A transversely scanning magnetic tape recorder having a concave tape guide member which shapes and aligns the tape at a location by the rotating magnetic heads and between two cylindrical tape guides. The magnetic tape is deformed in cross-section from straight to curved and then back from curved to straight. To prevent kinks and folds in the magnetic tape as a result of this deformation, tape curving means exert pressure on the magnetic tape to increase the local degree of curvature of the magnetic tape. As a result, differences in local membrane stress in the tape cross-section at the location of the rotary magnetic head paths are reduced.

A magnetic-tape guide arrangement for a transverse scan tape recorder in which the magnetic tape is pressed in cupped form against two cylindrical drums at either side of a head disc which is rotatable about an axis parallel to the direction of transport of the magnetic tape, a pressure member having concave guide portions pressing the tape transversely toward the axis at locations to each side of the head disc between the disc and a respective drum. The supporting portions of the pressure member press against the drums and are located at an axial distance from each other which is at least as great as the distance which is covered by the magnetic tape during its movement from the one drum to the other drum.

The rotary head scanner of a helical scan magnetic tape recording/reproducing apparatus includes a carrier which supports the fixed drum or drums of the scanner by means of full radius contact between the drum and the carrier. A rotary head scanner includes upper and lower stationary drums and a head wheel rotably mounted in a slot between the stationary drums. The head wheel includes one or more magnetic heads mounted on the periphery of the head wheel. The rotating heads record on and reproduce from slant tracks on magnetic tape guided around the scanner in a helical path. The upper and lower drums are supported by a carrier which effects full radius contact over a large circumferential arc. Such contact effects rigid mounting of the drums without distortion, thus, minimizing distortion in magnetic tape as it is guided around the rotary head scanner.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for engaging a magnetic tape with a transducer at a read/write zone for achieving consistent head-to-tape coupling throughout the intended recording location, especially at the edges of the tape. The transducer, located on the end face of the rotating transducer carrier, reads and writes arcuate information tracks generally laterally across the tape. The transducer traces a substantially circular transducing path through the read/write zone with the axis of rotation corresponding substantially to the center of the transducing path. A tape support system generally adjacent to the read/write zone positions the tape so that the transducer penetrates into a tape surface along a read/write location.

A sloping tape guide is provided for an arcuately scanning tape drive so that tension per unit width of a magnetic tape is equalized in the head/tape contact zone on a front face of a head assembly of the arcuate scanner. The tape wraps over the circular edge of the magnetic head assembly. As a consequence, the tension per unit width is higher at the center of the tape that at the edges. The low tension at the edges of the tape results in poor head to tape contact in these regions and consequently unacceptable signal performance. This invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a means to equalize tension per unit width across the tape. The sloping tape guide has a front sloping flat surface which is bounded by top and bottom edges and first and second side edges, the first side edge being closer to the lat surface slopes rearwardly from its first edge to its second edge away from the periphery of the head assembly. The second edge is concave so that top and bottom edge portions of the sloping surface have a longer path length than a center portion of the sloping surface. By wrapping the tape around the second edge, the top and bottom edge portions of the magnetic tape traverse a longer tape path length than the middle portion of the magnetic tape thereby increasing tension per unit width at the edge portions of the tape as the tape makes transducing contact with the magnetic heads scanning across the width of the tape. Deadband portions at top and bottom edges of the tape are thereby eliminated to increase the efficiency of the arcuate scanner.