Lateral Tape Motion and Control Systems Design in Tape Storage

摘要

In tape storage systems, lateral tape motion (LTM) of the flexible moving medium is the main limiting factor for increasing the track density on a magnetic tape. A track-follow control system is used to reduce the misalignment between the medium and the recording head by compensating for the lateral tape vibrations and thereby determine the achievable positioning accuracies. In this chapter, improvements in the track-following capabilities of tape storage systems are discussed. Specifically, the characteristics of LTM, the main disturbance in the tape track-follow system, are described. Also evaluated are control system concepts that improve the track-follow performance either by reducing the LTM or by enhancing the track-follow control system.