Capstanless helical drive system

A helical scan recording system which records information on storage media, the system comprising:

• a supply reel;
• a supply reel motor;
• a take-up reel;
• a take-up reel motor;
• a media transport path extending from the supply reel to the take-up reel, the supply reel being coupled to the take-up reel only by media extending therebetween along the media transport path;
• a drum positioned along the media transport path and upon which a read head and a write head are mounted for recording and reading information in helical stripes oil the media;
• a plurality of media guides for contacting the media along the path;
• a tension arm positioned along the media path between the supply reel and a first media guide on the path to selectively decouple the supply reel from the path;
• wherein the take-up reel comprises:
• a rotor assembly comprising a sun gear which rotates at a first rotational speed imparted by the take-up reel motor;
• a rotating hub assembly comprising a planetary gear assembly which meshes with the sun gear and which rotates at a second rotational speed to impart a velocity to media transported in the media transport path;
• and
• a non-rotatable internal gear which meshes with the planetary gear assembly to provide an overall fixed gear ratio between the sun gear and the non-rotatable internal gear and whereby the second rotational speed is less than the first rotational speed, the overall gear ratio being on the order of about 8:1.

A helical scan drive which records information on magnetic tape, the drive comprising:

• a drive supply reel;
• a supply reel motor;
• a drive take-up reel;
• a take-up reel motor;
• a tape transport path extending from the drive supply reel to the drive take-up reel;
• a drum positioned along the tape media transport path and upon which a read head and a write head are mounted for recording and reading information in helical stripes on the tape;
• wherein the drive take-up reel comprises:
• a take-up reel shaft which is stationary;
• a rotor assembly comprising a sun gear which rotates about the take-up reel shaft at a first rotational speed imparted by the take-up reel motor;
• a rotating hub assembly which engages a tape reel, the rotating hub assembly comprising:
• a retaining plate, the retaining plate being rotatable about and concentrically mounted about the take-up reel shaft, the retaining plate having mounted thereto a planetary gear assembly which meshes with the sun gear whereby the rotating retaining plate rotates at a second rotational speed to impart a velocity to the tape transported in the tape transport path, the retaining plate further having a spindle;
• a hub ring concentrically mounted about the spindle of the retaining plate and secured to the take-up reel shaft;
• and
• a helical spring concentrically mounted about the spindle and having a first end in contact with retaining plate and a second end in contact with the hub ring;
• and
• a non-rotatable internal gear which meshes with the planetary gear assembly to provide an overall fixed gear ratio between the sun gear and the non-rotatable internal gear and whereby the second rotational speed is less than the first rotational speed.