Abstract: The sequential seek method includes calculating a seek length by comparing a cylinder number of a current track with a cylinder number of a target track; checking if the seek length corresponding to a cylinder number is equal to or smaller than 2; calculating a seek length by comparing a position of a head in a current data track with a position of the head in a center line of a target data track if the seek length corresponding to the cylinder number is equal to or smaller than 2; calculating a seek time corresponding to the seek length corresponding to the head position; calculating seek trajectories based on the seek time denoted by a head position and the seek length thereof; and controlling a current being applied to a voice coil motor to move the head along the calculated trajectories calculated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for partial self-servo writing a disk surface in a disk drive using servo wedge propagation is provided. In one embodiment, servo information is written by a servo track writer near an outer diameter of the disk surface. The servo information is grouped into a 1x set of servo information and a 2x set of servo information. The disk drive's read head is used to read the 1x set of servo information in order to position the disk drive's write head to write servo information which is radially-aligned with the 2x set of servo information. Then, the disk drive's read head is used to read the 2x set of servo information in order to position the disk drive's write head to write servo information which is radially-aligned with the 1x set of servo information. The process is repeated on a track-by-track basis until servo information is written from the outer diameter of the disk surface to the inner diameter of the disk surface, as if it was entirely written by a servo track writer.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a rotatable data storage disk, and head, a controller, and a preamplifier. The head is configured to write data to and read data from the disk. The controller is configured to generate a write current command. The preamplifier includes a plurality of write current parameters, and is configured to select among the plurality of write current parameters based on the write current command from the controller, and to generate a write current having a shape that varies based on which of the write current parameters are selected. The write current is provided to the head to write a plurality of data bits on the disk.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive comprises a recording medium, a slider, and an alignment device for aligning the slider with respect to the medium. No film made of liquid lubricant is disposed on the surface of the medium. The slider incorporates: a slider main body including a thin-film magnetic head element disposed near a medium facing surface; and a protection film made of a tetrahedral amorphous carbon film for protecting the medium facing surface. The alignment device makes the slider retreat from the surface of the medium when the medium is stopped, and makes the slider face toward the surface of the medium when the medium is rotated. The magnetic disk drive further comprises a distance control device for controlling the distance between the medium and the thin-film magnetic head element.

Abstract: A storage device has a separate type magnetic head and a discrete type magnetic recording medium on which recording tracks and recording disabled areas are alternately formed. An accurate offset of the magnetic head with respect to the magnetic recording medium is measured even if the widths of the elements of the separate type head differ. While changing the write position and read position of a magnetic recording head, a write element writes measurement data to a magnetic recording medium, a read element reads the written measurement data, and the signal quality is measured and the write offset value and the read offset value are calculated from the inflexion points of a contour line on the two-dimensional map on the measured signal quality. Even if the widths of the write element and the read element differ depending on the individual magnetic recording head, an offset with respect to the separated recording tracks can be accurately measured.

Abstract: Data recovery, following a read error in a hard disk drive, is provided which includes an adjustment of fly height. In one embodiment, some re-reads are performed by both adjusting the fly height and the off-track positioning of the read head. In one embodiment, two or more fly heights are normally used during read/write operations such as in a zoned manner, and adjustments to fly heights are performed with respect to the fly height for the zone where the error occurred.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for rotating a data storage media having pre-formatted servo data tracks adjacent a data transfer member, and retrieving readback data with the data transfer member along a path that is non-concentric in relation to the servo data tracks. The data transfer member is controlled by a control circuit that is configured for retrieving readback data from different data storage tracks during less than one revolution of the media.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium for being used in a write/read system in which a difference of track width between write track width and read track width is smaller than 10 ?m, which comprises: a magnetic layer containing ferromagnetic powder and a binder; a nonmagnetic support; and a backcoating layer, in this order, at least one of the magnetic layer and the backcoating layer having servo signals for tracking control pre-recorded therein, wherein the nonmagnetic support is a film of a polyester having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.40 to 0.60 dl/g and a number average molecular weight of 12000 to 24000.

Abstract: CSS hard disk drive providing improved take-off and/or touchdown by asserting pitch actuation control signal stimulating a pitch actuator to flex a flexure finger, altering the pitch angle of slider coupling through flexure finger to pitch actuator. Method implemented by embedded circuit and/or embedded processor. Manufacturing embedded processor, embedded circuit, CSS hard disk drive, and these process products.

Abstract: A hard disk drive that includes a voice coil motor and a micro-actuator. The micro-actuator is controlled by a servo that utilizes a micro-actuator calibration parameter. To compensate for temperature changes within the disk drive the micro-actuator calibration parameter is periodically updated.

Abstract: The Invention Provides a Positioning System for a Linear Data Storage Medium, Such as magnetic tape or other data storage medium in which data is stored on parallel data tracks that extend along a length of the medium. The invention makes use of multiple actuators to control the positioning of sliders carrying read and write elements, e.g., separate sliders carrying the read and write elements, relative to the data storage medium with multiple degrees of freedom. The multiple degrees of freedom may include two or more of a vertical position, a horizontal position, a transverse position, an azimuth position, a zenith position, and a yaw position. In this manner, the invention can improve head-to-track alignment of read heads and write heads with linear data storage systems having very small track pitches, such as track pitches approximately 1 micron and especially less than 1 micron.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a write control method of a hard disk drive, a hard disk drive adapting the method, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method. The write control method of a hard disk drive having a disk where servo bursts are written radially comprises: generating a primary position error signals (PESs) with respect to a target offtrack based on a difference between servo burst signals read from two adjacent servo bursts; generating a secondary PES with respect to the target offtrack based on a sum of the primary PESs or a difference there between; determining whether both the primary PESs and the secondary PES are within a predetermined write bump limit; and performing a write operation at the target offtrack if both the primary PESs and the secondary PES are within the predetermined write bump limit, otherwise prohibiting the write operation.

Abstract: There is provided a system and a method for reducing noise in a tape drive. More specifically, in accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a method of writing servo stripes comprising energizing a left servo gap while not energizing a right servo gap; energizing the left servo gap and the right servo gap at the same time, and energizing the right servo gap while not energizing the left servo gap.

Abstract: A seek servo control method and device for a disk drive device for performing seek servo control according to a variation in a power supply voltage for the disk drive. The seek servo control method includes: detecting a supply voltage for the disk drive; and adjusting a seek time according to a track seek length based on the detected supply voltage.

Abstract: RRO corrector function is formulated to partition the contribution of micro-actuator control from the other voice coil assembly contributions. Single stage actuation is supported by zeroing the micro-actuator control queue, otherwise multi-stage actuation is supported. The multi-stage actuation may include dual stage actuation and in some embodiments triple stage actuation. Triple stage further partitions RRO corrector function for the contribution of the second micro-actuator. Method of initializing an assembled hard disk drive creates hard disk drive as product, using the written-in parameter list for track on the disk surface to recreate the RRO corrector as RRO corrector filter using queues updated by NRRO corrector.

Abstract: In a method of writing a reference servo signal of a hard disk drive having a spiral reference servo signal that is referred to when writing a final servo signal is written while a head is moved across a disk for a predetermined time at a target movement velocity, an actual movement velocity of the head is detected from a counter electromotive force generated in a voice coil motor that moves that head, for the predetermined time during which the spiral reference servo signal is written, and the head is controlled to maintain the target movement velocity by feeding back the detected actual movement velocity.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that proactively monitors a disk drive to detect an impending disk drive failure. During operation, the system obtains a time-varying electrical signal which is generated by the spindle rotation during operation of the disk drive. Next, the system extracts one or more inferential parameters associated with the spindle rotation from the time-varying electrical signal using a phase-sensitive detection. The system then performs proactive fault detection on the inferential parameters to detect an impending failure of the disk drive.

Abstract: There are provided a method and apparatus for high-speed compensating repeatable run-out in a hard disk drive. The method includes a) obtaining a value of a position error signal (PES) of the hard disk drive, the PES being a relative position signal of the head with respect to the center of the target track of the disk; b) determining whether the head is in the settling mode; c) if the head is in the settling mode, compensating the RRO error without feeding back the PES; and d) if the head is in the track-following mode, compensate the RRO error by feeding back the PES. Accordingly, an excessive RRO error is compensated. Even though the hard disk drive receives an external shock or is assembled in an offline servo writing manner, the performance of the hard disk drive does not deteriorate.

Abstract: A data storage system and a method for storing data in a data storage system are provided. The data storage system includes a data storage medium that has at least one physical track that stores at least a portion of manufacturing process data, and virtual tracks that store user data.

Abstract: Methods of controlling seeking of a transducer that is adjacent to a rotatable disk in a disk drive include determining a seek time associated with moving the transducer from an initial track on the rotatable disk to a target track on the rotatable disk, detecting a temperature associated with the disk drive, and determining if the detected temperature exceeds a temperature threshold. The methods may further include increasing the seek time to provide an increased seek time in response to the detected temperature exceeding the temperature threshold, generating a current command based on the increased seek time, and seeking the transducer from the initial track to the target track on the disk based on the current command. An apparatus configured to control the seeking of a transducer is also disclosed.