Rotating head recorder with different recording and playback speeds

Claim 1

A recording and reproducing system capable of recording data at any data rate within a wide continuous range including a plurality of N successive 2-to-1 sub ranges, and playback at any data rate within the same wide continuous range, comprising: linear drive means to drive an elongated recording medium in a linear direction at any selected speed in a continuous range including a plurality of N successive 2-to-1 sub ranges, transverse drive means to drive heads on a rotating headwheel over the recording medium in a transverse direction at any selected transverse speed in one 2-to-1 speed range, speed control means responsive to a speed control signal for any data rate within a first given sub range where N equals 1 to operate said linear drive means at a corresponding speed, and to operate said transverse drive means at a speed which has a constant ratio K with the linear speed, whereby at all speeds in said first given sub range each head follows a path across said medium having the same angle θ with the direction of linear motion of the medium, said speed control means being responsive to a speed control signal for a data rate within a second different sub range of speeds where N is equal to 2 to operated said linear drive means at a corresponding speed proportional to the data rate, and to operate said transverse drive means at a speed which has a constant ratio 2K with the linear speed, and means operated before recording or reproducing at a data rate in said second sub range to physically tilt the plane of said rotating headwheel through a given angle relative to the transverse direction to a position such that at speeds in said second different sub range each head continues to follow a path across said medium at said angle θ with the direction of linear motion of the medium.