Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to tape drives used for magnetic recording on tapes, and more specifically to tape heads including servo and data head structures. A tape head includes a plurality of servo head structures and one or more piezoelectric devices. The one or more piezoelectric devices are utilized to control the spacing and dimensions between the plurality of servo head and data head structures. The one or more piezoelectric devices further allow the tape head to receive active feedback from the tape drive, allowing the one or more piezoelectric devices to correct any errors during operation.

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive. The tape drive comprises a first tape head and a second tape head linearly aligned with one another, where the first tape head and the second tape head are configured to concurrently operate. The first tape head and the second tape head each comprise a plurality of write transducers, a plurality of read transducers, and a plurality of servo transducers. The tape drive further comprises a first actuator coupled to the first tape head and a second actuator coupled to the second tape head. The first and second actuators are configured to independently tilt and move the first and second tape heads, respectively. Tilting and moving the first and second tape heads individually enables the tape drive to compensate for non-linear tape dimensional stability effects.

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive comprising a tape head and control circuitry. The tape head comprises a plurality of data elements, each data element including a write transducer and a read transducer. The control circuitry is configured to control the tape head to write at least three different frequency preamble tones prior to writing data to data tracks of a tape. A different preamble tone is written to adjacent data tracks of the tape. The data elements of the tape head are each configured to read one or more preamble tones prior to writing data to or reading data from the tape. The control circuitry is then configured to extract a signal content from each preamble tone read by each data element, and determine an optimized positioning for the tape head with respect to the tape to reduce alignment errors.

Digital optical tape archival storage systems and methods are disclosed. A digital optical tape recorder simultaneously writes data and two or more guide tracks onto an unformatted digital optical tape recording medium. A digital optical tape reader includes a camera and an image processor. The camera captures a two-dimensional image of the digital optical tape recording medium including the data and the two or more guide tracks. The image processor extracts the data from the two-dimensional image based, at least in part, on the guide tracks.

A device for recording and/or reading data to and/or from a magnetic tape includes a read/write head which has a first device set including a first plurality of magnetic data write and/or read elements and a second device set including a second plurality of magnetic data write and/or read elements. The device also includes a lateral positioning actuator and an azimuth actuator. The lateral positioning actuator and azimuth actuator are used together to position both device sets on the magnetic tape. The lateral positioning actuator laterally positions the read/write head such that during write and/or read operations the first and second pluralities of magnetic data write and/or read elements align laterally to first and second pluralities of recordable and/or readable data tracks on the magnetic tape. The azimuth actuator rotates the read/write head about an azimuthal angle. such that the elements align to lateral spacings.

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive. The tape drive comprises a first tape head and a second tape head linearly aligned with one another, where the first tape head and the second tape head are configured to concurrently operate. The first tape head and the second tape head each comprise a plurality of write transducers, a plurality of read transducers, and a plurality of servo transducers. The tape drive further comprises a first actuator coupled to the first tape head and a second actuator coupled to the second tape head. The first and second actuators are configured to independently tilt and move the first and second tape heads, respectively. Tilting and moving the first and second tape heads individually enables the tape drive to compensate for non-linear tape dimensional stability effects.

A servo writer includes a running unit that sends a tape-like magnetic recording medium out from a cartridge, winds up the sent out magnetic recording medium, and runs the magnetic recording medium; an erasing unit that erases a first servo pattern formed in the magnetic recording medium that runs; a head that writes a servo signal in the running magnetic recording medium from which the first servo pattern is erased and forms a second servo pattern; and a control unit that controls the head so that the servo signal is written in at least one period of an accelerated running period and a decelerated running period of the magnetic recording medium, and forms the second servo pattern that does not satisfy a standard in the magnetic recording medium.

A magnetic tape cartridge includes a magnetic tape, and a storage medium in which information on the magnetic tape is stored. The magnetic tape has a recording surface. Data is recorded in the recording surface by a magnetic head in a state in which the magnetic tape is made to travel. The magnetic head is disposed at an inclined posture with respect to a width direction of the magnetic tape along the recording surface. Angle adjustment information obtained at a data recording timing which is a timing at which the data is recorded in the recording surface is stored in the storage medium. The angle adjustment information is information for adjusting an angle at which the magnetic head is inclined with respect to the width direction along the recording surface.

Digital optical tape archival storage systems and methods are disclosed. A digital optical tape recorder may simultaneously write data and two or more guide tracks onto a digital optical tape recording medium. A digital optical taper reader may include a camera comprising an array of detectors to capture a two-dimensional image of the digital optical tape recording medium, and an image processor to extract the data from the two-dimensional image. The camera may capture the two-dimensional image of the digital optical tape recording medium without aligning individual data bits recorded on the digital optical tape recording medium to individual detectors within the camera.

In one general embodiment, a magnetic recording tape includes a plurality of servo tracks, each servo track comprising a series of magnetically defined bars, wherein an average stripe width of the bars is between about 1.0 micron and about 2.2 microns, where an average servo frame length of groups of the bars comprising a servo frame is between about 120 microns and about 180 microns. In another general embodiment, a system includes a head having at least one servo reader and an array of data transducers of a type selected from a group consisting of readers and writers; and a controller operative to selectively enable every other transducer of a particular type in the array in a first mode of operation, and operative to selectively enable every transducer of the particular type in the array in a second mode of operation.