Patent ID: 7092187
Filing Date: 2006-08-15
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. The magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus of a helical scan system capable of writing or reading signals simultaneously to or from a plurality of tracks while winding a magnetic tape to a rotary drum diagonally, said apparatus comprising: at least one multitrack write head having N (N being an integer of 2 or more) write elements arranged on the rotary drum along a track width direction in an integral fashion; and at least one multitrack read head having read elements arranged along the track width direction in an integral fashion formed on the rotary drum, the number of the read elements being an integral multiple of N; wherein the multitrack write head writes signals to a group of N signal tracks aligned parallel on the magnetic tape during one rotation of the rotary drum; wherein the multitrack read head reads the group of N signal tracks by the use of any one of the read elements; wherein the multitrack write head is a multitrack thin film magnetic head comprising plural magnetic write elements formed on a substrate, wherein an n-th (n being a natural number) thin film magnetic write element and an (n+1)-th thin film magnetic write element are formed on the substrate with a predetermined shift in a track width direction being provided therebetween, and the magnetic write elements have a structure so that a protection film extending along a direction of film deposition is formed therebetween; wherein the magnetic multitrack read head comprises plural magnetic read elements formed on a substrate, wherein the magnetic read elements are magnetoresistive effect elements and an n-th (n being a natural number) thin film magnetic read element and an (n+1)-th thin film magnetic read element are formed on the substrate with a predetermined distance extending in a track width direction being provided therebetween; and wherein the multitrack write head forms signal tracks of M (M being an integer of 2 or more) groups each consisting of N (N being an integer of 2 or more) signal tracks aligned parallel on the magnetic tape during one rotation of the rotary drum, wherein the parallel N signal tracks of one of M groups have an identical azimuth angle, and azimuth angles of the adjacent groups each consisting of the N signal tracks are different from each other.