Abstract: A receiver for use in a data channel on an integrated circuit device includes a non-linear equalizer having as inputs digitized samples of signals on the data channel, decision circuitry configured to determine from outputs of the non-linear equalizer a respective value of each of the signals, and adaptation circuitry configured to adapt parameters of the non-linear equalizer based on respective ones of the value. The non-linear equalizer may be a neural network equalizer, such as a multi-layer perceptron neural network equalizer, or a reduced complexity multi-layer perceptron neural network equalizer. A method for detecting data on a data channel on an integrated circuit device includes performing non-linear equalization of digitized samples of input signals on the data channel, determining from output signals of the non-linear equalization a respective value of each of the output signals, and adapting parameters of the non-linear equalization based on respective ones of the value.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes aspects of health management for magnetic storage media. In some aspects, a media health manager determines, with a read channel, read metrics for a sector of magnetic storage media that resides in a zone of magnetic storage media. The media health manager accesses read metrics of the zone and updates the read metrics of the zone based on the read metrics determined for the sector to provide updated read metrics for the zone of magnetic storage media. A health score for the zone of magnetic storage media is then determined with a neural network based on the updated read metrics of the zone of magnetic storage media. By so doing, gradual wear of the magnetic storage media may be predicted using the health score, enabling replacement of a magnetic storage media device before failure to improve reliability or availability of data stored to the device.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes aspects of health management for magnetic storage media. In some aspects, a media health manager determines, with a read channel, read metrics for a sector of magnetic storage media that resides in a zone of magnetic storage media. The media health manager accesses read metrics of the zone and updates the read metrics of the zone based on the read metrics determined for the sector to provide updated read metrics for the zone of magnetic storage media. A health score for the zone of magnetic storage media is then determined with a neural network based on the updated read metrics of the zone of magnetic storage media. By so doing, gradual wear of the magnetic storage media may be predicted using the health score, enabling replacement of a magnetic storage media device before failure to improve reliability or availability of data stored to the device.

Abstract: A physical layer transceiver for connecting a host device to a wireline channel medium includes a host interface for coupling to the host device, a line interface for coupling to the channel medium, a transmit path operatively coupled to the host interface and the line interface, a receive path operatively coupled to the line interface and the host interface, and adaptive filter circuitry operatively coupled to at least one of the transmit path and the receive path for filtering signals on the at least one of the transmit path and the receive path, the adaptive filter circuitry including a non-linear equalizer. The non-linear equalizer may be a neural network equalizer based on a multi-layer perceptron or a radial-basis function, or may be a linear equalizer with a non-linear activation function. The non-linear equalizer also may have a front-end filter to reduce input complexity.

Abstract: A receiver for use in a data channel on an integrated circuit device includes a non-linear equalizer having as inputs digitized samples of signals on the data channel, decision circuitry configured to determine from outputs of the non-linear equalizer a respective value of each of the signals, and adaptation circuitry configured to adapt parameters of the non-linear equalizer based on respective ones of the value. The non-linear equalizer may be a neural network equalizer, such as a multi-layer perceptron neural network equalizer, or a reduced complexity multi-layer perceptron neural network equalizer. A method for detecting data on a data channel on an integrated circuit device includes performing non-linear equalization of digitized samples of input signals on the data channel, determining from output signals of the non-linear equalization a respective value of each of the output signals, and adapting parameters of the non-linear equalization based on respective ones of the value.

Abstract: Systems and methods for adaptation of a two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) channel are provided. Read-back signals from respective read sensors of a TDMR channel are received at an equalizer, the read-back signals corresponding to a digital signal value. A log-likelihood ratio (LLR) signal is generated based at least in part on the read-back signals. A cross-entropy value is generated indicative of a mismatch between a probability of detected bit and a probability of the true recorded bit. The equalizer is adapted by setting an equalizer parameter to a value that corresponds to a minimum cross-entropy value from among the computed cross-entropy value and one or more previously computed cross-entropy values, to decrease a read-back bit error rate for the TDMR channel.

Abstract: A storage control device coupled to a storage device and located remotely from a host device receives media object data from the host device. The storage control device identifies a type of the media object data and select, based on the identified type, a computational model from among a plurality of computational models for use by a computational engine of the storage control device. The computational engine uses the selected computational model to generate metadata describing the media object data. The metadata is stored in the storage device so as to be selectively retrievable from the storage device separately from the media object data.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes aspects of health management for magnetic storage media. In some aspects, a media health manager determines, with a read channel, read metrics for a sector of magnetic storage media that resides in a zone of magnetic storage media. The media health manager accesses read metrics of the zone and updates the read metrics of the zone based on the read metrics determined for the sector to provide updated read metrics for the zone of magnetic storage media. A health score for the zone of magnetic storage media is then determined with a neural network based on the updated read metrics of the zone of magnetic storage media. By so doing, gradual wear of the magnetic storage media may be predicted using the health score, enabling replacement of a magnetic storage media device before failure to improve reliability or availability of data stored to the device.

Abstract: A storage control device coupled to a storage device and located remotely from a host device receives media object data from the host device. The storage control device identifies a type of the media object data and select, based on the identified type, a computational model from among a plurality of computational models for use by a computational engine of the storage control device. The computational engine uses the selected computational model to generate metadata describing the media object data. The metadata is stored in the storage device so as to be selectively retrievable from the storage device separately from the media object data.

Abstract: In a data storage device having a storage medium, wherein data is written to tracks on the storage medium, data for each track including a preamble, and wherein the preamble in any current track is orthogonal to the preamble in any track adjacent to the current track, and wherein data accumulated in a multi-dimensional space is representative of a relationship between signals from the current track and signals from at least one adjacent track, the relationship between the signals from the current track and the signals from the at least one adjacent track is calibrated by, for each respective position out of a plurality of positions in the multi-dimensional space, accumulating a plurality of data values for the respective position, and determining, from the plurality of data values for the respective position, an inverted covariance matrix without performing a matrix inversion operation, either during run-time or prior to run-time.

Abstract: A storage device includes read circuitry having a read head having a detector that outputs signals representing data from a first track and an adjacent track. The read head is subject to off-track excursions during which the read head detects signals from both the first track and an adjacent track. Data on each track includes a preamble including a repeating pattern. The repeating pattern in any first track is orthogonal to the repeating pattern in any track adjacent to the first track. The read circuitry also includes respective Discrete Fourier Transform circuits to identify components in the signals corresponding to respective frequencies characteristic of the repeating pattern on the first track and the repeating pattern on the second track, and computation circuitry to determine from the components a ratio by which the read head is off-track. Corresponding methods are provided for operating such a storage device and for reading data.

Abstract: A storage device includes read circuitry having a read head having a detector that outputs signals representing data from a first track and an adjacent track. The read head is subject to off-track excursions during which the read head detects signals from both the first track and an adjacent track. Data on each track includes a preamble including a repeating pattern. The repeating pattern in any first track is orthogonal to the repeating pattern in any track adjacent to the first track. The read circuitry also includes respective Discrete Fourier Transform circuits to identify components in the signals corresponding to respective frequencies characteristic of the repeating pattern on the first track and the repeating pattern on the second track, and computation circuitry to determine from the components a ratio by which the read head is off-track. Corresponding methods are provided for operating such a storage device and for reading data.

Abstract: A storage device includes read circuitry having a read head having a detector that outputs signals representing data from a first track and an adjacent track. The read head is subject to off-track excursions during which the read head detects signals from both the first track and an adjacent track. Data on each track includes a preamble including a repeating pattern. The repeating pattern in any first track is orthogonal to the repeating pattern in any track adjacent to the first track. The read circuitry also includes respective Discrete Fourier Transform circuits to identify components in the signals corresponding to respective frequencies characteristic of the repeating pattern on the first track and the repeating pattern on the second track, and computation circuitry to determine from the components a ratio by which the read head is off-track. Corresponding methods are provided for operating such a storage device and for reading data.

Abstract: In a storage device, data is written to tracks on a storage medium. Data for each track includes a preamble. The preamble in any current track is orthogonal to the preamble in any track adjacent to the current track. A first read head is positioned over the current track and off-center toward a first adjacent track on a first side of the current track to detect first signals from among the current track, the first adjacent track, and a second adjacent track on a second side of the current track. A second read head is positioned over the current track and off-center relative to the current track toward the second adjacent track to detect second signals from among the current track, the first adjacent track, and the second adjacent track. Analyzing the first and second signals determines an amount by which the read heads are off-track from the current track.

Abstract: A storage device includes read circuitry having a read head having a detector that outputs signals representing data from a first track and an adjacent track. The read head is subject to off-track excursions during which the read head detects signals from both the first track and an adjacent track. Data on each track includes a preamble including a repeating pattern. The repeating pattern in any first track is orthogonal to the repeating pattern in any track adjacent to the first track. The read circuitry also includes respective Discrete Fourier Transform circuits to identify components in the signals corresponding to respective frequencies characteristic of the repeating pattern on the first track and the repeating pattern on the second track, and computation circuitry to determine from the components a ratio by which the read head is off-track. Corresponding methods are provided for operating such a storage device and for reading data.

Abstract: A storage device includes read circuitry having a read head having a detector that outputs signals representing data from a first track and an adjacent track. The read head is subject to off-track excursions during which the read head detects signals from both the first track and an adjacent track. Data on each track includes a preamble including a repeating pattern. The repeating pattern in any first track is orthogonal to the repeating pattern in any track adjacent to the first track. The read circuitry also includes respective Discrete Fourier Transform circuits to identify components in the signals corresponding to respective frequencies characteristic of the repeating pattern on the first track and the repeating pattern on the second track, and computation circuitry to determine from the components a ratio by which the read head is off-track. Corresponding methods are provided for operating such a storage device and for reading data.

Abstract: This application includes systems and techniques relating to storage devices, such as a device including: a first read channel to process a first input signal obtained from a storage medium using a first read head; a second read channel to process a second input signal obtained from the storage medium using a second read head, which is offset from the first read head in each of two dimensions; a single digital timing loop configured to control interpolation of timing of sampling for first and second analog to digital converters in the first and second read channels; and a two dimensional equalizer coupled with output lines of the first and second read channels; the device being configured to account for a fractional timing difference between the first input signal and the second input signal, the fractional timing difference being a fractional amount of a single clock cycle of the device.

Abstract: This application includes systems and techniques relating to storage devices, such as a device including: a first read channel to process a first input signal obtained from a storage medium using a first read head; a second read channel to process a second input signal obtained from the storage medium using a second read head, which is offset from the first read head in each of two dimensions; a single digital timing loop configured to control interpolation of timing of sampling for first and second analog to digital converters in the first and second read channels; and a two dimensional equalizer coupled with output lines of the first and second read channels; the device being configured to account for a fractional timing difference between the first input signal and the second input signal, the fractional timing difference being a fractional amount of a single clock cycle of the device.

Abstract: A storage device includes read circuitry having a read head having a detector that outputs signals representing data from a first track and an adjacent track. The read head is subject to off-track excursions during which the read head detects signals from both the first track and an adjacent track. Data on each track includes a preamble including a repeating pattern. The repeating pattern in any first track is orthogonal to the repeating pattern in any track adjacent to the first track. The read circuitry also includes respective Discrete Fourier Transform circuits to identify components in the signals corresponding to respective frequencies characteristic of the repeating pattern on the first track and the repeating pattern on the second track, and computation circuitry to determine from the components a ratio by which the read head is off-track. Corresponding methods are provided for operating such a storage device and for reading data.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improving the performance of iterative decoders on various channels with memory are disclosed. These systems and methods may reduce the frequency or number of situations in which the iterative decoder cannot produce decoded data that matches the data that was originally sent in a communications or data storage system. The iterative decoder includes a SISO channel detector and an ECC decoder and decodes the coded information according to at least one iterative decoding algorithm in regular decoding mode and/or at least one iterative decoding algorithm in error-recovery mode.