Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masahiro Hatsuno

Sakae Fujimoto

A read/write head is fed to the location over a desired track by a usual access operation. Subsequently, the head undergoes an incremental movement from a base point where the head has been initially stopped, and in the course of such movement, a read operation is performed at each of any selected positions. An output level form each reading operation is stored in a memory in a patterned form. The stored pattern is then compared against a given reference which is chosen to serve as the criterion, and the head position throughout the incremental movement where the best output is read is detected. The read/write head is again moved to the detected position, followed by a normal read/write operation. Head feed means is provided on which the read/write head is mounted and which is adapted to permit a usual access operation. The head feed means is itself a substantially integral form and is constructed to be incrementally movable in a direction to traverse the track. An apparatus for correcting a track misalignment of a floppy disc includes a cam which is driven by an intermittent feed mechanism and which has a cam surface disposed in abutment against a member (on which the read/write head is mounted) defining the support for the head feed means. The intermittent feed mechanism is operated each time the plunger associated with a solenoid moves in the vertical direction, thereby rotating the cam to cause an incremental movement of the read/write head in accordance with the displacement of the cam surface.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Masahiro Hatsuno