Abstract: A picture control device configured to convert and output a bit-rate of an input picture data stream having an input bit-rate, includes: a first decoder configured to decode the input picture data stream; an encoder configured to encode the output of the first decoder with a plurality of converted bit-rates; an output unit configured to output the picture data encoded with a first bit-rate by the encoder, for recording; a second decoder configured to decode the same picture data encoded at a second bit-rate by the encoder; and a control unit configured to determine the second bit-rate based on the first bit-rate.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques to inspect the track pitch of a magnetic disk. In one embodiment, the track pitch is inspected using the servo information that was written onto the magnetic disk. A PES gain is set to be PG0. A head is moved to a position K near the position where control is to switch between MPES and SPES, and then MPES and SPES are calculated using reproduced burst signals and PG0. The quantity of change in the inspection HSP which is a half-servo pitch of an inspection-related burst pattern, with respect to an ideal half-servo pitch, is detected by calculating PES?, the difference between the MPES and SPES at position K. The track pitch is thus judged whether it is abnormal.

Abstract: The exclusive OR (XOR) of user data (sector) 0, user data (sector) 1 and user data (sector) 2 is taken to have the virtual user data, thereby giving rise to a correlation of the sectors 0 to 2, and its virtual user data is appended with C2 having a greater error correction capability than C1, whereby an error uncorrectable with C1 is correctable with C2.

Abstract: The exclusive OR (XOR) of user data (sector) 0, user data (sector) 1 and user data (sector) 2 is taken to have the virtual user data, thereby giving rise to a correlation of the sectors 0 to 2, and its virtual user data is appended with C2 having a greater error correction capability than C1, whereby an error uncorrectable with C1 is correctable with C2.

Abstract: Servo data is stably written even if the flying height of a head/slider is varied. In one embodiment, a seamed pattern of servo data is written by a write head that is equipped in a head/slider. A variation pattern signal of the flying height in the circumferential direction of a magnetic disk is generated. The write head is located at a given position of the magnetic disk. The seamed pattern is written while controlling a recording current to flow in the write head on the basis of the variation pattern. At a constant recording current, a pattern length L1 is shortened when a flying height H1 is higher, and a pattern length L2 is lengthened when a flying height H2 is lower. The magnitude of the recording current is controlled according to the variation of the flying height, thereby making it possible to fall a pattern length L within a constant range, and accurately define the position of an edge of the seamed pattern.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques to inspect the track pitch of a magnetic disk. In one embodiment, the track pitch is inspected using the servo information that was written onto the magnetic disk. A PES gain is set to be PG0. A head is moved to a position K near the position where control is to switch between MPES and SPES, and then MPES and SPES are calculated using reproduced burst signals and PG0. The quantity of change in the inspection HSP which is a half-servo pitch of an inspection-related burst pattern, with respect to an ideal half-servo pitch, is detected by calculating PES?, the difference between the MPES and SPES at position K. The track pitch is thus judged whether it is abnormal.

Abstract: Objet

Abstract: The present invention includes a method of reading and writing data on a recording medium, and a system including a disk drive apparatus and a disk drive apparatus controller. According to the method of the present invention, data can be read in the middle of a plurality of write commands provided that the addresses of the read/write data locations do not overlap. This method and system results in improved read/write times.

Abstract: A debug circuit (2) and a microcomputer incorporating the debug circuit (2). The debug circuit (2) is capable of receiving a trace event from a functional block A as long as a CPU (5) does not generate any trace event, and capable of receiving the trace event from the functional block A in synchronization with a standard clock signal CLK used in the CPU (5) when the reception of the trace event from the functional block A is permitted.

Abstract: The present invention includes a method of reading and writing data on a recording medium, and a system including a disk drive apparatus and a disk drive apparatus controller. According to the method of the present invention, data can be read in the middle of a plurality of write commands provided that the addresses of the read/write data locations do not overlap. This method and system results in improved read/write times.

Abstract: A disk drive with means to prevent accidental landing of a head/slider on the disk surface is described. In one embodiment a shock sensor is provided to sense external shocks received by the mechanism. During loading (positioning) of the actuator bearing the head/slider over the disk, if a shock is sensed, loading is stopped and an immediate unloading is performed to return the actuator to the withdrawn position. In another embodiment the unload operation is performed when the rotational speed of the disk is changed. In another embodiment the unload operation is performed when the rotational speed of the disk drops below a threshold. A circuit and method for detecting when the rotational speed of the disk drops below a threshold is also provided. The unloading in the various embodiments may be performed using velocity control or without velocity control.

Abstract: The present invention provides a disk drive, a loading/unloading apparatus, and a method for controlling the apparatus, capable of improving the reliability of data by performing stable speed control.

Abstract: The invention relates to a head mechanism control apparatus for magnetic recording device which ensures that the transducer head has been unloaded in a head unloading operation. A head slider having a transducer head is mounted on a head arm and is unloaded from the disk by the swinging of the head arm. The retract position is at the limit portion of the swingable range of the head arm. When the head slider is successfully unloaded to the retract position, a drive force applied to the head arm in the unload direction causes little movement of the head arm. After an unloading is performed, a position check drive force is applied to the head arm and the moving speed of the head slider is detected. Based on the moving speed, it is judged whether the head slider has been unloaded to the retract position. If the head slider has not been unloaded to the retract position, re-unloading is performed for moving the head slider to the retract position.

Abstract: A motor having enhanced transient characteristics during the acceleration time of the motor in a disk unit. The motor includes a motor controller having a phase-locked loop (PLL) or frequency-locked loop (FLL) for controlling the speed of a spindle motor in a disk drive. The PLL or FLL is coupled to a digital filter. The difference between a phase or frequency synchronized with the rotational speed of the motor and a target value is received by the digital filter. The digital filter output is added to the target value. The sum of the filter output and the target value is set in the PLL or FLL as an adjusted target value to perform PLL control or FLL control. With this arrangement, the time to shift from a low-speed rotation state to a high-speed rotation state can be shortened.

Abstract: A disk and a disk drive having a servo start mark for identifying a servo-information start position recorded on the disk is provided. The servo start mark has a plurality of bit patterns unused for other areas in servo information. A method for identifying the position of a signal transducer on a disk is also provided in which it is judged that the signal transducer is present at a predetermined position even if an error is present and the error is a one-bit error. This is accomplished by assuming that the position is correct when the following conditions are confirmed: (a) a parity error occurs in a read servo-information bit pattern and (b) read servo-information bit pattern does not coincide with servo information of an adjacent track.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the speed of a motor for a hard disk drive. The motor speed control apparatus includes a speed feedback controller which uses selected feedback coefficients. The feedback coefficients are suitable to the rotor assemblies having different moments of inertia. A driving force is applied to the motor to rotate the installed rotary assembly. A detector determines the period of rotation and a period of subsequent rotation at the initiation of the motor. An identification means identifies a rotor assembly installed on the motor from said detected period. The time constant of said motor is a function of the moment of inertia of the rotor assembly installed on the motor and can be obtained from the period of rotation and the period of subsequent rotation at the time said motor is started up. A selector chooses the appropriate feedback coefficients for the identified rotor assembly.