阅读说明：本技术 盒存储器、记录介质盒及其制造方法 (Cartridge memory, recording medium cartridge and method of manufacturing the same ) 是由 中塩栄治 阿武和男 岩间孝信 栃久保伸哉 足立直大 山鹿実 阿部雅美 于 2019-02-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：[主题]根据本技术内容的实施方式的盒存储器是用于记录介质盒的盒存储器,其包括：存储器单元以及和容量设定单元。所述存储器单元具有能够存储与第二信息记录介质有关的管理信息的存储器容量,所述第二信息记录介质被构造为能够以大于第一数据轨道数量的第二数据轨道数量来记录信息。所述容量设定单元被构造为能够设定被限制为第一容量的数据存储区域,所述第一容量能够存储与被构造为能够以第一数据轨道数量记录信息的第一信息记录介质有关的管理信息。(The cartridge memory according to an embodiment of the present technology is a cartridge memory for a recording medium cartridge, including: a memory unit and a sum capacity setting unit. The memory unit has a memory capacity capable of storing management information relating to a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks. The capacity setting unit is configured to be able to set a data storage area limited to a first capacity capable of storing management information on a first information recording medium configured to be able to record information in a first number of data tracks.)

1. A cartridge memory which is a cartridge memory for a recording medium cartridge, the cartridge memory comprising:

a memory unit having a memory capacity capable of storing management information relating to a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks; and

a capacity setting unit configured to be able to set a data storage area to the memory unit, the data storage area being limited to a first capacity capable of storing management information on a first information recording medium configured to be able to record information in a first number of data tracks.

2. The cartridge memory according to claim 1, wherein the capacity setting unit is configured to be able to expand the data storage area limited to the first capacity to a second capacity that is able to store management information about the second information recording medium.

3. The cartridge memory according to claim 1,

the memory unit has a memory capacity of 32KB or more, and

the capacity setting unit sets the first capacity as a data storage area of 16KB or less for the memory unit.

4. The cartridge memory according to claim 1, further comprising:

and a voltage generating unit having an antenna coil for transmission/reception and receiving a signal magnetic field from an external device to generate a voltage.

5. A recording medium cartridge comprising:

a first information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information in a first number of data tracks; and

a cartridge memory, comprising:

a memory unit having a memory capacity capable of storing management information on a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks; and

a capacity setting unit configured to be able to set a data storage area, which is limited to a capacity capable of storing management information related to the first information recording medium, to a memory unit.

6. The recording medium cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the first recording medium is a magnetic recording medium.

7. The recording medium cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the first recording medium is a tape-shaped recording medium.

8. The recording medium cartridge as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first data track number is 6000 or more.

9. A method of manufacturing a recording medium cartridge, comprising the steps of:

preparing an information recording medium configured to be able to record information in a first number of data tracks, and a cartridge memory having a memory capacity capable of storing management information on a second information recording medium capable of recording information in a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks; and

setting a data storage area for the memory unit, the data storage area being limited to a capacity capable of storing management information relating to a first information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information in the first number of data tracks.

Technical Field

The present technical disclosure relates to a cartridge memory storing management information of an information recording medium, a recording medium cartridge including the same, and a method of manufacturing the same.

Background

In recent years, magnetic recording media have been widely used for applications such as electronic data backup. As one of the magnetic recording media, for example, since a magnetic tape cartridge has a large capacity and can be stored for a long time, the magnetic tape cartridge is attracting attention as a storage medium for large data and the like.

For example, a magnetic tape cartridge of the LTO (linear tape open) standard is equipped with an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag called a cartridge memory (for example, see patent document 1). Since the cartridge memory receives a signal magnetic field transmitted from a magnetic tape drive (reader/writer) to generate electric power, it is possible to communicate with the reader/writer without a power supply. The cartridge memory includes an antenna and an IC chip for communication/recording, and is configured to be able to read/write production management information, usage history, summary of recorded contents, and the like of the magnetic tape cartridge and the magnetic tape.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved

In this type of magnetic recording medium, the number of data tracks (track density) differs for each generation, and thus a plurality of types of cartridge memories having different capacities have been prepared.

In view of the above, an object of the present technology is to provide a cartridge memory, a recording medium cartridge, and a manufacturing method thereof, which are generally applicable to information recording media of a plurality of generations.

Means for solving the problems

The cartridge memory according to an embodiment of the present technology is a cartridge memory for a recording medium cartridge, including: a memory unit and a capacity setting unit.

The memory unit has a memory capacity capable of storing management information relating to a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks.

The capacity setting unit is configured to be able to set, to the memory unit, a data storage area limited to a first capacity capable of storing management information related to a first information recording medium configured to be able to record information in a first number of data tracks.

The capacity setting unit may be configured to be able to expand the data storage area limited to the first capacity to a second capacity that is able to store management information related to the second information recording medium.

The memory unit may have a memory capacity of 32KB or more, and the capacity setting unit may be configured to set the data storage region having a first capacity of 16KB or less for the memory unit.

The cartridge memory may further include a voltage generating unit including an antenna coil for transmission/reception and receiving a signal magnetic field from an external device to generate a voltage.

A recording medium cartridge according to an embodiment of the present technology includes: a first information recording medium and a cartridge memory.

The first information recording medium is configured to be capable of recording information in a first number of data tracks.

The cartridge memory includes a memory unit and a capacity setting unit. The memory unit has a memory capacity capable of storing management information relating to a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks. The capacity setting unit is configured to be able to set a data storage area, which is limited to a capacity capable of storing management information related to the first information recording medium, to the memory unit.

The first recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium.

The first recording medium may be a tape-shaped recording medium.

The first number of data tracks may be 6000 or more.

A method of manufacturing a recording medium cartridge according to an embodiment of the present technology includes the steps of:

preparing an information recording medium configured to be able to record information in a first number of data tracks, and a cartridge memory having a memory capacity capable of storing management information relating to a second information recording medium capable of recording information in a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks; and

a data storage area is set to the memory unit, the capacity of the data storage area being limited to be capable of storing management information relating to a first information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information in a first number of data tracks.

Advantageous effects of the invention

As described above, according to the present technical contents, it is possible to provide a cartridge memory that is generally applicable to information recording media of a plurality of generations. It should be noted that the effects described herein are not necessarily limiting and may be any of the effects described in the present disclosure.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a tape cartridge according to an embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a tape drive apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a cartridge memory according to an embodiment of the present technology.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cartridge memory.

Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the relationship between memory cells and data storage areas in the cartridge memory.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a process of setting a data storage area.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technical content will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a tape cartridge according to an embodiment of the present technology, and fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a tape drive apparatus. In the present embodiment, a magnetic tape cartridge of the LTO standard (hereinafter referred to as a magnetic tape cartridge 100) shown in fig. 1 will be described as an example of a recording medium cartridge. Hereinafter, the configurations of the magnetic tape cartridge 100 and the magnetic tape drive apparatus 200 shown in fig. 2 will be schematically described.

[ tape cassette ]

As shown in fig. 1, the magnetic tape cartridge 100 includes an upper case 11a and a lower case 11b which are connected by a plurality of screw members to constitute a cartridge case 11. Inside the cartridge case 11, a single tape reel 13 is rotatably accommodated, and a magnetic tape 12 as a magnetic recording medium is wound on the tape reel 13. In the present embodiment, a magnetic tape having, for example, a number of data tracks of 6000 or more is used as the magnetic tape 12.

A clamp gear (not shown) that engages with a spindle 201 (see fig. 2) of the tape drive apparatus 200 is annularly formed at the center of the bottom of the tape reel 13. The clamp gear is exposed to the outside through an opening 14 formed at the center of the lower housing 11 b. An annular metal plate 15 to be magnetically attracted to the spindle 201 is fixed to the inner peripheral side of the clamp gear.

A reel spring 16, a reel locking member 17 and a tripod 18 are provided between the inner surface of the upper case 11a and the tape reel 13. They constitute a reel locking mechanism that prevents the tape reel 13 from rotating when the magnetic tape cartridge 100 is not in use.

A tape exit 19 for leading out one end of the magnetic tape 12 to the outside is provided in one side wall portion of the cartridge case 11. Inside the side wall portion, a slide door 20 that opens/closes the tape exit 19 is provided. The slide door 20 is configured to slide in a direction to open the tape exit 19 against the biasing force of the torsion spring 21 by engagement with a tape loading mechanism (illustration omitted) of the tape drive apparatus 200.

The guide pin 22 is fixed to one end of the magnetic tape 12. The leader pin 22 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a pin holder 23 provided on the inner side of the tape exit 19. The pin holding portion 23 includes an elastic holder 24, and the elastic holder 24 elastically holds the upper end and the lower end of the leader pin 22 in the upper wall inner surface (the inner surface of the upper case 11 a) and the bottom wall inner surface (the inner surface of the lower case 11 b) of the cartridge case 11.

Then, in addition to the safety tab 25 for preventing erroneous erasure of the information recorded in the magnetic tape 12, a cartridge memory CM capable of reading/writing contents related to the information recorded in the magnetic tape 12 without contact is provided inside the other side wall of the cartridge case 21. The cartridge memory CM includes a noncontact communication medium including an antenna coil and an IC chip mounted on a substrate.

[ tape drive apparatus ]

As shown in fig. 2, the tape drive apparatus 200 is configured to be able to load the tape cartridge 100. Although the tape drive apparatus 200 is configured to be able to load one tape cartridge 100, it may be configured to be able to load a plurality of tape cartridges 100 at the same time.

The magnetic tape drive apparatus 200 includes a spindle 201, a take-up reel 202, a spindle driver 203, a reel driver 204, a plurality of guide rollers 205, a head unit 206, a reader/writer 207, a control device 208, and the like.

The spindle 201 includes a head portion that engages with a clamp gear of the tape reel 13 via an opening 14 formed in the lower case 11b of the tape cartridge 100. The spindle 201 lifts the tape reel 13 by a predetermined distance against the biasing force of the reel spring 16 to release the reel locking function provided by the reel locking element 17. As a result, the tape reel 13 is rotatably supported by the spindle 201 within the cartridge case 11.

The spindle driver 203 rotates the spindle 201 in response to a command from the control device 208. The take-up reel 202 is configured to be able to fix the end (leader pin 22) of the magnetic tape 12 pulled out of the magnetic tape cartridge 100 via a tape loading mechanism (not shown). The plurality of guide rollers 205 guide the travel of the magnetic tape 12 so that a tape path formed between the magnetic tape cartridge 100 and the take-up reel 202 has a predetermined relative positional relationship with the head unit 206. The reel driver 204 rotates the take-up reel 202 in response to a command from the control device 208. When recording/reproduction of a data signal is performed on the magnetic tape 12, the spindle driver 203 and the reel driver 204 rotate the spindle 201 and the take-up reel 202, respectively, thereby causing the magnetic tape 12 to travel.

The head unit 206 is configured to be able to record data signals into the magnetic tape 12 or reproduce data signals written to the magnetic tape 12 in response to a command from the control device 208.

The reader/writer 207 is configured to be able to read predetermined management information from or record predetermined management information into the cartridge memory CM mounted on the tape cartridge 100 in response to a command from the control apparatus 208. As a communication method between the reader/writer 207 and the cartridge memory CM, for example, a method of ISO 14443 is adopted.

For example, the control device 208 includes a computer including a CPU (central processing unit), a storage unit, a communication unit, and the like, and integrally controls the respective units of the tape drive apparatus 200.

[ Cartridge storage ]

Subsequently, details of the cartridge memory CM will be described.

(basic construction)

Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of the cartridge memory CM. The cartridge memory CM includes an RFID tag including a support substrate 31, an antenna coil 32, and an IC chip 33.

The support substrate 31 includes a relatively rigid wiring substrate such as an epoxy glass substrate. The antenna coil 32 is a flat loop coil formed on the support substrate 31, and includes a copper foil, an aluminum foil, or the like having a predetermined thickness. The IC chip 33 is mounted on the support substrate 31 and electrically connected to the antenna coil 32. The IC chip 33 incorporates a voltage generating unit that generates a start voltage based on a signal magnetic field received from the reader/writer 207 via the antenna coil 32, a memory unit that stores predetermined management information relating to the magnetic tape cartridge 100, a controller that reads information from the memory unit, and the like.

Examples of the management information include product information and usage history information of the magnetic tape cartridge 100 and the magnetic tape 12, a summary of information recorded in the magnetic tape 12, and the like.

The product information includes production information, the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape 12, and unique information such as an ID. The production information includes, for example, the material of the base film (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) constituting the magnetic tape 12, the thermal expansion coefficient (e.g., 15E-6 mm/mm/c) and the humidity expansion coefficient (e.g., 12E-6 mm/mm/RH%) of the base film.

Examples of the use history information include access date and time, address information, a communication history with the reader/writer 207, and whether there is an abnormality in loading/unloading the tape drive apparatus 200.

As a summary of the information recorded on the magnetic tape 12, servo tracking information at the time of initial signal recording may be included. The servo tracking information includes, for example, a deviation from a standard value between some servo bands, that is, may include information on a deviation from a standard value of a distance between servo bands read by the head mechanism (head unit 206) at the time of initial tracking. Alternatively, the servo tracking information may include information on the position of the servo band at the time of initial tracking.

Since the cartridge memory CM receives the signal magnetic field transmitted from the reader/writer 207 via the antenna coil 32 to generate electric power, it operates without a power supply. The power supply/communication frequency from the reader/writer 207 is 13.56MHz, which is the same as that of NFC (near field communication). As a memory to be incorporated in the IC chip 33, a nonvolatile memory (NVM) is used.

The LTO standard tape cartridge has an increased number of data tracks for each generation and a significantly improved recording capacity. For example, the number of data tracks increases from 384 for the primary LTO-1 to 512, 704, 896, 1280, 2176, 3584, and 6656 for LTO-2 through LTO-8, respectively. Similarly, the recording capacity of data increases from 100GB (gigabytes) in LTO-1 to 200GB, 400GB, 800GB, 1.5TB (gigabytes), 2.5TB, 6.0TB, and 12TB, respectively, in LTO-2.

Since the data amount of the management information stored in the cartridge memory increases as the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape increases, the capacity of the cartridge memory (memory capacity) also increases. For example, it has been increased from 4KB (kilobytes) in LTO-1 and LTO-2 to 8KB in LTO-3 through LTO-5 and 16KB in LTO-6 through LTO-8. Therefore, in the future, it is expected that as the amount of data that can be recorded in an LTO increases, the memory capacity of the cartridge memory will further increase.

As described above, for the LTO-standard magnetic tape cartridge, a plurality of types of cartridge memories need to be prepared for different generations, and thus increases in production costs and management costs cannot be avoided. In this regard, the cartridge memory CM according to the present embodiment is configured to be universally applicable to LTO of a plurality of generations. Hereinafter, details of the cartridge memory CM will be described.

(details of the cartridge memory)

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cartridge memory CM according to the present embodiment. The cartridge memory CM includes a voltage generation unit 41, a memory unit 42, and a control unit 43.

The voltage generating unit 41 includes the antenna coil 32, a resonance capacitor 44, and a power supply unit 45. The voltage generating unit 41 is configured to be able to receive a signal magnetic field transmitted from a reader/writer 207 (see fig. 2) as an external device to generate a voltage.

The resonant capacitor 44 is connected in parallel to the antenna coil 32 to constitute a resonant circuit. The resonant capacitor 44 may include a single capacitive device or a parallel circuit or a series circuit of multiple capacitive devices. In the case where the resonance capacitor 44 includes a plurality of capacitive devices, the resonance capacitor 44 may further include a plurality of switching devices (transistors, etc.) capable of adjusting the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit described above by electrically connecting/disconnecting any of the plurality of capacitive devices in response to a command from the control unit 43.

The power supply unit 45 is a power supply circuit that generates a voltage from a resonance circuit constituted by the antenna coil 32 and the resonance capacitor 44, and includes a rectifier circuit that converts alternating current into direct current, a regulator, an AD converter that converts an analog signal into a digital signal, and the like.

The memory unit 42 includes a semiconductor memory device such as a nonvolatile memory. The memory unit 42 may include a memory controller that controls driving of the memory device. The memory unit 42 has a data storage area in which circuit parameters of the voltage generating unit 41 and predetermined management information are stored.

Although the capacity (memory capacity) of the memory unit 42 is generally selected according to the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape 12, the memory unit 42 has a specific capacity that does not depend on the number of data tracks, for example, the capacity is 32KB or more in the present embodiment. This memory capacity is compatible not only with LTO cartridges of the eighth generation and earlier (to LTO-8), but also with LTO cartridges of the ninth generation and later. Wherein the capacity of the data storage area for storing management information is set according to the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape 12 applied by a capacity setting unit 49 to be described later.

Examples of the circuit parameters include a capacitance setting value for setting the resonance capacitance 44 and various adjustment values for adjusting circuit characteristics of the power supply unit 45. Examples of the predetermined management information include information relating to the cartridge 100 on which the cartridge memory CM is mounted as described above, for example, identification Information (ID) of the cartridge 100 or the cartridge memory CM or management information of data recorded in the magnetic tape 12. At least a part of the management information includes information that needs to be updated in response to a write command from the reader/writer 207 or information that is newly written to the memory unit 42.

The control unit 43 includes a controller 46, a modulation unit 47, a clock signal generation path 48, and a capacity setting unit 49.

The controller 46 includes a computer including a CPU (central processing unit) and an internal memory. The controller 46 executes various programs stored in the internal memory to integrally control the respective units of the cartridge memory CM. The internal memory includes a nonvolatile memory that stores programs and various parameters, and a volatile memory that is used as a work area. Various programs may be read from a portable storage medium or downloaded from a server device on a network.

The modulation unit 47 is a module that processes a signal received from the reader/writer 207 via the antenna coil 32 or generates a signal to be transmitted to the reader/writer 207 via the antenna coil 32, and the modulation unit 47 includes a transmission/reception circuit including a modulation circuit, a demodulation circuit, a detection circuit, and the like.

The clock signal generation unit 48 is configured to be able to supply a clock signal of a predetermined frequency to the memory unit 42 in response to a command from the controller 46. The read speed of reading data from the memory cells 42 and the write speed of writing data to the memory cells 42 are determined based on the frequency of the clock signal.

The clock signal generation unit 48 typically includes a frequency divider or a plurality of frequency dividers. The plurality of frequency dividers may be connected in series or in parallel. The clock signal generation unit 48 supplies a frequency obtained by dividing the frequency of the reference clock to the memory unit 42 as a clock signal. As the reference clock, for example, the communication frequency (13.56MHz) of the reader/writer 207 is used. In this case, the frequency of the clock signal is for example 848kHz, 1/16 of the frequency of the reference clock, or 3.39MHz, 1/4 of the frequency of the reference clock.

The capacity setting unit 49 is a module that sets the capacity of the data storage area of the memory unit 42 based on a command from the controller 46. The capacity setting unit 49 may be configured as a part of the controller 46 or a part of the memory unit 42.

The cartridge memory CM according to the present embodiment includes: a memory unit 42 and a capacity setting unit 49, the memory unit 42 having a memory capacity capable of storing management information on a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks, the capacity setting unit 49 being capable of setting a data storage area for the memory unit 42 limited to a first capacity capable of storing management information on a first information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with the first number of data tracks.

As described above, in the present embodiment, memory unit 42 comprises a memory device having a capacity (32KB) greater than the memory capacity (16KB) applied to LTO-8. Therefore, since the cartridge memory CM according to the present embodiment is applicable not only to LTO-8 but also to LTO generations having a larger number of data tracks than LTO-8 and LTO generations earlier than LTO-8, it can be commonly used for a plurality of generations. Meanwhile, if the capacity of the data storage area in which the management information of the tape cartridge 100 is to be stored is unnecessarily large, the accessibility of the management information is lowered, and there is a risk that the information cannot be transmitted within the time allotted for communication with the reader/writer 207. In addition, power consumption increases, and in some cases, system shutdown is caused due to insufficient power that can be obtained from the voltage generation unit 41.

In this regard, in the present embodiment, a capacity setting unit 49 is provided which is capable of variably setting the capacity of the data storage area in the memory unit 42. The capacity setting unit 49 is configured to be able to set the capacity of the data storage area to a capacity capable of storing management information relating to the magnetic tape 12 in the memory capacity of the memory unit 42.

For example, in the case where the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape 12 is 2176 to 6656 of the LTO-6 to LTO-8 specifications, the capacity setting unit 49 limits the data storage area of the memory capacity (32KB) of the memory unit 42 to the capacity (16KB) of the LTO-6 to LTO-8 specifications. Alternatively, in the case where the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape 12 is 704 to 1280 of the LTO-3 to LTO-5 specifications, the capacity setting unit 49 limits the data storage area to 8KB of the LTO-3 to LTO-5 specifications.

The aspect of the limitation of the data storage area by the capacity setting unit 49 is not particularly limited, and the number of data blocks for storing the management information may be limited, or the management information may be set to be stored only in a specific address. Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the relationship between the memory unit 42 and the data storage area. The region R1 and the region R2 represent a data storage region for 16KB and a data storage region for 8KB, respectively.

As shown, the entire capacity of the memory unit 42 is not allocated as a data storage area for storing management information related to the magnetic tape 12, but the capacity of the data storage area is optimized according to the generation of LTO (according to the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape 12). As a result, since accessibility to the management information is ensured, the information can be transmitted within the time allocated for communication with the reader/writer 207. Further, since an increase in power consumption can be suppressed, system shutdown due to insufficient power can be prevented.

The regions R1 and R2 do not necessarily need to be constituted by physically different data blocks, and may be set as regions in which at least a part of the regions overlap each other. Alternatively, a data storage area of a capacity above the specification may be set, and an address may be thinned out (thinned) to store information.

The capacity setting unit 49 may be configured to create a different data format for each data storage area and cause the controller 46 to perform read or write control of information based on the data format. As a result, since the controller 46 does not need to perform a different control process for each capacity of the data storage area, the load of the controller 46 can be reduced.

Note that a storage area other than the capacity-limited data expansion area may be reserved as an area where data is not stored, or may be used as an area for storing information other than management information. Examples of the information other than the management information include information that can be arbitrarily written by the user, and image data and text data related to information to be recorded in the magnetic tape 12.

Further, the capacity setting unit 49 is configured to be able to expand the data storage area limited to the first capacity to a second capacity capable of storing management information related to the second information recording medium.

For example, the capacity setting unit 49 is configured to be able to expand the data expansion region R1 limited to 16KB (first capacity) to the data expansion region R3 of, for example, 32KB (second capacity). As a result, in the case where a tape cartridge having high performance in which the number of data tracks of the tape is increased and the amount of information of the management information is increased accordingly is manufactured, the memory unit set to the data extension area corresponding to 16KB can be reset to the data extension area corresponding to 32 KB. That is, it is possible to reuse the cartridge memory set for the current generation of tape cartridge as the cartridge memory suitable for the next generation of tape cartridge.

The capacity setting unit 49 sets a data storage area to the memory unit 42 in accordance with a command from the controller 46. The setting of the data storage area is typically performed at the time of manufacturing the magnetic tape cartridge 100. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a process of setting a data storage area.

The magnetic tape cartridge 100 is manufactured by incorporating various elements such as a magnetic tape 12 (tape reel 13), a reel locking mechanism, a slide door, and a cartridge memory CM prepared in advance into a cartridge case 11 at predetermined positions. The cartridge memory CM sets a data storage area corresponding to the type (the number of data tracks) of the magnetic tape 12 to the memory unit 42 by using a dedicated communication device. For example, when the number of data tracks of the magnetic tape 12 is 7000 or more (steps 101 and 102), the data storage region R3 for 32KB (see fig. 5) is set, and when the number of data tracks is 7000 or less than 2000, the data storage region R1 for 16KB is set (steps 103 and 104). In the case where the number of data tracks is 2000 or less, the data storage region R2 for 8KB is set (steps 103 and 105).

As described above, according to the cartridge memory CM of the present embodiment, since it includes memory cells having a specific memory capacity that does not depend on the number of data tracks, LTO cartridges of one type can be universally applied to respective generations. As a result, since it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of types of different cartridge memories for each generation, the production cost and the management cost can be reduced. Furthermore, an increase in the number of future data tracks can be coped with by one type of cartridge memory CM.

Further, since the capacity setting unit 49 is configured to be able to expand the data storage area of the memory unit 42, it is possible to easily cope with an increase in the number of data tracks in the future. Thus, the cartridge memory CM can be continuously used without being replaced with another cartridge memory having a larger memory capacity.

< modified example >

Although the embodiments of the present technology have been described above, it goes without saying that the present technology content is not limited to the above-described embodiments and various modifications are possible.

For example, although the memory capacity of the memory unit 42 in the cartridge memory CM in the above-described embodiment is 32KB, the present technical contents are of course not limited thereto, and may include a memory unit having a memory capacity of 32KB or more (i.e., 64KB or 128 KB).

Although in the above-described embodiment, the case memory mounted on the LTO-standard tape cartridge is described as an example, the present technology is not limited thereto, and may also be applied to tape cartridges for standards other than LTO.

Further, the present technical contents can also be applied to another information recording medium other than a magnetic tape (tape-shaped recording medium), such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, and a cartridge memory of a portable hard disk drive.

It should be noted that the present technology may adopt the following configuration.

(1) A cartridge memory which is a cartridge memory for a recording medium cartridge, the cartridge memory comprising:

a memory unit having a memory capacity capable of storing management information relating to a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks; and

a capacity setting unit configured to be able to set a data storage area to the memory unit, the data storage area being limited to a first capacity capable of storing management information on a first information recording medium configured to be able to record information in a first number of data tracks.

(2) The cartridge memory according to (1), wherein the capacity setting unit is configured to be able to expand the data storage area limited to the first capacity to a second capacity that is able to store management information about the second information recording medium.

(3) The cartridge memory according to (1) or (2), wherein,

the memory unit has a memory capacity of 32KB or more, and

the capacity setting unit sets the first capacity as a data storage area of 16KB or less for the memory unit.

(4) The cartridge memory according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising:

and a voltage generating unit having an antenna coil for transmission/reception and receiving a signal magnetic field from an external device to generate a voltage.

(5) A recording medium cartridge comprising:

a first information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information in a first number of data tracks; and

a cartridge memory, comprising:

a memory unit having a memory capacity capable of storing management information on a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks; and

a capacity setting unit configured to be able to set a data storage area, which is limited to a capacity capable of storing management information related to the first information recording medium, to a memory unit.

(6) The recording medium cartridge according to (5), wherein the first recording medium is a magnetic recording medium.

(7) The recording medium cartridge according to (6), wherein the first recording medium is a tape-shaped recording medium.

(8) The recording medium cartridge according to (7), wherein the first data track number is 6000 or more.

(9) A method of manufacturing a recording medium cartridge, comprising the steps of:

preparing an information recording medium configured to be able to record information in a first number of data tracks, and a cartridge memory having a memory capacity capable of storing management information on a second information recording medium capable of recording information in a second number of data tracks larger than the first number of data tracks; and

setting a data storage area for the memory unit, the data storage area being limited to a capacity capable of storing management information relating to a first information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information in the first number of data tracks.

Reference numerals

11 Box housing

12 magnetic tape

32 antenna coil

33 IC chip

41 Voltage generating unit

42 memory cell

43 control unit

46 controller

49 capacity setting unit

100 tape cassette

200 magnetic tape driving device

CM box memory