Modulation of buried servo on magnetic tape
AssigneeExabyte Corporation
InventorMark R. Ayres
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A buried servo signal on tape is modulated to provide information. According to the modulation, each of a plurality of sets of cycles has at least a selected cycle modulated to represent at least two modulation values. The modulation of the selected cycles of a group of sets of cycles provides a string of modulation values. The modulation values formed identifiers of longitudinal physical location on tape or other tape identifying information (e.g., number of frames per track and cartridge type code).
Claims74
A method of encoding buried servo information on at least one track of a magnetic tape, the method comprising:
- recording cycles of a buried servo signal on the magnetic tape;
- and
- modulating the buried servo signal essentially continuously longitudinally under a user data layer of the magnetic tape upon recording;
- wherein the step of modulating comprises modulating, for each of a plurality of sets of cycles of the buried servo signal, at least one selected cycle of the set whereby each set has one of at least two modulation values, the modulation of the selected cycles of a group of sets of cycles providing a string of modulation values which string provides information about the tape.
A method of encoding buried servo information on at least one track of a magnetic tape, the method comprising:
- recording cycles of a buried servo signal on the magnetic tape;
- and
- modulating the buried servo signal upon recording to provide an indication of longitudinal position on the tape relative to a predetermined longitudinal position;
- wherein the step of modulating comprises modulating, for each of a plurality of sets of cycles of the buried servo signal, at least one selected cycle of the set whereby each set has one of at least two modulation values, the modulation of the selected cycles of a group of sets of cycles providing a string of modulation values which string provides information about the tape.
A magnetic tape memory having cycles of buried servo signal on at least one track thereof, the buried servo signal being modulated essentially continuously longitudinally under a user data layer of the magnetic tape, wherein selected cycles of each of a plurality of sets of cycles of the buried servo signal are modulated whereby each set has one of at least two modulation values, the modulation of the selected cycles of a group of sets of cycles providing a string of modulation values which string provides information about the tape.
A magnetic tape memory having cycles of buried servo signal on at least one track thereof, the buried servo signal being modulated to provide an indication of longitudinal position on the tape relative to a predetermined longitudinal position;
- wherein selected cycles of each of a plurality of sets of cycles of the buried servo signal are modulated whereby each set has one of at least two modulation values, the modulation of the selected cycles of a group of sets of cycles providing a string of modulation values which string provides information about the tape.
A method of encoding buried servo information on at least one track of a magnetic tape, the method comprising:
- recording cycles of a buried servo signal on the magnetic tape;
- and
- modulating, for each of a plurality of sets of cycles of the buried servo signal, at least one selected cycle of the set whereby each set has one of at least two modulation values, the modulation of the selected cycles of a group of sets of cycles providing a string of modulation values which string provides information about the tape, the information about the tape includes at least one of the following:
- a code for type of cartridge which houses the tape;
- a number of frames per track.
A magnetic tape memory having cycles of buried servo signal on at least one track thereof, the buried servo signal being modulated to include information about the tape including at least one of the following:
- a code for a type of cartridge which houses the tape;
- a number of frames per track.
A magnetic tape recorder comprising:
- at least one transducing element which reads a buried servo signal recorded on magnetic tape;
- a servo recovery circuit which uses cycles of the buried servo signal to determine longitudinal position of the transducing element relative to a predetermined longitudinal position on the tape, selected cycles of each of a plurality of sets of cycles of the buried servo signal having been modulated whereby each set has one of at least two modulation values, the modulation of the selected cycles of a group of sets of cycles providing a string of modulation values which string provides information about the tape.
A magnetic tape memory having a servo signal on at least one track thereof, the servo signal being modulated to provide one of:
- (1) an identification type of a cartridge which houses the tape;
- and (2) a number of frames per track on the tape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.