Patent ID: 8023223
Filing Date: 2011-09-20
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A timing-based servo module in a linear tape drive, comprising: a first synchronous servo channel coupled to receive a first digital servo signal read from a data tape by a servo element, the first synchronous servo channel comprising: a second synchronous servo channel coupled to receive a second digital servo signal read from the data tape by the servo element, the second synchronous servo channel comprising: a weight computation module operable to: an offset computation module operable to provide a first offset term at a first output and a second offset term at a second output using first and second measures of reliability of the first and second synchronous channels and the first and second unweighted lateral position estimates from the first and second synchronous servo channels; a first summing node coupled to receive the first unweighted lateral position estimate at a first input and the first offset term at a second input; a second summing node coupled to receive the second unweighted lateral position estimate at a first input and the second offset term at a second input; a first multiplying node coupled to receive an output from the first summing node at a first input and the first weight signal at a second input and operable to output a first offset weighted lateral position estimate; a second multiplying node coupled to receive an output from the second summing node at a first input and the second weight signal at a second input and operable to output a second offset weighted lateral position estimate; and a third summing node coupled to receive the first and second offset weighted lateral position estimates and operable to output a combined offset weighted lateral position estimate to a track-following servomechanism.