Abstract: A disk drive for use with an embedded head positioning servo system is disclosed. The disk drive includes a disk on the surface of which spaced-apart servo bursts are prerecorded in servo sectors. Successive servo bursts are read by a read/write head which produces oscillating signals having variable magnitude peaks. A timing circuit provides a timing signal, synchronized with the occurrence of the servo sectors, which defines, in time, a servo signal window, during which time a servo burst is being read by the read/write head. A detector circuit measures the magnitudes of each of the peak signals of a servo burst occurring in the servo timing window. The median peak value for a burst is stored, a next burst is detected and measured and the median peak value for that burst is stored. By comparing the median peak magnitudes of successive servo bursts, a servo error signal for use in correcting any error in head position relative to a desired track centerline is produced.

Abstract: An integrated servo system for a disk drive employing sector servo positioning information on concentric tracks of a recording medium utilizes a servo burst pattern with three sequentially occurring servo bursts. One burst is positioned to have a maximum amplitude plateau on a track centerline of alternate tracks, and the other two bursts have maximum plateau values at locations between the centerlines of adjacent tracks. The amplitudes of the bursts are sequentially detected by a peak detector and supplied to sample and hold circuitry for measuring their relative amplitudes. Discriminator circuitry utilizes a window to provide two samples of each transition in the servo pattern and compares the samples to detect different fields and events in the pattern.