Abstract: Disclosed is a storage device using non-volatile semiconductor memory that achieves high performance and long life for the device. When managing the non-volatile semiconductor memory (2), physical blocks are classified into three types: scratch blocks (22), data blocks (23), and erased blocks (24). Data writing from a host device (3) is performed on the scratch blocks. When the number of empty pages within a scratch block becomes less than a predetermined number or no longer exists, the block is treated thereafter as a data block, and one of the erased blocks is newly assigned as a scratch block. If there are insufficient erased blocks, a block with relatively less valid data is selected from among the data blocks. After copying all valid data included in the block to a scratch block, the block is erased, and thus an erased block is acquired.

Abstract: A lubricating oil is arranged between stationary and rotating portions of a spindle motor. When the motor is stationary, upper and lower surfaces of the lubricating oil are respectively located in upper and lower capillary seal portions. A first angle defined between an outer circumferential surface of the plate portion and an inner circumferential surface of a cylindrical portion at the upper capillary seal portion, and a second angle defined between an outer circumferential surface of a sleeve and an inner circumferential surface of the wall portion at the lower capillary seal portion, in a section taken along a plane including a central axis is respectively in the range of about 1 degree to about 8 degrees and in the range of about 1 degree to about 10 degrees, respectively. The upper capillary seal portion has maximum radial and axial dimensions smaller than those of the lower capillary seal portion.

Abstract: A lubricating oil is arranged between stationary and rotating portions of a spindle motor. When the motor is stationary, upper and lower surfaces of the lubricating oil are respectively located in upper and lower capillary seal portions. A first angle defined between an outer circumferential surface of the plate portion and an inner circumferential surface of a cylindrical portion at the upper capillary seal portion, and a second angle defined between an outer circumferential surface of a sleeve and an inner circumferential surface of the wall portion at the lower capillary seal portion, in a section taken along a plane including a central axis is respectively in the range of about 1 degree to about 8 degrees and in the range of about 1 degree to about 10 degrees, respectively. The upper capillary seal portion has maximum radial and axial dimensions smaller than those of the lower capillary seal portion.

Abstract: A base member of a motor includes a base through-hole extending through a bottom portion thereof. Two or more lead wires extending from coils pass through the base through-hole. Thus, as compared with a case where the lead wires pass through different base through-holes respectively, it is possible to reduce the number of the base through-holes. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize or prevent a reduction in the rigidity of the base member. Insulating sheet portions are arranged on the lower and upper surfaces of the base member. Each insulating sheet portion includes an overhang portion which overlaps with the base through-hole when seen in a plan view. The lead wires extending from the coils are led out toward the lower surface of the base member through holes, cutouts, or slits defined in the overhang portion. This makes it possible to easily distinguish the led-out lead wires from each other.

Abstract: A spindle motor includes a stationary portion and a rotating portion including a rotor hub, and includes a recording disk and a clamper mounted thereon. The rotor hub includes a hub circular plate portion whose outer circumferential portion includes a hub slanting surface, and a hub cylindrical portion whose outer circumferential portion includes a hub screw portion. The hub screw portion, to which the clamper is screwed, includes at least a first hub screw groove, a first hub screw thread arranged to be adjacent to the first hub screw groove, and upper and lower flanks arranged to together define the first hub screw thread. The hub slanting surface connects with the first hub screw groove. The length of the hub slanting surface is longer than the length of the upper flank.

Abstract: A spindle motor arranged to rotate a disk about a center axis extending in an up-down direction includes a rotary unit including a rotor magnet and a stationary unit including a stator opposed to the rotor magnet and a base plate. The base plate includes a flat plate-shaped member positioned around the center axis and made of a first kind of metallic material and a base body axially overlapping with the plate-shaped member and made of a second kind of metallic material. The first kind of metallic material is larger in Young's modulus than the second kind of metallic material. The base body includes a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical bearing attachment portion axially extending about the center axis and a bottom plate portion radially extending from a lower portion of the bearing attachment portion. The plate-shaped member is positioned below the bottom plate portion to contact the bottom plate portion.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus includes a rotor hub including an outer surface with a hub screw groove and a hub information mark indicative of a start position of the hub screw groove. A method of manufacturing the disk drive apparatus includes the steps of preparing a spindle motor including the rotor hub, preparing a clamper including a clamper screw groove, and fitting a recording disk to the spindle motor. The method further includes the steps of detecting a position of the hub information mark and, based on the detected position of the hub information mark, positioning each of the clamper and the spindle motor in a circumferential direction, and screwing the clamper to the spindle motor.

Abstract: A spindle motor includes a stationary portion and a rotating portion including a rotor hub, and includes a recording disk and a clamper mounted thereon. The rotor hub includes a hub circular plate portion whose outer circumferential portion includes a hub slanting surface, and a hub cylindrical portion whose outer circumferential portion includes a hub screw portion. The hub screw portion, to which the clamper is screwed, includes at least a first hub screw groove, a first hub screw thread arranged to be adjacent to the first hub screw groove, and upper and lower flanks arranged to together define the first hub screw thread. The hub slanting surface connects with the first hub screw groove. The length of the hub slanting surface is longer than the length of the upper flank.

Abstract: A base member of a spindle motor includes a base through-hole and a base groove portion. The base through-hole extends through a bottom portion of the base member. The base groove portion is arranged on a lower surface of the base member to extend radially outward from the lower end portion of the base through-hole. A first insulating sheet portion is fixed to a bottom surface of the base groove portion by an adhesive agent or sticky material. Lead wires extending from coils are led out into the base groove portion through the base through-hole. The lead wires extend outward along a lower surface of the first insulating sheet portion. The lead wires are soldered to land portions of a circuit substrate at an outer side of the bottom portion. A portion of the first insulating sheet portion overlaps with a lower opening of the base through-hole in plan view.

Abstract: A spindle motor arranged to rotate a disk about a center axis extending in an up-down direction includes a rotary unit including a rotor magnet and a stationary unit including a stator opposed to the rotor magnet and a base plate. The base plate includes a flat plate-shaped member positioned around the center axis and made of a first kind of metallic material and a base body axially overlapping with the plate-shaped member and made of a second kind of metallic material. The first kind of metallic material is larger in Young's modulus than the second kind of metallic material. The base body includes a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical bearing attachment portion axially extending about the center axis and a bottom plate portion radially extending from a lower portion of the bearing attachment portion. The plate-shaped member is positioned below the bottom plate portion to contact the bottom plate portion.

Abstract: A base member includes a base groove portion, a base through-hole, and an insulating sheet portion. The base groove portion is positioned on a lower surface of the base member. The base through-hole extends through the base member. The first insulating sheet portion is arranged on a bottom surface of the base groove portion. A lead wire extended from a coil is led out into the base groove portion through the base through-hole and is connected to a land portion. The base through-hole has a diameter which is different depending on the direction in which it extends. The base through-hole includes a major and minor axis extending in a direction where the diameter is largest and smallest respectively. A portion of an edge of the first insulating sheet portion on the lower surface of the base member intersects the major axis and covers a portion of the base through-hole.

Abstract: In a control apparatus which transmits/receives data from a central processing unit via a serial transfer channel to a communication control unit, and groups/distributes data of input/output units from the communication control unit via a parallel transfer channel, the control apparatus initiates a diagnosing unit of the parallel transfer channel in response to an instruction issued from the central processing unit, and diagnosis the input/output units subsequent to the diagnosis of the transmission channel. Data input/output timing of the input/output unit is also instructed from the central processing unit, so that the central processing unit can suppress lowering of response speeds caused by the diagnoses, and can maintain the periodicity of the data input/output.

Abstract: Disclosed is a storage device using non-volatile semiconductor memory that achieves high performance and long life for the device. When managing the non-volatile semiconductor memory (2), physical blocks are classified into three types: scratch blocks (22), data blocks (23), and erased blocks (24). Data writing from a host device (3) is performed on the scratch blocks. When the number of empty pages within a scratch block becomes less than a predetermined number or no longer exists, the block is treated thereafter as a data block, and one of the erased blocks is newly assigned as a scratch block. If there are insufficient erased blocks, a block with relatively less valid data is selected from among the data blocks. After copying all valid data included in the block to a scratch block, the block is erased, and thus an erased block is acquired.

Abstract: A receiving device including: a receiver receiving two frames, each including substantially same data attached thereto with a data error detection code, a frame error detection code, and safety flag information indicating a safety function or not, respectively; a first detector connected to the receiver for performing error detection of the frames by use of the frame error detection code, respectively; a second detector connected to the receiver for performing error detection of the data by use of the data error detection code, respectively; and a Direct Memory Access Controller (DMAC) connected to the first and second detectors for outputting one among the data included in the two frames under a condition of the safety function in the two frames when no error is detected in the frame and data error detections.

Abstract: Processed results are received when processors make compatible computations on data of a common object. A computation command signal is generated and fed to the processors in response to a start signal from any one of the processors so that the processors can make computations with different operation timings. Then, the results of the computations made by the processors are compared with each other. Thus, apparatus capable of small size, high performance and safety at the same time can be achieved by the above construction using the processors.

Abstract: An input/output control apparatus including: a unit that controls input/output of data relating to a computation of a plurality of processors in response to an access request from a second input/output unit and an access request from a first input/output unit which requires higher reliability than said second input/output unit, and orders at least one of a plurality of processors to perform a computation relating to the access request from said first input/output unit away from the computation relating to the access request from said second input/output unit in case of that said first input/output unit issued an access request, so that a same computation is made by said plurality of processors; a unit that compares the results of said computations relative to the access request from said first input/output unit provided from said plurality of processors; and a unit that allows the data associated with said computations of said processors to be output on the basis of said compared results.

Abstract: A receiving device including: a receiver receiving two frames, each including substantially same data attached thereto with a data error detection code, a frame error detection code, and safety flag information indicating a safety function or not, respectively; a first detector connected to the receiver for performing error detection of the frames by use of the frame error detection code, respectively; a second detector connected to the receiver for performing error detection of the data by use of the data error detection code, respectively; and a Direct Memory Access Controller (DMAC) connected to the first and second detectors for outputting one among the data included in the two frames under a condition of the safety function in the two frames when no error is detected in the frame and data error detections.

Abstract: A programmable electronic controller in which one central arithmetic processing unit and a plurality of input devices and output devices are connected by means of a parallel bus, the controller being basically configured to activate a self-diagnostic function and a diagnostic test of the input devices and the output devices with an instruction from a microprocessor of the central arithmetic processing unit; and to judge the result with the microprocessor of the central arithmetic processing unit, by using the microprocessor installed in the central arithmetic processing unit also as a processor for tests (diagnostic tests) of the self-diagnostic function of the input devices and output devices and conducting tests of the self-diagnostic function of the plurality of input devices and output devices with the central arithmetic processing unit.

Abstract: The system has, provided in a sending device, a generator generating transmission data including data, a data error detection code generated from the data and a safety flag indicating a degree of reliability, and transmission data; has, provided in a receiving device, a plurality of components of extracting transmission data, a safety flag, and a data error detection code from a received frame, and detecting a data error, a comparator comparing the matching of a plurality of received frames, and a selector selecting one received frame, from the frame error detection result, the safety flag, the data error detection result, and the matching comparison result; and determines the validity of transmitted data by the detection corresponding to the degree of reliability set with the safety flag.

Abstract: Input-output devices are prevented from conducting false output due to faulty operation by providing an input-output control apparatus configured to store input-output values to be used by a processor to conduct arithmetic operation in a mode having a relatively high safety requirement, in a first storage area, store input-output values to be used by the processor to conduct arithmetic operation in a mode having a relatively low safety requirement, in a second storage area, and restrict copying to the first storage area, copying from the first storage area, copying to the second storage area, or copying from the second storage area according to the mode concerning the safety requirement.