TAPE STORAGE DEVICE, COMPUTING SYSTEM, AND TAPE STORAGE DEVICE METHOD

Abstract

A tape storage device, a computing system, and a method for a tape storage device are provided. The tape storage device includes: a plurality of tape assemblies arranged in a first direction, each of the plurality of tape assemblies including a first reel, a second reel, and tape wound between the first reel and the second reel, the first reel and the second reel facing each other in a second direction that intersects with the first direction; a drive component coupled to the plurality of tape assemblies and adapted to drive and wind the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies; and a magnetic head component adapted to read from and write to the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies. This significantly reduces the addressing time of the tape storage device and improves the random access performance of the tape storage device, making the tape storage device applicable to more application scenarios.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of storage technologies, and more particularly to tape storage devices, computing systems including tape storage devices, and methods of tape storage devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Tape storage devices or tape memories store data via tape. Tape, a non-volatile storage medium, is made of a strip with a magnetic coating and is usually packaged in a wound state. Tape storage devices are characterized by large capacity, low cost, and low power consumption.

[0003] However, tape storage has some drawbacks in terms of timeliness. For example, tape storage devices or tape memories need to spend a long time on addressing in data read or write processes. Such time delays or waits limit the applicability of tape storage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides an improved tape storage device, a computing system including the tape storage device, and a method for the tape storage device.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a tape storage device is provided, the tape storage device including: a plurality of tape assemblies arranged in a first direction, each of the plurality of tape assemblies including a first reel, a second reel, and tape wound between the first reel and the second reel, the first reel and the second reel facing each other in a second direction that intersects the first direction; a drive component coupled to the plurality of tape assemblies and adapted to drive and wind the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies; and a magnetic head component adapted to read from and write to the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies.

[0006] In the solution of the present disclosure, the tape assemblies are arranged in a first direction that intersects with the tape winding direction or the tape length direction, so that the tape length of the single tape assembly can be shortened when the storage density and storage capacity remain unchanged or change only slightly, thereby shortening the addressing time and improving the access performance.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape storage device further includes a first operating component coupled to the magnetic head assembly and adapted to reciprocate the magnetic head assembly in a first direction across the plurality of tape assemblies. In this embodiment, the first operating component can be used to achieve addressing functionality in the first direction, thereby reducing addressing time for the tape storage device and reducing costs by avoiding an increase in the number of magnetic heads.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first actuating component includes a first motor and a guide structure, the first motor adapted to drive a magnetic head component to move along the guide structure, and in this embodiment, the magnetic head component can be moved across the multiple tape assemblies and accurately positioned near the tape of a target tape assembly.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnetic head component includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array being divided into a plurality of first subarrays in a first direction corresponding to the plurality of tape assemblies, each of the plurality of first subarrays including one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape assembly that is moving between the first reel and the second reel. In this embodiment, a first-direction addressing function can be provided to the tape storage device, and an addressing period of the tape storage device can be reduced.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape of each of the plurality of tape assemblies in the at least one tape assembly includes a plurality of tape regions arranged in a third direction, the third direction being parallel to the width of the tape and intersecting a plane in which the first and second directions lie, and each of the plurality of tape regions extending in the length direction of the tape. In this embodiment, since more tape regions are arranged in the third direction in the tape of the at least one tape assembly, the tape area in the width direction of the tape can be further increased, which helps to further shorten the length of a single tape unit while maintaining the same storage capacity. In this way, the addressing period is further shortened.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the width of each of the plurality of tape regions is 12.65 mm or more. In this embodiment, each tape of the tape storage device can be doubled in width compared to a standard tape. In this way, the length and addressing time of the tape can be further significantly reduced while the storage capacity remains unchanged.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape storage device further includes a second actuating component coupled to the magnetic head assembly and adapted to reciprocate the magnetic head assembly in a third direction across the plurality of tape regions, which can provide the tape storage device with third-direction addressing functionality, thereby reducing addressing time for the tape storage device and reducing costs by avoiding an increase in the number of magnetic heads.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second actuating component includes a second motor and a swing arm structure coupled between the second motor and the magnetic head component, and in this embodiment, the magnetic head component can be moved across the plurality of tape regions in a third direction to accurately position the magnetic head component near a target tape region.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnetic head component includes a magnetic head array, and the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of second subarrays in a third direction corresponding to the plurality of tape regions, each of the plurality of second subarrays including one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape in the corresponding tape region that is moving between the first reel and the second reel. This embodiment can provide a tape storage device with addressability in a third direction and can reduce addressing time of the tape storage device.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are orthogonal to one another, which allows the area of ​​the tape to be maximized in multiple directions orthogonal to the length direction of the tape, thereby increasing the space utilization rate within the storage device and ensuring sufficient storage density and storage capacity.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnetic head component is positioned facing the tapes of the multiple tape assemblies in the second direction, which may allow for more tape assemblies to be positioned in the first direction or for the tape assemblies to be positioned closer together, thereby allowing for greater storage capacity and greater storage density.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive components include one or more motors and are suitable for uniformly driving the tapes of multiple tape assemblies or for independently driving the tapes of some tape assemblies relative to the tapes of other tape assemblies. In this embodiment, the drive method is simplified by uniformly driving all tape assemblies, and the linear addressing speed can be doubled. In addition, independent linear addressing can be achieved between different tape assembly groups by independently driving some tape assemblies. In this way, the linear addressing speed is increased, providing better addressing and access performance.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape storage device is a device in which a tape and a magnetic head are integrated. In this embodiment, the device in which a magnetic head and a tape are integrated does not require additional time to obtain a tape and assemble the tape and the magnetic head. Therefore, the shortened addressing time and the improved access performance can bring more obvious value and advantages to the tape storage device. This may make the tape storage device applicable to some storage scenarios with high requirements for real-time performance of data.

[0019] According to a second aspect, there is provided a computing system including a tape storage device according to the first aspect.

[0020] According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for a tape storage device, the method including the steps of: a drive component driving and winding tape of a plurality of tape assemblies, the plurality of tape assemblies being arranged in a first direction, a first reel and a second reel of each of the plurality of tape assemblies facing each other in a second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction; and a magnetic head component reading from or writing to the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of the magnetic head component reading or writing to the tape of a plurality of tape assemblies includes the steps of: a first operating component reciprocating the magnetic head component in a first direction across the plurality of tape assemblies; and positioning the magnetic head component over the tape of a target tape assembly and reading or writing to the tape of the target tape assembly.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of the magnetic head component reading or writing to the tape of a plurality of tape assemblies includes the steps of determining a first subarray corresponding to a target tape assembly from a plurality of first subarrays, wherein the magnetic head component includes a magnetic head array, and the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of first subarrays each corresponding to a plurality of tape assemblies in a first direction; and the determined first subarray reading or writing to the tape of the target tape assembly.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of the magnetic head component reading or writing to the tape of multiple tape assemblies includes the steps of: a second operating component reciprocating the magnetic head component in a third direction across multiple tape regions of the tape of at least one tape assembly, the multiple tape regions being arranged in the third direction, the third direction being parallel to the width direction of the tape and intersecting a plane in which the first direction and the second direction lie; and positioning the magnetic head component at a target tape region and reading or writing to the target tape region.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of a magnetic head component reading or writing to tapes of a plurality of tape assemblies includes the steps of: determining a second subarray from a plurality of second subarrays that corresponds to a target tape area, wherein the magnetic head component includes a magnetic head array, and the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of second subarrays that respectively correspond to the plurality of tape areas in a third direction, the third direction being parallel to the width direction of the tape and intersecting a plane in which the first direction and the second direction are located; and the determined second subarray reading or writing to the target tape area.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of the drive component driving and winding the tape of the multiple tape assemblies includes the step of the drive component driving the tape of the multiple tape assemblies uniformly or driving the tape of some tape assemblies independently relative to the tape of other tape assemblies.

[0026] The computing system according to the second aspect and the method according to the third aspect described above include or are related to the tape storage device according to the first aspect. Therefore, the explanation or description of the first aspect is also applicable to the second and third aspects. Furthermore, for beneficial effects that can be achieved in the second and third aspects, please refer to the beneficial effects of the first aspect. Details will not be described again in this specification. In the present application, the embodiments provided in the above aspects can be further combined to provide more embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional tape storage device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of a tape storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a partial view of a tape storage device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial view of a tape storage device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates a tape unit of a tape storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a partial view of a tape storage device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a partial view of a tape storage device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for a tape storage appliance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading from or writing to tapes of multiple tape assemblies, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading from or writing to tapes of multiple tape assemblies, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading from or writing to tapes of multiple tape assemblies, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading from or writing to tapes of multiple tape assemblies, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028]

[0023] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein, but rather, these embodiments are provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are used merely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0029] In describing embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms "including" and similar terms should be understood as an open inclusion, i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as meaning "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" or "this embodiment" should be understood as meaning "at least one embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. may refer to different objects or the same object. Other explicit or implicit provisions may be further included below.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional tape storage device 100'. As shown in FIG. 1, the tape storage device 100' includes a tape 10', a reel 21', a reel 22', and a magnetic head 30'. The tape 10' is wound on one or two reels. When data on the tape 10' needs to be read or written, the tape 10' moves while rolling between the reel 21' and another reel 22'. As the tape 10' rolls from the reel 21' to the reel 22' or from the reel 22' to the reel 21', a portion of the tape 10' located between the two reels moves back and forth near the magnetic head 30'. In this way, the magnetic head 30' completes the reading or writing of data.

[0031] When reading from or writing to tape 10', tape storage device 10' must perform an addressing operation so that magnetic head 30' can read file information or data from or write file information or data to an area of ​​tape 10'. Tape storage device 10' typically performs addressing operations using a linear addressing scheme. In other words, rotation of reel 21' and / or reel 22' continuously drives rotation of tape 10', and positions magnetic head 30' at a predetermined area of ​​tape 10'.

[0032] However, because tape primarily uses the surface area of ​​the tape to store data, achieving a larger storage capacity generally requires excessively long tapes, resulting in long addressing times. For example, a 100-meter tape requires an average seek of 50 meters to complete positioning or addressing on the tape. Therefore, if the seek speed is 1 meter per second, the average addressing time reaches 50 seconds. This addressing time is unacceptable in scenarios where real-time data requirements are high. This limits the applicability of tape storage. As a result, tape storage is currently only applicable to scenarios with low latency requirements, such as archives. Furthermore, reducing the addressing time simply by shortening the tape length significantly reduces the storage density and storage capacity of tape storage devices. This increases the cost of tape storage and eliminates the low-cost advantages of tape storage.

[0033] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved tape storage solution in which multiple tape assemblies are arranged in a different direction than the direction in which reels 21' and 22' face each other, allowing the tape length of a single tape assembly to be reduced while the storage density and storage capacity remain unchanged or only slightly change, thus reducing addressing time and increasing tape access speed.

[0034] 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a tape storage device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The tape storage device 100 uses tape as a storage medium and can function, for example, as primary or secondary memory for a computing or processing system. According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the tape storage device 100 includes N tape assemblies 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, ..., 110-N arranged in a first direction D1, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Each of the N tape assemblies 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, ..., 110-N includes a first reel 111, a second reel 112, and a tape 113 wound between the first reel 111 and the second reel 112. The first reel 111 and the second reel 112 face each other in a second direction D2, which intersects with the first direction D1.

[0035] As an example, the N tape assemblies 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, ..., 110-N may have the same tape size and the same reel size. Alternatively, only some of the tape assemblies may have the same tape size and the same reel size, or the tape sizes and reel sizes of the N tape assemblies may be different from one another. Also, as an example, the tape storage device 100 may be shaped as a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole. For example, the tape storage device 100 may have a rectangular parallelepiped housing, and the first direction D1 may be the length direction of the rectangular parallelepiped, and the second direction D2 may be the height direction of the rectangular parallelepiped. However, it will be understood that the entire tape storage device 100 or the housing of the tape storage device 100 may have another regular or irregular shape, or the tape storage device 100 may not have a housing. Furthermore, the first direction D1 in which the N tape assemblies are arranged and the second direction D2 in which the first reel 111 and the second reel 112 face each other may be any other direction that is not spatially parallel. In other words, as long as the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect each other, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 may be perpendicular to each other or form an acute or obtuse angle with each other. Because the first direction D1 intersects with the second direction D2, the dimension in which the first direction D1 is located is different from the dimension in which the length direction of the tape or the winding direction of the tape (i.e., the second direction D2) is located. Because multiple tape assemblies are arranged in the first direction D1, the surface area of ​​the tape can be expanded in another dimension different from the length direction of the tape or the winding direction of the tape. In this way, the length of a single tape can be shortened without changing the storage capacity. Furthermore, the tape storage device 100 thus has a high space utilization rate, allowing the storage density of the tape storage device 100 to remain unchanged.

[0036] According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the tape storage device 100 may include a drive component 120. The drive component 120 is coupled to the N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N and is adapted to drive and reel the tapes 113 of the N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. As an example, the drive component 120 drives at least one of the first reel 111 and the second reel 112 of each tape assembly to enable the tape 113 to be reeled between the two reels. In some embodiments, the drive component 120 includes one or more motors to uniformly drive the tapes 113 of the N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. Specifically, the drive component 120 may include one motor, or a motor set including multiple motors may be arranged on the drive component 120 to improve driving force. The motor or motor set configured can drive the tapes of all tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N so that they are synchronously wound on each reel of the tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. In this manner, N tapes can be wound simultaneously in an addressing operation, improving the linear addressing speed by N times. In some embodiments, the drive component 120 can drive the tapes of some tape assemblies independently of the tapes of other tape assemblies. For example, the N tape assemblies can be divided into multiple groups, each driven independently by a different motor or motor set. This allows independent linear addressing between different tape assembly groups, as needed. In this manner, the linear addressing speed is improved, improving addressing and access performance.

[0037] According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the tape storage device 100 may include a magnetic head component 130. The magnetic head component 130 is suitable for reading from and writing to the tapes 113 of the N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. As an example, the magnetic head component 130 may be adjacent to the path of travel of the tape 113 between the first reel 111 and the second reel 112. In this manner, the magnetic head component 130 is aligned with the surface of the tape 113 and may write or read data to the tape 113. In some embodiments, the magnetic head component 130 is positioned on the opposite side of the tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N from the tapes 113 of the multiple tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N in the second direction D2. In this manner, the magnetic head component 130 may be positioned on the side of the multiple tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N without occupying space between the multiple tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. In this way, more tape assemblies can be aligned in the first direction D1, or tape assemblies 110-1, . . . , 110-N can be spaced closer together, resulting in greater storage density and greater storage capacity.

[0038] It can be seen that by arranging multiple tape assemblies in a tape storage device in an appropriate direction and arranging drive components configured to drive the tape assemblies and magnetic head components configured to read and write data, it is possible to significantly reduce the addressing time of the tape storage device and improve the access performance of the tape storage device while maintaining storage capacity and storage density. For example, if 10 tape assemblies are arranged, and the 10 tape assemblies have the same length of tape and are driven synchronously, the addressing speed of the tape storage device 100 is actually improved by 10 times compared to conventional solutions. If the average addressing time of conventional solutions is 50 seconds, the addressing time can be reduced to 5 seconds.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the tape storage device 100 may further include a first actuating component 140. The first actuating component 140 is coupled to the magnetic head component 130 and is adapted to move the magnetic head component 130 back and forth in a first direction D1 across the N tape assemblies 110-1,..., 110-N. Specifically, the first actuating component 140 can drive the magnetic head component 130 to move in the first direction D1 across the N magnetic head assemblies. This allows the magnetic head component 130 to provide addressing functionality in the first direction D1. In this manner, during an addressing operation, the magnetic head component 130 can be moved in proximity to the tape of a target tape assembly under the drive of the first actuating component 130. For example, when a target file or target data stored on the tape of the tape assembly 110-N needs to be read, the first operating part 140 can drive the magnetic head part 130 to move adjacent to and align with the tape of the tape assembly 110-N. The movement of the magnetic head part 130 in the first direction D1 and the winding of the tape along its length can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, the movement of the magnetic head part in the first direction D1 does not require additional time. Because the first operating part 140 provides the function of moving and addressing the magnetic head part in the first direction D1, the number of magnetic heads arranged in the first direction D1 can be reduced. For example, the number of magnetic heads can be set to a number sufficient to read or write to the tapes constituting a single tape assembly or the tapes constituting a small number of tape assemblies. In this way, addressing of a tape storage formed by N tape assemblies can be achieved with only a small number of magnetic heads. This can effectively reduce the overall cost of the tape storage device 100.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first actuating component 140 may include a first motor 141 and a guide structure 142. The first motor 141 is adapted to drive the magnetic head component 130 to move along the guide structure 142. For example, the magnetic head component 130 is movably mounted to the guide structure 142. Thus, the magnetic head component 130 moves along the guide structure 142 under the driving force of the first motor 141 (e.g., a linear motor). By using the first motor 141 and the guide structure 142, the magnetic head component 130 can be moved in a short time in a first direction D1 across multiple tape assemblies and accurately positioned near the tape of a target tape assembly. It may be understood that embodiments of the first actuating component 140 are not limited thereto and may include another suitable driving mechanism.

[0041] 4 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic head assembly 130 includes a magnetic head array, which is divided into N subarrays 131-1, . . . , 131-N in a first direction D1. These subarrays 131-1, . . . , 131-N correspond to the N tape assemblies 110-1, . . . , 110-N, respectively. For example, magnetic head subarray 131-1 may correspond to tape assembly 110-1, magnetic head subarray 131-2 may correspond to tape assembly 110-2, magnetic head subarray 131-3 may correspond to tape assembly 110-3, and magnetic head subarray 131-N may correspond to tape assembly 110-N. In this manner, a corresponding magnetic head subarray is disposed for each tape assembly. This allows the tape storage device 100 to include addressing capability in the first direction D1 without providing a magnetic head actuation mechanism similar to the first actuation component 140. Furthermore, each of the N subarrays 131-1, ..., 131-N includes one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape assembly that moves between the first reel 111 and the second reel 112. For example, each subarray may include only one magnetic head, or multiple magnetic heads as needed. For example, if the tape is wide, two or more magnetic heads may be arranged in each magnetic head subarray across the width of the tape.

[0042] 3 and 4 show that addressing in the first direction D1 is achieved using a first actuating component and a magnetic head array, respectively, but addressing in the first direction D1 can also be achieved using a combination of a first actuating component and a magnetic head array. For example, a number of magnetic head subarrays less than the number of tape assemblies may be provided, and the first actuating component 140 can be used to drive these magnetic head subarrays to move in the first direction D1. This also achieves the objectives of the present disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a single tape 113 of a tape storage device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates the tape 113 as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the tape surface. In the N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N, each tape 113 of all or some of the tape assemblies may include M tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Each tape region extends in the length direction of the tape 113, and the M tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M are arranged in a third direction D3 that is parallel to the width direction of the tape 113. The third direction D3 is parallel to the width direction of the tape 113 and intersects with a plane in which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 lie.

[0044] Specifically, the third direction D3 (i.e., the tape width direction) intersects the plane in which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are located, and therefore the dimension in which the third direction D3 is located is different from the dimension in which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are located. By arranging more tape areas in the third direction D3 in the tape of at least one tape assembly, the tape area can be expanded in a new dimension. This helps to further shorten the length of a single tape when the storage capacity remains unchanged. In other words, when multiple tape assemblies 113-1, ..., 113-M are arranged in the first direction D1, arranging multiple tape areas in the third direction D3 can expand the tape area in two different dimensions. In this way, when the storage capacity remains unchanged, the length of a single tape can be further shortened, thereby reducing addressing time. For example, the tape width can be expanded five times. For the same storage capacity, the tape length can be reduced to 1 / 5 of the tape length, and the addressing time can be reduced to 1 / 5 of the addressing time accordingly. Considering that when N tape assemblies are arranged in a first direction, the addressing time can be reduced to 1 / N of the addressing time at most. After further increasing the tape width by M times, the addressing time of the tape storage device 100 can finally be reduced to 1 / (M*N) of the addressing time of the tape storage device 100 at most. For example, when 10 tape assemblies are arranged and the width of each tape is increased by 5 times, the addressing time of the tape storage device 100 having the same storage capacity can be reduced to 1 / 50 of the addressing time of the tape storage device 100' compared to the conventional tape storage device 100'. In other words, when the addressing time of the conventional solution is 50 seconds, the addressing time of the tape storage device 100 can be reduced to only 1 second. It will be appreciated that the M tape regions 113-1,...,113-M may be connected to each other to form an integral tape, or may be separated from each other in a third direction D3, or some of the tape regions may be separated from each other to form multiple separate tape portions.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first direction D1, the second direction D2, and the third direction D3 are perpendicular to one another. As an example only, the tape storage device 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing, with the first direction D1 parallel to the length direction of the rectangular parallelepiped, the second direction D2 parallel to the height direction of the rectangular parallelepiped, and the third direction D3 parallel to the width direction of the rectangular parallelepiped. However, it will be understood that the first direction D1, the second direction D2, and the third direction D3 may alternatively be other directions in space as long as these three directions are perpendicular to one another. In this way, the tape area can be maximized in the first direction D1 and the third direction D3, which are perpendicular to the tape length direction or the tape winding direction (i.e., the second direction D2), thereby increasing the space utilization rate within the storage device and ensuring sufficient storage density and storage capacity.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the width of each of the M tape regions 113-1,..., 113-M is 12.65 mm or greater. Specifically, in Linear Tape Open (LTO) data storage technology, the standard width of a tape is 12.65 mm. Because the width of each tape region is at least the standard width, each tape of the tape storage device 100 has a width that is at least several times the standard width. In this way, the tape storage device 100 can further shorten the tape length to 1 / M of the length of a standard-width tape if the storage capacity remains unchanged.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape storage device 100 is a device in which a magnetic head and a tape are integrated. Alternatively, the tape storage device 100 may be a storage device in which the tape can be separated from the magnetic head. However, the tape storage device 100 being a device in which a magnetic head and a tape are integrated is more preferable and advantageous than a storage device in which the magnetic head can be separated from the tape. This is because a device in which a magnetic head and a tape are integrated does not require additional time to obtain a tape and assemble the tape and the magnetic head. Therefore, the reduced addressing time and improved access capability can bring more tangible value and advantages to the tape storage device 100. This may make the tape storage device 100 applicable to some storage scenarios with high requirements for real-time data performance.

[0048] FIG. 6 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of explanation, FIG. 6 only illustrates the tape 113 and a portion of the magnetic head of the magnetic head assembly 130. As shown in FIG. 6, the tape storage device 100 further includes a second operating part 150. The second operating part 150 is coupled to the magnetic head assembly 130 and is adapted to move the magnetic head assembly 130 back and forth in a third direction D3 across the M tape regions 113-1, . . . , 113-M. Specifically, as the tape width increases, the second operating part 150 is positioned to move the magnetic head assembly 130 in the third direction D3, i.e., the tape width direction, thereby providing the magnetic head assembly 130 with addressability in the third direction D3. In this way, the number of magnetic heads does not need to be increased for a tape 113 with a doubled width, thereby reducing the cost of the tape storage device 100. Furthermore, the movement of the magnetic head assembly 130 in the third direction D3 and the winding of the tape in the length direction can be performed simultaneously, so that no additional time is required to move the magnetic head in the third direction D3.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second operating component 150 includes a second motor 151 and a swing arm structure 152, and the swing arm structure 152 is coupled between the second motor 151 and the magnetic head component 130. As an example, the second motor 151 may be a voice coil motor or another type of linear motor, and the swing arm structure 152 may be similar to a swing arm of a hard disk drive (HDD). Furthermore, the swing arm structure 152 can move among the M tape regions by being driven by the motor. While conventional magnetic head drive devices may include a magnetic head drive mechanism that drives and moves the magnetic head, the second operating component 150 is completely different from this magnetic head drive mechanism. In conventional solutions, the magnetic head drive mechanism typically only needs to move the magnetic head within a small range. Therefore, a swing arm structure is not required. Alternatively, a swing arm structure and a motor configured to drive the swing arm structure may be located on second actuating component 150, thereby enabling large movements of magnetic head component 130 across multiple tape regions. Using second motor 151 and swing arm structure 152, magnetic head component 130 may be rapidly and large movements in third direction D3 across multiple tape regions to accurately position it near a target tape region. It will be appreciated that the embodiment of second actuating component 150 is not limited thereto and may include another suitable actuating mechanism.

[0050] FIG. 7 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of explanation, FIG. 7 only shows the tape unit 113 and some of the magnetic heads of the magnetic head assembly 130. As shown in FIG. 7, the magnetic head assembly 130 includes a magnetic head array divided in a third direction D3 into a plurality of subarrays 132-1, . . . , 132-M corresponding to M tape regions 113-1, . . . , 113-M, respectively. Each subarray 132-1, . . . , 132-M includes one or more magnetic heads and is adjacent to a portion of the tape in the corresponding tape region that is moving between the first reel 111 and the second reel 112. For example, magnetic head subarray 132-1 may correspond to tape region 113-1, magnetic head subarray 132-2 may correspond to tape region 113-2, and magnetic head subarray 132-N may correspond to tape region 113-N. In this manner, a corresponding magnetic head sub-array is disposed in each tape region. This allows the magnetic head assembly 130 to include addressing capability in the third direction D3 without disposing the second actuating component 150. Furthermore, each of the M sub-arrays 132-1, ..., 132-M may include one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape assembly moving between the first reel 111 and the second reel 112. For example, each sub-array may include only one magnetic head, or multiple magnetic heads may be disposed as needed. For example, if the tape region is wide, two or more magnetic heads may be disposed across the width of the tape region for each magnetic head sub-array.

[0051] 6 and 7 show that addressing in the third direction D3 is achieved using the second actuating part and the magnetic head array, respectively, but addressing in the third direction D3 can also be achieved using a combination of the second actuating part and the magnetic head array. For example, magnetic head subarrays in a number less than the number of tape regions may be arranged, and the second actuating part 150 may be used to drive these magnetic head subarrays to move in the third direction D3. This also achieves the objectives of the present disclosure.

[0052] Although not shown in the figures, it will be understood that when multiple tape regions are arranged on the tape of all or multiple tape assemblies, these tape assemblies can similarly perform addressing in the third direction D3, i.e., can perform addressing in the third direction D3 using a second operating component, a magnetic head array, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, some of these tape assemblies can perform addressing in the third direction D3 in the same manner, or these tape assemblies can perform addressing in different manners from each other in the third direction D3. Furthermore, the addressing method of the tape storage device 100 in the first direction D1 (i.e., a method using the first operating component 140 or a magnetic head array) and the addressing method of the tape storage device 100 in the third direction D3 (i.e., a method using the second operating component 150 or a magnetic head array) can be randomly combined. This is not a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a computing system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computing system 1000 includes a tape storage device 100 and a processing unit or processing device 200, and can perform functions such as numerical calculations, data processing, and automatic control. Specifically, compared to conventional tape storage devices or tape memories, the tape storage device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has a short addressing time and random access performance that is close to that of a hard disk. Therefore, the tape storage device 100 can be used as memory for the computing system 1000 or can be applied to other storage scenarios that require high real-time data performance and low latency. In one embodiment, the tape storage device 100 can be used in combination with flash memory or other types of memory to achieve tiered storage and system-level hard disk replacement. Furthermore, by arranging multiple magnetic heads, the tape storage device 100 can achieve high bandwidth capabilities that are close to those of flash memory. Compared to the cost of hard disks, the cost of tape storage is very low, approximately one-third or less. Therefore, by using the tape storage device 100 as memory, it is possible to significantly reduce the overall cost of the computing system 1000 while maintaining high storage performance and high access performance, thereby achieving a highly cost-effective computing system.

[0054] The tape storage device 100 and the computing system 1000 including the tape storage device 100 provided in the present application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 2 to 8. Below, a method provided in the present application based on the above-mentioned tape storage device 100 will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 13.

[0055] 9 is a schematic flowchart of a method 900 for the tape storage device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 900 may be implemented in the tape storage device 100 of FIGS. 2 and 8, and may be executed, for example, by a processing unit of the tape storage device 100 or the computing system 1000. It will be understood that the aforementioned aspects described in FIGS. 2-8 are also applicable to the method 900. For ease of explanation, the management method 900 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2-8.

[0056] In block 901, the drive component 120 drives and winds the tapes 113 of the multiple tape assemblies 110-1,...,110-N. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive component 120 drives the tapes 113 of the multiple tape assemblies 110-1,...,110-N uniformly or drives the tapes 113 of some tape assemblies independently of the tapes 113 of other tape assemblies.

[0057] In block 902, the magnetic head assembly 130 reads from or writes to the tapes 113 of the multiple tape assemblies 110-1, . . . , 110-N.

[0058] 10 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1000 for reading from or writing to tapes 113 of multiple tape assemblies 110-1,...,110-N, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1000 may be implemented in block 902 of FIG.

[0059] In block 1001, the first actuating component 140 moves the magnetic head component 130 back and forth in a first direction D1 across the plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, . . . , 110-N.

[0060] In block 1002, magnetic head assembly 130 is positioned over the tape of a target tape assembly, and magnetic head assembly 130 reads from or writes to the tape of the target tape assembly. In an addressing operation, magnetic head assembly 130 reads from or writes data to a specified tape area or location, the target tape assembly being the tape assembly that includes the specified tape area or location within a plurality of tape assemblies.

[0061] 11 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1100 for reading from or writing to tapes 113 of multiple tape assemblies 110-1,...,110-N, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1100 may be implemented in block 902 of FIG.

[0062] In block 1101, a first subarray corresponding to a target tape assembly is determined from a plurality of first subarrays 131-1, . . . , 131-N.

[0063] In block 1102, the determined first sub-array reads or writes to the tape of the target tape assembly.

[0064] 12 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1200 for reading from or writing to tapes 113 of multiple tape assemblies 110-1,...,110-N, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1200 may be implemented in block 902 of FIG.

[0065] In block 1201, the second actuating component 150 reciprocates the magnetic head component 130 in a third direction D3 across a plurality of tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M on the tape of at least one tape assembly 110-1, ..., 110-N.

[0066] In block 1202, the magnetic head assembly 130 is positioned at a target tape area, and the magnetic head assembly 130 reads from or writes to the target tape area. In an addressing operation, the magnetic head assembly 130 reads from or writes data to a specified tape area or location, the target tape area being the tape area that includes the specified tape area or location among multiple tape areas.

[0067] 13 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1300 for reading from or writing to tapes 113 of multiple tape assemblies 110-1,...,110-N, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1300 may be implemented in block 902 of FIG.

[0068] In block 1301, a second subarray corresponding to a target tape region is determined from a plurality of second subarrays 132-1, . . . , 132-M.

[0069] In block 1302, the determined second subarray reads from or writes to the target tape area.

[0070] Based on the teachings set forth in the foregoing description and the associated accompanying drawings, many modifications and other embodiments of the present disclosure provided herein may be realized by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Accordingly, it should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, while the foregoing description and the associated accompanying drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain illustrative combinations of components and / or functions, it should be understood that different combinations of components and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In this regard, for example, other combinations of components and / or functions different from those explicitly described above are also expected to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Although specific terms are employed herein, these terms are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and are not intended to be limiting.

Claims

1. A tape storage device (100), comprising: a plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) arranged in a first direction (D1), each of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) including a first reel (111), a second reel (112), and a tape (113) wound between the first reel (111) and the second reel (112), the first reel (111) and the second reel (112) facing each other in a second direction (D2), the second direction (D2) intersecting the first direction (D1); a drive component (120) coupled to the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) and adapted to drive and wind the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N); a magnetic head assembly (130) adapted to read from and write to the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N); A tape storage device (100).

2. 2. The tape storage device (100) of claim 1, further comprising a first actuating component (140) coupled to the magnetic head component (130) and adapted to move the magnetic head component (130) back and forth in the first direction (D1) across the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N).

3. 3. The tape storage device (100) of claim 2, wherein the first operating component (140) includes a first motor (141) and a guide structure (142), and the first motor (141) is adapted to drive the magnetic head assembly (130) to move along the guide structure (142).

4. 2. The tape storage device according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic head component includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array being divided in the first direction into a plurality of first sub-arrays corresponding to the plurality of tape assemblies in the first direction, each of the plurality of first sub-arrays including one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape assembly that moves between the first reel and the second reel.

5. 2. The tape storage device (100) of claim 1, wherein each tape (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) in at least one tape assembly (110-1, ..., 110-N) includes a plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) arranged in a third direction (D3), the third direction (D3) being parallel to the width direction of the tape (113) and intersecting a plane in which the first direction (D1) and the second direction (D2) lie, and each of the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) extending in the length direction of the tape (113).

6. 6. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of tape areas (113-1, . . . , 113-M) has a width of 12.65 mm or greater.

7. 6. The tape storage device (100) of claim 5, further comprising a second actuating component (150) coupled to the magnetic head assembly (130) and adapted to move the magnetic head assembly (130) back and forth in the third direction (D3) across the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M).

8. 8. The tape storage device (100) of claim 7, wherein the second operating component (150) includes a second motor (151) and a swing arm structure (152), the swing arm structure (152) being coupled between the second motor (151) and the magnetic head assembly (130).

9. 6. The tape storage device (100) of claim 5, wherein the magnetic head component (130) includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array being divided in the third direction (D3) into a plurality of second sub-arrays (132-1, ..., 132-M) corresponding to the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M), respectively, and each of the plurality of second sub-arrays (132-1, ..., 132-M) includes one or more magnetic heads and is adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape region (113-1, ..., 113-M) that moves between the first reel (111) and the second reel (112).

10. 6. The tape storage device (100) of claim 5, wherein the first direction (D1), the second direction (D2), and the third direction (D3) are orthogonal to each other.

11. 2. The tape storage device (100) of claim 1, wherein the magnetic head component (130) is disposed on an opposite side of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, . . . , 110-N) from the tapes (113) in the second direction (D2).

12. 2. The tape storage device of claim 1, wherein the drive component includes one or more motors and is suitable for driving the tapes of the plurality of tape assemblies uniformly or for driving the tapes of some tape assemblies independently relative to the tapes of other tape assemblies.

13. 2. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the tape storage device (100) is a device in which a tape and a magnetic head are integrated.

14. A computing system comprising a tape storage device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. 1. A method for a tape storage device, the method comprising: a step in which a driving component (120) drives and winds up tapes (113) of a plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) being arranged in a first direction (D1), a first reel (111) and a second reel (112) of each of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) facing each other in a second direction (D2), the second direction (D2) intersecting the first direction (D1); a magnetic head assembly (130) reading from or writing to the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N); method.

16. The step of a magnetic head assembly (130) reading or writing to the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) comprises: a first actuating component (140) reciprocating the magnetic head component (130) in the first direction (D1) across the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N); and positioning the magnetic head assembly (130) over a tape of a target tape assembly to read from or write to the tape of the target tape assembly.

17. The step of a magnetic head assembly (130) reading or writing to the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) comprises: determining a first subarray corresponding to a target tape assembly from a plurality of first subarrays (131-1, ..., 131-N), wherein the magnetic head component (130) includes a magnetic head array, and the magnetic head array is divided in the first direction (D1) into the plurality of first subarrays (131-1, ..., 131-N) corresponding to the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), respectively; The method of claim 15, further comprising: the determined first sub-array reading or writing to the tape of the target tape assembly.

18. The step of a magnetic head assembly (130) reading or writing to the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) comprises: a step in which a second operating component (150) reciprocates the magnetic head component (130) in a third direction (D3) across a plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) of a tape of at least one tape assembly (110-1, ..., 110-N), the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) being arranged in the third direction (D3), the third direction (D3) being parallel to the width direction of the tape (113) and intersecting a plane in which the first direction (D1) and the second direction (D2) lie; and positioning the magnetic head assembly (130) at a target tape area to read from or write to the target tape area.

19. The step of a magnetic head assembly (130) reading or writing to the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) comprises: determining a second subarray corresponding to a target tape region from the plurality of second subarrays (132-1, ..., 132-M), wherein the magnetic head assembly (130) includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array being divided into the plurality of second subarrays (132-1, ..., 132-M) corresponding to the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) in a third direction (D3), the third direction (D3) being parallel to the width direction of the tape (113) and intersecting a plane in which the first direction (D1) and the second direction (D2) lie; The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of: the determined second sub-array reading or writing to the target tape area.

20. The step of the driving component (120) driving and winding the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) includes:

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of: the drive component (120) uniformly driving the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), or the drive component (120) driving the tapes (113) of some tape assemblies independently relative to the tapes (113) of other tape assemblies.

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