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 mainly relates to the field of storage technology, and more specifically, to tape storage devices, computing systems including tape storage devices, and methods for tape storage devices.

Background Art

[0002] A tape storage device or tape memory realizes data storage via a tape. The tape, which is a non-volatile memory medium, is formed of a strip having a magnetic coating material and is usually packaged in a wound state. The tape storage device features large capacity, low cost, and low power consumption.

[0003] However, tape storage has some drawbacks regarding timeliness. For example, a tape storage device or tape memory needs to spend a long time for addressing in data reading or writing processes. Such time delays or waits limit the application scope 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 embodiment, a tape storage device is 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, wherein the first reel and the second reel face each other in a second direction, and the second direction intersects the first direction; a drive component coupled to the plurality of tape assemblies and suitable for driving and winding the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies; and a magnetic head component suitable for reading and writing to the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies.

[0006] In the solution of this disclosure, the multiple tape assemblies are arranged in a first direction intersecting the tape winding direction or the tape length direction, so that the tape length of a single tape assembly can be reduced while the storage density and storage capacity remain unchanged or change only slightly. In this way, addressing time is reduced and access performance is improved.

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

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first actuation component includes a first motor and guide structure, the first motor being suitable for driving a magnetic head component to move along the guide structure. In this embodiment, the magnetic head component can move across multiple tape assemblies and be precisely 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 is divided into a plurality of first subarrays, each corresponding to a plurality of tape assemblies in a first direction, each of the plurality of first subarrays includes one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape assembly that moves between a first reel and a second reel. In this embodiment, addressing functionality in the first direction can be provided to the tape storage device, and the addressing period of the tape storage device can be reduced.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each tape of a plurality of tape assemblies within at least one tape assembly includes a plurality of tape regions arranged in a third direction, the third direction being parallel to the width direction of the tape and intersecting the plane in which the first and second directions are located, with 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 at least one tape assembly, the tape area in the width direction of the tape can be further increased, which helps to further reduce the length of the tape itself, while the storage capacity remains unchanged. In this way, the addressing period is further reduced.

[0011] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the width of each of the multiple tape regions is 12.65 mm or more. In this embodiment, each tape in the tape storage device may be twice as wide as a standard tape. In this way, the tape length and addressing time 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 actuator coupled to a magnetic head component and suitable for moving the magnetic head component back and forth in a third direction across multiple tape regions. In this embodiment, the tape storage device can be provided with a third-direction addressing function, which can reduce the addressing time of the tape storage device and reduce costs by avoiding an increase in the number of magnetic heads.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second actuation component includes a second motor and a swing arm structure, the swing arm structure being coupled between the second motor and the magnetic head component. In this embodiment, the magnetic head component can move significantly in a third direction across multiple tape regions and be precisely positioned near a target tape region.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnetic head component includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of second subarrays, each corresponding to a plurality of tape regions in a third direction, each of the plurality of second subarrays includes one or more magnetic heads adjacent to the portion of tape in the corresponding tape region that moves between a first reel and a second reel. In this embodiment, a third-direction addressing function can be provided to the tape storage device, and the addressing time of the tape storage device can be reduced.

[0015] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first, second, and third directions are orthogonal to each other. In these embodiments, the area of ​​the tape can be maximized in multiple directions orthogonal to the length of the tape, thereby increasing the utilization rate of space inside the storage device and ensuring sufficient storage density and capacity.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnetic head component is positioned facing the tapes of a plurality of tape assemblies in a second direction. This embodiment ensures that more tape assemblies are positioned in the first direction, or that the tape assemblies are positioned closer together, thereby ensuring greater storage capacity and greater storage density.

[0017] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the drive component includes one or more motors and is 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, the linear addressing speed can be doubled, and independent linear addressing can be performed between different groups of tape assemblies by independently driving some tape assemblies. In this way, the linear addressing speed is improved and better addressing and access performance is provided.

[0018] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the tape storage device is an integrated device of tape and magnetic heads. In this embodiment, the integrated device of magnetic heads and tape eliminates the need to spend additional time obtaining the tape and assembling the tape and magnetic heads. Thus, reduced addressing time and improved access performance can bring more obvious value and advantages to the tape storage device. This makes the tape storage device potentially applicable to several storage scenarios with high requirements for real-time data performance.

[0019] According to a second embodiment, a computing system including tape storage equipment according to the first embodiment is provided.

[0020] A third aspect provides a method for tape storage equipment. The method includes: a drive component driving and winding tape of a plurality of tape assemblies, wherein the plurality of tape assemblies are arranged in a first direction, and the first and second reels of each of the plurality of tape assemblies face each other in a second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction; and a magnetic head component reading or writing to the tape of the plurality of tape assemblies.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of a magnetic head component reading from or writing to tapes in a plurality of tape assemblies includes: a first actuating component moving the magnetic head component back and forth in a first direction across the plurality of tape assemblies; and positioning the magnetic head component on the tape of a target tape assembly and reading from or writing to the tape of the target tape assembly.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of a 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, the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of first subarrays corresponding to each of the 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 a magnetic head component reading or writing to the tapes of a plurality of tape assemblies includes: a second actuating component moving the magnetic head component back and forth in a third direction across a plurality of tape regions of the tape of at least one tape assembly, wherein the plurality of tape regions are arranged in the third direction, the third direction is parallel to the width direction of the tape and intersects the plane in which the first and second directions are located; and positioning the magnetic head component in a target tape region and reading or writing to the target tape region.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the steps of a magnetic head component reading or writing to a tape of a plurality of tape assemblies include: determining a second subarray from a plurality of second subarrays that corresponds to a target tape region, wherein the magnetic head component includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of second subarrays corresponding to a plurality of tape regions in a third direction, the third direction being parallel to the width direction of the tape and intersecting the plane in which the first and second directions are located; and performing a read or write on the determined second subarray to the target tape region.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of a drive component driving and winding tapes of a plurality of tape assemblies includes the step of the drive component driving the tapes of the plurality of tape assemblies uniformly or driving the tapes of some tape assemblies independently of the tapes 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 description or explanation of the first aspect is also applicable to the second and third aspects. Furthermore, for the beneficial effects that can be achieved in the second and third aspects, refer to the beneficial effects of the first aspect. Details will not be described again in this specification. In this application, more embodiments can be provided by further combining the embodiments provided in the foregoing aspects.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional tape storage device. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the structure of a tape storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] It is a partial view of a tape storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] It is a partial view of a tape storage device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a single tape of a tape storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] It is a partial view of a tape storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] It is a partial view of a tape storage device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] It is a block diagram of a computing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] It is a schematic flowchart of a method of a tape storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] It is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading or writing to tapes of a plurality of tape assemblies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] It is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading or writing to tapes of a plurality of tape assemblies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] This is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading or writing to tapes in multiple tape assemblies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] This is a schematic flowchart of a method for reading or writing to tapes in multiple tape assemblies according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to allow for a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. The accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are used merely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0029] In the description of embodiments of this disclosure, the terms “including” and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, i.e., “including, but not limited to.” The term “based on” should be understood as “at least partially based on.” The terms “one embodiment” or “this embodiment” should be understood as “at least one embodiment.” Terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., may refer to different or the same subject matter. Further explicit or implicit provisions may be included below.

[0030] Figure 1 shows the structure of a conventional tape storage device 100'. As shown in Figure 1, the tape storage device 100' includes a tape 10', reels 21', reels 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 by rolling between reel 21' and another reel 22'. As the tape 10' rolls from reel 21' to reel 22', or from reel 22' to 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', the tape storage device 10' needs to perform an addressing operation so that the magnetic head 30' can read file information or data from or write file information or data to an area of ​​tape 10'. Generally, the tape storage device 10' performs the addressing operation using a linear addressing method. In other words, the tape 10' is continuously rotated by the rotation of reels 21' and / or 22', and the magnetic head 30' is positioned in the intended area of ​​tape 10'.

[0032] However, because tape primarily uses its surface area to store data, achieving greater storage capacity generally requires excessively long tapes, resulting in lengthy addressing times. For example, a 100-meter tape requires an average of 50 meters of seek to complete positioning or addressing on the tape. Therefore, with a seek speed of 1 meter / second, the average addressing time can reach 50 seconds. This addressing time is unacceptable in scenarios with high demands for real-time data responsiveness. This limits the applicability of tape storage. As a result, tape storage is currently only applicable to scenarios with low latency requirements, such as archiving. Furthermore, simply shortening the tape length to reduce addressing time would drastically reduce the storage density and capacity of tape storage equipment due to the reduced tape length. This increases the cost of tape storage, negating its low-cost advantage.

[0033] Embodiments of this disclosure provide an improved tape storage solution. In the improved solution, the tape length of a single tape assembly can be reduced while the storage density and storage capacity remain unchanged or change only slightly, because the multiple tape assemblies are arranged in directions different from the directions in which reels 21' and 22' face each other. In this way, addressing time is reduced and tape access speed is improved.

[0034] Figure 2 shows 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 of a computing system 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 of 2 or more. Each of the N tape assemblies 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, ..., 110-N includes a first reel 111, a second reel 112, and 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 the first direction D1.

[0035] For example, 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 differ from one another. Also, for example, the tape storage device 100 as a whole may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, the tape storage device 100 may have a rectangular parallelepiped housing, where the first direction D1 is the length direction of the rectangular parallelepiped and the second direction D2 is the height direction of the rectangular parallelepiped. However, it will be understood that the tape storage device 100 as a whole or the housing of the tape storage device 100 may have other regular or irregular shapes, or the tape storage device 100 may not have a housing at all. 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 orthogonal to each other, or they may form an acute or obtuse angle to 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. Since multiple tape assemblies are arranged in the first direction D1, the surface area of ​​the tape can be increased in a 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, and it is possible to avoid changing the storage density of the tape storage device 100.

[0036] According to this embodiment of the Disclosure, the tape storage device 100 may include a drive component 120. The drive component 120 is coupled to N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N and is suitable for driving and winding 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 wound between the two reels. In some embodiments, the drive component 120 includes one or more motors that can uniformly drive the tapes 113 of the N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. Specifically, one motor may be located in the drive component 120, or a motor set including multiple motors may be located in the drive component 120 to improve the driving force. The configured motor or motor set can drive the tapes of all tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N, winding them synchronously on each reel of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. In this way, N tapes can be wound simultaneously during addressing operations, and the linear addressing speed can be increased 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, N tape assemblies can be divided into multiple groups, each driven independently by a different motor or motor set. This allows for independent linear addressing between different tape assembly groups as needed. In this way, the linear addressing speed is improved, and addressing and access performance is enhanced.

[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 and writing to tapes 113 of N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. For example, the magnetic head component 130 may be adjacent to the path of movement of the tape 113 between a first reel 111 and a second reel 112. In this way, the magnetic head component 130 is aligned with the surface of the tape 113 and can write or read data to or from the tape 113. In some embodiments, the magnetic head component 130 is positioned on the opposite side of the tapes 113 of the plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N in a second direction D2. In this way, the magnetic head component 130 can be positioned on the side of the plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N without occupying the space between the plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. In this way, more tape assemblies can be arranged in the first direction D1, or tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N can be placed closer together, resulting in greater storage density and larger storage capacity.

[0038] In tape storage devices, it can be seen that by arranging multiple tape assemblies in the appropriate orientation, and by arranging drive components configured to drive these tape assemblies, and magnetic head components configured to read and write data, the addressing time of the tape storage device can be significantly reduced and the access performance of the tape storage device can be improved while maintaining storage capacity and storage density. For example, if 10 tape assemblies are arranged, and the 10 tape assemblies have tapes of the same length and are driven synchronously, the addressing speed of tape storage device 100 can actually be 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] Figure 3 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the tape storage device 100 may further include a first actuator 140. The first actuator 140 is coupled to a magnetic head component 130 and is suitable for moving the magnetic head component 130 back and forth in a first direction D1 across N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. Specifically, the first actuator 140 can drive the magnetic head component 130 to move in the first direction D1 across the N magnetic head assemblies. This provides the magnetic head component 130 with an addressing function in the first direction D1. In this way, during the addressing operation, the magnetic head component 130 can be moved in close proximity to the tape of a target tape assembly under the drive of the first actuator 130. For example, when it is necessary to read a target file or target data stored on the tape of tape assembly 110-N, the first actuarial component 140 can drive the magnetic head component 130 to move it close to the tape of tape assembly 110-N and align it with it. The movement of the magnetic head component 130 in the first direction D1 and the winding of the tape in the longitudinal direction can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, the movement of the magnetic head in the first direction D1 does not take any additional time. Since the first actuarial component 140 provides the function of moving the magnetic head in the first direction D1 and addressing it, the number of magnetic heads positioned in the first direction D1 can be small. 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 to the tapes constituting a small number of tape assemblies. In this way, addressing tape storage formed by N tape assemblies can be achieved with only a small number of magnetic heads. This effectively reduces the overall cost of the tape storage device 100.

[0040] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first actuation component 140 may include a first motor 141 and a guide structure 142. The first motor 141 is suitable for driving a magnetic head component 130 to move along the guide structure 142. For example, the magnetic head component 130 is movably mounted on the guide structure 142. Thus, the magnetic head component 130 moves along the guide structure 142 under the drive of the first motor 141 (e.g., a linear motor). Using the first motor 141 and the guide structure 142, the magnetic head component 130 can be moved quickly across multiple tape assemblies in a first direction D1 and precisely positioned near the tape of a target tape assembly. Embodiments of the first actuation component 140 are not limited thereto and may include other suitable drive mechanisms.

[0041] Figure 4 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, the magnetic head component 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 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 to tape assembly 110-2, magnetic head subarray 131-3 to tape assembly 110-3, and magnetic head subarray 131-N to tape assembly 110-N. In this way, a corresponding magnetic head subarray is positioned for each tape assembly. As a result, the tape storage device 100 includes an addressing function to the first direction D1 without requiring a magnetic head operating mechanism similar to the first operating 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, which moves between the first reel 111 and the second reel 112. For example, each subarray may contain only one magnetic head, or may contain multiple magnetic heads as needed. For example, if the tape is wide, each magnetic head subarray may contain two or more magnetic heads in the width direction of the tape.

[0042] Figures 3 and 4 show that addressing to the first direction D1 is achieved using the first actuator and the magnetic head array, respectively. However, addressing to the first direction D1 can also be achieved using a combination of the first actuator and the magnetic head array. For example, fewer magnetic head subarrays than the number of tape assemblies may be arranged, and these magnetic head subarrays can be driven using the first actuator 140 to move to the first direction D1. This also achieves the objectives of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 5 shows a tape unit 113 of a tape storage device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 shows the tape 113 viewed from a direction perpendicular to the tape surface. In N tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N, each tape 113 of all or some of the tape assemblies may contain M tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M, where M is an integer of 2 or more. Each tape region extends in the longitudinal direction of the tape 113, and the M tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M are arranged in a third direction D3 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 the plane in which the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are located.

[0044] Specifically, since 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, 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 placing more tape regions in the third direction D3 in the tape of at least one tape assembly, the tape area can be expanded by a new dimension. This helps to further shorten the length of a single tape while keeping the storage capacity unchanged. In other words, when multiple tape assemblies 113-1, ..., 113-M are placed in the first direction D1, the tape area can be expanded by two different dimensions by arranging multiple tape regions in the third direction D3. In this way, the length of a single tape can be further shortened while keeping the storage capacity unchanged, and addressing time can be reduced. For example, the width of the tape can be increased fivefold. If the storage capacity is the same, the length of the tape can be reduced to 1 / 5 of the tape length, and accordingly, the addressing time is also reduced to 1 / 5 of the addressing time. Considering that the addressing time can be reduced to a maximum of 1 / N of the addressing time when N tape assemblies are arranged in a first direction, after further increasing the tape width by M times, the addressing time of tape storage device 100 can ultimately be reduced to a maximum of 1 / (M*N) of the addressing time of tape storage device 100. For example, if 10 tape assemblies are arranged and the width of each tape is increased by 5 times, the addressing time of tape storage device 100 with the same storage capacity can be reduced to 1 / 50 of the addressing time of tape storage device 100 compared to conventional tape storage device 100'. In other words, if the addressing time in the conventional solution is 50 seconds, the addressing time of tape storage device 100 can be as low as 1 second. It will be understood that the M tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M may be connected to each other to form a single tape, or they 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 this disclosure, the first direction D1, the second direction D2, and the third direction D3 are orthogonal to each other. As merely an example, the tape storage device 100 has a rectangular housing, where the first direction D1 is parallel to the length direction of the rectangular housing, the second direction D2 is parallel to the height direction of the rectangular housing, and the third direction D3 is parallel to the width direction of the rectangular housing. However, it will be understood that the first direction D1, the second direction D2, and the third direction D3 may be other directions in space, as long as these three directions are orthogonal to each other. In this way, the tape area can be maximized in the first direction D1 and the third direction D3 that are orthogonal to the length direction of the tape or the winding direction of the tape (i.e., the second direction D2), thereby increasing the space utilization rate inside the storage device and ensuring sufficient storage density and storage capacity.

[0046] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the width of each of the M tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M is 12.65 mm or more. Specifically, in linear tape open (LTO) data storage technology, the standard width of the tape is 12.65 mm. Since the width of each tape region is at least the standard width, each tape in the tape storage device 100 has a width at least several times the standard width. In this way, the tape storage device 100 can further reduce the tape length to 1 / M of the length of a standard-width tape, provided that the storage capacity remains unchanged.

[0047] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the tape storage device 100 is a device in which the magnetic head and 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 the magnetic head and 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 the magnetic head and tape are integrated does not require additional time to be spent obtaining the tape and assembling the tape and magnetic head. Thus, the reduction in addressing time and the improvement in access capability can bring more clear value and advantages to the tape storage device 100. This makes the tape storage device 100 applicable to several storage scenarios where there is a high requirement for real-time data performance.

[0048] Figure 6 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of explanation, Figure 6 shows only a tape unit 113 and a portion of the magnetic head of a magnetic head component 130. As shown in Figure 6, the tape storage device 100 further includes a second actuator 150. The second actuator 150 is coupled to the magnetic head component 130 and is suitable for moving the magnetic head component 130 back and forth in a third direction D3 across M tape regions 113-1,...,113-M. Specifically, as the tape width increases, the second actuator 150 is positioned to move the magnetic head component 130 in the third direction D3, i.e., in the tape width direction, thereby giving the magnetic head component 130 the ability to address in the third direction D3. In this way, there is no need to increase the number of magnetic heads for tapes 113 whose width has doubled, and the cost of the tape storage device 100 can be reduced. Furthermore, the movement of the magnetic head component 130 in the third direction D3 and the winding of the tape in the longitudinal direction can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, no additional time is spent on moving the magnetic head in the third direction D3.

[0049] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the second actuation 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 component 130. For 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 the swing arm of a hard disk drive (HDD). Furthermore, the swing arm structure 152 can move between M tape regions by the drive of the motor. Conventional magnetic head drive devices may have a magnetic head drive mechanism that drives and moves the magnetic head, but the second actuation component 150 is entirely different from this magnetic head drive mechanism. In conventional solutions, the magnetic head drive mechanism usually only needs to move the magnetic head within a small range. Therefore, a swing arm structure is unnecessary. In contrast, a swing arm structure and a motor configured to drive this swing arm structure must be placed in the second actuation component 150, thereby allowing the magnetic head component 130 to move over multiple tape regions. By using the second motor 151 and the swing arm structure 152, the magnetic head component 130 can be moved over multiple tape regions in a third direction D3 in a short time and precisely positioned near the target tape region. It will be understood that the embodiment of the second actuation component 150 is not limited to this and may include other suitable actuation mechanisms.

[0050] Figure 7 is a partial view of a tape storage device 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of explanation, Figure 7 shows only a tape unit 113 and a portion of the magnetic heads of a magnetic head component 130. As shown in Figure 7, the magnetic head component 130 includes a magnetic head array, which is divided in a third direction D3 into a plurality of subarrays 132-1, ..., 132-M, each corresponding to M tape regions 113-1, ..., 113-M, and each subarray 132-1, ..., 132-M includes one or more magnetic heads and is adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape region, which moves 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 way, the corresponding magnetic head subarrays are arranged in each tape region. This allows the magnetic head component 130 to include addressing functionality to the third direction D3 without the need for a second actuation component 150. Furthermore, each of the M subarrays 132-1, ..., 132-M may contain one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape assembly, which moves between the first reel 111 and the second reel 112. As an example, each subarray may contain only one magnetic head, or multiple magnetic heads as needed. For example, if the tape region is wide, two or more magnetic heads may be arranged in the width direction of the tape region for each magnetic head subarray.

[0051] Figures 6 and 7 show that addressing to the third direction D3 is achieved using the second actuator and the magnetic head array, respectively. However, addressing to the third direction D3 can also be achieved using a combination of the second actuator and the magnetic head array. For example, fewer magnetic head subarrays than the number of tape areas may be arranged, and these magnetic head subarrays can be driven using the second actuator 150 to move to 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 tapes of all tape assemblies or multiple tape assemblies, these tape assemblies can similarly perform addressing to the third direction D3, that is, they can perform addressing to the third direction D3 using a second actuator, a magnetic head array, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, some of these tape assemblies may address in the same way in the third direction D3, or they may address in different ways in the third direction D3. Furthermore, the method of addressing the tape storage device 100 in the first direction D1 (i.e., the method using the first actuator 140 or the magnetic head array) and the method of addressing the tape storage device 100 in the third direction D3 (i.e., the method using the second actuator 150 or the magnetic head array) may be combined randomly. This is not limited to the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a computing system 1000 according to one 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 realize functions such as numerical calculation, data processing, and automatic control. Specifically, compared to conventional tape storage devices or tape memory, the tape storage device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has a shorter addressing time and random access performance close to that of a hard disk. Therefore, the tape storage device 100 can be used as memory for the computing system 1000, or it can be applied to other storage scenarios that have high demands for real-time data performance and low latency. In one embodiment, the tape storage device 100 can be used in combination with flash memory or another type of memory to realize hierarchical storage and a replacement for hard disks at the system level. Furthermore, by arranging multiple magnetic heads, the tape storage device 100 can also achieve high bandwidth capabilities close to those of flash memory. Compared to the cost of hard disks, the cost of tape storage is very low, which is about one-third or less of that of hard disks. Therefore, by using tape storage device 100 as memory, it is possible to significantly reduce the overall cost of computing system 1000 while maintaining high storage performance and high access performance, thereby obtaining a cost-effective computing system.

[0054] The tape storage device 100 and the computing system 1000 including the tape storage device 100 provided in this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 2 to 8. The following describes the method provided in this application based on the tape storage device 100 described above with reference to Figures 9 to 13.

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

[0056] In block 901, the drive component 120 drives and winds the tapes 113 of a plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive component 120 drives the tapes 113 of the plurality of 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 component 130 reads from or writes to tapes 113 of multiple tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N.

[0058] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1000 for reading or writing to tapes 113 of a plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1000 may be implemented in block 902 of Figure 9.

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

[0060] In block 1002, the magnetic head component 130 is positioned on the tape of the target tape assembly, and the magnetic head component 130 reads from or writes to the tape of the target tape assembly. In the addressing operation, the magnetic head component 130 reads from or writes data to a specified tape region or position, and the target tape assembly is a tape assembly that contains the specified tape region or position among multiple tape assemblies.

[0061] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1100 for reading or writing to tapes 113 of a plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1100 may be implemented in block 902 of Figure 9.

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

[0063] In block 1102, the determined first subarray performs read or write operations on the tape of the target tape assembly.

[0064] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1200 for reading or writing to tapes 113 of a plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1200 may be implemented in block 902 of Figure 9.

[0065] In block 1201, the second actuation component 150 moves the magnetic head component 130 back and forth in a third direction D3 across multiple tape regions 113-1,...,113-M in the tape of at least one tape assembly 110-1,...,110-N.

[0066] In block 1202, the magnetic head component 130 is positioned in the target tape area, and the magnetic head component 130 performs read or write operations on the target tape area. In the addressing operation, the magnetic head component 130 reads or writes data to the specified tape area or location, and the target tape area is the tape area that includes the specified tape area or location among multiple tape areas.

[0067] Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of a method 1300 for reading or writing to tapes 113 of a plurality of tape assemblies 110-1, ..., 110-N, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1300 may be implemented in block 902 of Figure 9.

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

[0069] In block 1302, the determined second subarray performs read or write operations on the target tape area.

[0070] Based on the teachings shown in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, many of the modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure provided herein can be realized by those skilled in the art relating to the disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments of the 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 disclosure. Furthermore, while the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments in the context of several exemplary 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 disclosure. In this regard, for example, other combinations of components and / or functions different from those explicitly described above are expected to be included within the scope of the disclosure. Certain terms are used herein, but these terms are used only in a general and descriptive sense and are not intended to be limiting.

Claims

1. A tape storage device (100), wherein the tape storage device is 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) includes a first reel (111), a second reel (112), and a tape (113) wound between the first reel (111) and the second reel (112), wherein the first reel (111) and the second reel (112) face each other in a second direction (D2), and the second direction (D2) intersects the first direction (D1), and the plurality of tape assemblies, A drive component (120) is coupled to the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) and is suitable for driving and winding the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), Includes a magnetic head component (130) suitable for reading and writing to the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), The tape (113) of at least one tape assembly among the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) includes a plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) arranged in a third direction (D3), the third direction (D3) is parallel to the width direction of the tape (113) and intersects with the plane in which the first direction (D1) and the second direction (D2) exist. Tape storage device (100).

2. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 1, further comprising a first actuation component (140) coupled to the magnetic head component (130) and suitable for reciprocating the magnetic head component (130) in the first direction (D1) across the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N).

3. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the first operating component (140) includes a first motor (141) and a guide structure (142), the first motor (141) being suitable for driving the magnetic head component (130) to move along the guide structure (142).

4. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic head component (130) includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of first subarrays (131-1, ..., 131-N) corresponding to the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) in the first direction (D1), each of the plurality of first subarrays (131-1, ..., 131-N) includes one or more magnetic heads adjacent to a portion of the tape of the corresponding tape assembly (110-1, ..., 110-N) moving between the first reel (111) and the second reel (112).

5. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) extends in the longitudinal direction of the tape (113).

6. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 5, wherein the width of each of the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) is 12.65 mm or more.

7. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 5, further comprising a second actuation component (150) coupled to the magnetic head component (130) and suitable for moving the magnetic head component (130) back and forth across the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) in the third direction (D3).

8. The tape storage device (100) according to 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 component (130).

9. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic head component (130) includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of second subarrays (132-1, ..., 132-M) corresponding to the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) in the third direction (D3), each of the plurality of second subarrays (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) moving between the first reel (111) and the second reel (112).

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

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

12. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the drive component (120) includes one or more motors and is suitable for uniformly driving the tapes (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) or for independently driving the tapes (113) of some tape assemblies relative to the tapes (113) of other tape assemblies.

13. The tape storage device (100) according to claim 1 is a device that integrates a tape and a magnetic head.

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

15. A method for tape storage equipment, the method is A step in which a drive component (120) drives and winds the tapes (113) of a plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), wherein the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) are arranged in a first direction (D1), and the first reel (111) and second reel (112) of each of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) face each other in a second direction (D2), and the second direction (D2) intersects the first direction (D1), The magnetic head component (130) includes the step of reading or writing to the tape (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), The tape (113) of at least one tape assembly among the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) includes a plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) arranged in a third direction (D3), the third direction (D3) is parallel to the width direction of the tape (113) and intersects with the plane in which the first direction (D1) and the second direction (D2) exist. method.

16. The step of the magnetic head component (130) reading or writing to the tape (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) is: The first operating component (140) moves the magnetic head component (130) back and forth in the first direction (D1) across the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), The method according to claim 15, comprising the steps of positioning the magnetic head component (130) on the tape of the target tape assembly and performing a read or write operation on the tape of the target tape assembly.

17. The step of the magnetic head component (130) reading or writing to the tape (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) is: A step of 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 a plurality of first subarrays (131-1, ..., 131-N) corresponding to the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N), The method according to claim 15, comprising the step of having the first subarray determined above perform a read or write operation on the tape of the target tape assembly.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) extends in the longitudinal direction of the tape (113).

19. The step of the magnetic head component (130) reading or writing to the tape (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) is: A second operating component (150) moves the magnetic head component (130) back and forth in a third direction (D3) across a plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) of tape of at least one tape assembly (110-1, ..., 110-N), wherein the plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) are arranged in the third direction (D3), the third direction (D3) is parallel to the width direction of the tape (113) and intersects the plane in which the first direction (D1) and the second direction (D2) are located, The method according to claim 18, comprising the steps of positioning the magnetic head component (130) in a target tape region and performing a read or write operation on the target tape region.

20. The step of the magnetic head component (130) reading or writing to the tape (113) of the plurality of tape assemblies (110-1, ..., 110-N) is: A step of determining a second subarray corresponding to a target tape region from a plurality of second subarrays (132-1, ..., 132-M), wherein the magnetic head component (130) includes a magnetic head array, the magnetic head array is divided into a plurality of second subarrays (132-1, ..., 132-M) corresponding to a plurality of tape regions (113-1, ..., 113-M) in a third direction (D3), the third direction (D3) is parallel to the width direction of the tape (113) and intersects with the plane in which the first direction (D1) and the second direction (D2) are located, The method according to claim 18, comprising the step of having the determined second subarray perform a read or write operation on the target tape region.

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