Tape drive, tape drive device and storage system

Abstract

A tape drive (400), a tape drive device (100) and a storage system, relating to the technical field of tapes. In the tape drive (400), a magnetic head body (420) is located on a side of a base (410), and the magnetic head body (420) comprises: arranged side by side in the extension direction of the magnetic head body (420), a first set of read-write magnetic heads (421), a first spacing part (4241) and a second set of read-write magnetic heads (422). When the tape drive (400) is in use, the first set of read-write magnetic heads (421) and the second set of read-write magnetic heads (422) are used for accessing different data bands in a tape. Since data bands that have been accessed by one set of read-write magnetic heads do not need to be repeatedly accessed by the other set of read-write magnetic heads, during the movement of the magnetic head body (420) from the bottom to the top of the tape in the width direction of the tape, a moving distance corresponding to the width of at least one data band in the tape can be reduced, helping to reduce the magnetic head stroke height of the magnetic head body (420) and the thickness of the tape drive device (100) to which the tape driver (400) belongs, and thus improving the space utilization rate of the tape drive device (100) and the capacity density of a storage space.

Description

Tape drive, tape device and storage system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on August 31, 2023, with application number 202311125576.6 and application name “A tape drive, tape device and storage system”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of magnetic tape technology, and in particular to a magnetic tape drive, a magnetic tape device, and a storage system. Background Art

[0003] A tape drive is a single-drive product consisting of a tape drive and a magnetic tape. A tape drive typically reads and writes data by sliding the magnetic tape over a header in the drive. The thickness of a tape drive is related to the head travel height and the thickness of the drive housing. The head travel height is the sum of the height of the head body and the maximum travel distance of the head body during data access. For example, using linear tape open (LTO) technology, the tape in an LTO drive is approximately 12.7 mm wide and contains four data bands, each with an effective access width of 3 mm. To prevent damage to the tape, the head must be able to cover the entire width of the tape even during up and down movement. For example, the head body is approximately 27 mm tall, and the read / write head within the head body is approximately 3 mm tall. Consequently, the thickness of a tape drive reaches nearly 40 mm, but the effective storage space within the drive is only 12.7 mm thick, resulting in low space utilization and low storage density.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a tape drive, a tape device and a storage system, which solve the problems of low space utilization of the tape drive and low capacity density of the storage space.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a tape drive. The tape drive includes a head body and a base. The head body is located on one side of the base and includes a first set of read / write heads, a first spacer, and a second set of read / write heads arranged side by side along a first direction, the first direction being the direction in which the head body extends. Each set of read / write heads includes a read head and a write head.

[0007] During use of the tape drive, the two sets of read and write heads are used to access different data bands on the tape.

[0008] Because a data band already accessed by one set of read / write heads does not need to be re-accessed by another set of read / write heads, the head body can reduce the distance traveled by the width of at least one data band in the tape as it moves from the bottom to the top of the tape along the width of the tape. This reduces the distance traveled by the head body during data access, while maintaining the same height of the head body, thereby facilitating a reduction in the head travel height of the head body. Furthermore, considering that the height of the head body along the extension direction (first direction) of the head body must be greater than the width of the tape, and that the head body includes two sets of read / write heads arranged side by side, during data access, only one of the two sets of read / write heads needs to be located at an edge data band along the width of the tape. The height of the head body can also be reduced compared to a head body having only one set of read / write heads, further facilitating a reduction in the head travel height of the head body. With the reduced head travel height of the head body, the thickness of the tape drive device can be reduced, thereby facilitating improved space utilization and storage density of the tape drive.

[0009] In one optional implementation, the width of the first spacer matches the width of one or more data strips. For example, when the first set of read / write heads and the second set of read / write heads respectively access two data strips separated by a width equal to one data strip, the width of the first spacer is the same as or similar to the width of the data strip.

[0010] In an optional implementation, the head body further includes: a second spacer, arranged side by side with the second group of read-write heads along the first direction; a third group of read-write heads, arranged side by side with the first group of read-write heads along the first direction, and the second spacer is located between the third group of read-write heads and the second group of read-write heads, and the projections of the third group of read-write heads and the second group of read-write heads in the second direction do not overlap, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. Exemplarily, the third group of read-write heads is arranged side by side with the first group of read-write heads and the second group of read-write heads along the first direction, and the head body can reduce the movement distance corresponding to the width of at least two data bands in the tape during the movement from the bottom to the top of the tape along the width direction of the tape, thereby reducing the movement distance of the head body during data access while keeping the height of the head body unchanged, which is beneficial to reducing the head stroke height of the head body.

[0011] In an optional implementation, the tape drive further includes: a control component. The control component includes a selection switch, and the selection switch includes a first selection interface and a second selection interface; wherein the first selection interface is connected to the first group of read-write heads, and the second selection interface is connected to the second group of read-write heads. The control component treats the electrical signal transmitted by the first selection interface or the second selection interface as a valid electrical signal. During use of the tape drive, the control component treats the electrical signal transmitted by one of the first group of read-write heads or the second group of read-write heads as a valid electrical signal, which helps to avoid mutual interference between electrical signals between other read-write heads in two or more groups of read-write heads, thereby enabling the tape drive to accurately access data on the tape.

[0012] In an optional implementation, the control component further includes: a preamplifier circuit, an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, a signal processing circuit, and a drive circuit. The preamplifier circuit is connected to the third interface of the selection switch and amplifies the effective electrical signal to obtain an electrical signal to be processed. The analog-to-digital conversion circuit is connected to the preamplifier circuit and converts the electrical signal to be processed to obtain a digital signal. The signal processing circuit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion circuit and receives the digital signal. The signal processing circuit is also used to generate a control signal and send the control signal to the drive circuit. The drive circuit is connected to the signal processing circuit and switches the selection interface included in the control component according to the control signal. The control component processes the effective electrical signal transmitted by one group of read-write heads in the multiple groups of read-write heads, that is, the control component is used to achieve switching (selection) of the electrical signals transmitted by the multiple groups of read-write heads, thereby avoiding mutual interference of electrical signals between other read-write heads in two or more groups of read-write heads, so that the tape drive can accurately access data on the tape.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present application provides a tape drive device. The tape drive device includes: a magnetic tape and a tape drive. The tape drive may be the tape drive in the first aspect or any optional implementation of the first aspect. The tape drive is used to access data on the magnetic tape, and the magnetic tape is used to store data. Because the tape drive device includes the tape drive in the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect, the tape drive device can also achieve the beneficial effects of the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect, which will not be described in detail here.

[0014] In an optional implementation, the magnetic tape is fixedly sealed within the aforementioned tape drive device. This prevents the magnetic tape from direct contact with media such as air, liquid, and dust outside the tape drive device, thereby reducing the loss of magnetic powder or other magnetic media used to store data in the tape and thereby increasing the service life of the tape.

[0015] In an optional implementation, a magnetic tape in a tape drive device includes: a plurality of data bands arranged side by side along the length of the tape, the plurality of data bands including: a first data band and a second data band. The projection of the first set of read / write heads onto the first data band is located within the region of the first data band; and the projection of the second set of read / write heads onto the second data band is located within the region of the second data band. During data access, two sets of read / write heads are arranged side by side along the extension direction of the head body, and different sets of read / write heads are used to access data stored in different data bands on the tape. This allows the head body to reduce the movement distance corresponding to the width of at least one data band on the tape as it moves from the bottom to the top of the tape along the width of the tape. Also, considering that the height of the head body along the extension direction of the head body (the first direction) needs to be greater than the width of the magnetic tape, and the head body includes two groups of read-write heads arranged side by side, therefore, during the data access process, one of the two groups of read-write heads can be located at the edge data band along the width direction of the magnetic tape, and the height of the head body can also be lower than the height of the head body with only one group of read-write heads, which is conducive to further reducing the head stroke height of the head body.

[0016] In an optional scenario, the first data band and the second data band are two adjacent data bands included in a plurality of data bands in a magnetic tape.

[0017] In another optional scenario, there are multiple data bands including m data bands between the first data band and the second data band, where m is a positive integer, such as 1, 2 or other values.

[0018] In one optional implementation, the width of the tape along the extension direction (or height direction) of the magnetic head body is 12 mm to 15.7 mm, and the height of the magnetic head body is 15.7 mm to 21 mm. Compared to the conventional magnetic head body height of 27 mm, the implementation provided by this application reduces the height of the magnetic head body by providing multiple sets of read / write heads in the magnetic head body, thereby reducing the head travel height of the magnetic head body and facilitating a reduction in the thickness of the tape drive device.

[0019] In an optional implementation, the thickness of the tape drive device is 20.7 mm-26 mm.

[0020] In a third aspect, the present application provides a storage system. The storage system includes: one or more tape drive devices provided by any implementation in the second aspect, for storing data. And, a controller, for managing the tape drive device, such as accessing the tape drive device according to a data access request. Exemplarily, the controller receives a data access request from a host and accesses the tape drive device according to the data access request, and the controller also returns an access result to the host. The access result may refer to the data read by the controller from the tape drive device, or the controller has successfully written the data carried by the data access request into the tape drive device, etc.

[0021] Based on the implementation methods provided in the above aspects, this application can also be further combined to provide more implementation methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a tape drive device provided by the present application;

[0023] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a magnetic tape provided by the present application;

[0024] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a general LTO tape drive;

[0025] FIG4 is a structural schematic diagram 1 of a tape drive provided by the present application;

[0026] FIG5 is a first schematic diagram of the cooperation between the tape and the tape drive in the tape device provided by the present application;

[0027] FIG6 is a second schematic diagram of the cooperation between the tape and the tape drive in the tape device provided by the present application;

[0028] FIG7 is a second structural diagram of a tape drive provided by the present application;

[0029] FIG8 is a third structural diagram of a tape drive provided in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In this application, multiple groups of read-write heads in the head body cooperate with each other to access different data bands in the head, which is beneficial to reducing the head stroke height, thereby reducing the thickness of the tape drive device and improving the space utilization in the tape drive device.

[0031] Specifically, a magnetic head body in a tape drive includes two sets of read / write heads arranged side by side. During tape access, the two sets of read / write heads can be used to access different data bands on the tape. Because a data band already accessed by one set of read / write heads does not need to be accessed again by the other set of read / write heads, the distance traveled by the head body from the bottom to the top of the tape along the width of the tape can be reduced by the width of at least one data band. This reduces the distance traveled by the head body during data access while maintaining the same height, facilitating a reduction in the head travel height of the head body. Furthermore, given that the height of the head body along the extension direction (i.e., the width of the tape) is required to be greater than the width of the tape, and that the head body includes two sets of read / write heads arranged side by side, during data access, only one of the two sets of read / write heads needs to be located at an edge data band along the width of the tape. This reduces the height of the head body compared to a head body having only one set of read / write heads, further facilitating a reduction in the head travel height of the head body.

[0032] The technical solutions involved in this application may be applied not only to current tape drive devices, but also to future tape drive devices, or storage systems including tape drive devices. The terms used in the implementation methods of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The following is a brief introduction to some concepts that may be involved in this application.

[0033] Magnetic head body: includes the magnetic head and the magnetic head support, which is used to fix the magnetic head on the magnetic head body.

[0034] Head: The component that reads and writes magnetic media on a tape using magnetic principles. It is divided into a write head and a read head. The write head records data by magnetizing and changing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium (such as magnetic powder), while the read head reads the data on the magnetic medium by sensing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium.

[0035] Magnetic tape: A tape-like material with a magnetic layer used to record sound, images, digital, or other signals. Magnetic media, such as magnetic powder, is attached to the tape to store data. For example, the magnetic field variation in this magnetic medium is typically achieved by coating a layer of granular magnetic material onto a plastic film substrate (support) or by vapor-depositing a thin film of a magnetic oxide or alloy. Magnetic tape substrates can include, but are not limited to, paper, celluloid, or polyester film.

[0036] Head travel height: the sum of the height of the head body and the distance the head body moves up and down along the extension direction of the head body.

[0037] In order to make the description of the following embodiments clear and concise, a brief introduction to the relevant technology is first given.

[0038] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive device provided in this application. Referring to the top view in FIG1 , the tape drive device 100 includes a tape reel 101, a tape reel 102, a magnetic tape 110, a tape drive 120, and multiple rollers (e.g., rollers 1 through 4). The magnetic tape 110 is used to store data, and the tape drive 120 is used to access the data on the magnetic tape. The specific implementation of the tape drive 120 can be referenced by referring to any of the tape drives described in the following figures and is not described in detail here.

[0039] The tape reel 101 and the tape reel 102 are used to roll up the magnetic tape 110 into a circle (or other shape) to reduce the space occupied by the magnetic tape 110 in the tape drive device 100 and improve the space utilization rate in the tape drive device 100 .

[0040] A tape drive is essentially a combination of a tape drive and a magnetic tape. The tape is already fixed and integrated inside the drive at the factory, forming a structure similar to a hard disk drive (HDD), called a "reel." This means it's difficult to open the drive to remove or insert the tape, making it difficult to easily replace the tape. It's also difficult to maneuver the tape into the drive to read or write data. The advantage is that the tape is sealed within the reel, making it difficult for dust, liquids, or air to reach the tape and the heads, thereby extending the lifespan of the tape and heads within the reel.

[0041] In some possible situations, if the tape is fixedly sealed in a tape drive device, the tape drive device may also be called an integrated tape drive, an integrated tape reel, or an integrated tape drive, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0042] In the tape drive device 100, the magnetic head included in the tape drive 120 moves up and down along the thickness direction of the tape drive device 100 to access data stored on the magnetic tape 110. Referring to the front view of FIG1 , the magnetic head can move up and down between a height 1 and a height 2, and the height difference between the height 1 and the height 2 is the head travel height in the tape drive device 100.

[0043] Regarding the implementation of magnetic tape 110, a possible example is provided below, as shown in FIG2 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a magnetic tape provided in this application. Magnetic tape 110 includes a base tape 110A and multiple data bands. Base tape 110A refers to the tape base of magnetic tape 110 and can be, but is not limited to, a material used to carry magnetic media, such as paper, celluloid, or polyester film.

[0044] In FIG2 , the plurality of data strips include data strip 0, data strip 1, data strip 2, and data strip 3. These plurality of data strips are arranged side by side along the width direction of magnetic tape 110. In FIG2 , the width direction of magnetic tape 110 refers to the direction from data strip 0 to data strip 3, or vice versa.

[0045] In one possible example, the width of each data strip in FIG2 is 3 mm; corresponding to the width of each data strip being 3 mm, the width of the magnetic tape 110 in FIG2 can be 12 mm to 15.7 mm. In some cases, due to limitations in the magnetic tape manufacturing process, the width of the data strip can be slightly larger or slightly smaller than 3 mm.

[0046] For example, if there is no gap between the four data tapes arranged side by side and there is no redundant width at the edge of the magnetic tape 110 , the width of the magnetic tape 110 is 3 mm×4=12 mm.

[0047] For another example, if there are no gaps between four data tapes arranged side by side, and there is a rim around the edge of tape 110, then the width of tape 110 is 3 mm x 4 + the width of the rim. This rim can be the width of tape 110, provided to prevent direct contact between the data tapes in tape 110 and other hardware in the tape drive. If the width of this rim is 0.7 mm to 3.7 mm, then the width of the tape is 12 mm to 15.7 mm.

[0048] For example, if there are gaps between adjacent data strips in four parallel strips and there are edges at the edges of magnetic tape 110, the width of magnetic tape 110 is 3 mm × 4 + the width of the edges + the width of the gaps. For example, if the width of each gap is 0.1 mm and the width of a single edge of magnetic tape 110 is 0.2 mm, the width of magnetic tape 110 is 3 mm × 4 + 0.1 mm × 3 + 0.2 mm × 2 = 12.7 mm.

[0049] In a possible scenario, each data band in the magnetic tape 110 is connected to the base tape, and the edge of the magnetic tape 110 is the edge of the base tape.

[0050] It is worth noting that the above tape widths are merely examples provided in this embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the tape widths provided in the tape drive device provided herein. For example, the tape widths may also be 13 mm, 14 mm, 15 mm, or other values, such as 13.5 mm, 14.5 mm, 15.5 mm, or other values. In some alternative embodiments, the tape may include more or fewer data strips, and the widths of the data strips may be other than 3 mm, which is not limited in this application.

[0051] The thickness of the tape drive device is related to the head stroke height and the thickness of the tape drive housing. The head stroke height is the sum of the height of the head body and the maximum moving distance of the head body during data access.

[0052] As shown in Figure 3, a schematic diagram of a common LTO tape drive is shown. The LTO tape drive includes a head body and a magnetic tape. The tape in an LTO tape drive is approximately 12.7 mm wide and contains four data bands, each with an effective access width of 3 mm. To prevent damage to the tape, the head body must ensure that it covers the tape width even when moving up and down. As shown in Figure 3, the head body is positioned differently when accessing different data bands: Position L1 - Data Band 0, Position L2 - Data Band 1, Position L3 - Data Band 2, and Position L4 - Data Band 3. For these four positions, position L1 corresponds to a height of h1, and position L4 corresponds to a height of h2. Therefore, the height of the head body must be greater than 12.7 mm. As shown in Figure 3, the height of the head body is approximately 27 mm, and the height of the read / write head within the head body is approximately 3 mm. The head travel height ΔH = h1 - h2 = 36 mm. Furthermore, combined with the shell thickness of the tape drive device (such as 2mm×2), the thickness of the tape drive reaches nearly 40mm, but the thickness of the effective storage space in the tape drive is only 12.7mm, resulting in low space utilization of the tape drive and low capacity density of the storage space.

[0053] To improve the space utilization and storage density of the tape drive in the tape drive device 100, several possible implementations of the tape drive 120 are provided in Figures 4 through 8 below. As shown in Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tape drive provided by this application. This tape drive 400 can be used to implement the functions of the tape drive 120 in Figure 1 . The structure of the tape drive 400 provided by this embodiment is exemplarily described below in conjunction with Figure 4 .

[0054] As shown in the side view of FIG. 4 , the tape drive 400 includes a base 410 and a head body 420 .

[0055] The magnetic head body 420 is located on one side of the base 410. In FIG4 , the side of the base 410 used to support the magnetic head body is a flat surface. However, in some feasible situations, the side of the base 410 can also be a curved surface or a surface of other shapes, as long as the base 410 can support and fix the magnetic head body in the tape drive.

[0056] It is worth noting that in Figure 4, the length of the supporting surface provided by the base 410 along the first direction is the same as the height of the head body 420, but in some possible examples, the length of the supporting surface provided by the base 410 along the first direction may also be greater than the height of the head body 420, which is not limited in this application.

[0057] The head body 420 includes a first set of read / write heads 421, a first spacer 4241, and a second set of read / write heads 422, arranged side by side along a first direction, the first direction being the direction in which the head body 420 extends. As shown in the front view (also called the elevation view) of FIG4 , the side-by-side arrangement may mean that the first set of read / write heads 421 and the second set of read / write heads 422 do not overlap on the head body, and their projections in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, do not overlap.

[0058] In the tape drive 400 shown in Figure 4 , the first spacer 4241 is a spacer structure. However, in some alternative cases, the first spacer 4241 may have no structure but may be a space (such as a gap) that separates different groups of read / write heads.

[0059] In one possible example, each set of read / write heads includes, from left to right, a first write head, a read head, and a second write head. The read head is located between the first write head and the second write head. During data writing, the tape slides from left to right, and the first write head magnetizes the storage location of the data to be written on the tape, thereby changing the magnetic field of the magnetic medium (e.g., magnetic powder) in the storage location, and then storing the data to be written in the storage location. Furthermore, the read head senses the magnetic field of the storage location, thereby performing a readback check on the data written to the tape by the first write head to ensure the accuracy of the written data.

[0060] During use of the tape drive 400, the two sets of read and write heads may be used to access different data bands in the magnetic tape.

[0061] Exemplarily, a first set of read / write heads is used to access a first data band on a magnetic tape, and a second set of read / write heads is used to access a second data band on the magnetic tape. The projection of the first set of read / write heads onto the first data band is located within the region of the first data band, and the projection of the second set of read / write heads onto the second data band is located within the region of the second data band.

[0062] In a possible scenario, there are multiple data bands including m data bands between the first data band and the second data band, where m is a positive integer.

[0063] Exemplarily, the width of the first spacer 4241 matches the width of one or more data strips. For example, the width of the first spacer 4241 matches the width of the m data strips. When there are no gaps between the m data strips, the first spacer 4241 has the same width as the m data strips. When there are gaps between the m data strips, the width of the first spacer 4241 is slightly larger than the width of the m data strips. For details on the gaps between the data strips, please refer to the relevant description in FIG. 2 and will not be repeated here.

[0064] In this way, the head body 420 moves above the data band driven by the motor. When one set of read / write heads moves above one data band driven by the motor, another set of read / write heads is located above another data band.

[0065] The following example uses m=1 (i.e., a data band exists between the first and second data bands) as an example, and is illustrated in conjunction with FIG5 . FIG5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the coordination between the magnetic tape and the tape drive within the tape drive device provided herein. If the magnetic head body 420 is in position M1, the first set of read / write heads 421 can access data stored in data band 0 (the first data band), and the second set of read / write heads 422 can access data stored in data band 2 (the second data band). If the magnetic head body 420 is in position M2, the first set of read / write heads 421 can access data stored in data band 1 (the first data band), and the second set of read / write heads 422 can access data stored in data band 3 (the second data band). The width of the first spacer 4241 is the sum of the width of data band 2 and the widths of both sides of data band 2.

[0066] In FIG5 , the width of the tape is 12.7 mm. The width of the tape may also be other values. Please refer to the description of FIG2 , such as the width of the tape is 12 mm-15.7 mm, which will not be described in detail here.

[0067] 5 , the head travel height of the head body is ΔH=h1−h2=24 mm, where h1 is the height of the head body 420 at position M1 and h2 is the height of the head body 420 at position M2.

[0068] It should be noted that ΔH in FIG. 5 is only an example provided in this embodiment. In some optional implementations, the head stroke height ΔH may be different depending on the height of the head body 420 .

[0069] With reference to the width range of the magnetic tape in FIG2 , the width of the magnetic tape is 12.7 mm. Regardless of whether the magnetic head body 420 in FIG5 is at position M1 or position M2, the magnetic head body 420 can cover the width of the magnetic tape. The minimum height of the magnetic head body 420 is 12.7 mm (the width of the magnetic tape) + 3 mm (the distance of moving one data tape) = 15.7 mm.

[0070] In addition, taking the thickness of the head body 420 adapted to a 3.5-inch hard disk frame as an example, the thickness of the 3.5-inch hard disk frame is 26mm, and 2×1mm (the shell thickness on one side) + 3mm (the distance to move a data band) is reserved, then the maximum height of the head body 420 is 26mm-2×1mm-3mm=21mm.

[0071] Therefore, the height of the magnetic head body 420 can be 15.7 mm to 21 mm. The above is only an example provided in this embodiment and should not be understood as limiting the present application. For example, the height of the magnetic head body 420 can also be 16 mm, 17 mm, 18 mm, 19 mm, 20 mm, or other values, such as 16.5 mm, 17.5 mm, 18.5 mm, 19.5 mm, 20.5 mm, or other values.

[0072] Corresponding to a height of the head body 420 of 15.7 mm to 21 mm, the head stroke height of the head body 420 needs to be increased by at least 3 mm (corresponding to the width of one data strip). Therefore, the head stroke height ΔH can be 18.7 mm to 24 mm. Here, 18.7 mm corresponds to the height of the head body 420 being 15.7 mm + 3 mm (the distance of one data strip), and 24 mm corresponds to the height of the head body 420 being 21 mm + 3 mm (the distance of one data strip).

[0073] The above embodiment is described using the example of a single data band between the first and second data bands. However, if the magnetic tape includes more data bands, the number of data bands between the first and second data bands can be greater. To accommodate the additional data bands between the two data bands, the gap between the two sets of read / write heads in the magnetic head body is increased, with the increased gap (such as the first spacer 4241 described above) being consistent with the width of the additional data bands. Optionally, corresponding to the first spacer 4241 described above, the length of the first spacer 4241 along the extension direction of the magnetic head body 420 is consistent with the width between the first and second data bands.

[0074] In another possible scenario, the first data band and the second data band may refer to two adjacent data bands in the magnetic tape, which is exemplified in conjunction with FIG6 , which is a second schematic diagram of the cooperation between the magnetic tape and the tape drive in the tape device provided in the present application.

[0075] If the head body is at position N1, the first set of read / write heads can access data stored in data band 0 (first data band), and the second set of read / write heads can access data stored in data band 1 (second data band).

[0076] If the head body is at position N2, the first set of read / write heads can access data stored in data band 1 (first data band), and the second set of read / write heads can access data stored in data band 2 (second data band).

[0077] If the head body is at position N3, the first set of read / write heads can access data stored in data band 2 (first data band), and the second set of read / write heads can access data stored in data band 3 (second data band).

[0078] In actual use, the magnetic head body may not stay at position N2, but may access the magnetic tape at position N1 or position N3.

[0079] The differences between Figure 6 and Figure 5 are: ① The height of the head body in Figure 6 is increased by 3mm (the height of the head body needs to cover the width of one more data strip); ② The travel distance of the head body in Figure 6 is increased by 3mm (the head body needs to move the width of one more data strip). For a tape width of 12.7mm, the minimum height of the head body 420 is 12.7mm (the width of the tape) + 6mm (the distance traveled between two data strips) = 18.7mm.

[0080] The maximum height of the magnetic head body can be determined by the size of the tape drive and the hard disk enclosure in which the tape is located, and is not limited in this application. For example, 13 mm, 14 mm, 15 mm, 16 mm, 17 mm, 18 mm, or other values, such as 13.5 mm, 14.5 mm, 15.5 mm, 16.5 mm, 17.5 mm, 18.5 mm, or other values.

[0081] In this embodiment, since the data bands that have been accessed by one group of read-write heads do not need to be repeatedly accessed by another group of read-write heads, the moving distance corresponding to the width of at least one data band in the tape can be reduced in the process of the head body moving from the bottom to the top of the tape along the width direction of the tape. Therefore, when the height of the head body remains unchanged, the moving distance of the head body during the data access process is reduced, which is conducive to reducing the head stroke height of the head body.

[0082] Also, considering that the height of the head body along the extension direction of the head body (the first direction) needs to be greater than the width of the magnetic tape, and the head body includes two groups of read-write heads arranged side by side, therefore, during the data access process, one of the two groups of read-write heads can be located at the edge data band along the width direction of the magnetic tape (such as data band 0 or data band 3), and the height of the head body can also be lower than the height of the head body with only one group of read-write heads, which is conducive to further reducing the head stroke height of the head body.

[0083] When the head stroke height of the magnetic head body is reduced, the thickness of the tape drive device to which the magnetic tape drive belongs can be made lower, which is beneficial to improving the space utilization of the tape drive and the capacity density of the storage space.

[0084] Because the magnetic head body of a tape drive includes two sets of read / write heads, to avoid turbulence in the electrical signals transmitted by the two sets of read / write heads, a possible implementation is provided below based on FIG5 , as shown in FIG7 , which is a second structural schematic diagram of a tape drive provided by this application. The tape drive 400 includes not only the components shown in FIG4 , but also a control assembly 70 . The control assembly 70 includes a selector switch 71 , a preamplifier circuit 72 , an analog-to-digital conversion circuit 73 , a signal processing circuit 74 , and a drive circuit 75 .

[0085] The selector switch 71 includes a first selector interface (selector interface 1) and a second selector interface (selector interface 2). Selector interface 1 is connected to the first set of read / write heads 421, and selector interface 2 is connected to the second set of read / write heads 422. The control component 70 then treats the electrical signal transmitted by either selector interface 1 or selector interface 2 as a valid electrical signal. The electrical signal here can be a voltage signal or a current signal.

[0086] As an optional example, the selection switch 71 can be an analog switch, which is designed to conduct (or isolate) analog signals (including voltage and current signals) and support analog applications (such as audio and video data transmission).

[0087] During the use of the tape drive 400, the control component treats the electrical signal transmitted by one of the first group of read-write heads or the second group of read-write heads as a valid electrical signal, which helps to avoid mutual interference between the electrical signals of two or more groups of read-write heads, so that the tape drive can accurately access the data in the tape.

[0088] The preamplifier circuit 72 is connected to the third interface (interface 3) of the selector switch 71 and amplifies the effective electrical signal to obtain the electrical signal to be processed. The preamplifier circuit 72 can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the effective electrical signal transmitted by the selector switch 71, reduce the relative impact of external interference on the electrical signal corresponding to the read / write head, and thus improve the accuracy of the electrical signal to be processed. For example, the preamplifier circuit 72 can be, but is not limited to: a preamplifier (pre-amp), such as a line amplifier. It should be understood that the preamplifier circuit 72 can include a single-stage preamplifier or a multi-stage preamplifier, which is not limited in this application.

[0089] Analog-to-digital conversion circuit 73 is connected to preamplifier circuit 72 and converts the processed electrical signal into a digital signal. Analog-to-digital conversion circuit 73 can refer to a device that converts a continuous analog signal into a discrete digital signal, such as an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). For example, analog-to-digital conversion circuit 73 can perform steps such as sampling, holding, quantizing, and encoding the processed electrical signal to obtain a digital signal.

[0090] Signal processing circuit 74 is connected to analog-to-digital conversion circuit 73 and receives the digital signal. Signal processing circuit 74 may be a digital signal processor (DSP) or other type of processing. For example, signal processing circuit 74 may transmit the digital signal to another chip or communication device. For example, the chip may be a controller communicating with a tape drive, and the communication device may be a server, terminal, or other device communicating with the tape drive device.

[0091] In some optional implementations, the signal processing circuit 74 is further configured to generate a control signal and send the control signal to the driving circuit 75 .

[0092] The drive circuit 75 is connected to the signal processing circuit 74. In response to a control signal sent by the signal processing circuit 74 to the drive circuit 75, the drive circuit 75 receives the control signal and switches the selection interface included in the control assembly 70 in accordance with the control signal. Optionally, the drive circuit 75 can also control the movement of the magnetic head body along the width of the magnetic tape in accordance with the control signal, enabling the read / write heads in the magnetic head body to access different data bands on the magnetic tape.

[0093] In this embodiment, the control component processes the effective electrical signal transmitted by one group of read-write heads among the multiple groups of read-write heads, that is, the control component is used to realize the switching (selection of one) of the electrical signals transmitted by the multiple groups of read-write heads, thereby avoiding mutual interference of electrical signals between two groups of read-write heads or other read-write heads in more groups of read-write heads, so that the tape drive can accurately access the data in the tape.

[0094] As an optional implementation method, the control component provided in the above embodiment can be set on a flexible printed circuit (FPC). A flexible printed circuit board, also known as a soft printed circuit board or a flexible printed circuit board, is a highly reliable and excellently flexible printed circuit board made of polyimide or polyester film as a substrate. Flexible printed circuit boards have the characteristics of high wiring density, light weight, thin thickness and good bendability. When the various circuits in the control component are integrated on a flexible printed circuit board, the control component can also be packaged as a wafer. Subsequently, the control component is integrated into a wafer, which reduces the volume of the tape drive, helps to reduce the volume share of the tape drive in the tape drive device, and improves the space utilization within the tape drive device.

[0095] When the tape drive provided by the above embodiment is used in the tape drive device, the thickness of the tape drive device 100 in FIG1 can be 20.7 mm to 26 mm, for example, 21 mm, 22 mm, 23 mm, 24 mm, 25 mm or other values, such as 21.5 mm, 22.5 mm, 23.5 mm, 24.5 mm, 25.5 mm or other values.

[0096] For example, when the thickness of the tape drive device is 26 mm, the tape drive device can be set to the same size as a 3.5-inch hard disk frame, so that the tape drive device (or tape reel) can be universally deployed with commonly used hard disk devices such as HDDs, thereby applying the tape drive device to conventional storage systems.

[0097] As another example, based on the minimum value of the head stroke height in the above embodiment being 18.7 mm, the minimum thickness of the tape drive device may be 18.7 mm + 2 x 1 mm (the thickness of the shell on one side of the tape drive device).

[0098] It is worth noting that the thickness of the above tape drive device is only an example provided in this embodiment. The thickness of the tape drive device can be changed according to the thickness of the shell and the head stroke height, and this application does not limit this.

[0099] The aforementioned tape drive and tape deck device are described using an example in which the tape body includes two sets of read / write heads. However, in some optional implementations, the head body may include more sets of read / write heads. The following exemplary description, based on Figures 4 and 5 , assumes that the head body 420 includes a third set of read / write heads, as shown in Figure 8 , which is a third structural schematic diagram of a tape drive provided herein. This tape drive 400 includes not only the components shown in Figure 4 , but also includes: a second spacer 4242, arranged side by side with the second set of read / write heads 422 along a first direction; and a third set of read / write heads 423. The second spacer 4242 is positioned between the third set of read / write heads 423 and the second set of read / write heads 422.

[0100] The third group of read / write heads 423 and the first group of read / write heads 421 are arranged side by side along the first direction, and the projections of the third group of read / write heads 423 and the second group of read / write heads 422 in the second direction do not overlap, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0101] In situation (1) shown in FIG8 , the first group of read-write heads 421, the second group of read-write heads 422, and the third group of read-write heads 423 are arranged side by side along a first direction. Each group of read-write heads corresponds to a data band, and each group of read-write heads is used to access a data band, and the data bands accessed by the three groups of read-write heads are adjacent. For example, when the head body 420 is in position M1, the first group of read-write heads 421 is used to access data band 1, the second group of read-write heads 422 is used to access data band 2, and the third group of read-write heads 423 is used to access data band 3. For another example, when the head body 420 is in position M2, the first group of read-write heads 421 is used to access data band 0, the second group of read-write heads 422 is used to access data band 1, and the third group of read-write heads 423 is used to access data band 2.

[0102] In situation (2) shown in FIG8 , the first set of read / write heads 421, the second set of read / write heads 422, and the third set of read / write heads 423 are arranged side by side along a first direction. Each set of read / write heads corresponds to a data band, and each set of read / write heads is used to access a data band. The data bands accessed by the three sets of read / write heads are not adjacent. For example, when the head body 420 is in position R1, the first set of read / write heads 421 is used to access data band 0, the second set of read / write heads 422 is used to access data band 2, and the third set of read / write heads 423 is used to access data band 4. For another example, when the head body 420 is in position R2, the first set of read / write heads 421 is used to access data band 1, the second set of read / write heads 422 is used to access data band 3, and the third set of read / write heads 423 is used to access data band 5.

[0103] It is worth noting that the length of the second spacer 4242 along the head body 420 can be set according to different situations, and this application is not limited to this. For example, in the case (2) shown in Figure 8, the second spacer 4242 is consistent with the width of the gap between data band 3 and data band 5.

[0104] In combination with the above-mentioned embodiments, in the embodiments of the present application, the multiple groups of read-write heads in the head body cooperate to reduce the height of the head body while also reducing the head stroke height of the head. For example, if the head stroke height is reduced to 24 mm or below, the requirements of an integrated tape drive with limited thickness can be achieved.

[0105] Taking the case where the shell of the tape drive device is a 3.5-inch hard disk frame as an example, combined with the content provided in Figure 3, the proportion occupied by the tape in the tape drive device is 12.7mm / 40mm≈32% (i.e., the capacity density per unit volume). In contrast, in the present application, combined with the content provided in Figure 5, the maximum proportion occupied by the tape in the tape drive device can be 12.7mm / (24mm+2×1mm)≈49%. Therefore, considering the extension direction of the head body (i.e., the width direction of the tape), the height of the head body needs to be greater than the width of the tape, and the head body includes two groups of read-write heads arranged side by side. Therefore, during the data access process, one of the two groups of read-write heads can be located at the edge data band along the width direction of the tape, and the height of the head body can also be lower than the height of the head body with only one group of read-write heads, which is conducive to reducing the head stroke height of the head body.

[0106] The present application also provides a storage system. The storage system includes the tape drive device provided by any of the aforementioned embodiments, and a controller. The tape drive device is used to store data, and the controller is used to manage the tape drive device, such as accessing the tape drive device according to a data access request. The storage system is, for example, a tape library, or a computer / server that uses the tape drive device as a persistent storage medium. Exemplarily, the controller receives a data access request from a host and accesses the tape drive device according to the data access request, and the controller also returns the access result to the host. The access result may refer to the data read by the controller from the tape drive device, or the controller has successfully written the data carried by the data access request to the tape drive device, etc. The host here may include but is not limited to: user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The user device may be, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a server, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

[0107] The controller includes one or more processors, and the processor can be a very large-scale integrated circuit. The processor is installed with an operating system and other software programs, so that the processor can access tape drive devices and various Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) devices. The processor includes one or more processor cores. The processor core in the processor is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or other specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor can also be other general-purpose processors, DSPs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. In actual applications, the storage system can also include multiple controllers.

[0108] Optionally, the storage system may also include, but is not limited to, other storage media: dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc., which are used to cache data from the tape drive device for processing by the processor. In addition, other storage media may also be read-only memory (ROM). As for read-only memory, for example, it may be programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), etc. This embodiment does not limit the number and type of other storage media. In addition, other storage media can be configured to have a power-saving function. The power-saving function means that when the system loses power and then powers on again, the data stored in the memory will not be lost. Storage media with a power-saving function are called non-volatile memories.

[0109] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Various equivalent modifications or replacements are contemplated within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and such modifications or replacements should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A tape drive, characterized in that: include: Pedestal; The head body is located on one side of the base and includes: a first group of read-write heads, a first spacing portion and a second group of read-write heads arranged side by side along a first direction, each group of read-write heads includes a read head and a write head, and the first direction is the extension direction of the head body.

2. The tape drive according to claim 1, wherein: The width of the first spacer matches the width of one or more data strips.

3. The tape drive according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The magnetic head body also includes: a second spacing portion, arranged side by side with the second group of read-write heads along the first direction; A third group of read-write heads is arranged side by side with the first group of read-write heads along the first direction, and the second spacer is located between the third group of read-write heads and the second group of read-write heads, the projections of the third group of read-write heads and the second group of read-write heads in the second direction do not overlap, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The tape drive according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The tape drive further comprises: The control component includes: a selection switch, wherein the selection switch includes a first selection interface and a second selection interface; The first selection interface is connected to the first group of read-write heads, and the second selection interface is connected to the second group of read-write heads; The control component regards the electrical signal transmitted by the first selection interface or the second selection interface as a valid electrical signal.

5. The tape drive according to claim 4, characterized in that The control component also includes: A preamplifier circuit is connected to the third interface of the selection switch and amplifies the effective electrical signal to obtain an electrical signal to be processed; an analog-to-digital conversion circuit, connected to the preamplifier circuit, and converting the electrical signal to be processed to obtain a digital signal; A signal processing circuit, connected to the analog-to-digital conversion circuit, and receiving the digital signal; The signal processing circuit is further used to generate a control signal and send the control signal to the driving circuit; The driving circuit is connected to the signal processing circuit and switches the selection interface included in the control component according to the control signal.

6. A tape drive device, characterized in that: include: magnetic tape, used to store data; The magnetic tape drive according to any one of claims 1 to 5, used for accessing data in a magnetic tape.

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

8. The tape drive device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The magnetic tape comprises: a plurality of data tapes arranged side by side along the length direction of the magnetic tape; the plurality of data tapes comprises: a first data tape and a second data tape; The projection of the first set of read / write heads on the first data band is located within the area of ​​the first data band; The projection of the second group of read-write heads on the second data band is located within the area of ​​the second data band.

9. The tape drive device according to claim 8, characterized in that: There are m data bands included in the plurality of data bands between the first data band and the second data band, where m is a positive integer.

10. The tape drive device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The width of the magnetic tape is 12 mm-15.7 mm, and the height of the magnetic head body is 15.7 mm-21 mm.

11. The tape drive device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that: The thickness of the tape drive device is 20.7mm-26mm.

12. A storage system, characterized in that: include: One or more tape drive devices according to any one of claims 6 to 11, for storing data; The controller is used to manage the tape drive device, receive a data access request from a host, access the tape drive device according to the data access request, and return an access result to the host.

Images