Patents Examined by James L Habermehl
  • Patent number: 9984712
    Abstract: The magnetic tape device includes: a magnetic tape; and a servo head, in which a magnetic tape transportation speed of the magnetic tape device is equal to or lower than 18 m/sec, the servo head is a magnetic head including a tunnel magnetoresistance effect type element as a servo pattern reading element, the magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, the magnetic layer includes a servo pattern, and a contact angle with respect to 1-bromonaphthalene measured regarding a surface of the magnetic layer is 48.0° to 53.0°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Eiki Ozawa, Tetsuya Kaneko, Norihito Kasada
  • Patent number: 9978414
    Abstract: The magnetic tape device includes: a magnetic tape; and a servo head, in which a magnetic tape transportation speed of the magnetic tape device is equal to or lower than 18 m/sec, the servo head is a magnetic head including a tunnel magnetoresistance effect type element as a servo pattern reading element, the magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder, non-magnetic powder, and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, the magnetic layer includes a servo pattern, and a tilt cos ? of the ferromagnetic hexagonal ferrite powder with respect to a surface of the magnetic layer acquired by cross section observation performed by using a scanning transmission electron microscope is 0.85 to 0.95.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kaneko, Norihito Kasada, Eiki Ozawa
  • Patent number: 9972351
    Abstract: The magnetic tape device including: a magnetic tape; and a servo head, in which the servo head is a magnetic head including a tunnel magnetoresistance effect type element as a servo pattern reading element, the magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder and a binding agent on the non-magnetic support, the magnetic layer includes a servo pattern, and logarithmic decrement acquired by a pendulum viscoelasticity test performed regarding a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or smaller than 0.050.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kaneko, Norihito Kasada, Eiki Ozawa
  • Patent number: 9972349
    Abstract: A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk surface comprising a plurality of servo tracks, wherein the head comprises at least two read elements including a first read element and a second read element, and at least two of the read elements are offset radially relative to a center of the two read elements by at least a width of a servo track at all radial locations of the head over the disk surface. First servo data recorded in a first servo track is read using the first read element to generate a first read signal, and second servo data recorded in a second servo track is read using the second read element to generate a second read signal. The head is servoed over the disk surface based on at least the first read signal and the second read signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: James B. French, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9959898
    Abstract: A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks, a magnetic head used for writing data on the magnetic disk and reading data from the magnetic disk, a controller configured to control seek operations of the magnetic head, and a vibration sensor. The controller predicts a first vibration caused by a currently executed seek operation, based on a seek control signal, predicts a second vibration based on vibration detected by the sensor, and determines an adjusted start time of the currently executed seek operation so that a phase of the first vibration does not match a phase of the second vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Shihpo Hsu, Takeyori Hara
  • Patent number: 9947350
    Abstract: A driver device coupled to a winding of an electro-mechanical actuator includes: a power stage driving the winding in a discontinuous mode by alternating conduction on-phases to off-phases, and a sensor circuit sensing a voltage across the winding in an off-phase, wherein, during such an off-phase the voltage across the winding includes a residual voltage which decays to zero. The power stage drives the winding from an on-phase to an off-phase by applying to the winding a reverse current pulse to invert the direction of flow of the current through the winding and produce an oscillation of the residual voltage, whereby the residual voltage includes a zero-crossing point after the current through the winding is exhausted. The sensor circuit senses the voltage across the winding at this zero-crossing point, whereby the voltage sensed across the winding at the zero-crossing point is indicative of the back electromotive force of the winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.
    Inventors: Michele Boscolo Berto, Ezio Galbiati, Giuseppe Maiocchi
  • Patent number: 9947351
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a position detecting device includes a detecting portion which periodically detects a plurality of pieces of information generated in accordance with positional information divided into upper digits and lower digits. The upper digits are further divided into a plurality of pieces of upper digit information equal to the number of the period. The pieces of the upper digit information are obtained in a predetermined order. The lower digits are obtained simultaneously with any one of the pieces of the upper digit information. The positional information is divided so that the number of values, which are obtainable in one piece of the upper digit information provided by dividing the upper digits, and a division number of the upper digits are coprime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Takuji Matsuzawa
  • Patent number: 9940967
    Abstract: A data storage device is disclosed comprising a first disk surface comprising a plurality of servo tracks, a first head actuated over the first disk surface, wherein the first head comprises a first read element, and a second read element. During a write operation first servo data in a first servo track is read using the first read element to generate a first read signal, and the first head is servoed over the first servo track based on the first read signal while writing data to the first disk surface. Second servo data is read using the second read element to generate a second read signal, and the write operation is aborted when the first read signal indicates a shock event is affecting the servoing of the first head and the second read signal confirms the shock event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James B. French, Jr., Gary A. Herbst
  • Patent number: 9934802
    Abstract: Systems and methods for compensating for hysteresis in a disc drive are described. In one embodiment, a method may use an inverse hysteresis model to linearize effects of hysteresis of a microactuator in the disc drive. The hysteresis model may be a Coleman-Hodgdon hysteresis model. The hysteresis of the microactuator may be characterized, and the inverse hysteresis model may be based at least in part on the characterization. The inverse hysteresis model may be used to implement a digital filter. The digital filter may be employed in series with the microactuator to linearize the effects of hysteresis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Reed D. Hanson, Kenneth A. Haapala, Dwight R. Kinney, Xinghui Huang
  • Patent number: 9934805
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device including a disk, and a controller which calculates a first corrected value based on a first eccentricity of the disk, and writes a first track based on the first corrected value, wherein when the controller interrupts the process for writing the second track so as to overlap the first track at a first position, the controller measures a second eccentricity of the disk, and compares the first eccentricity with the second eccentricity, and when the first eccentricity is different from the second eccentricity, the controller restarts the process for writing the second track from a second position away from the first position in a radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Wataru Tsukahara, Shinichirou Kouhara, Takao Abe
  • Patent number: 9934812
    Abstract: A tension feedback signal is generated to reduce tension variation on a tape occurring at a reel frequency. Tension variation information may be obtained and used to generate the tension feedback signal. The tension feedback signal may be combined with a constant tension preset signal. The combined signal may be used to drive a tape reel at a tape reel speed adjusted according to the combined signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Donald J. Fasen, Vernon L. Knowles
  • Patent number: 9934803
    Abstract: A data storage device is disclosed comprising a first actuator configured to actuate a first head over a first disk, and a second actuator configured to actuate a second head over a second disk. The first actuator is controlled based on a first feed-forward seek profile to seek the first head over the first disk, and the second actuator is controlled to position the second head over a second data track on the second disk including to process the first feed-forward seek profile to attenuate a coupling disturbance from the first actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Semba, Jeffrey J. Dobbek, Bryan Rowan, Masahito Kobayashi, Kevin Tzou
  • Patent number: 9934804
    Abstract: An apparatus-implemented method according to one embodiment includes passing a magnetic recording tape over a plurality of modules having write transducers. Associated pairs of the write transducers are aligned along an intended direction of tape travel thereacross, and planes of deposition of the write gaps of the write transducers in each associated pair are oriented at an angle of greater than 4 degrees relative to each other. The method also includes causing the write transducers to write predefined patterns of magnetic bars on the magnetic recording tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Biskeborn, Edwin R. Childers, Mark A. Lantz
  • Patent number: 9928861
    Abstract: Performance data of two or more actuators of a storage device is determined. The actuators independently move respective two or more heads over one or more disks coupled to a spindle motor. The independent movement of the two or more heads causes coupling therebetween that affects tracking of the two or more heads. Based on the performance data, bit aspect ratios associated with each of the two or more heads are selected that minimize performance impacts due to the coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Mehmet Fatih Erden, Mark Allen Gaertner
  • Patent number: 9928862
    Abstract: An apparatus includes voice coil motor (VCM) control circuitry and microactuator control circuitry. The VCM control circuitry includes a VCM disturbance observer configured to generate a VCM disturbance compensation signal. The microactuator control circuitry includes a microactuator disturbance observer configured to generate a microactuator disturbance compensation signal. The VCM disturbance observer and the microactuator disturbance observer are decoupled from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Segate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Sung Won Park, Sangbo Seo
  • Patent number: 9928858
    Abstract: A method that includes supplying a predetermined signal to a write head having side shields. The method also includes performing, by the write head, a recording operation on a surface of a data storage medium, when the predetermined signal is supplied to the write head, to provide a recorded magnetization pattern. The method further includes carrying out measurements on a portion of the recorded magnetization pattern influenced by a magnetization of the side shields. The measurements are employed to determine whether a reversed side shield magnetization condition is present in the write head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zhe Shen, Zuxuan Lin, Lei Lu, Jian Zhong
  • Patent number: 9911443
    Abstract: A method according to one embodiment includes gathering information about how an array of writers write and/or are expected to write to a magnetic medium during shingled recording, and computing, using the gathered information, data describing a lateral writing position to use during writing such that shingled track edges are aligned according to a format. A method according to another embodiment includes obtaining a lateral offset from a nominal writing position, and applying the lateral offset for repositioning a writing position of an array of writers relative to a nominal writing position during writing in a first direction. A product according to one embodiment includes a magnetic recording medium; and data indicative of whether a lateral writing position offset was used while writing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Biskeborn, W. Stanley Czarnecki, Ernest S. Gale, Jason Liang
  • Patent number: 9911442
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a first controller, a second controller, and a coupling compensator. The first controller is configured to generate a first voice coil motor (VCM) control signal in response to a first position error signal. The second controller is configured to generate a second VCM control signal in response to a second position error signal. The coupling compensator is configured to generate a first feedforward correction signal in response to the first VCM control signal. The first feedforward correction signal modifies the second VCM control signal to generate a modified second VCM control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Evgeny Kharisov, Josiah Natan Wernow, Kenneth A. Haapala, John C. Morris, Raye A. Sosseh
  • Patent number: 9881643
    Abstract: A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of tracks. A first codeword is generated comprising first redundancy, and first position information of the head relative to a first track is saved while writing the first codeword to the first track. A second codeword is generated comprising second redundancy, and second position information of the head relative to a second track is saved while writing the second codeword to the second track. Extended redundancy is generated for the first codeword based on the first and second position information, and the first codeword is recovered from the first track based on the extended redundancy generated for the first codeword.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Derrick E. Burton
  • Patent number: 9881644
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to a hard disk drive with a disk, a read/write head, a z-axis actuator, and a controller. A surface of the disk and/or the head can be bare and thus devoid of any overcoat or lubricant layer, or alternatively the disk surface can have one or more layers with a combined thickness of less than 4 nanometers and the head can have a layer with a thickness of less than 2 nanometers. The hard disk drive can be enclosed, and its enclosed space can be a low pressure environment such as a near-zero or a zero pressure environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: L2 Drive Inc.
    Inventor: Karim Kaddeche