Abstract: According to one embodiment, in a disk drive having the function of performing a self-servo writing, the CPU is configured to calculate correction values for only those of servo tracks which have been designated and to store the correction values in servo sectors, when a process of calculating STW-RRO correcting values during a self-run test.

Abstract: A method of calibrating an actuator controller is discussed. The method includes using an open loop seek operation and compensating for a low frequency response to reduce the velocity at the end of the open loop seek operation.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, in a disk drive which performs positioning control of a head on the basis of a servo burst pattern recorded on a disk medium, a servo processor generates a tangent-equivalent value by using a burst value obtained from the servo burst pattern. Furthermore, the servo processor executes an arctangent transform process by an inverse function approximate expression structured on the basis of a relationship between an off-track position and the tangent-equivalent value to detect the off-track position.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer containing magnetic powder provided on a support is disclosed. The magnetic layer possesses a servo band in which a servo signal for controlling tracking of a magnetic head, and a data band on which a data is recorded. The servo signal is magnetized and recorded on the servo band, having been magnetized in one direction of the track direction thereof, in the direction other than the one direction. The thickness of the magnetic layer ranging from 10 to 180 ?m, and variation [standard deviation of Mrt] of the product [Mrt] of the residual magnetism by the thickness of the magnetic field being not more than 30%.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a way to modify the controller of a HDD head actuator to increase the error rejection capability and suppress the wideband vibration that affects the head motion. In one embodiment, a system to suppress influence of an external disturbance to an actuator comprises a controller providing a controller output as an actuator input to drive an actuator; a feedback loop to feed a head signal at an output of the actuator back as an input to the controller to produce an error signal; and a plurality of peak filters coupled to the controller and having different peak frequencies. Each peak filter has a peak filter input including the error signal, and has a peak filter output. A supervisor module is coupled with the peak filters to selectively add or delete the peak filter output of each peak filter to the actuator input to drive the actuator.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a voice coil motor (VCM) for rotating an actuator arm about a pivot in order to actuate a head over a disk. The disk is rotated by a spindle motor, and a feed-forward compensation value is computed that compensate for a non-centric alignment of the disk with respect to the spindle motor. During a calibration mode, the VCM is controlled to press the actuator arm against a crash stop, and the feed-forward compensation value is computed in response to a position error signal (PES). The PES is generated in response to embedded servo sectors recorded on the disk, wherein each embedded servo sector comprises a track address for coarse alignment and servo bursts for fine alignment.

Abstract: A settling control method and apparatus perform an improved settling control regardless of a seek distance when a disc drive track seek control operation is performed. An adaptive settling control method used in controlling the track seek mode of the disc drive includes: controlling a head to converge into a target position and a target velocity along with an eigen vector by transiting an initial state of the head motion onto an eigen vector line of a system at the time transiting from an acceleration/deceleration control mode of the track seek mode to a settling control mode.

Abstract: A method for identifying victim tracks distanced from an aggressor track in a hard disk drive that are deleteriously affected by long range fringe effects causing adjacent track interference (ATI) when the aggressor track is written includes writing first and second frequencies to candidate victim tracks, and writing a third frequency to the aggressor track. The amplitudes of the remaining frequencies are read and output and if desired normalized as an indication of ATI to distant victim tracks. Or, data can be written and on-track error rates (OTER) used to determine ATI.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide control of a disk data storage device to prevent off-track writing. In one embodiment, the SA acquires the CYLIDs and ADC Values generated from the SERVO SIGNALs acquired previously, and generates DACOUT which defines a driving current of the VCM driver. The SA monitors the DACOUT generated and determines whether the DACOUT is within a predefined range. If the DACOUT is outside the predefined range, data writing is inhibited. By monitoring the DACOUT, it is possible for the VCM driver to detect supply of an overcurrent to the VCM driver 210 beforehand, and off-track writing can thus be prevented.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic recording unit, including: a magnetic head; a magnetic recording medium having a servo pattern for adjusting a position of the magnetic head; a frequency detecting element for detecting a frequency in the servo pattern on a track corresponding to the position in a radial direction of the magnetic recording medium, on the basis of a reproduction signal obtained by reading the servo pattern with the magnetic head; a storage element for storing in advance information on predetermined frequencies corresponding to the positions of tracks of the magnetic recording medium; a tracking element for comparing the frequency detected on the track by the frequency detection element and the information on the frequency corresponding to the same track, the information being stored in the storage element, and for generating a signal for adjusting the position of the magnetic head, the signal being generated on the basis of a difference between the frequencies.

Abstract: Methods and systems for sensing a position of a transducer head with respect to a storage medium. One method includes generating a read signal from a servo track stored on a magnetic storage medium. The servo track includes servo frames of magnetic flux transitions forming detectable servo marks, the servo marks forming a tone field of repeating servo marks oriented at a first azimuth angle and a mid-frame synchronization mark incorporated within the tone field, wherein the tone field provides a metric reference for dimensional measurements between features within the servo frame(s). The number of servo marks in the tone field of each servo frame along a longitudinal direction of the servo track before the mid-frame synchronization mark and after the mid-frame synchronization mark varies with lateral position.

Abstract: A control apparatus controls retraction of a device carried on a moveable member actuated by an electric motor. The control apparatus includes a measuring circuit with an output during a measuring phase including a back electromotive force (back EMF) from the electric motor plus a measuring circuit offset voltage. The control apparatus also includes an offset removing circuit connected to the output of the measuring circuit. The back EMF from the electric motor is provided at the output of the offset removing circuit. A driver circuit is connected to terminals of the electric motor for providing the electric motor with a drive current during a driving phase with a magnitude based on the back EMF from the electric motor.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus extracts a record signal from a sum signal (ADD) of signals detected via first and second magnetic detection regions (RH1, RH2) that are formed to be offset in the lengthwise (TL) and widthwise (TW) directions of a recording track having an overlapping part in the widthwise direction (TW), and extracts servo information from a sub signal (SUB).

Abstract: An off-track retry method for recovering data incorrectly read due to a read error caused by an off-track error in a disk drive. The off-track retry method includes extracting read gain characteristics while varying an off-track amount, determining an off-track amount, i.e., off-track direction and degree, based upon the read gain characteristics, reading data using the determined off-track amount, and determining whether the read data is normal and determining whether the data incorrectly read due to the read error has been recovered based upon the result.

Abstract: A reduction in computational load associated with correction of repeatable runout is provided. Rather than performing DFT for each analyzed frequency at each interrupt, at least some frequencies are not analyzed in the same interrupt period. DFTs for different frequencies may be staggered or interleaved. DFTs for different frequencies may be performed at different rates, preferably, using higher rates for higher frequencies.

Abstract: An HDC asserts the read gate of an RDC when a read head is positioned in a sector located before a sector that a hot system instructs to read data when seen from the rotation direction of a storage medium. The data that the read head has read from the sector is used to adapt a circuit that constitutes the RDC. However, the data is not transferred to the host system. Such a process is repeated until the read head reaches a position where data stored in a sector whose data has been instructed to read can be read. In this way, time needed to adapt a circuit that constitutes a read channel can be shortened.

Abstract: A method for computing position error signal information of a transducer in a data storage system provides for different readback signals between adjacent tracks. The method involves a computation to obtain coarse position information from the servo bursts signals for track seeking and a computation to obtain a position indicator from the user data sector for more precise track following within the user data sector.

Abstract: A system (10) and method for high-speed massive magnetic imaging on a spin-stand (12) is provided. The system (10) includes a spin-stand system (12) for driving a rotational spindle (20) to which a magnetic hard disk (30) is mounted. A magnetic read head (40) reads data from disk (30) and is in electrical communication with a universal head preamplification board (50). The universal head preamplification board (50) outputs readable voltage signals which are transmitted to an oscilloscope (60) for displaying a read-back voltage display (70). The signals are processed by a processing means (90) to generate scanned image data (100) on a display means. The display signals (70) are utilized to calibrate the magnetically read data to account for the eccentricity of the hard disks with respect to the center of rotation of the spin-stand spindle. Whole tracks of hard disk data can be imaged through the process of “track-centering” and “track-following”.

Abstract: A method of testing a performance of the HGA has a step of writing information from the at least one thin-film magnetic head element onto a magnetic disk with driving the actuator for displacement by applying an alternating drive signal to the actuator, a step of reading out the information of at least one rotation of the magnetic disk by the at least one thin-film magnetic head element without driving the actuator for displacement, a step of storing the information read-out from the magnetic disk as a read-out information along a disk-rotating direction, a step of moving the HGA toward an off-track direction by a predetermined distance, a step of repeatedly executing the reading, storing and moving steps to obtain two-dimensional read-out information along the disk-rotating direction and the off-track direction, and a step of determining, from the two-dimensional read-out information, an off-track position where the read-out information becomes maximum at each position along the disk-rotating direction, the

Abstract: A position detector generates a position error signal corresponding to a current position of a head, a position controller generates a position control signal from the position error signal, a voltage detector detects a voltage signal generated when driving an actuator by a driver, a disturbance estimator generates a disturbance estimation signal from a driving signal and the voltage signal, and a corrector outputs the driving signal from the disturbance estimation signal and the position control signal. The disturbance estimator includes a comparator which compares the disturbance estimation signal with a voltage signal and which outputs a deviation signal, and an adder which adds a signal obtained by multiplying an integral signal, which is obtained by integrating the deviation signal, by a first coefficient and a signal obtained by multiplying a proportional signal proportional to the deviation signal by a second coefficient, and which generates the disturbance estimation signal.

Abstract: Distinct servo patterns are written on data storage media of a data storage device. Servo patterns of a first type are written for transducers of the data storage device having a first transducer characteristic. Servo patterns of a second type are written for transducers that do not have the transducer characteristic. The transducer characteristic can be a geometric criterion such as read head and write head track width, an operating characteristic such as frequency response, or otherwise. The first servo pattern may be a seamless untrimmed PES burst and the second servo pattern may be a seamed trimmed PES burst.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for defining tracks on a rotating magnetic disk medium of a disk drive. Reference tracks are followed using a servo control loop while writing servo patterns defining a first target servo track. The servo control loop includes a two-dimensional digital state compensator having a first input that receives timing error signals, a first output that generates control signals for a controlled oscillator, a second output that generates timing state variables, and a second input that receives stored timing state variables. The first target track is followed using the servo control loop while servo patterns are written, and while the stored timing state variables corresponding to the servo patterns defining the first target track are applied to the second input.

Abstract: Disclosed is a disk drive using an accelerometer to sense linear vibration and cancel its effects with an adaptive algorithm during track following. The accelerometer is oriented to detect acceleration associated with torque that tends to cause the actuator to move off-track notwithstanding the efforts of the servo control system. The accelerometer's filtered output is used to modify the control effort. The disk drive uses the position error signal to adaptively filter the accelerometer's output in an effort to mathematically converge on a set of optimal filter coefficients and thereby reduce the effect of vibration that may otherwise impose a torque on the actuator.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for operating a motor. During a commutation state current is applied to a motor while field effect transistors (FETs) are held in an enable or disable state to effect current in phases of the motor. The phases have a high FET and a low FET. Control circuitry is employed to detect back electromotive force and zero crossing (Zc) signals that indicate transition timing for the commutation states. At a transition state the current is decreased in accordance with a noninstaneous decay function and applying a pulse width modulated signal to a switching element. Alternatively, the current is decreased by enabling either all low side FETs or all high side FETs to allow the current to decay. The next commutation state is applied after the current has been reduced, avoiding negative current to be source from ground and reducing current spikes in the motor.

Abstract: An information recording and reproducing apparatus having a high track density, a high recording density in each of the tracks, and a short seeking time. In a seeking operation, a control circuit performs a calculation required for the seeking operation and then sets, to (f=fs), a drive pulse frequency f for a tracking control to be supplied to a piezoelectric element based on the calculation result. A drive circuit outputs a drive pulse of the frequency f corresponding to the input drive pulse to an actuator, so that a recording and reproducing head is moved near a target track. In a following operation, the control circuit performs a calculation required for following operation and then sets, to (f=ft, wherein fs>ft), the drive pulse frequency f to be supplied to the piezoelectric element based on the calculation result.

Abstract: A reader-to-writer offset for a head positioned over a track on a disc in a disc drive having a plurality of tracks is generated by using two iterations. A first iteration is used to determine a fine-tuning range that is used for a second iteration. The first iteration uses coarse steps of the reader across the track pitch to roughly determine OTC boundaries (which are used as the fine-tuning range). The fine-tuning range is determined by locating the point before the first valid reading (e.g., a VGA reading or BER reading with a rate that is less than the BER threshold) and by locating the point after the last valid reading. The second iteration uses fine steps of the reader across the track pitch to determine the actual OTC boundaries. The OTC boundaries are the first valid reading and the last valid reading that are made using the fine steps.

Abstract: A number of data pairs, each data pair comprises a write-to-read track misregistration (WRTMR) value and an average position error margin (APE) value, are determined for a data storage device. Each of the data pairs is associated with a unique predetermined non-repeatable runout (NRRO) error in the data storage device. Each of the predetermined NRRO errors is caused by subjecting the data storage device to a unique NRRO error stimulus. An ideal APE margin is then determined for the data storage device by using the data pairs to extrapolate an APE margin corresponding to a WRTMR value of zero.

Abstract: A read servo mechanism that uses levels of read data signal quality to maintain track centerline is presented. In a seek operation mode, a baseline signal quality value is sampled at a current tracking position and, once the baseline signal quality value is established, the head is stepped to change its position and the signal quality value sampled after each position change to determine change in signal quality until the change in signal quality is found to be insignificant. After a predetermined interval, the signal quality value is again sampled. If the signal quality value has changed significantly or the time that has expired since the seek operation mode ended is greater than some larger interval, the seek operation is repeated in an effort to search for a new baseline level of signal quality (and, therefore, the new track center).

Abstract: A disk-shaped magnetic recording medium having a reference track and a plurality of data tracks is rotated by a motor which generates an index signal at a predetermined position. A magnetic head is slightly moved in the radial direction of the medium for each predetermined unit distance smaller than the data track width, and a reproduction output amplitude measuring circuit measures the reproduction output amplitude of a signal read from the data track for each index signal. A CPU obtains a position where the amplitude has the maximum value based on the number of head movements and the amplitude at that time so as to control data track positioning. Further, the CPU calculates a relative position between the data track position and the reference track position to perform reference track positioning. The data or reference track positioning of the magnetic head can be performed accurately in a short time.

Abstract: A disk-shaped magnetic recording medium having a reference track and a plurality of data tracks is rotated by a motor which generates an index signal at a predetermined position. A magnetic head is slightly moved in the radial direction of the medium for each predetermined unit distance smaller than the data track width, and a reproduction output amplitude measuring circuit measures the reproduction output amplitude of a signal read from the data track for each index signal. A CPU obtains a position where the amplitude has the maximum value based on the number of head movements and the amplitude at that time so as to control data track positioning. Further, the CPU calculates a relative position between the data track position and the reference track position to perform reference track positioning. The data or reference track positioning of the magnetic head can be performed accurately in a short time.

Abstract: A disc drive with an information portion previously written on a rotatable disc surface, a servo write clock generator phase lock loop circuit controlling timing for writing a reference mark to the rotatable disc surface in substantial time alignment and phase and frequency coherent with the information portion previously written to the rotatable disc surface, a servo write clock generator phase lock loop circuit controlling timing for writing the reference mark, a pulse detector circuit for creating logic level signals from the reference mark, a pattern generator for generating reference mark write signals from the logic level signals, a memory buffer for storing radial position correction tables and values for writing the reference mark, and a self-servo control and sequencing circuit synchronizing timing signals for writing the reference mark to rotatable disc surface of disc drive.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a control system designed to position a head provided in a magnetic disk drive. The system has a controller, a signal output section, two gain/phase control sections and an adder. The controller receives data generated from position data extracted from servo data and representing the position of the head and generates, form the data, an operation signal. The operation signal is used in seek control or track following control to move the head to a target position. The signal output section distributes the operation signal to the gain/phase control sections. The gain/phase control sections adjust the phase and gain of the operation signal, independently of each other, generating gain/phases. The operation signals are supplied to the adder. The adder adds the signals, generating a control signal that has a gain smaller than the gain of the operation signal. The control signal is input to the object which is provided in the magnetic disk drive and which is to be controlled.

Abstract: A reader-to-writer offset for a head positioned over a track on a disc in a disc drive having a plurality of tracks is generated by using two iterations. A first iteration is used to determine a fine-tuning range that is used for a second iteration. The first iteration uses coarse steps of the reader across the track pitch to roughly determine OTC boundaries (which are used as the fine-tuning range). The fine-tuning range is determined by locating the point before the first valid reading (e.g., a VGA reading or BER reading with a rate that is less than the BER threshold) and by locating the point after the last valid reading. The second iteration uses fine steps of the reader across the track pitch to determine the actual OTC boundaries. The OTC boundaries are the first valid reading and the last valid reading that are made using the fine steps.

Abstract: A problem to be solved is to calculate, at a high speed, a control amount for a magnetic head in an eccentricity control method for magnetic disk of a magnetic disk apparatus and thereby avoid the degradation of control performance due to control delay caused by a long calculation time. Another problem to be solved is to realize stable control performance even when a variation in the position error of the magnetic head relative to a target position is large, for example, in the seek and the settling of the magnetic head.

Abstract: A method and system for determining data sector splits across servo bursts in a disc drive having a data disc with an embedded servo configuration. The disc drive includes a data transducer selectively positionable over the data disc for transferring data to and from the data disc, and the data disc includes a plurality of zones of predefined tracks. The method includes locating one or more frame table parameters based on a new zone position, creating a plurality of new frame table entries, while the disc drive is in operation, based on the frame table parameters, and moving the data transducer from a past zone position to the new zone position. The disc drive includes parameter memory and frame table memory. The parameter memory contains a plurality of zone records, with the zone records containing a plurality of zone table parameters. The frame table memory is utilized to store a frame table.

Abstract: A disk drive and related method, the disk drive including a rotating magnetic disk and read and write elements for reading and writing data from and to the rotating magnetic disk, comprising: a magnetic characterization pattern recorded on the rotating magnetic disk for use in characterizing widths of the read and write elements using a plurality of track profiles of differing width. The magnetic characterization pattern is uniquely formed from a first plurality of characterization segments of a first radial width disposed circumferentially about a full circumference track on the rotating magnetic disk and a second plurality of characterization segments of a second radial width that is different than the first radial width disposed circumferentially about the same full circumference track on the rotating magnetic disk. The beneficial result is that two measurements can be accomplished within the STW in roughly the same time it ordinarily takes to accomplish only one.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for improving operational performance of a disc drive by detecting defective servo burst patterns. A rotatable disc is provided with servo data which include a plurality of servo burst patterns to define a plurality of tracks. A head transduces the burst patterns to provide burst signals to a servo circuit which controllably positions the head with respect to the surface of the disc by determining a position error signal from a combination of the burst signals. The servo circuit identifies a selected servo burst pattern as defective in relation to differences between absolute values of successive pairs of peak amplitude samples from the burst signal.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus extracts a record signal from a sum signal (ADD) of signals detected via first and second magnetic detection regions (RH1, RH2) that are formed to be offset in the lengthwise (TL) and widthwise (TW) directions of a recording track having an overlapping part in the widthwise direction (TW), and extracts servo information from a sub signal (SUB).

Abstract: A disk drive with a detector circuit is connected to the distal end of a two-stage actuator. The actuator has a micro actuator for fine track positioning of a read/write head relative to a disk. Intermittent contact between the head and the disk produces forces that are detected and measured by the micro actuator drive circuitry. These measurements are used to determine if excessive contact is occurring between the head and the disk. Alternatively, the present invention also uses a differential method where the output signals from multiple micro actuators are compared to improve noise immunity. In addition, comparisons between the forces at the proximal and distal ends of the micro actuators are used to better identify the source of such forces. For example, this allows the system to distinguish between common mode forces such as those generated by windage and flex cable bias, from forces generated by intermittent head-disk contacts.

Abstract: A servo control system and method controls systems at least partially on the basis of an observable variable that has an absolute value functional relationship with the controlled variable and does not change sign for positive and negative variations from a nominal value. The control system and method find particularly advantageous application in magnetic storage hard disk drive systems because the system allows such hard disk drives to perform servo operations such as track following on the basis of the data signals being read from the track. A particularly useful source of the absolute value observable variable is a read channel chip that performs decoding of data recovered from the disk. Error measures are developed as the data signals from the disk are processed and decoded, including error measures from the slicer used in an adaptive equalization process and from the data decoder, which may be a Viterbi decoder.

Abstract: A servo control apparatus and method controls systems at least partially on the basis of an observable variable that has an absolute value functional relationship with the controlled variable and does not change sign for positive and negative variations from a nominal value. When applied to the positional control of an object, the control system observes a value of a position error signal and maps that signal to two different potentially correct displacement values. Two estimators within the control system are initiated, one using the positive displacement and the other using the negative displacement, and the two estimators each predict the future position of the object and the corresponding position error signal for each estimated position. A new position error signal is detected and compared to the two estimated position error signals.

Abstract: A head (130) for a disk storage device having a plurality of tracks (117) divided into memory cells (234), including a magnetic circuit (205, 230a, 230b, 250a, 250b) for reading the memory cells (234) in succession, the magnetic circuit (205, 230a, 230b, 250a, 250b) for reading the memory cells (234) including at least two partial reading components (206a, 230a, 250a; 206b, 230b, 250b) each for reading a portion (234a; 234b) of each memory cell (234), the portions (234a; 234b) being arranged transversely relative to the longitudinal axis (233) of the corresponding track (117).

Abstract: Apparatus using information about the extent of errors in sensed data for performing as a control function at least one of adjusting the position of a magnetic head to improve alignment relative to a track and selecting from two or more data signals a data signal having the least amount of errors is shown. The apparatus uses information about the extent of errors to perform a control function for reproducing the data stored in predetermined storage locations in a storage media. The apparatus positions a transducer for sensing from predetermined storage locations stored data containing at least one constraint. The transducer generates a first signal representative of the data containing at least one constraint stored in the sensed data and any errors introduced into the sensed data during the sensing.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for evaluating programming used by a programmable processor device in a disc drive to carry out servo control of a head with respect to a rotatable disc. The programming is first generated as a series of instructions executable by the programmable processor device. Processor emulation software is used to simulate execution of the instructions in a computer. A dynamic model of electrical and mechanical portions of the disc drive is generated using plant simulation software. A dynamic linking program is configured to synchronize and transfer data between the processor emulation software and the plant simulation software. All three programs are thereafter simultaneously executed in the computer to evaluate realtime operation of the programming.

Abstract: Apparatus using information about the extent of errors in sensed data for performing as a control function at least one of adjusting the position of a magnetic head to improve alignment relative to a track and selecting from two or more data signals a data signal having the least amount of errors is shown. The apparatus uses information about the extent of errors to perform a control function for reproducing the data stored in predetermined storage locations in a storage media. The apparatus positions a transducer for sensing from predetermined storage locations stored data containing at least one constraint. The transducer generates a first signal representative of the data containing at least one constraint stored in the sensed data and any errors introduced into the sensed data during the sensing.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for locating target positions within an encoded data stream, where the encoded data stream incorporates special, reserved codewords to represent host data structure information, such as file marks and record boundaries. The encoded data stream can also only be read or decoded in the forwards direction. Incorporation of the special codewords obviates an index associated with the encoded data to support navigation within the encoded data stream. The methods and apparatus locate target positions by decoding the data until the target position is encountered, and provide mechanisms to enable location of target positions that are specified as being backwards, relative to a current position in the encoded data stream.

Abstract: A magnetic storage system having one or more rotating disks is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, each rotating disk has two magnetic surfaces which each contain a number of tracks. Each track has one or more data regions and one or more embedded servo sectors. First and second transducers are respectively suspended over first and second tracks corresponding to first and second magnetic surfaces. The second transducer determines an off-track position with respect to the second track by reading from the data region of the second track. Once the off-track position is determined for the second transducer, that information is used to position the first transducer with respect to the first track and position the second transducer with respect to the second track as the first transducer writes to the first track. Furthermore, the first transducer is positioned at a correction rate that exceeds the rate at which the first transducer encounters embedded servo sectors in the first track.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method of partitioning a recording medium data track into two longitudinal regions and erasing any preexisting signal on each region with a DC bias signal of polarity opposite to that of the other region. Magnetic transitions subsequently recorded over the two track regions will be shifted differently depending on the relationship of the polarity of the signal being encoded to that of the DC bias erase signal applied to each region. The complementary lead/lag errors from the two track regions produce a combined read head waveform in which the timing errors are substantially eliminated, thereby reducing system bit error rates and allowing increased data density on the medium. An apparatus and method of controlling the lateral position of the various heads are also disclosed.

Abstract: Curvilinear servo sector patterns are produced on a master media by determining a series of offsets between a radially aligned reference and the desired curvilinear servo sector and expressing each offset as a delay that can be expressed in settings for controlling a master writer. Incorporation of the delay into the master writer allows a curvilinear servo sector pattern to be produced using data mapping that is ordinarily used for the radially aligned servo sector pattern. Thus, curvilinear servo sector patterns with a desired resolution are produced without increasing computational overhead or memory requirements, or decreasing throughput. The delay can be converted into control settings such as sector delay, clock cycle delay and residual fractional delay settings that each represent a portion of the delay.

Abstract: Apparatus using information about the extent of errors in sensed data for performing as a control function at least one of adjusting the position of a magnetic head to improve alignment relative to a track and selecting from two or more data signals a data signal having the least amount of errors is shown. The apparatus uses information about the extent of errors to perform a control function for reproducing the data stored in predetermined storage locations in a storage media. The apparatus positions a transducer for sensing from predetermined storage locations stored data containing at least one constraint. The transducer generates a first signal representative of the data containing at least one constraint stored in the sensed data and any errors introduced into the sensed data during the sensing.