Abstract: The present invention provides a current-sense bias circuit for use with a magnetoresistive head. In one embodiment, the current-sense bias circuit includes a voltage biasing portion configured to provide a bias voltage across the magnetoresistive head thereby establishing a bias current through the magnetoresistive head. Additionally, the current-sense bias circuit also includes a current sensing portion coupled to the voltage biasing portion and configured to sense a change in the bias current based on a resistivity change of the magnetoresistive head.

Abstract: A nonlinearity measuring method capable of measuring NLTS with a higher precision while taking the state of magnetization inversion of a preceding bit string into consideration. A constitution includes a first measuring section measuring a first predetermined higher harmonic component from a regenerated signal of the reference signal magnetically recorded on a medium, a second measuring section measuring a second predetermined higher harmonic component from regenerated signals with respect to plural kinds of signals to be measured magnetically recorded on the medium, and a calculating section calculating NLTS from the first component and the second component corresponding to each of the signals, wherein each of plural kinds of signals to be measured includes a magnetization inversion pattern string P1 preceding the objective bit to be measured of NLTS; thereby NLTS depending on the string P1 can be quantitatively measured easily.

Abstract: A method of writing product servo sectors to a disk of a disk drive is disclosed. The disk comprises a plurality of spiral tracks, wherein each spiral track comprises a high frequency signal interrupted by a sync mark at a sync mark interval. The sync marks in the spiral tracks are detected to synchronize a servo write clock used to open a demodulation window during which the high frequency signal in the spiral tracks is demodulated to generate a position error signal for maintaining the head along a first servo track while writing product servo sectors along the first servo track. The demodulation window is then shifted by an integer number of sync mark intervals to initiate a seek to a second servo track. The head is then used to write product servo sectors along the second servo track.

Abstract: A magnetic read/write apparatus comprises: a recording medium; and a head for writing/reading data to/from each sector on the recording medium; wherein the magnetic read/write apparatus further comprises: a write inhibit slice setting circuit for, when data is written to the recording medium, setting a write inhibit slice for each sector based on the recording state of each sector on the recording medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic head device for recording magnetic signals simultaneously through a plurality of recording heads into recording tracks laid oblique to a running direction of a magnetic tape, which includes first group to m-th group of multi-heads, each group having “q” recording heads disposed side by side as being shifted in a recording direction into the recording tracks to form (q×m) recording tracks with an identical recording width Tp. Every adjacent groups of the multi-head being disposed as being shifted from each other on the same straight line by a distance D determined by the equation to simultaneously form the recording tracks of first group to m-th group: D=Tp×q×(m×n+1) where, Tp>0, q and m are integers of 2 or larger, and n is an integer of 0 or lager.

Abstract: A vibration extraction processing unit extracts a deflection component synchronous with a rotation from a clock signal of a non-contact sensor so as to correct a clock jitter. A clock generating unit generates a clock signal of any format frequency preliminarily set up according to the clock signal from the vibration extraction processing unit. A sector correction processing unit measures an error due to the frequency deflection so as to correct the writing start position for the format pattern signal of each sector containing a servo frame signal stored in a memory according to the measured error. Writing processing units read out the corrected format pattern signal from the memory according to a synchronous signal corresponding to a single turn of a disc and a format frequency clock signal and then writes into a disc medium face.

Abstract: A guarantee processing method guarantees the data of an adjacent track in the case of a write fault when there is a possibility of an off track write. Even if a write fault is detected or an offset read retry is successful, a rewrite for guaranteeing an adjacent track is not executed immediately. The possibility of an off track write is judged by the movement of the head, and only the sector which is difficult to read due to the off track write is rewritten.

Abstract: As a tape recording format, tracks are formed by a succession of block units, and a data unit called a group is formed by data of size equivalent to a predetermined plurality of tracks. Using this format, a base group number indicating the group to which the current track physically belongs is recorded in the ID information for a track, and the lower four bits or similar of a group number indicating the group to which the current block logically belongs is recorded within a block. By this means, even if rewriting is performed in block units and a recorded state results in which the blocks of a plurality of groups are intermixed within a track, the group to which each block belongs can be correctly identified during reproduction.

Abstract: The present invention is a method or apparatus configured for analyzing a data storage device containing a transducer head positionable adjacent a data storage media surface. First, a defect is detected in a region of the surface. Two or more readback signals are obtained, each received during a respective pass of the transducer head adjacent the defective region. The signals are then combined to define a category for the defective region, either automatically or by visual examination of an image. Preferably, all of the read signals are received from the transducer head while the data storage device remains sealed in a substantially opaque chamber. That way, the media defects of an entire population of data storage devices can be analyzed quickly, disassembling the drives for direct visual analysis only on a selective basis.

Abstract: In a disk drive that performs perpendicular magnetic recording, the read/write channel has a sync mark generator. The sync mark generator generates a second sync mark before the read/write channel operates to write data on a disk. The second sync mark has a bit pattern including a series of bits representing positive polarity and a series of bits representing negative polarity. The series of bits, which is longer than the other, has a bit length that is at least 50% but less than 85% of the total bit length of the second sync mark.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a servo writing apparatus having accurate alignment of write gaps of servo write heads. In particular, the write gaps substantially align in a servo channel corresponding to a servo band of a magnetic data storage tape. The servo band is fully magnetized (a.k.a. DC erased) in one direction by a direct current (DC) magnetic field across the write gap of one of the servo write heads. Time-based servo markings magnetized in a second direction are recorded on the fully magnetized servo band by a pulsed magnetic field across the write gaps of the other servo write head. The servo write heads may be mounted in a mounting structure within the servo writing apparatus. Maintaining a large mounting structure width to servo write head separation distance ratio improves write gap alignment accuracy, which assures full servo signal strength across the servo band without magnetizing adjacent data bands.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining sector block sizes using existing controller signals has been disclosed. The invention detects a characteristic of a data channel gate signal indicating a length of data, determines the length of data based on the detection of the characteristic, and calculates the size of a last data block in the length of data based on the determined length.

Abstract: A patterned master carrier for magnetic transfer is used to transfer a magnetization pattern, which does not cause a problem such as an error attributable to a subpulse upon signal reproduction, to a slave medium. A signal pattern on a surface of a patterned master carrier for the magnetic transfer includes signal areas and no-signal areas, and the signal area is provided with an actual signal pattern and a dummy signal pattern adjacent to the no-signal area. Therefore, the actual signal pattern is not adjacent to the no-signal area.

Abstract: A control system and method for operating a system comprising a host computer, a buffer, a tape drive and a tape is provided. The method includes writing data to the tape while the tape is traveling at a first speed; stopping the tape; determining a minimum distance to reposition the tape; and, thereafter repositioning the tape.

Abstract: A magnetic tape is characterized in that a servo signal for performing tracking control of a magnetic head is written on a data band, data is recorded on the data band, and the servo signal is magnetized and written on the servo band magnetized in any one of direction of longitudinal directions with being magnetized in a reverse direction for the one direction.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system for writing data to a hard disk drive synchronous with an apparent disk speed. The apparatus, method, and system has a phase-locked loop (PLL) to generate am output clock signal, wherein a clock interpolator responsive to phase rotation control is in the PLL feedback loop. The phase rotation control is proportional to the apparent disk speed, and the PLL output clock signal is also proportional to the apparent disk speed. A second clock interpolator further modifies the PLL output clock signal to provide pre-compensation control.

Abstract: A servo pattern writing method of writing a servo pattern for the positioning control of a magnetic head on a magnetic disk comprises changing the rotating speed of the magnetic disk with the magnetic head positioned at one or more proper radial positions with respect to the magnetic disk. The rotating speed of the magnetic disk is changed on the basis of the magnitude of a synchronous vibration synchronous with the rotation of the magnetic disk. Writing current for writing a servo pattern is set according to the change of the rotating speed of the magnetic disk. The STW rotating speed is changed according to the change of the radial position of the magnetic head to reduce the intensity of the vibration that is generated during a servo pattern writing operation to a value meeting a positioning level. The servo track writing operation can be achieved at a low cost.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a positioning magnetic layer having magnetism and is used for positioning the optical head. The magnetic recording medium recording method includes a first step of moving the magnetic head to a predetermined position on the magnetic recording medium, a second step of supplying a positioning magnetic field Hr from the magnetic head to the positioning magnetic layer for positioning the optical head, and a third step of outputting positioning light Pr from the optical head for positioning the optical head, producing a magnetic optical effect with respect to the positioning magnetic layer magnetized by the positioning magnetic field Hr, and controlling the optical head so as to face a position of the magnetic head based on a detection result of the magnetic optical effect.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for writing spiral servo information is provided. In one embodiment, a servo track writer having a digital signal processor is provided. The servo track writer also includes a clock head, which reads a clock track from a disk surface to generate a clock signal that is used to provide interrupt signals to the digital signal processor. A transducer, which writes spiral servo information onto the disk surface, is positioned under control of the digital signal processor based upon the interrupt signals. In one embodiment, a method of writing spiral servo information onto a disk surface using a servo track writer having a digital signal processor is provided. The method includes the steps of reading a clock track written onto the disk surface to generate interrupt signals; providing the interrupt signals to the digital signal processor; and, positioning a transducer over the disk surface under control of the digital signal processor based upon the interrupt signals provided thereto.

Abstract: A replay signal, obtained on reproducing a recording medium, on which has been recorded a digital signal, is supplied to an input terminal (1), and quantized by an A/D converter (8). The so quantized signal is processed by an integrator (20), formed by a first order IIR filter, so as to be adjusted in gain by an amplifier (21). The quantized replay signal is also processed by a differentiator formed by a combination of a first order FIR filter (22) and a first order IIR filter (23) so as to be then adjusted in gain by an amplifier (24). The resulting signal is then supplied to an adder (25) where it is subtracted from an output signal of the amplifier (21). In this manner, the differentiation/integration equalizer, formed by an analog circuit, is constructed by a digital circuit of a simplified configuration without raising the number of orders of the filters. The replay signal is processed by differentiation/integration such as to satisfy the equalization standard.