Magnetic tape system including a rotatable head support for rotating the magnetic head of the system through substantially 180.degree.

• US 5,161,078 A
• Filed: 06/06/1990
• Issued: 11/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Veigl, Johann
• Primary Examiner(s): HEINZ, ALLEN J
• Application Number:
  US07/534,212
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 360/106
• US Class Current: 360/261
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5513 Specially adapted for transducing in both travelling directions of tape

Abstract

A magnetic tape apparatus (1) with a reversible magnetic head (28) has a rotatable head support (36), which can be turned between two operating positions and is rotatably mounted with play in a bearing opening (46) of a bearing device (45). The bearing device (45) is provided in the region of the bearing opening (46) with clearances (58, 59, 60, 61, 62) for the head support (36) and, in both its operating positions, the head support (36) is pressed exclusively against two predetermined bearing locations (96, 97 and 96, 98, respectively) in the bearing opening (46), these bearing locations (96, 97, 98) being of a punctiform design, seen in cross-section of the bearing opening (46).

Claims

1. In a magnetic tape system including a magnetic tape with two track regions, a magnetic head which can be turned through substantially 180°

between two scanning positions, each position being assigned to a respective one of said two track regions for scanning each associated track region, said magnetic tape being movable in two tape running directions with respect to said magnetic head to enable said scanning, a rotatable head support supporting the magnetic head, said system including a bearing device with a bearing opening, said head support being loosely mounted in said bearing device, an adjusting device for said head support which can rotate said head support between two operating positions whereby said magnetic head is turned between its two scanning positions, said system also including positioning devices for positioning said head support in its two operating positions, a load exerting device for exerting a pressing force to a bearing surface of said head support in both operating positions of the head support, said load exerting device also pressing said positioning devices together, said bearing device including clearances in the bearing opening for said head support, said bearing surface of said head support being pressed against respective bearing locations in the bearing opening for each of the operating positions of the head support, said bearing locations and said bearing surface making point-like contact when pressed against each other, said bearing opening being formed with straight bounding walls, and said predetermined bearing locations being located on said straight bounding walls, wherein the improvement comprises;

that in each of the operating positions of the head support a frictional force exerted by the magnetic tape moving over the magnetic head adds to the pressing force exerted by the load exerting device on the head support in pressing it against a respective one of said bearing locations.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing opening has two bounding walls running perpendicularly to the two tape-running directions and one bounding wall running parallel to the two tape-running directions, on which three bounding walls the bearing locations are provided.