Tape drive with head-gimbal assembly and contact plate
The present disclosure generally relates to a tape embedded drive having a head-gimbal assembly (HGA) and a contact plate. By using a support structure or contact plate beneath the tape, read and write heads can be designed to be narrower than the tape. The support structure or contact plate can stretch or relax the tape so that the spacing between servo tracks on the tape corresponds to the servo to servo spacing on the head. HGAs, which are narrower than the tape, can fly over the tape and read data from and write data to the tape. The HGA can have a single head or multiple heads. Additionally, multiple independent head assemblies can also be used for reading from and writing to the same tape.
1. A storage device, comprising:
a tape reel for tape media for storing data;
a head assembly for reading data from and writing data to the tape media; and
a contact plate structure movable from a first position spaced from the tape media to a second position in contact with the tape media, wherein the tape media is movable from a third position that is spaced a first distance from the head assembly and a fourth position that is spaced a second distance from the head assembly, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.
2. The storage device of claim 1 , further comprising a first actuator coupled to the contact plate structure.
3. The storage device of claim 2 , wherein the first actuator is a piezoelectric actuator.
4. The storage device of claim 2 , further comprising a second actuator coupled to the contact plate structure.
5. The storage device of claim 4 , wherein the second actuator is a piezoelectric actuator.
6. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the contact plate structure comprises a contact plate having a leading edge taper and a trailing edge taper.
7. The storage device of claim 6 , wherein the contact plate structure has a width that is wider than the tape media.
8. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the contact plate structure comprises a tape guide.
9. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the contact plate structure has a curved surface for contacting the tape media.
10. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the storage device includes an enclosure and wherein the tape reel, the head assembly, and the contact plate structure are all disposed within the enclosure.
11. A storage device, comprising:
a first tape reel for tape media for storing data;
means to read data from and write data to the tape media, wherein the means to read data from and write data to the tape media is movable from a first position spaced a first distance from the tape media to a second position spaced a second distance from the tape media, wherein the means to read data from and write data to the tape media reads data from and writes data to the tape media at the second position; and
means to move the tape media closer to and farther from the means to read data from and write data to the tape media.
12. The storage device of claim 11 , wherein the means to move the tape media contacts the tape media.
13. The storage device of claim 11 , further comprising means to stretch the tape media.
14. The storage device of claim 11 , further comprising an enclosure and wherein the means to read data from and write data to the tape media and the means to move the tape media are disposed within the enclosure.
15. The storage device of claim 11 , further comprising means to correct track spacing on the tape media.
16. A storage device, comprising:
a tape reel for tape media for storing data;
a head assembly for reading data from and writing data to the tape media;
a contact plate structure movable from a first position spaced from the tape media to a second position in contact with the tape media, wherein the tape media is movable from a third position that is spaced a first distance from the head assembly and a fourth position that is spaced a second distance from the head assembly, and wherein the contact plate structure comprises a tape guide; and
a first actuator coupled to the contact plate structure.
17. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the first actuator is a piezoelectric actuator.
18. The storage device of claim 16 , further comprising a second actuator coupled to the contact plate structure, wherein the second actuator is a piezoelectric actuator.
19. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the contact plate structure comprises a contact plate having a leading edge taper and a trailing edge taper, and wherein the contact plate structure has a width that is wider than the tape media.
20. The storage device of claim 16 , wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.