Method and device for reading and writing magnetically encoded data on linear tracks

A method of positioning a servo head on a servo stripe of a medium, said medium having a memory storage area arranged in relation to an X-axis and a Y-axis, said Y-axis being perpendicular to said X-axis, said servo stripe comprising a plurality of substantially linear servo tracks, each of said plurality of substantially linear servo tracks being parallel to said X-axis, said method comprising the steps of

• moving said servo head along said X-axis to read servo information on one of said servo tracks, said servo information representative of an actual position of the servo head along said Y-axis,
• generating a first signal representative of the actual position of the servo head along said Y-axis,
• generating a second signal representative of
• a desired position of the servo head along said Y-axis, and
• generating an output signal based on said first and second signals, wherein said output signal moves the servo head from the actual position along the Y-axis to the desired position along the Y-axis.

A method of controlling the velocity of a servo head, said servo head linearly moving over a servo track of a medium, said medium having a memory storage area arranged in relation to an X-axis, said servo track being parallel to said X-axis, said method comprising the steps of

• generating a first signal representative of an actual velocity of the servo head along said X-axis,
• generating a second signal representative of a position of the servo head along said X-axis,
• providing said second signal to a velocity profile generator,
• generating a third signal within said velocity profile generator, wherein said third signal is representative of a desired velocity of said servo head along said X-axis, said desired velocity corresponding to the actual position of said servo head along said X-axis, and
• using the difference between the first and third signals to control the velocity of the servo head along said X-axis.

A method for storing and accessing information on a plurality of substantially linear data tracks of a magnetic medium, said magnetic medium having a memory storage area arranged in relation to an X-axis and a Y-axis, wherein each of said plurality of data tracks is parallel to said X-axis, said method comprising the steps of

• positioning a read/write head adjacent to a first data track of said magnetic medium,
• reciprocating said read/write head in a substantially linear manner along said X-axis, thereby moving said read/write head along said first data track,
• causing said read/write head to store and access information on said first data track as said read/write head moves along said first data track,
• moving said read/write head along said Y-axis, whereby said read/write head is positioned adjacent to a second data track of said magnetic medium,
• reciprocating said read/write head in a substantially linear manner along said X-axis, thereby moving said read/write head along said second data track, and
• causing said read/write head to store and access information on said second data track as said read/write head moves along said second data track.