Magnetic Head Planar Outrigger Tape Wrap Angle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional magnetic tape heads face issues with maintaining optimal tape wrap angles, leading to tape lifting, edge loss, and increased stress due to variations in wrap angles caused by external rollers, which are costly and require extra headroom, and mechanical alignment challenges.
Innovation Solution
A magnetic head design incorporating a planar outrigger with a tape bearing surface offset from the main surface, creating a controlled wrap angle and allowing for mechanical positioning independent of external guides, thereby stabilizing the tape wrap angles within the head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If external rollers are used to adjust tape wrap angles, then tape wrap angle control is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wrap angle control function from external rollers and integrates it into the head assembly itself through outriggers. The outriggers are fixed structural elements that mechanically define the wrap angle, eliminating the need for external adjustable rollers while maintaining precise wrap angle control.
Solution Approach 2:
The head assembly performs its own wrap angle control function through the outrigger structure. The outriggers are self-contained mechanical features that automatically establish the correct wrap angle geometry without requiring external adjustment mechanisms or additional components.
2Manufacturing precision
If external rollers are used for wrap angle adjustment, then wrap angle precision is improved, but headroom requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wrap angle control function with the head assembly by integrating outriggers directly into the structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate external roller mechanisms, thereby reducing the overall headroom requirement while maintaining precise wrap angle control.
3Reliability
If wrap angle is increased to prevent tape lifting, then tape contact stability is improved, but edge loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different functional characteristics to different parts of the tape contact system. The outriggers provide localized mechanical support and define specific wrap angle geometry at critical locations, allowing optimized tape contact stability without uniformly increasing wrap angles that would cause edge loss.
4Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable rollers are used for wrap angle control, then wrap angle adaptability is improved, but mechanical alignment difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates wrap angle control geometry directly into the head assembly manufacturing process. The outriggers are pre-formed structural elements with built-in wrap angle geometry, eliminating the need for post-assembly mechanical alignment of external rollers and simplifying the manufacturing process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables a wider tolerance range for tape wrap angles without sacrificing drive performance, reducing wear and edge loss, and allowing for purely mechanical positioning, eliminating the need for adjustable rollers.
Implementation Method 1
The second tape bearing surface is positioned below the plane of the first tape bearing surface and the trailing edge of the second tape bearing surface is positioned at a prescribed distance from the leading edge of the first tape bearing surface, thereby creating the proper wrap angle of the tape relative to the first tape bearing surface
Implementation Method 2
A plurality of elements (readers and/or writers) are coupled to the substrate and positioned towards the first tape bearing surface
Data Source
AI summary
A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes a substrate having a tape bearing surface; a plurality of elements coupled to the substrate and positioned towards the first tape bearing surface, the elements being selected from a group consisting of readers, writers, and combinations thereof; and an outrigger held in a fixed position relative to the substrate, the outrigger having a tape bearing surface; wherein the outrigger tape bearing surface and the substrate tape bearing surface lie along planes, the planes being offset from one another.