Beveled Tape Head Profile Minimizing Corner Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tape head designs for magnetic storage devices either cause tape damage due to sharp corners or fail to provide adequate support, leading to kinking or tearing, especially when the head is narrower than the tape.
Innovation Solution
A tape head assembly with beveled wings and a flat-lapped surface, where the outer corners of the beveled wings are recessed from the top surface, creating a smooth profile that minimizes contact pressure and supports the tape without damaging it, allowing for minimal spacing between the head and the tape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the head is made narrower than the tape to minimize spacing, then spacing between head and tape is reduced, but sharp corners cause tape damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing sharp corners with rounded corners and beveled edges on the head structure. The corners are rounded with a radius of curvature of 1-10 micrometers, and the edges are beveled at angles of 5-45 degrees, creating a smooth curved profile that eliminates sharp transitions and prevents tape damage while maintaining compact head dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating different surface characteristics at different locations on the head. The functional central portion maintains a flat surface for optimal read/write contact, while the non-functional corner regions are selectively rounded and beveled to eliminate sharp edges, allowing each region to have the specific geometry needed for its function
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the head ends are angled away at significant angles to prevent contact, then corner contact is avoided, but tape support is lost causing kinking or tearing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses curvature to create a gradual transition at the head edges through rounding corners and beveling, which provides continuous tape support without creating sharp angles that would cause kinking or tearing, while still preventing harmful corner contact
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes geometric parameters by controlling the radius of curvature (1-10 micrometers) and bevel angles (5-45 degrees) to optimize the balance between preventing corner contact and maintaining adequate tape support throughout the transition region
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is generally related to a tape head assembly narrower than the width of a tape, wherein the tape head assembly comprises one or more heads, wherein each of the one or more heads comprise a curved surface comprising a first beveled wing, a second beveled wing, and a flat-lapped surface disposed between the first beveled wing and the second beveled wing. The first beveled wing and the second beveled wing each comprise outer corners recessed from a top surface of the flat-lapped surface such that there is no interaction between the outer corners of the beveled wings and the tape.