Abstract: A method and system of a head for use with a storage media having a first set of read transducers positioned to compensate for shrinkage of the storage media, and a second set of read transducers positioned to compensate for expansion of the storage media.

Abstract: A servo writer that writes servo information onto a disk of a hard disk drive. The servo writer can write servo information onto a disk of a hard disk drive while the disk is within an inner chamber of a housing. The rotating disk creates a flow of fluid within the inner chamber. The disk is rotated during the servo writing process. The density of a fluid medium within the inner chamber is controlled by a medium control system so that the density of the medium is less than the density of air at one atmosphere. Lowering the density decreases the amplitude of vibrational forces created by the flow of fluid. Decreasing the amplitude reduces errors in the servo writing process. The density can be reduced by pulling a vacuum within the inner chamber. The density can also be reduced by filling the inner chamber with a gas such as helium that has a lower density than air.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive having a two-stage actuator function and a TAF slider function comprises: signal superposing means 6 to reduce the number of transmission lines to be employed, by merging the control signal for a piezoelectric element 37 for the two-stage actuator function and the control signal for a heating resistor 38 for the TAF slider function into a single type of signal on preamplifier 26 side of the spring-load position; and signal separating means for separating the merged signal into the control signal for piezoelectric element 37 for the two-stage actuator function and the control signal for a heating resistor 38 for the TAF slider function on magnetic head 14 side of the spring-load position by use of interline crosstalk to control the respective functions.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for reducing disk expansion effects while writing spiral reference patterns on a disk. The disk drive comprises control circuitry and a head disk assembly (HDA). In the method, an external spiral servo writer is used to control a radial location of the head for writing a plurality of the spiral reference patterns in an order such that at least two of the spiral reference patterns are not written temporally sequential to an adjacent spiral reference pattern. The head internal to the disk drive is used to read the spiral reference patterns in order to write product servo bursts to the disk, thereby defining a plurality of radially spaced, concentric data tracks.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a servo positioning method includes deriving a first servo signal S1 from a first servo band, deriving a second servo signal S2 from a second servo band, defining a head element reference between the servo bands, weighting each servo signal according to a ratio of distances between the head element reference and a location on each servo band, and computing a servo control signal based on the weighted servo signals.

Abstract: In a magnetic disk apparatus which is removably mounted or embedded to a host apparatus and intermittently accessed for recording/reproducing data, a RAM contained in the host apparatus is utilized for a portion or entirety of a buffer RAM for use in the intermittent access to accomplish a reduction in size and cost of the magnetic disk apparatus. In addition, the magnetic disk apparatus is controlled to rotate a magnetic disk at a variable rotational speed, and operated at a rotational speed at which the total power consumption is minimized in accordance with the capacity of the utilized buffer RAM and whether an access is made for recording or reproduction, thereby improving a power saving effect.

Abstract: A disk drive has a sampled servo system controller and a disk. The disk has a plurality a plurality servo burst fields, the plurality of servo burst field including first and second normal burst fields, and first and second quadrature burst fields. A portion of the first quadrature burst field is circumferentially contiguous with the first normal burst field and spans a portion of a radial extent of the first normal burst field. The second normal burst field is radially aligned with and away from the first normal burst field and spans a portion of a radial extent of the first quadrature burst field. The second quadrature burst field is radially aligned with and away from the first quadrature burst field and spans a portion of a radial extent of the second normal burst field. The first normal burst field and the first quadrature burst field have a same first phase and the second normal burst field and the first quadrature burst field have a same second phase. The first phase is different than the second phase.

Abstract: A system and methods for efficiently performing media writing functions is disclosed. The system and methods include: detecting media movement with respect to a base and heads during reading and writing, and moving the heads in response; using an interferometer, such as a dual beam differential interferometer, to dynamically monitor disk position and address perceived errors; and minimizing repeatable and non repeatable runout error by writing data, such as servo bursts, in multiple revolutions to average adverse runout conditions. The present system has the ability to use an interferometer to enhance media certification and perform on line, in situ monitoring of the media, and includes shrouding, head mounting, disk biasing, and related mechanical aspects beneficial to media writing.

Abstract: The present invention enables recovery of data reading, even when thermal asperities or defective media will make it impossible to increase the number of retries or to read the data, occur in the AGC/PLL part. In a device for writing and reading information, when an error occurs in the region of the recording media where the AGC/PLL signal is written, and if that information is written continuously to several sectors, then data reading is performed by using the AGC/PLL of the following sector, without performing a retry, or by performing a minimum number of retries.

Abstract: A method for increasing reliability during a read and/or write operation in a disk drive having a head. Data is read from a disk using a head. An amplitude of a signal obtained during reading the data is measured. A degree of variation in the signal amplitude is determined as a function of a position of the head relative to the disk. The head is selectively heated based on the variation in the signal amplitude for inducing protrusion of the head, thereby selectively reducing a fly height of the head for reducing variations of a read signal created by the head during a read operation and/or magnetic fields created by the head during a write operation.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium has a substrate, and a servo signal recording magnetic layer whose magnetization is oriented in a direction perpendicular to a surface thereof, a non-magnetic layer and a data recording magnetic layer, which are stacked on the substrate in the order mentioned. The servo signal recording magnetic layer has a coercivity higher than that of the data recording magnetic layer. The servo signal recording magnetic layer has servo tracks formed with a track pitch Tps, the servo tracks adjacent to each other in a track width direction being magnetized to opposite directions perpendicular to the film surface.

Abstract: The invention provides magnetic disks with the ability for consecutive tracks to be read or written continuously, removing the traversal of the gap between tracks which degrades bandwidth delivery performance. The invention includes a disk surface formatted with tracks, and sectors within these tracks, which vary in radius. The ending radius of a sector differs significantly from its starting radius. The ending radius of the last sector of one track is very close to the starting radius of its successor track, providing a spiral arrangement of tracks, each possessing a fixed number of sectors, and supporting continuous accessing of successive tracks.

Abstract: A disk drive with a shock event logger that records information about a shock event as determined by a shock detection system. The shock detection system analyzes signals that result from movement of part of the disk drive and determines if the movement is due to a shock. Information about the shock event is recorded by the shock event logger to a non-volatile memory. In one embodiment, the shock detection system is a position error signal processor that detects shocks based on deviation of a transducer from its reference position, or based on time elapsed during settling of the deviated transducer. In one embodiment, the shock event logger records information about the shock event sequentially. In another embodiment, the shock event logger records the shock event information in the form of a histogram. Logged shock event information improves the manner in which the disk drive is diagnosed and serviced.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for selecting physical cylinders (cylinders accessible for read/write operations) in a disc drive is provided. The disc drive includes at least one rotatable disc. The disc drive also includes a first head, which is positionable adjacent a first disc surface, and a second head, which is positionable adjacent a second disc surface. The first disc surface has a first plurality of greycode tracks and the second disc surface has a second plurality of greycode tracks. Each greycode track of the second plurality of greycode tracks corresponds to a different greycode track of the first plurality of greycode tracks, thereby forming a plurality of greycode cylinders, with each greycode cylinder of the plurality of greycode cylinders including a pair of corresponding greycode tracks. The physical cylinders are a subset (less than all) of the plurality of the greycode cylinders.

Abstract: A method of detecting contact between a transducing head-carrying slider and a rotatable disc is performed by applying an electrostatic voltage between the slider and the disc and monitoring current flow across an interface between the slider and the disc. The monitored current flow across the interface between the slider and the disc is analyzed to detect contact between the slider and the disc.

Abstract: A disk drive comprising a first seek operating mode to move the actuator over a seek distance D in a seek time T1, using a first seek profile for minimizing T1, wherein for a first repetitive series of seeks over distance D a servo control system would require a delay time TD between seeks to control temperature rise in a VCM. A second seek operating mode to move the actuator over the seek distance D in a second seek time T2 using a second seek profile for limiting the temperature rise in the VCM, wherein for a second repetitive series of seeks over the seek distance D, a time average TAVG of the T2 seek times is substantially less than T1+TD.

Abstract: The electromagnetic noise radiated from a magnetic disk system comprising two or more magnetic disk drives is reduced so as not to exceed a certain level although the electromagnetic noise from each magnetic disk drive is added up. This is achieved by setting a different operation clock frequency for each SCSI-ID so that the electromagnetic noise radiated from each magnetic disk drive has a different frequency band.

Abstract: A method of writing product servo sectors to a disk of a disk drive is disclosed. An external spiral servo writer writes a plurality of reference servo sectors at an outer diameter of the disk and a plurality of spiral tracks that spiral from an outer diameter to an inner diameter of the disk. At the beginning of the product servo writing process, the reference servo sectors are demodulated to initially synchronize a servo write clock. The spiral tracks are then demodulated to maintain synchronization of the servo write clock as well as maintain the head along a target circumferential path while writing product servo sectors to the disk.

Abstract: The present invention may be embodied in a method for preventing radial error propagation during self-servowriting of concentric tracks on a magnetic disk in a disk drive. Each written track comprises a plurality of embedded servo sectors that define a circumferential path and that eventually form corresponding servo wedges extending radially across the magnetic disk such that each servo sector t of a track corresponds to a particular servo wedge. In the method comprising, track following is performed along a previously written track and a position error signal is determined for each servo sector. A correction value is recursively estimated for each servo sector of an adjacent track. The correction value is for use in correcting a position error signal determined using the corresponding servo sector of the adjacent track to prevent radial error propagation from previously written track to the adjacent track.

Abstract: Apparatus is described for reading data from or writing data onto a credit card-sized storage media containing a rotating magnetic memory. The reader includes a spindle motor and an arm with a magnetic head position thereon, as well as integrated circuits for controlling its operation. The reader preferably complies with standards for PCMCIA cards, enabling the reader to be inserted into the host system such as a personal computer or a laptop for use.