: A third crossbeam connected to the base; a fourth crossbeam connected to the base and spaced apart from the third crossbeam; The first main bracket assembly, the third cross beam, the second main bracket assembly and the fourth cross beam are connected to form an integrally formed structure, and the integrally formed structure has a cavity.

5. The magnetic head assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first main bracket assembly further comprises: an adjacent surface of the first surface, the first surface and the adjacent surface of the first surface transition in an arc shape, and the adjacent surface of the first surface comprises: one or both of a surface of the first main bracket assembly close to the second main bracket assembly and a surface of the first main bracket assembly far from the second main bracket assembly; And / or, the second main bracket assembly further includes: an adjacent surface of the second surface, the second surface and the adjacent surface of the second surface have an arc-shaped transition, and the adjacent surface of the second surface includes: one or two of a surface of the second main bracket assembly close to the first main bracket assembly and a surface of the second main bracket assembly far from the first main bracket assembly.

6. The magnetic head assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The magnetic head body comprises: a first edge along the extension direction of the magnetic head body and a second edge away from the first edge; The first edge is arc-shaped and concave relative to the third surface; and / or The second edge is arc-shaped and concave relative to the third surface.

7. The magnetic head assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first main bracket assembly includes: a first connecting part, a second connecting part and a roller, one end of the roller is rotatably connected to the base through the first connecting part, and the other end of the roller is rotatably connected to the base through the second connecting part, and the first surface is the outer peripheral surface of the roller away from the base.

8. The magnetic head assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: In the extending direction of the head body, the length of the first main bracket assembly is greater than the height of the head body, and the length of the second main bracket assembly is greater than the height of the head body.

9. The magnetic head assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: The height of the magnetic head body is 9mm-16mm.

10. The magnetic head assembly according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The length of the first main bracket assembly is 12.7 mm-24 mm, and the length of the second main bracket assembly is 12.7 mm-24 mm.

11. A magnetic tape drive, characterized in that: include: A driving member and a magnetic head assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10; The driving member is used to control the magnetic head body to move along a first direction, where the first direction is an extension direction of the read / write magnetic head in the magnetic head body.

12. The magnetic tape drive according to claim 11, wherein: The driving member comprises: a first motor, used for controlling the head body to move along the first direction in a region between the first main bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly; a second motor, used for controlling the head body to move in a region between the first main bracket assembly and the second main bracket assembly; The control accuracy of the first motor on the magnetic head body is lower than the control accuracy of the second motor on the magnetic head body.

13. The magnetic tape drive according to claim 12, wherein: The first motor is a stepping motor, and the second motor is a voice coil motor (VCM).

14. A tape drive device, characterized in that: include: A magnetic tape and a magnetic tape drive according to any one of claims 11 to 13; The first surface and the second surface are used to carry the magnetic tape; The tape drive is used to access data in a magnetic tape, and the magnetic tape is used to store data.

15. The tape drive device according to claim 14, characterized in that: The magnetic tape is fixedly sealed in the magnetic tape drive device.

16. The tape drive device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: The thickness of the tape drive device is greater than the width of the tape. The width of the tape is 12 mm-15.7 mm, and the thickness of the tape drive device is 14.7 mm-26 mm.

17. A storage system, characterized in that: include: One or more tape drive devices according to any one of claims 14 to 16, for storing data; A controller that accesses tape drive devices based on data access requests.

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