Magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus having a magnetic head with a linearly movable arm provided with a plurality of recording/reproducing elements

• US 5,729,408 A
• Filed: 01/03/1996
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kikitsu, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): HEINZ, ALLEN J
• Application Number:
  US08/582,392
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 360/104, 360/106
• US Class Current: 360/294.7
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1833 by adding special lists or symbols to the coded information G11B20/1806, G11B20/1866 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4886 relative to rotating disc
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4969 Details for track selection or addressing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4976 Disposition of heads, e.g. matrix arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5521 across disk tracks spiral track following G11B5/596
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5526 Control therefor; circuits, track configurations or relative disposition of servo-information transducers and servo-information tracks for control thereof G11B5/556 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/58 with provision for moving the head for the purpose of maintaining alignment of the head relative to the record carrier during transducing operation, e.g. to compensate for surface irregularities of the latter or for track following spacing means incorporated in the head structure G11B5/187, G11B5/255, G11B5/3106

Abstract

A magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus comprises a magnetic recording medium provided with tracks for recording/reproducing information, an arm situated above the magnetic recording medium in a direction crossing the tracks, an arm driver for moving the arm in a longitudinal direction of the arm, and a plurality of recording/reproducing elements for recording/reproducing information on the tracks, the recording/reproducing elements being arranged on the arm along the longitudinal direction of the arm at an interval less than a maximum movement amount of the arm moved by the arm driver. At least one of the recording/reproducing elements records/reproduces parity information on the other elements.

Claims

1. A magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

a disk-like magnetic recording medium provided with tracks for recording/reproducing information;

an arm associated with the disk-like magnetic recording medium along a radial direction of the disk-like magnetic recording medium so as to cross said tracks;

an arm driver for linearly driving the arm in a longitudinal direction of the arm;

a plurality of recording/reproducing elements for recording/reproducing information on said tracks, said recording/reproducing elements being arranged on the arm along the longitudinal direction of the arm at an interval less than a maximum movement amount of the arm moved by the arm driver; and

an arm support member, provided outside of the disk-like magnetic recording medium, for supporting a proximal end portion of said arm such that a distance between a distal end portion of the arm and the disk-like magnetic recording medium is less than a distance between the proximal end portion of the arm and the disk-like magnetic recording medium.

2. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said arm driver is coupled to said arm and includes a piezoelectric element for moving the arm in the longitudinal direction of the arm.

3. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic recording medium includes a first track on which position signal generation information for generating a position signal representing a relative position of the track on the magnetic recording medium with respect to the recording/reproducing element is recorded, and a second track on which information different from the position signal generation information is recorded.

4. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording/reproducing elements are supported on the arm with elastic bodies interposed.

5. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said arm has such characteristics that an elastic constant of the arm varies in the longitudinal direction of the arm.

6. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an element selector, situated on said arm, for selecting one of said recording/reproducing element so as to record/reproduce information.

7. A magnetic re-cording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

a magnetic recording medium provided with tracks for recording/reproducing information;

an arm associated with the magnetic recording medium so as to cross said tracks;

an arm driver for lineally driving the arm in a longitudinal direction of the arm; and

a plurality of recording/reproducing elements for recording/reproducing information on said tracks, said recording/reproducing elements being arranged on the arm along the longitudinal direction of the arm;

wherein a proximal end portion of the arm is supported such that a distance between a distal end portion of the arm and the magnetic recording medium is less than a distance between the proximal end portion of the arm and the magnetic recording medium, so as to allow a uniform pushing force for pressing each recording/reproducing element of the plurality of recording/reproducing elements onto the magnetic recording medium at a time of the recording/reproducing of the information.

8. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said arm driver is coupled to said arm and includes a piezoelectric element for moving the arm in the longitudinal direction of the arm.

9. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an arm support member, provided at outside of the magnetic recording medium, for supporting a proximal end portion of said arm such that a distance between a distal end portion of the arm and the magnetic recording medium is less than a distance between the proximal end portion of the arm and the magnetic recording medium.

10. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to 7, wherein said recording/reproducing elements are supported on the arm with interposed elastic bodies.

11. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said arm has such characteristics that an elastic constant of the arm varies in the longitudinal direction of the arm.

12. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an element selector, situated on said arm, for selecting one of said plurality of recording/reproducing elements so as to record/reproduce information on said selected one of said plurality of recording/reproducing elements.

13. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to 7, wherein said magnetic recording medium includes a first track on which position signal generation information for generating a position signal representing a relative position of the track on the magnetic recording medium with respect to a recording/reproducing element of said plurality of recording/reproducing elements which is recording, and a second track on which information different from the position signal generation information is recorded.