Oracle International Corporation

Oracle America, Inc.

Storage Technology Corporation

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Darryl Yeakley

Frank A Goodknight

Steven Suttle

William Joseph Vanderheyden

Steven Gregory Trabert

Matthew K Tucker

Steve Suttle

A linear actuator includes dual bucking magnets, dual pole pieces, and dual spacers. The linear actuator includes a coil-and-housing assembly disposed around a magnet assembly. The magnet assembly includes two bucking magnets sandwiched around a central magnet. The central magnet and the bucking magnets may be separated by spacers. A housing is disposed around the magnet assembly. Between the housing and the magnet assembly, a dual coil is wound in two opposing directions to generate additive forces on the magnet assembly.

Dual pole dual bucking magnet linear actuator

A magnetic recording head positioning assembly includes a coarse travel carriage secured to and spaced away from each of a front end assembly and head assembly via sandwiched fine guiding flexures and isolation flexures. The fine guiding flexures permit relative movement between the coarse travel carriage and head assembly. The isolation flexures permit relative movement between the coarse travel carriage and front end assembly. The fine guiding and isolation flexures thus isolate the coarse travel carriage from the front end assembly and head assembly. The assembly further includes dampers sandwiched between the coarse travel carriage and isolation flexures to limit movement of the isolation flexures.

Record head actuator sandwiched damper plus travel limiter

A linear actuator for linearly positioning a recording head in a data storage mechanism. The disclosed linear actuator includes an electrically conductive coil having first and second parts that are both wound in the same rotary direction about an axis, and a magnet spaced from the electrically conductive coil by an air gap. Transmission of an electric current through the first part of the electrically conductive coil in a first current flow direction about the axis and through the second part of the electrically conductive coil in an opposite second current flow direction about the axis induces linear movement of one of the electrically conductive coil and magnet relative to the other of the electrically conductive coil and magnet.

Linear actuator with coil winding portions having opposing current flow directions

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.

Azimuth actuated dual device set positioning

A rotary actuator for positioning a recording head in a data storage mechanism and that includes first and second cylindrical subassemblies separated by an air gap. One of the subassemblies includes a magnetically conductive core with an electrically conductive coil wrapped thereover to enable first and second current flow directions in the circuit. The other of the subassemblies includes a magnetically conductive core and at least one magnet secured thereto. Transmission of an electric current through the electrically conductive coil induces rotation of one of the subassemblies relative to the other of the subassemblies to rotate the recording head about an axis that is perpendicular to recording media on the recording head. The disclosed rotary actuator facilitates quick and accurate recording head position changes due to low inertia of the rotating subassembly as well as reduced inductance and symmetrical mass distribution of the actuator.

Rotary actuator with coil winding portions having opposing current flow directions

A recording head assembly that includes two side-by-side and separately actuated heads. To increase tape capacity while controlling tape mis-registration, write elements are provided in two subsets with a first subset provided on a first of the two heads and a second subset provided on the second of the two heads. The two subsets are offset a distance along the direction of travel for a tape (or horizontal offset) while the two subsets of write elements are also offset along the longitudinal axes of the heads (or bumps on the heads) such that a first subset acts as the upper half of the write element set and a second subset acts as the lower half of the write element set. The subsets of write elements simultaneously writes data, and a similar arrangement can be provided for two subsets of read elements that are aligned with the write elements.

Tape drive with head assembly having dual offset devices

A dual pole linear actuator includes a dual pole magnet assembly that is moved by providing a bi-directional analog DC control signal to a dual wound coil. The dual pole magnet assembly includes a permanent magnet that is flanked by top and bottom pole pieces. The dual wound coil is assembled to an actuator housing with a top part of the coil being wound in one rotary direction, while the bottom part of the coil is wound in the opposite rotary direction.

Dual pole magnet linear actuator

A transducer positioning apparatus is provided that supports a read/write head on a data storage machine and biases the head against rotation. The transducer positioning apparatus may comprise a base that includes a linear drive motor and a support frame to which the read/write head is secured. The support frame is reciprocally driven by the linear drive motor relative to the base. A magnetic coupling is provided between the base and the support frame that resists movement of the frame other than the reciprocal movement of the support frame relative to the base. A method is also disclosed for magnetically biasing a movable head of a transducer against rotation.

Method retaining a moveable head assembly with an anti-rotation guide for a transducer

Transducer positioning apparatus with magnetically preloaded linear guide

A method of retaining a transducer for a digital storage apparatus that reads and writes data to a tape as the tape is moved in a tape drive path across the transducer. According to the method a head assembly is attached to the base to be movable relative to the base in a linear path that is perpendicular to the tape drive path. Movement of the head assembly is guided on a track that is partially defined by the head and partially defined by the base. At least two balls are disposed in the track between the base and the head assembly. A magnetic coupling retains the balls within the track. A linear motor operatively engages the head assembly to move the head assembly to follow the tape.

Method of retaining a transducer on a base

A transducer for a digital storage apparatus that reads and writes data to a tape as the tape is moved in a tape drive path across the transducer. The transducer comprises a base and a head assembly that is attached to the base and movable relative to the base in a linear path that is perpendicular to the tape drive path. A guide assembly guides the movement of the head assembly that has a track that is partially defined by the head and partially defined by the base. The guide assembly includes at least two balls that are disposed in the track between the base and the head assembly. A magnetic coupling retains the balls within the track. A linear motor operatively engages the head assembly to move the head assembly to follow the tape.

Growing community of inventors

Erie, CO, United States of America

Darryl Yeakley