Patent ID: 8982500
Filing Date: 2015-03-17
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A control device for controlling the transport of a tape within a tape transport system, the tape transport system having a head operable to read data from and/or write data to the tape, a supply reel and a take-up reel, wherein the tape is moveable from the supply reel to the take-up reel, the control device comprising: a determination unit having at least a first servo channel and a second servo channel to determine a first lateral position of the tape relative to the head from information of the first servo channel and a second lateral position of the tape relative to the head from information of the second servo channel, and to determine a lateral position difference between the first lateral position and the second lateral position; a computing unit configured to compute a number of unsupported wraps of the tape as a function of the lateral position difference, wherein the number of unsupported wraps corresponds to the number of layers of the tape around the take-up reel having air layers in-between, and to compute a spring constant of the tape as a function of the number of unsupported wraps, a radius of the take-up reel and a nominal tape path length; and a calibration unit configured to calibrate at least one unit of the tape transport system dependent on the spring constant.