Patent Filed for Usage of State Information from State-Space Based Track-Follow Controller

Strategic Insights -

A team of researchers at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has developed a patent for a method and system to use state information from state-space based track-follow controllers in magnetic data storage systems. The patent was filed on June 17, 2014, and published online on October 13, 2015. According to the inventors, the present invention relates to data storage systems and utilizes the state information of a track-follow controller for various purposes. The researchers aim to improve the density of data stored on a medium, particularly in tape storage systems.

Key Takeaways:

  • The patent focuses on using state information from state-space based track-follow controllers to determine parameters such as lateral tape movement, tape skew, vibration operation conditions, and roller performance.
  • The system includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor to generate track following controller state information based on a positional signal of a head relative to a medium.
  • The logic is configured to use one or more portions of the state information corresponding to particular frequencies to determine the aforementioned parameters.
  • The patent describes a method, a system, and a computer program product to implement this invention, which can be applied in magnetic data storage systems, such as tape drive systems.
  • The researchers emphasize the importance of minimizing the spacing between the magnetic head and the magnetic tape to achieve sharp transitions and effective coupling of the magnetic field from the tape to the read elements.

Statistics:

  • The patent was filed on June 17, 2014, and published online on October 13, 2015.
  • The patent number is 9159347, assigned to International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY).
  • The patent has a computer program product that includes a computer-readable storage medium with program instructions to cause the device to perform the described method.
  • The invention may be particularly useful in increasing the track and linear bit density on recording tape and reducing the thickness of the magnetic tape medium.

Sources:

  • Bui, Nhan X.; Pantazi, Angeliki; Taketomi, Tomoko. Usage of State Information from State-Space Based Track-Follow Controller. U.S. Patent Number 9159347, filed June 17, 2014, and published online on October 13, 2015. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=9159347.PN.&OS=PN/9159347RS=PN/9159347
  • VerticalNews, "Patent Filed for Usage of State Information from State-Space Based Track-Follow Controller" (October 27, 2015)