Abstract
Lateral tape motion (LTM) in tape storage systems is the main contributor to the position error signal (PES) and thereby the limiting factor to track density on a magnetic tape. The characteristics of LTM disturbances and their effect on track-follow performance are identified. The power spectral density of LTM contains many periodic components at the socalled "once around" roller-frequencies and their harmonics. Another contributor to LTM is originated by the stack shift effects. Stack shifts are low frequency disturbances that degrade the track-follow performance, especially in tape paths with flangeless rollers. Control design concepts are evaluated that improve the track-follow performance of tape storage systems. © 2010 IFAC.