Patents by Inventor Craig L. Tomita

Craig L. Tomita has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8203802
    Abstract: Touchdown between a read/write head of disk drive and a recording medium is detected based on the variance in the frequency domain of position error signals (PES), each of which is measured after incrementally positioning the read/write head closer to the recording medium, from a baseline PES. The synchronous portion of the baseline PES is quantified and removed from the baseline PES and subsequent PES measurements to remove the effect of the synchronous portion of the baseline PES. The non-synchronous portion of the PES measured at a particular read/write head position may also be removed by synchronously averaging multiple PES measurements for each read/write head position. Detection of touchdown may be based on the rate of change of the variance in the frequency domain of PES relative to a baseline PES, instead of the absolute value of the variance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Richard M. Ehrlich, Craig L. Tomita
  • Publication number: 20110242955
    Abstract: Touchdown between a read/write head of disk drive and a recording medium is detected based on the variance in the frequency domain of position error signals (PES), each of which is measured after incrementally positioning the read/write head closer to the recording medium, from a baseline PES. The synchronous portion of the baseline PES is quantified and removed from the baseline PES and subsequent PES measurements to remove the effect of the synchronous portion of the baseline PES. The non-synchronous portion of the PES measured at a particular read/write head position may also be removed by synchronously averaging multiple PES measurements for each read/write head position. Detection of touchdown may be based on the rate of change of the variance in the frequency domain of PES relative to a baseline PES, instead of the absolute value of the variance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Richard M. EHRLICH, Craig L. TOMITA
  • Patent number: 8018669
    Abstract: Touchdown between a read/write head of disk drive and a recording medium is detected based on the variance in the frequency domain of position error signals (PES), each of which is measured after incrementally positioning the read/write head closer to the recording medium, from a baseline PES. The synchronous portion of the baseline PES is quantified and removed from the baseline PES and subsequent PES measurements to remove the effect of the synchronous portion of the baseline PES. The non-synchronous portion of the PES measured at a particular read/write head position may also be removed by synchronously averaging multiple PES measurements for each read/write head position. Detection of touchdown may be based on the rate of change of the variance in the frequency domain of PES relative to a baseline PES, instead of the absolute value of the variance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Richard M. Ehrlich, Craig L. Tomita
  • Patent number: 8004788
    Abstract: Touchdown between a read/write head of disk drive and a recording medium is detected based on the variance in the frequency domain of position error signals (PES), each of which is measured after incrementally positioning the read/write head closer to the recording medium, from a baseline PES. The synchronous portion of the baseline PES is quantified and removed from the baseline PES and subsequent PES measurements to remove the effect of the synchronous portion of the baseline PES. The non-synchronous portion of the PES measured at a particular read/write head position may also be removed by synchronously averaging multiple PES measurements for each read/write head position. Detection of touchdown may be based on the rate of change of the variance in the frequency domain of PES relative to a baseline PES, instead of the absolute value of the variance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Richard M. Ehrlich, Craig L. Tomita
  • Patent number: 7990641
    Abstract: Touchdown is detected between an R/W head and disk by determining the variance in the frequency domain of a baseline position error signal (PES) and a PES measured after incrementally increasing the DFH control signal. To quantify the variance in the frequency domain, a discrete Fourier transform of the baseline PES and of each PES produced for a given DFH control signal is used. A band-limited PES variance is used to improve touchdown detection, but is not a requirement of this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Craig L. Tomita
  • Publication number: 20110141601
    Abstract: Touchdown between a read/write head of disk drive and a recording medium is detected based on the variance in the frequency domain of position error signals (PES), each of which is measured after incrementally positioning the read/write head closer to the recording medium, from a baseline PES. The synchronous portion of the baseline PES is quantified and removed from the baseline PES and subsequent PES measurements to remove the effect of the synchronous portion of the baseline PES. The non-synchronous portion of the PES measured at a particular read/write head position may also be removed by synchronously averaging multiple PES measurements for each read/write head position. Detection of touchdown may be based on the rate of change of the variance in the frequency domain of PES relative to a baseline PES, instead of the absolute value of the variance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Richard M. EHRLICH, Craig L. Tomita
  • Publication number: 20110013305
    Abstract: Touchdown between a read/write head of disk drive and a recording medium is detected based on the variance in the frequency domain of position error signals (PES), each of which is measured after incrementally positioning the read/write head closer to the recording medium, from a baseline PES. The synchronous portion of the baseline PES is quantified and removed from the baseline PES and subsequent PES measurements to remove the effect of the synchronous portion of the baseline PES. The non-synchronous portion of the PES measured at a particular read/write head position may also be removed by synchronously averaging multiple PES measurements for each read/write head position. Detection of touchdown may be based on the rate of change of the variance in the frequency domain of PES relative to a baseline PES, instead of the absolute value of the variance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2009
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Inventors: Richard M. Ehrlich, Craig L. Tomita
  • Publication number: 20100321812
    Abstract: Touchdown is detected between an R/W head and disk by determining the variance in the frequency domain of a baseline position error signal (PES) and a PES measured after incrementally increasing the DFH control signal. To quantify the variance in the frequency domain, a discrete Fourier transform of the baseline PES and of each PES produced for a given DFH control signal is used. A band-limited PES variance is used to improve touchdown detection, but is not a requirement of this method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventor: Craig L. Tomita
  • Publication number: 20100033860
    Abstract: Touchdown is detected between an R/W head and disk by determining the variance in the frequency domain of a baseline position error signal (PES) and a PES measured after incrementally increasing the DFH control signal. To quantify the variance in the frequency domain, a discrete Fourier transform of the baseline PES and of each PES produced for a given DFH control signal is used. A band-limited PES variance is used to improve touchdown detection, but is not a requirement of this method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Inventor: Craig L. Tomita