Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting and designing enhanced disk sync marks using correlation detection are disclosed. The enhanced sync marks provide better noise immunity and higher detection rates over traditional Viterbi-based detection schemes even with a shorter sync mark length. The disk sync mark may provide optimal noise immunity for a particular target polynomial or a plurality of common target polynomials. The minimum Euclidean distance between a candidate sync mark and a plurality of right-shifted versions of the candidate sync mark is computed and compared with other candidate sync marks. The sync mark with the largest minimum Euclidean distance is then selected as the optimal mark. Systems and methods are also disclosed for detecting and designing a disk sync mark using correlation detection when the polarity of the disk is unknown or time-varying.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk drive includes an actuator, a servo controller, a calculation module and an adjustment module. The actuator is configured to move the head over a disk, in the radial direction of the disk. The servo controller is configured to make the head move along a target orbit on the disk, in accordance with the distance the actuator has been moved. The calculation module is configured to calculate, as disk runout, a virtual target orbit value supplied to the servo controller to suppress the disturbance at the target orbit. The adjustment module is configured to multiply the virtual target orbit value by a gain that has been preset.

Abstract: A magnetic disk media is physically preformatted to have a non-user data area providing any of a servo pattern, a gray code pattern and a timing line pattern. The non-user data area patterns are preformatted to have non-recordable regions with a radial width that is always less than the track pitch of the data area. In exemplary implementations, servo patterns, gray code patterns and timing line patterns are physically preformatted to have a recordable:non-recordable radial width ratio substantially equal to that of a user data area. In certain embodiments, non-magnetic or magnetically suppressed regions having cross-track dimension substantially equal to that of spaces between tracks in the user data area are consecutively offset in a cross-track direction from the discrete track recording pattern of the user data area.

Abstract: A control module for a rotating storage medium includes a data wedge format table (DWFT). The control module also includes a buffer control module that has a DWFT queue that includes X entries from the DWFT and one of X first servo information for each of the X entries. X is a positive integer. A disk formatter module that compares the one of X first servo information with second servo information that is based on a current position of a read/write device in relation to the rotating storage medium.

Abstract: A method for determining runout disc is disclosed. The method comprises: focusing on a focal point on a disc; driving the disc to spin the disc; generating a crossover signal according to a track of the disc crossing the focal point; and determining that the disc is a runout disc when the frequency of the crossover signal exceeds a pre-determine value.

Abstract: A recording processing unit sets a track pitch narrower than a writing width of a recording element so that part of the recorded track overlapped with the unused track is overwritten, and continuously records information on a disk medium toward one direction in accordance with the track pitch. A first offset correcting unit reads a write/read offset from a storage table, in which the write/read offset is measured and saved in advance, and corrects the write/read offset in the state that a reading element is positioned at a target track. A second offset correcting unit corrects a write-once center offset, which is a positional deviation between a read center position of the reading element, which has undergone correction of the write/read offset by the first offset correcting unit, and a center position of an effective track width caused by write-once recording.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a magnetic recording medium having a data region in which a plurality of recording tracks, each including magnetic dots arrayed in a down-track direction with a pitch p, are formed in a cross-track direction, and a servo region including a preamble in which a plurality of lines of magnetic dots, which are arrayed in a cross-track direction with a pitch p, are formed at equal intervals in the down-track direction.

Abstract: One embodiment in accordance with the invention includes a method. The method can include utilizing a harmonic test on a magnetic disk of a hard disk drive that produces a first result and a second result. A magnetic spacing distance between a transducer head of the hard disk drive and the magnetic disk can be determined utilizing the first result and the second result. A flying height between a head structure of the hard disk drive and a surface of the magnetic disk can be determined utilizing the magnetic spacing distance.

Abstract: A technique tracks head asymmetry of a magnetic recording device over time. In particular, a reference pattern having a known fundamental/reference frequency may be read from a reserved track of a magnetic recording medium to produce a response signal, and signal power may then be determined at the reference frequency and at a second harmonic component frequency of the reference frequency. Accordingly, head asymmetry for the device may be tracked based on a ratio of the signal power at the second harmonic component frequency to the signal power at the reference frequency.

Abstract: In a method for implementing track shape control during a self servo-write process, an error in a targeted path for writing servo data onto a first track of a disk is detected. The error is correlated with a second error for a targeted path in a previously written track of the disk. A correction is generated for a feed-forward signal used to position a writing element which is used to write servo data for a subsequent track of the disk.

Abstract: Unequal zoning for track following on a hard disk drive comprising at least one magnetic disk, a read/write head connected to at least one actuator arm and capable of reading and writing data on said at least one magnetic disk, a controller capable of moving said at least one actuator arm. A track is followed using the read/write head on the surface of the at least one magnetic disk. Information is stored at the controller regarding off-track displacement of the read/write head. A plurality of unequal zone partitions is created, wherein an unequal zone partition of the plurality of unequal zone partitions represents a physical region of the at least one magnetic disk and wherein the plurality of unequal zone partitions are based on the information regarding the off-track displacement of the track and are used by the controller to compensate for the off-track displacement of the track.

Abstract: A phase interpolator is provided that, in one implementation, includes an output node, a plurality of phase input circuits, and a plurality of switches corresponding to the plurality of phase input circuits. Each phase input circuit is operable to receive a given phase signal. Each switch is in communication with a given phase input circuit and is operable to couple a given phase signal to the output node.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to protecting a device from damage due to an impact event at the conclusion of a free fall condition through the use of a biasing signal that maintains a retention force until the impact event is completed.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a disk drive that can perform dynamic offset control (DOC). The disk drive has a magnetic head, a disk, and offset calculating modules. The magnetic head has read head. Offset-measuring position data is written in a non-servo area provided in the disk. The read head reads the offset-measuring position data from the disk. Based on the offset-measuring position data thus read, the offset calculating modules calculate an offset value that changes during a one-rotation period of the disk.

Abstract: A hard-disk drive (HDD). The HDD includes a main control circuit. The main control circuit includes a frequency-hunting peak filter. The frequency-hunting peak filter includes a peak filter wherein a gain at a center frequency becomes finite and a reciprocal of the transfer function is represented by z/FD in z-transform space. The denominator of the transfer function of the peak filter that is represented by FD, has a real part that becomes zero at the center frequency and an imaginary part that becomes a positive number at the center frequency. In addition, the frequency-hunting peak filter includes a frequency updating unit that updates the center frequency to converge onto a frequency of disturbance by obtaining a comparative relation between the center frequency and the frequency of disturbance acting on the control system in accordance with a phase difference between an input and output of the transfer function represented by z/FD.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, a head, a voice coil motor (VCM) for actuating the head over the disk, and control circuitry comprising a notch filter for generating a VCM control signal, wherein a notch of the notch filter comprises a frequency, a width, and a depth. The notch filter is calibrated by initializing at least one of the width and the depth of the notch, measuring a quality metric of the notch filter, and increasing at least one of the width and the depth of the notch until the quality metric indicates good performance.

Abstract: A data storage device, that stores write data by a head, rewrites data on an adjacent track at a timing which is different from write retry of detecting a head off track when data may be written to an adjacent track. When an off track error, which affects data on an adjacent track, is generated by a write command, rewrite processing of this write command is not executed immediately, but a rewrite request including information on the track to be rewritten and the shift amount of the off track is held. And the rewrite request being held is executed at a timing which is different from the write retry. So rewrite processing can be executed after vibration, which caused the off track, stops, and the generation of an off track error during rewrite processing and the generation of further off track writing can be prevented.

Abstract: A magnetic disk device includes a head that reads position information, a position-information correction value for correcting the position information, and an error correcting code for the position-information correction value from a storage medium; a microcontroller unit (MCU) and an error check and correct (ECC) circuit for correcting an error in the position-information correction value based on the error correcting code; and a static var compensator (SVC) that performs position control based on either one of the position-information correction value read by the head and the position-information correction value with the error corrected by the MCU and the ECC circuit, and the position information read by the head so that the head is located at a target position on the storage medium.

Abstract: There is provided with a positioning control system which includes: a head moving unit configured to move a head for recording or reproducing information with respect to a disk capable of recording information; a position detecting unit configured to detect a position of the head; an error detecting unit configured to detect a position error signal of a detected head position with respect to a predetermined target position; a compensation controller configured to generate control input by performing phase lead compensation and phase delay compensation for the position error signal and supply the control input to the head moving unit; and a gain controller configured to control at least one of gains the phase lead compensation and the phase delay compensation based on frequency components contained in the position error signal and an amplitude of the position error signal.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive uses a disk having pre-patterned servo sectors extending generally radially across the data tracks. The servo sectors include at least two position error signal (PES) bursts or fields. The phases of the PES fields in the servo readback signal are demodulated to generate a PES to control the disk drive actuator for positioning the read/write heads. Each field contains generally radially directed magnetized stripes, with each stripe comprising a plurality of islands forming a zigzag pattern. The stripes have alternating polarity of magnetizations in the along-the-track direction.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus includes a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, a reverse-pulse detector, and a re-magnetizer. The magnetic disk includes a data recording area and a servo-pattern area. The magnetic regions of the servo-pattern area have been pre-magnetized in the same direction or pre-magnetizing direction. The magnetic head is arranged to reciprocate radially of the magnetic disk. The reverse-pulse detector is provided for reading the servo-pattern area with the magnetic head before data recording or reproducing with respect to the data recording area is performed. The reverse-pulse detector detects, from servo reproduction signal pulses, reverse pulses corresponding to the reversal of magnetization direction relative to the pre-magnetizing direction. The re-magnetizer causes the magnetic head to perform the re-magnetizing of the magnetic regions in the servo-pattern area when the count of reverse pulses is not smaller than a threshold number.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a magnetic disk apparatus having a magnetic disk having magnetic dot lines each including magnetic dots arrayed at equal intervals in a down track direction, and a read/write head which uses a plurality of adjacent magnetic dot lines as one track and sequentially performs read and write on the magnetic dots included in the magnetic dot lines constituting the track, in which the magnetic dots included in each of the magnetic dot lines in each track of the magnetic disk are displaced in the down track direction from the magnetic dots included in the adjacent dot line in the track depending on a possible skew angle between the read/write head and the track so that the magnetic dots are sequentially accessed by the read/write head.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive has a disk with pre-patterned nondata servo sectors extending generally radially across the data tracks for use in positioning the read/write heads on the data tracks. The servo sectors include a synchronization pattern of generally radially directed magnetized marks, a first field of generally radially directed magnetized stripes, and a second field of generally radially directed magnetized stripes. Each stripe in each of the two fields comprises a plurality of radially spaced discrete islands, each island having a radial height of approximately Tp, where Tp is the spacing of the track centerlines in the radial direction. In the first field, the islands are centered at a track centerline, and in the second field the islands are centered at the midline between two adjacent track centerlines. The marks and islands are discrete magnetized regions separated by nonmagnetic spaces.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a storage medium that stores position information indicating positions of a plurality of tracks in a radial direction in the tracks, wherein the position information includes: a first pattern in which a feed angle indicating a phase difference between the tracks is an angle obtained by adding a predetermined angle to +90°; a second pattern in which the feed angle is an angle obtained by adding the predetermined angle to ?90°; and a third pattern in which the feed angle is the same as that of the first pattern.

Abstract: A data-storage disk includes a disk sector for storing data and a servo wedge located at the beginning of the sector. The servo wedge indentifies the sector in conjunction with both an initial positioning of a read-write head and a data read or write operation. By using a servo wedge to provide both an initial head position on disk spin up and a head position during a read or write operation, one can increase a disk's data-storage capacity by reducing the number of, or altogether eliminating, spin-up wedges.

Abstract: A hard disk drive with a disk that includes a first group of tracks and a second group of tracks. The second group of tracks are used to write large blocks of data. For example, data in the second group may be video or audio. The second group of tracks has a higher track density than the first group of tracks. The large data block is written sequentially in the second group of tracks so that there is only one adjacent track write within the group. Using only one adjacent track write allows the tracks within the second group to be overlapped to increase track density.

Abstract: A detector recovers servo data from a servo signal generated by a read-write head, and determines the head-connection polarity from the recovered servo data. Such a detector allows a servo circuit to compensate for a reversed-connected read-write head, and thus allows a manufacturer to forego time-consuming and costly testing to determine whether the head is correctly connected to the servo circuit.

Abstract: An information handling system chassis includes a chassis base, a carriage, and a carriage sliding system. The chassis base is configured to house a plurality of first electrical components. The carriage is configured to house one or more second electrical components such that a user may access the one or more second electrical components from a front side of the chassis. The carriage sliding system is configured to slidably couple the carriage to the chassis base such that the carriage can be slided forward to an access position and rearward to a storage position. In the storage position of the carriage, a front area of the chassis base configured to receive one or more first electrical components is covered by the carriage, whereas in the access position of the carriage, at least a portion of the front area of the chassis base is not covered by the carriage.

Abstract: Unequal zoning for track following on a hard disk drive comprising at least one magnetic disk, a read/write head connected to at least one actuator arm and capable of reading and writing data on said at least one magnetic disk, a controller capable of moving said at least one actuator arm. A track is followed using the read/write head on the surface of the at least one magnetic disk. Information is stored at the controller regarding off-track displacement of the read/write head. A plurality of unequal zone partitions is created, wherein an unequal zone partition of the plurality of unequal zone partitions represents a physical region of the at least one magnetic disk and wherein the plurality of unequal zone partitions are based on the information regarding the off-track displacement of the track and are used by the controller to compensate for the off-track displacement of the track.

Abstract: A method is provided. The method includes determining that a data sector included in a select data track is in error, the data sector in error includes at least one identified data wedge. The at least one defective data wedge in the data sector in error is located. The method also includes moving the at least one defective data wedge by utilizing at least one spare wedge on the select data track.

Abstract: A system and method to avoid disk lube pooling is presented. A track access monitor tracks the number of times that a program accesses a particular track located on a hard drive. When the track access monitor determines that the number of track accesses to a particular track exceed a track access threshold, the track access monitor invokes a sequence of events to scan adjacent tracks in order to uniformly redistribute lubrication over the hard drive. In one embodiment, the track access monitor incrementally performs the adjacent track scanning during hard drive idle periods, such as when the system waits for a password from a user or when the operating system conserves power and idles the hard drive due to lack of activity.

Abstract: A mechanical transport device includes a system for transport; and a hard disk drive attached to the system. The hard disk drive comprises a magnetic recording disk to record data, a head to read or write the data to or from the disk, and a drop sensor designed to sense a shock condition. The system for transport may be a vehicle such as a car. Additional systems are also presented.

Abstract: A hard disk drive with a controller that determines a position error signal gain. The position error signal gain is determined from a total servo loop gain and a function that is defined by a slope of a line of A and B servo bits measured at N off-track positions. The function determines an actual plant gain and thus provides a more accurate position error signal gain.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic disk drive capable of controlling write/read positions by a method that takes the disturbance in the circumferential direction of a magnetic disk into consideration, thereby making it possible to improve the positioning accuracy. A magnetic disk drive in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a magnetic recording medium on which information is written to each track thereof, the recording medium having a servo signal formed in the each track at specified intervals; a magnetic head including a read head for reading a signal from the magnetic recording medium, and a write head for writing information to the magnetic recording medium. At the time of writing/reading information by the magnetic head, a servo signal is detected from among signals read out by the read head.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus includes: a rotary-type magnetic recording medium including a track pattern with concentric or spiral data recording tracks; a composite magnetic head including a reproducing element that reads magnetic signals from the medium and a recording element that writes magnetic signals on the medium; a control unit that moves the magnetic head over the medium to carry out tracking servo control on the reproducing element or the recording element to keep the element on a desired track; and a storage unit that stores offset information that specifies offsets for calculating an adjustment used to adjust a head position of the magnetic head during tracking servo control. The stored offset information specifies at least two different offsets per revolution of the medium. During tracking servo control, the control unit changes the adjustment at least once per revolution of the medium in accordance with offsets specified based on the offset information.

Abstract: Provided is a process for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium having a magnetically partitioned magnetic recording patterns, which comprises the following steps, conducted in the order: (1) step of forming a magnetic layer on a non-magnetic substrate, (2) step of exposing the surface of regions of the magnetic layer to a reactive plasma or a reactive ion, which regions are to magnetically partition the magnetic layer for forming a magnetically partitioned magnetic recording pattern, and (3) step of exposing the magnetically partitioned magnetic layer to an inert gas irradiation. Preferably, a step of removing surface layer portions of said regions of the magnetic layer is carried out after the step (1) but before the step (2). The surface of the magnetic layer of produced magnetic recording medium exhibits good resistance to corrosion caused by oxidation or halogenation.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic storage medium, includes a magnetic recording layer that includes: a servo area including predetermined servo information; a user data area including predetermined user information; two preamble areas including a plurality of magnetic bodies made of magnetic particles, the magnetic bodies being arranged in a staggered pattern so that the staggered pattern is inverted with respect to an axis of symmetry at a track center; and a re-sync mark area positioned at a head of the preamble areas and indicates a start of the preamble areas.

Abstract: Provided are a bit patterned medium having a super-track, a method of tracking a track of the bit patterned medium, a head appropriate for the bit patterned medium, and an information recording/reproducing apparatus including the bit patterned medium and the head. The bit patterned medium includes a substrate, and a recording layer comprised of a plurality of bit cells which are formed on the substrate by being separated from each other, along a plurality of tracks. Each of the plurality of tracks includes a super-track comprised of a plurality of sub-tracks. Bit cells formed on a sub-track from among the plurality of sub-tracks in the super-track are disposed so as to deviate from bit cells formed on another sub-track from among the plurality of sub-tracks in the super-track. A track ID (identification) for recognizing the super-track, and a servo burst generating a position error signal when a head tracks the super-track, are arranged in an area of each of the plurality of tracks.

Abstract: Drive waveforms with which extension and contraction characteristics of an actuator corresponding to a number of track eccentricity amounts are stored as data. By reading servo information written in a disk is obtained as a signal indicating a head displacement amount from a track. The head is moved in a direction in which the track is displaced by obtaining an amplitude corresponding to a slip amount of the head position and a rotation angle of maximum eccentricity, reading drive waveforms which is optimal in driving the actuator from the memory and driving the actuator with a drive waveform matched with the rotation angle at which the eccentricity is maximum.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a storage device includes: a control circuit configured to perform a write retry when data writing fails, wherein the control circuit recognizes that read commands are issued at regular intervals for reproducing continuous pieces of data, and upon detecting an error requiring the write retry to be performed in the data writing by a write command received during the reproduction, the control circuit interrupts the data writing, perform data reading to store the data in the buffer memory after allocating a storage area for the data in the buffer memory, and then resumes the data writing.

Abstract: On a magnetic recording medium, M sets of burst patterns are formed along a direction of rotation of a substrate in each burst pattern region. Each burst pattern is formed so as to include two types of burst signal units that have an equal length along a radial direction of the substrate. In a predetermined range, (2M) centers in the radial direction of the burst patterns are present at intervals of (1/N) times the track pitch in the radial direction. The predetermined range has a length along the radial direction of (2M/N) times the track pitch. M or N is a natural number of 2 or higher. The two types of burst signal units are formed of non-recording regions and end regions of the burst signal units overlap in the radial direction in at least one part region of the substrate.

Abstract: A read signal for one revolution of each of a plurality of tracks jitter of which is cancelled is obtained and a binary-coded image data for the read signal is generated and the track number position of each servo area is specified from the binary-coded image data. Further, a read signal in this position in radial direction is obtained from the track number position of each of the specified servo areas and the servo area is tested by the read signal.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system for providing a fine adjustment for transducing head positioning in a hard disk drive (HDD). The apparatus, method, and system include reading a positioning error field wherein the resulting signal is a substantially sinusoidal position error signal (PES), filtering the PES to remove low frequencies and attenuate high frequencies, sample the filtered PES at a multiple of the channel frequency, filter the higher frequency harmonics, down sample the PES, and provide a signal proportional to the amplitude of the down sampled PES. This signal is the reference signal to the head positioning servo.

Abstract: A magnetic head position control method is provided to control a magnetic head to follow the track on a DTM (discrete-track magnetic) disk by accurately detecting the eccentricity compensation amount through a simple process. An angle detection unit detects ?1 at which the relative displacement between the magnetic head and the tracks on the DTM (discrete-track magnetic) disk has a peak with no vibration data added. A vibration data calculation unit calculates first vibration data with first vibration amplitude, so that the displacement has a peak at ?2 displaced from ?1 by a predetermined value. The angle detection unit detects ?3 at which the relative displacement has a peak with the first vibration data added. A compensation data calculation unit calculates compensation data for the eccentricity of the tracks, from the detected angles ?1, ?3, the first vibration amplitude, and ?2. The position of the magnetic head is compensated according to the correction data.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk drive is disclosed which has an offset measuring function for measuring a dynamic offset value necessary to a dynamic offset control using a DTM (discrete track media) type disk. A CPU (microprocessor) included in the disk drive writes offset measuring position information to an optimum position of lands on the disk and calculates a dynamic offset value based on the offset measuring position information.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive uses a patterned medium on which data tracks having a recording layer and grooves having no recording layer as a disk. The magnetic disk drive includes a correction unit which corrects the head center position of a write head so that a head edge portion on the side to which the top edge of the write head is tilted falls within or substantially falls within a groove on the side to which the top edge of the write head is tilted.

Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to identifying an address of user data to be registered as a defective user data address in disk defect inspection. In an embodiment of the present invention, in the state where a write element is positioned to a target position to execute data write processing to execute normal data read processing, a write element executes data write processing. If a predefined error occurs during the data write processing, an address of user data for which the normal data write processing is executed is estimated using the error-causing servo data as a target. In addition, an address of the servo data used as the target during the normal data write processing for the estimated address of the user data is identified. If the identified address of the servo data and the address of the error-causing servo data match with each other, the estimated address of the user data is registered as a defective user data address.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method are described for use in a disk drive including a disk that that is supported for controlled rotation and for cooperating with a transducer arrangement for accessing the disk in performing a data operation. The disk includes an arrangement of servo track wedge segments for storing servo data such that a set of servo data is periodically available as the disk is rotated in relation to the transducer arrangement and the servo track wedges are separated by an arrangement of user data wedge segments for use in storing user data. Generally, a controller IC and a channel IC are provided. The servo data is transferred from the channel IC to the controller IC using one data protocol and user data is bidirectionally transferred between the channel IC and the controller IC using a different data protocol.

Abstract: To avoid the occurrence of a recording error by suppressing the influence that a magneto-static interaction acting between the pattern dots exerts on a recording process and expand a margin for recording synchronization timing lag or tracking misregistration on the pattern dot. Each pattern dot has a structure in which a plurality of parts having different magnetization reversal fields are bonded with exchange interaction in the in-plane direction of a medium, substrate. The positional relationship between the parts having different magnetization reversal Fields is substantially coincident between the adjacent pattern dots, which are arranged to have a gradient of magnetization reversal field in a track direction or track transverse direction. Further, the recording is performed by adapting a gradient of recording magnetic field to the gradient of magnetization reversal field. Other methods and systems are described as well.

Abstract: A phase error reduction system includes a control module, a phase-locked loop (PLL) module, and a harmonic removal module. The control module generates source timestamps for a plurality of synchronization marks in a source signal using a clock and generates a plurality of target tirnestamps. The PLL module determines phase errors between the source timestamps and the target timestamps and minimizes the phase errors. The harmonic removal module removes harmonics of the phase errors using a weighted moving average filter (MAF). The harmonic removal module comprises a repetitive feed forward (RFF) module that includes an amplifier the scales the phase errors, a delay buffer that generates RFF commands to reduce the phase errors, and a summing module. The MAF filters the RFF commands. The summing module provides sums of the phase errors scaled by the amplifier and the RFF commands filtered by the weighted MAF to the delay buffer.