Abstract: A motion decision value provides a dependable estimate whether motion occurs in a given region of a video image in an interlaced video sequence. The motion detection is particularly applicable in the conversion from interlaced video to progressive video. An input first is fed to an absolute value former which computes a frame difference signal from a difference between the first field and the second field in one frame. A point-wise motion detection in the frame difference signal is then followed by a region-wise motion detection that combines the point-wise motion detection signal with an adjacent point-wise motion detection signal delayed by one field. The motion decision value is then computed from the region-wise motion detection signal and output for further processing in the video signal processing system, such as for choosing whether the spatially interpolated video signal value or the temporally interpolated video signal value should be used for the output.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program for performing a servo seek according to a voltage-constrained sinusoidal acceleration trajectory. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a hard disk drive which has a disk with a surface, spin motor, transducer, and an actuator arm to move a transducer across the surface of the disk. The apparatus further includes a controller that controls the actuator arm and to perform a seek having a length. The actuator arm moves the transducer across the surface of the disk with an essentially sinusoidal acceleration trajectory using a substantially constant voltage. In another embodiment, the substantially constant voltage is based on the maximum voltage from a power supply.

Abstract: A filtering method and filtering system is applied to an edge orientation map obtained from an edge direction detection system in order to keep accurate edge directions and filter out false edges or edges with wrong directions. If an edge direction does not have a certain minimum length, then that direction is filtered out and a default direction is provided. Additional assurances can be obtained by insuring that the edge direction has a certain minimum width. If an edge direction does not have the minimum width, then that edge direction is filtered out and the default direction is provided. A direction smoother can be applied to the directions in the edge orientation map to smooth the changing of neighboring edge directions. This process is found to be effective in improving the visual quality of an image that is interpolated based on edge directions.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product for a hard disk drive defect detection system. In one embodiment, a method of detecting defects on the surface of a disk having a plurality of tracks is recited. The method comprises reading, one or more times, the servo bits for a plurality of sectors and determining a burst measure for at least one sector, where the burst measure is a function of the burst signals for the sector. This method further comprises determining a reference value, where the reference value is a function of the burst signals of the plurality of sectors, and comparing the burst measure of at least one sector to the reference value to identify a potential defect. In one embodiment, a sector is mapped as defective where its burst measure differs from the reference value by at least 5 percent.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and system to determine a quality of a head in a hard disk drive. The method comprises providing a disk having a at least one side with a plurality of tracks, writing on a predetermined track on the plurality of tracks and reading a profile of the predetermined track to provide a first profile value. The head is then moved to an adjacent track where it writes on the adjacent track. A profile of the predetermined track is then read to provide a second profile value. A quality of the head can then be determined based on the first and second values.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and system to optimize a write channel in a hard disk drive. The method comprises providing a disk having a at least one side with a plurality of tracks, and selecting a target track from the plurality of tracks. Data is written at least once on a predetermined plurality of tracks adjacent to either side of the target track and on the target track. Data is also written a predetermined number of times on tracks immediately adjacent to the target track. Data written on the predetermined plurality of tracks adjacent to either side of the target track and on the target track is then read. The process then determines if a number of errors on the tracks is greater than a predetermined criteria, if so, a write current value of the write channel is decreased, otherwise the write current value is increased.

Abstract: The present invention is a shock absorption mechanism for reducing the damage experienced by disk drives, including damage caused by a magnetic head contacting the surface of a magnetic disk, as a result of impact or shock forces experienced by the disk drive. In general, the invention is a means for partially isolating a disk assembly and a related actuator assembly from other parts of the disk drive. In the preferred embodiment the shock absorption mechanism isolates the disk assembly and the actuator assembly from the outer frame of a housing containing the disk assembly and the actuator assembly by establishing a shock energy dissipation and absorption region between a pair of isolation plates holding the disk assembly and the actuation assembly, and other parts of the disk drive.

Abstract: A method for centering the disk of a disk stack assembly. The method includes the step of applying a torque to the disk stack and spinning the disks. Both the torque and the spinning speed are less than normal operating values. A series of radial forces may then be applied to the disk stack. The series of forces will cause the rotating disks to self center. The rotating disks are eventually spun down and a full torque is applied to the disk stack to secure the disks.

Abstract: The inventors have discovered that aerodynamic forces contribute to disk fluttering. If the flow of air about these disk surfaces is unstable, the resulting aerodynamic forces can mechanically excite the disk surfaces, causing fluttering. The invention includes media enclosures constraining such aerodynamic effects, methods of making disk drives with these enclosures, the disk drives. This includes disk drives of at most 13 millimeters in height.

Abstract: A method of interleaving servo information fields on a recording medium, and a corresponding recording medium having interleaved servo information fields, that reduce the amount of disk surface area needed for servo information, to thus increase disk surface area available for data storage. The track layout includes regular sector servo fields and reduced sector servo fields interleaved with data fields. The regular sector servo fields include servo correction information such as repetitive run-out (RRO) cancellation values. The servo correction information of the reduced sector servo field does not include servo correction information. The servo correction information of the reduced sector servo field is merged into the regular sector servo field.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, or product for a rotating disk storage device. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a disk, a spindle motor that rotates the disk, a transducer, an actuator arm that can move the transducer, and a controller. The controller can control the movement of the actuator arm to move the transducer across the disk surface from a first track to a second track, and determine a position error signal (PES) at one or more positions between the first and second tracks, where the PES includes a non-repeatable disturbance signal. The controller can iteratively generate a disturbance correction signal at the one or more positions based on the PES, combine the disturbance correction signal with the PES to minimize the non-repeatable disturbance signal to provide a corrected PES, and vary, at the one or more positions, the movement of the transducer as a function of the corrected PES.

Abstract: A disk drive that has an air deflector which deflects at least a portion of airflow away from an actuator arm assembly of the drive. The air flow is typically generated by a rotating disk of the disk drive.

Abstract: A disk for a hard disk drive. The disk includes a first layer of magnetic material located over a substrate, an intermediate layer located over the first magnetic layer and a second layer of magnetic material located over the intermediate layer. The second layer may include cobalt and chromium. The intermediate layer may include titanium. The first magnetic layer include iron, hafnium and nitrogen (FeHfN). This composition of the first magnetic layer shows higher saturation magnetization and lower roughness, and increases the nucleation field of the disk.

Abstract: The inventors have found that by changing the outer wall shape of at least disk spacer, the air flow of the relevant inner region is disrupted, causing particulate adhesion to be minimized. The air flow disruption acts to blow more air through the inner region, effectively moving particles away from the inner region rather than retaining these particles. The inventors call disk spacers with outer wall shapes disrupting inner region air flow, screw-type spacers.

Abstract: The invention includes a method of A wipping part of the load ramp is a convex finger crossing the read-write head path of motion with respect to a lifting tab engagably moving across the loading ramp.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for a hard disk drive servomechanism. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a disk which has a surface, a spindle motor that rotates the disk, a transducer which can write information onto the disk and read information from the disk, and an actuator arm that can move the transducer across the surface of the disk. The apparatus further includes a controller. The controller can determine a seek length from a first track to a second track, determine a seek time based on the seek length, scale the seek time in response to a velocity error between a calculated velocity and a design velocity for the seek length, and control the actuator arm to move the transducer across the disk surface from the first track to the second track using an acceleration trajectory.

Abstract: An actuator beam that can be incorporated into an actuator arm assembly of a hard disk drive. The actuator beam may include a dynamic absorber that extends from a distal end of the beam. The dynamic absorber may attenuate any resonant displacement in the actuator beam induced by a shock load that is applied to the hard disk drive.

Abstract: A latch for securing an actuator arm of a hard disk drive. The latch has a catch portion that can engage a latch portion of the actuator arm. The latch also has a pusher portion and a crash stop portion that engage the actuator arm during movement into a latched position and prevent the latch from rebounding away from the arm. The pusher and crash stop portions eliminate the need for a separate crash stop in the disk drive. Eliminating the separate crash stop component reduces the complexity and cost for mass producing the disk drive.

Abstract: A method for writing and reading data in a hard disk drive and compensating for an offset between a write element and a read element of a head. The method determines an offset time by determining the difference between a desired sync byte position and an actual sync byte position located between a preamble and a data sector of the disk. The difference corresponds to the offset between the read and write elements. The offset time is subtracted from the normal time for enabling the read gate of a disk drive pre-amplifier.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing an electrical substrate. The electrical substrate comprises a dielectric layer; and a first conductive layer attached to the dielectric layer, in which the first conductive layer has an elliptical cross-section. The electrical substrate may be used in a flexible circuit that connects the read/write head to electronic circuitry in a hard disk drive.