Distinct Servo Sector Patents (Class 360/77.08)
  • Patent number: 6560054
    Abstract: A method of indexing a rotatable disk in a direct access storage device (DASD) having a sensorless spindle motor, by monitoring spindle motor voltage to detect a pattern of commutation spikes timing separations, identifying a spindle motor index from the commutation spike pattern, and matching the spindle motor index with a servo sector index of the disk. A highpass filter is connected to a voltage output of the spindle motor, and an output of the filter is connected to a threshold triggering device. A timing-separation sequence is determined by counting clock pulses, and variations in the timing-separation sequence are compared. The rotor magnets of the spindle motor may be arranged asymmetrically to produce a large deviation in the variation of the timing-sequence. Indexing may be accomplished during servo track write for the disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
    Inventors: Hal Hjalmar Ottesen, Gordon James Smith
  • Patent number: 6560058
    Abstract: A positioning control device is provided which is capable of avoiding the limit cycle in which the head moves back and forth between two dead zones on both sizes of the center of the target track. When a magnetic head is in the dead zone and the head position is separated from the center of the target track, the center position of the dead zone is set as the head position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiro Hattori
  • Publication number: 20030081345
    Abstract: The data row Pw(i) of phase information obtained by reading preformatted phase patterns on an information recording medium by the head consists of the remainders obtained by dividing the data row of the phase information indicating the original track location by 2&pgr;.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Taizou Hamada, Yasuaki Ban
  • Patent number: 6556367
    Abstract: High-accuracy position signals are obtained by correcting nonlinear position sensitivities of two phase signals demodulated from two-phase servo information, into linear ones. A position sensitivity adjusting unit detects the signal level at the intersection of position signals N and Q having different phases by a predetermined track pitch which are demodulated from read signals of two-phase servo information buried and recorded in a disk medium and makes an adjustment of the gain of an AGC amplifier so that the intersection signal level coincides with a predetermined level. A sensitivity correcting unit corrects into linear position sensitivities the nonlinear position sensitivities approximated by sine functions or cosine functions relative to the actual track position X of the two position signals N and Q output from the AGC amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Eisaku Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6556371
    Abstract: A method of generating a higher-order trigonometric sequence, by constructing a table having a first-order trigonometric sequence, indexing the table to yield a different sequence based on an order number of a desired higher-order harmonic, and catenating values in the table according to the different sequence to yield a higher-order trigonometric sequence whose order is the order number. The table may be a first-order sine sequence, with the method yielding a higher-order sine sequence, or the table may be a first-order cosine sequence, with the method yielding a higher-order cosine sequence. The table has a period N, and indexing is accomplished by computing pointer indices equal to (k*n)mod(N), where k is the order number, and 0≦n<N. In the special case where N is a multiple of 4, a single table may be used for both higher-order sine and higher-order cosine sequences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hal Hjalmar Ottesen, Gordon James Smith
  • Publication number: 20030072101
    Abstract: A servo data writing method for employing a head to write servo data that identifies the positions of multiple tracks formed on a recording medium having a disk shape, comprises the steps of: detecting a vibration that is caused by the rotation of the recording medium; and writing servo data while permitting the head to follow the vibration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Takeichi, Hirofumi Yanase
  • Patent number: 6549362
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for the enhancement of embedded runout correction in a disk drive is provided. According to the present invention, embedded runout correction values are obtained by convolving a position error signal due to repeatable runout for a track with an inverse impulse response describing the response of a transducer head servo system to a given input. According to the present invention, the inverse impulse response is determined by introducing an impulse to a transducer head servo system, and measuring the response of the system in the time domain. The response is transformed to the frequency domain to form an error transfer function, the reciprocal is taken, and the function is transformed back into the time domain. The inverse impulse response, according to the present invention, is obtained for at least every transducer head in a disk drive capable of addressing a track for which embedded runout correction is desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Melrose, Andy Ottele, Jim Hargarten, Dave Finamore
  • Publication number: 20030067708
    Abstract: A data storage device that can perform a track following process even when vibrations are produced by a wide range of frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Yutaka Ozawa
  • Patent number: 6545831
    Abstract: This invention discloses a plurality of substantially parallel data arcs disposed on a flat data storage medium. The data arcs include at least two linearly aligned servo-data fields disposed in an inner data arc and an outer data arc with an inter-arc distance. The servo data field disposed on the outer data arc is disposed with an offset from an identical radial-angle position projected from a radial center to the servo data field of the inner data arc. The offset is substantially proportional to the inter-arc distance and substantially proportional to SIN (&thgr;) where &thgr; is an angle between the identical radial-angle position and a linear-alignment direction between the two linearly aligned servo-data fields. Furthermore, the servo-data field on the outer data arc is disposed at a location with the offset from the identical radial-angle position in a direction toward a smaller radial angle projected from the radial center to the servo data field of the inner data arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: DCARD, Inc.
    Inventor: Francis K. King
  • Patent number: 6545830
    Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk having a plurality of tracks including a plurality of data tracks and a plurality of reserved tracks. A plurality of embedded servo sectors are dispersed circumferentially around the tracks, the tracks are banded together to form a plurality of zones, each data track comprises a plurality of data sectors each having a first number of bits for storing user data, and each reserved track comprises calibration sectors each having a second number of bits for storing a calibration test pattern, wherein the second number of bits is greater than the first number of bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert W. Briggs, Phat T. Nguyen, Yoo H. Kim
  • Patent number: 6545836
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Acorn Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Petros A. Ioannou, Elias B. Kosmatopoulos, Alvin M. Despain
  • Publication number: 20030063404
    Abstract: Position information PosN and PosQ are compared and position information Pos1 and Pos2 in which influences of an error of a position sensitivity gain appear oppositely are calculated. Subsequently, a weight gain G1=M and a weight gain G2=(1−M) are obtained from the position information Pos1. A multiplication value obtained by multiplying the third position information Pos1 by the weight gain G1 and a multiplication value obtained by multiplying the fourth position information Pos2 by the weight gain G2 are added and synthesized, thereby calculating a decoded position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Takaishi, Takeyori Hara, Eiji Okamura
  • Publication number: 20030058570
    Abstract: Track closure errors written into servo sectors of an information track of a disc of a disc drive are resolved from a position control signal generated by a servo control circuit of a data storage device by steps comprising: determining a value for the track closure error from a position error signal, establishing a track closure profile based on the value of the track closure error, and injecting the track profile into the servo control circuit as a feed forward compensation input for the position error signal to resolve the track closure error from the position control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2002
    Publication date: March 27, 2003
    Applicant: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: ShuangQuan Min, KianKeong Ooi, WeiSung Lee, WingKong Chiang
  • Patent number: 6538834
    Abstract: A servo controller for correcting a read position of a head when reading data recorded on a recording medium. In accordance with the amplitude ratio of data signals read from each segment of a servo section defined on a recording medium, the servo controller generates an AGC signal corresponding to the next segment before reading the next segment. The data signal read from a phase detection segment of the servo section is amplified to an amplitude greater than the predetermined determination range. The amplified data signal is converted to a two-value digital signal in accordance with the determination range. The phase used during servo control is calculated in accordance with the digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Shigetaka Asano
  • Publication number: 20030053245
    Abstract: A servo circuit includes a servo channel and a processor. The servo channel recovers servo data from servo wedges that identify respective data sectors on a data-storage disk. The processor detects one of the servo wedges on spin up of the disk, i.e., while the disk is attaining or after the disk attains an operating speed. By detecting a servo wedge instead of a spin-up wedge to determine an initial head position on disk spin up, such a servo circuit allows one to increase the disk's storage capacity by reducing the number of, or altogether eliminating, spin-up servo wedges from the disk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Hakan Ozdemir
  • Patent number: 6535348
    Abstract: A servo control method and an information storage device are provided. In the method and device, positional information is detected in accordance with servo information including a plurality of positional regions having phase differences between tracks. The positional regions consist of a first positional region in which the phase difference between tracks is +90°, a second positional region in which the phase difference between tracks is −90°, a third positional region in which the phase difference between tracks is +90°, and a fourth positional region in which the phase difference between tracks is −135°. A deviation from a reference track is detected from the phase difference between the vector of a reproduction signal of the second positional region and the vector of a reproduction signal of the fourth positional region. Thus, a wide range of deviation can be detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kagami, Tatsuhiko Kosugi
  • Publication number: 20030048560
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Hakan Ozdemir
  • Publication number: 20030048567
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for positioning a read/write head in a hard disk drive. The method comprises providing a disk having a at least one side with a plurality of tracks, where each of the tracks has a servo field with servo bits. The servo bits are read to provide a position signal for positioning a read/write head. The method determines a difference in position between an initial and a subsequent position of the read/write head on a track, where the subsequent location occurs after the read/write head has moved one revolution from the initial position on the track. The initial and subsequent positions are offset laterally. The method generates a compensation signal based on the initial position, the subsequent position and the difference. The position signal and the compensation signal are combined to provide a compensated position signal for positioning the read/write head. Various embodiments are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2001
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Tung Nguyen, Sang Hoon Chu, Jun Seok Shim, Kang Seok Lee, Soo Il Choi, Seong Hwan Yu
  • Patent number: 6529344
    Abstract: A method and system for compensating head positioning servo in a storage device. In accordance with the method and apparatus of the present invention, an open-loop gain of a head positioning servo is calculated when the head positioning servo causes a head to follow a predetermined position of a target track of a storage media surface by generating a position detecting signal utilizing a position detecting signal gain. A compensated position detecting signal gain is generated by compensating the position detecting signal gain according to a difference between a first predetermined value and the open-loop gain of the head positioning servo, such that variability of the position detecting signal and the open-loop gain is reduced to achieve stability in a head positioning servo.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Naoyuki Kagami, Akira Tokizono
  • Patent number: 6529341
    Abstract: A magnetic disk for a magnetic recording/reproduction device includes a magnetic head, wherein a magnetization bit-pattern corresponding to a preformat information signal is recorded beforehand on the magnetic disk, wherein the magnetization bit-pattern is recorded by contacting a surface of the magnetic disk with a surface of a master information carrier having a pattern corresponding to the preformat information signal, and a portion of the magnetization bit-pattern corresponding to at least one signal selected from a clock signal and a synchronous signal has a recording width that is larger than a recording track width of the magnetic head in a radial direction of the magnetic disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuaki Ishida, Taizou Hamada, Kiyokazu Tohma, Hiroshi Ryonai, Keizou Miyata
  • Patent number: 6522488
    Abstract: In a magnetic disk apparatus in which heads integrally having write heads and read heads are arranged correspondingly to data surfaces of plural media, servo information including phase servo patterns is written discretely in a track direction onto the data surfaces of the plural media. For this reason, at first, displacement amounts of the read heads with respect to the write heads are measured in each head and each cylinder position of the media. Next, phases of the phase servo patterns are adjusted so that relative displacement amounts between the reads heads are eliminated in each head and each cylinder position of the media, and the phase servo patterns are written.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Tatsuro Sasamoto, Masakazu Hirano
  • Patent number: 6522493
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for determining a transducer position in relation to a media surface is described. The method comprises sensing positioning information on the media, measuring a position error signal from the sensed positioning information wherein the position error signal includes first and second position signal components, accessing stored information describing a non-linear relationship between the measured position error signal and the transducer position, and applying the stored relationship to the measured position error signal to produce a corrected position error signal, and determining the transducer position from the corrected position error signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeff J. Dobbek, Gregory Michael Frees, Craig N. Fukushima, Louis Joseph Serrano, Markus Staudenmann
  • Patent number: 6519104
    Abstract: A computer system is disclosed comprising a host connected to a disk drive, the disk drive comprising a disk having a disk surface. The disk drive further includes a controller and a channel integrated circuit chip. The controller includes a controller port. The channel integrated circuit chip includes an input for receiving a time-multiplexed analog read signal. The time-multiplexed analog read signal is processed to generate data symbols representing recovered servo data and recovered user data. The channel integrated circuit chip includes a channel port for transferring both the recovered servo data and the recovered user data. The disk drive further includes a communication bus connected between the channel port and the controller port. The channel port transfers both the recovered servo data and the recovered user data to the communication bus. The communication bus transfers both the recovered servo data and the recovered user data to the controller port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Cloke, David P. Turner, Richard W. Hull, Vafa James Rakshani
  • Publication number: 20030026023
    Abstract: In a first mode, an R/W channel starts to monitor read information to thereby detect a servo mark contained in servo information, each time a servo controller generates a servo gate pulse. Upon detecting the servo mark, the R/W channel detects, from the read information, position information contained in the servo information and following the servo mark, at a timing determined by the detection timing of the servo mark. When the first mode has been switched to a second mode, the R/W channel detects the servo mark and position information using the synchronous method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Inventor: Akio Toda
  • Publication number: 20030026036
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for linearizing a position error signal of a transducer in a hard disk drive. In one embodiment, a disk including a first plurality of tracks each includes first and second servo bursts defining a track reference line, and a second plurality of the first plurality of tracks on the disk each includes third and fourth servo bursts defining a second plurality of different position offsets from the track reference line of the second plurality of tracks. Each of the second plurality of different position offsets being at a different value than any other position offset. The second plurality is no greater than the first plurality. The second plurality of different position offsets are used for linearizing a position error signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Inventor: Kok-Kia Chew
  • Publication number: 20030026035
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for improved position error signal (PES) demodulation in the presence of thermal baseline wander. A plurality of samples is obtained within each period of a burst signal for each servo burst in a servo sequence. A difference value is identified between a largest sample value and a smallest sample value of the plurality of samples within each period of the burst signal. The difference values for each period of the burst signal for each servo burst in the servo sequence are summed to produce a burst sum value for each servo burst. Then the burst sum values are used to identify a position error signal (PES) value. The identified PES value is independent of any transient baseline voltage offset disturbances, for example, resulting from the occurrence of baseline wander offset, such as caused by a thermal asperity (TA), in the servo sectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gordon James Smith, Hal Hjalmar Ottesen
  • Publication number: 20030026016
    Abstract: A new technique for Hard Disk Drive (HDD) servo-burst demodulation is provided. A 4-samples per dibit Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) amplitude estimation is used to calculate the read-head servo-position error signal. Comparatively, the conventional method of burst demodulation—called burst integration—typically uses more than 8 samples/dibit. Consequently, the new 4-samples/dibit DFT burst-demodulation scheme requires fewer samples per dibit than does burst integration, thus reducing the disk space occupied by the burst data while increasing the performance as compared to burst integration. Furthermore, the DFT scheme does not require the samples to be synchronized to any particular points of the servo burst, and can include an averaging algorithm that further improves performance for a given Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). Moreover, the same sample-clocking circuit that detects the Gray Code servo information can also implement the DFT burst-demodulation scheme to demodulate the servo burst.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Fereidoon Heydari, Hakan Ozdemir
  • Patent number: 6515813
    Abstract: A method to enable servo information to be detected surely and stably even when a time interval between servo sectors is changed due to disk shifting. A time interval TS(i) is calculated according to an internal variable value, which is in proportion to a displacement &Dgr;r(i) of a servo area SF(i) in a radial direction of a subject disk (step S6). The displacement &Dgr;r(i) is calculated from already detected servo information[, thereby]. Thereby, a time interval for detecting servo information is adjusted according to the above described time interval TS(i) (steps S7 and S4). The time interval TS(i) is the time interval between passing of a servo sector in the servo area SF(i) under the head H and passing of a servo sector in the servo area SF(i+1) under the head H.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Kitazaki, Kenji Ogasawara, Yutaka Ozawa, Isao Yoneda
  • Patent number: 6515812
    Abstract: A new embedded-servo format is proposed for use in disk drives, preferably hard disk drives. It is based on biphase modulation (more generally, p-phase modulation, where p>1) and offers significant advantages, in terms of SNR and timing content, over existing formats. It is shown that for biphase, at the low linear densities typically employed for servo information, near maximum-likelihood performance may be attained by a simple bit-detector consisting of a full-response linear equalizer and a binary slicer. When compared with an optimal detector for the commonly used technique of dibit signalling, a SNR gain of some 4 dB is achieved. The same equalizer may be used as the basis for near-maximum-likelihood Position Error Signal (PES) amplitude estimation and timing recovery. Investigations carried out on a practical servo demodulator based on a 5th order analog filter show that, at typical linear densities, this ideal performance is closely approached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Bergmans, Kofi Afolabi Anthony Makinwa, Johannes Otto Voorman
  • Patent number: 6515818
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing track follow and seeking at quarter track positions that uses a non-conventional ordering of the servo fields at the quarter track positions, wherein C−A or D−B is used to track follow at−¼ track positions and A—D or B—C is used to track follow at +¼ track positions, for even and odd tracks, respectively. A position error signal is derived from relative amplitudes of the servo bursts and the read/write head is positioned over the quarter track position in accordance with the position error signal. The servo bursts are read in a time-displaced manner and the position error signal is determined from the relative amplitudes of the servo bursts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Iomega Corporation
    Inventor: Brent Jay Harmer
  • Publication number: 20030021056
    Abstract: A servo track write method is disclosed in which, in a disk drive of a perpendicular magnetic recording system, servo data is written with the use of a single magnetic pole type head of the disk drive itself. In this method, the servo data is recorded on a disk in those servo areas with the use of the single magnetic hole type head mounted on the disk drive. A head mounted as the single magnetic pole type head is position-controlled relative to the servo area by a servo track writer. The servo data is recorded with perpendicular magnetization under a recording magnetic field from the single magnetic pole type head in accordance with the magnetic pole thickness of the single magnetic pole type head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventor: Kazuhito Shimomura
  • Patent number: 6510016
    Abstract: A positioning control system for a disk drive can reduce static friction of the sliding type actuator to be a cause of degradation of low order spindle rotation synchronization run-out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiro Hattori
  • Publication number: 20030011923
    Abstract: A head position control system for a dual stage actuation disk drive system. A feedback system is provided for modifying a primary and a secondary input command signal to produce primary and secondary error signals. A controller receives the primary error signal and transmits primary actuator arm positioning information to the primary actuator. A secondary controller receives the secondary error signal and transmits secondary actuator arm positioning information to the secondary actuator. The feedback system creates a position error signal (PES) using information from servo wedges and runout information and the PES is used to produce the secondary error signal. The feedback system produces a reconstructed error signal including angular position information for the primary actuator arm by processing a back electromotive force signal from the primary actuator. The primary error signal is produced by modifying the primary input signal with the reconstructed error signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Inventors: Arthur L. Stevens, Joseph R. DeLellis
  • Patent number: 6507450
    Abstract: An efficient, time saving, cost-effective method of using a servo track writer (STW) for continuously recording servo information along one, continuous, single helix spiral path on the surface of a magnetic disk in a disk drive. The write transducer is guided along the single-helix spiral path by moving the write transducer at a constant radial velocity while the disk is rotating. The STW moves the write transducer less than a head's width per revolution such that the strokes of each spiral revolution overlaps the stroke of a prior spiral revolution. The resulting servo track centerlines are formed as spiral servo segments that are written quickly and relatively smoothly, but are separate or disjointed from one another. A disk drive incorporating such uniquely written servo information uses suitable offset information as a function of servo wedge number so that the drive may track follow any one of a plurality of circular data tracks or one long spiral data track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy J. Elliott
  • Patent number: 6504663
    Abstract: A disk apparatus having a ramp loading mechanism. A disk medium on which second servo patterns have been written in a landing area on the medium at a finer interval than that of first servo patterns written in a data area is used. When a head is moved from a ramp to the landing area on the medium, a lead-in processing unit performs a servo lead-in on the basis of the second servo patterns written in the landing area at a fine interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Masakazu Hirano, Nobuyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6498695
    Abstract: A method of detecting a position on a disk is applied to a disk which is time-divisionally recorded with a data region and a servo region based on a signal read from the disk, where the servo region is recorded with a servo pattern having a length of consecutive “0”s longer than a length of consecutive “0”s existing in the data region, and the servo pattern has three or more zones with consecutive “0”s. The method includes the steps of (a) digitizing the signal read from the disk and slicing at a predetermined level so as to convert the signal into “0” or “1”, and (b) detecting the servo pattern when two zones with consecutive “0”s are detected from information converted by the step (a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Tatsuhiko Kosugi
  • Publication number: 20020191325
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for enhanced performance in the presence of stationary position error signal (PES) outliers in a direct access storage device (DASD). A plurality of PES samples are obtained from a plurality of servo sectors around a track. Utilizing the PES samples, a normalized outlier value is computed for each of the plurality of servo sectors around the track. The computed normalized outlier values are sequentially stored and compared with a set threshold value. A stationary PES outlier is identified responsive to each stored outlier value being greater than the set threshold value. Each identified stationary PES outlier is utilized during predefined operations of the DASD. During a recalibration mode of the DASD, a different track for feedforward generation is selected to avoid an identified stationary PES outlier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2001
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gordon James Smith, Hal Hjalmar Ottesen
  • Patent number: 6496315
    Abstract: A disk drive with the capability to prevent off-track writing with reduced false triggering is described. An improved method of predicting the position of a head is used to determine whether the head is on or off-track. A position error signal at an nth servo position Pn and a velocity Vn at the nth servo position (Vn=Pn−Pn−1) are calculated using values read at the nth and n−1 head positions. Based on these Pn and Vn and on the output of the servo controller at the nth servo position Un, the predicted PESn+1 is calculated as: Predicted PESn+1=Pn+Vn+kUn where k is a constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Ueda, Yukio Fukushima, Tatsuya Sakai
  • Patent number: 6496322
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to implement head position control in a disk drive for the case in which a disk is assembled into the disk drive after a precise track is recorded onto it using an external apparatus, which is capable of high-speed access even if there is eccentricity between a track defined by servo information and the center of rotation of the track. Two phase servo bursts consisting of servo information are recorded onto each of the servo information regions of a disk surface, in mutual alternation, the strength ratio between signals detected from these two phase servo bursts being used to determine to which side the head is displaced. By performing control so that this strength ratio is a prescribed value at each angular position, control is achieved so that the head moves along a circular path of rotation, even if there is eccentricity in the servo circular path defined by the recorded servo information with respect to the center of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Susumu Hasegawa, Tomoyoshi Yamada, Takahisa Ueno
  • Patent number: 6490110
    Abstract: Servo circuitry is disclosed that is configured to operate with a magnetic disk drive system. The servo circuitry is comprised of a first servo detector system, a second servo detector system, and a comparator. The first servo detector system and the second servo detector system each receive samples, taken from a read signal, that include servo data. The first servo detector system compares the samples to a plurality of servo codes to generate a first selected code. The second servo detector system compares a first shifted version of the samples to the plurality of servo codes to generate a second selected code. The comparator receives the selected codes and selects one of the selected codes. The selected code represents the servo data. The servo circuitry could also include a third servo detector system that operates on a second shifted version of the samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: David E. Reed, Stephen A. Turk, Li Du
  • Patent number: 6487032
    Abstract: A computer system is disclosed comprising a host connected to a disk drive, the disk drive comprising a disk surface having a plurality of tracks arranged in an embedded servo format including servo track segments for storing servo data and data track segments for storing user data. The disk drive includes a read element operative during a user-data read operation for reading data from the disk surface to produce a time-multiplexed analog read signal that during a revolution of the disk represents analog read servo data during each of a first set of time intervals and represents analog read user data during each of a second set of time intervals. The disk drive includes a sampled signal processing circuit that generates a servo state variable while processing the time-multiplexed read signal during the first servo time interval and a user data state variable while processing the time-multiplexed read signal during the first user data time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Cloke, Vafa James Rakshani, Richard W. Hull, David P. Turner
  • Patent number: 6487035
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for generating an adaptive feedforward cancellation signal for a next sector of a disc in a disc drive. The cancellation signal includes at least one tap weight multiplied by at least one trigonometric function. To form the cancellation signal, the method and apparatus first determine a servo loop transfer function relative to a feedforward cancellation component in the disc drive. The transfer function is then inverted to form filter parameters. A position error value is then measured for a current signal and is passed through a filter formed from the filter parameters. This creates a filtered position error value that is used with the tap weights of a current sector to determine the tap weights for the cancellation signal of the next sector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Xiong Liu, Joseph C. Liu, Kevin A. Gomez, Mingzhong Ding
  • Publication number: 20020167752
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for improving data transfer rate performance of a disc drive data handling system having a plurality of transducing heads adjacent a corresponding plurality of data recording surfaces. Concentric tracks on each of the recording surfaces are provided with a physical track address determined by servo data written to each track. Logical track addresses are assigned to the tracks by positioning a first head adjacent a selected location on the corresponding recording surface, measuring a head offset value for each of the remaining heads, and assigning the logical track addresses on each data recording surface in relation to the measured head offset values. The logical cylinders include tracks with different physical track addresses, and the tracks in each logical cylinder are nominally aligned with the heads. This reduces the need for corrective seeks after head switching within the same logical cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Applicant: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: James W. DuLaney, Jeffery D. Andress, Jason D. Gregg, Wonbo Shim, Roy L. Wood
  • Publication number: 20020163748
    Abstract: Sampling data with wide bi-phase code symbols includes sampling a wide bi-phase code symbol in the data a number (N) of times to produce samples of data, selecting a subset of the samples, determining which sample in the subset of samples has a largest magnitude, and selecting a subset of samples in a subsequent wide bi-phase code symbol based on a sample in a previous subset that has the largest magnitude.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2001
    Publication date: November 7, 2002
    Inventors: Ara Patapoutian, Peter McEwen, Eduardo Veiga, Bruce Buch
  • Patent number: 6476989
    Abstract: An improved servowriting system and method whereby errors introduced into the written servo information are reduced or eliminated for greater servowriting accuracy. Accuracy is enhanced by one or more of the following improvements: 1) optimizing write current and write frequency to minimize write width modulation; 2) optimizing the RPM of the storage medium to minimize random mechanical vibration; and 3) providing a clip level check to eliminate the introduction of large errors in product servopattern. The proposed improvements provide substantial rejection of, for example, mechanical and magnetic disturbances, ensuring a robust servowriting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy Chainer, Mark Delorman Schultz, Bucknell Chapman Webb, Edward John Yarmchuk
  • Patent number: 6476997
    Abstract: A disk device, track positioning method, and method for generating a position error signal in which the occurrence of a wrong correction operation can be prevented by creating an appropriate PES without using a burst pattern having a defect, and reassign sectors can be decreased by decreasing defective sectors thereby to reduce the performance degradation is disclosed. In the disk device and track positioning method, the defect of a burst pattern read out from a disk is detected, and if a defect is detected in the burst pattern, a data value corresponding to the sum data of the burst pattern pair having the defect detected is obtained by measuring the maximum amplitude value of the burst pattern pairing with the burst pattern having the defect detected, and a PES is created according to the amplitude of the burst pattern having the defect detected and the maximum amplitude value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yukio Fukushima, Tetsuo Ueda, Toshio Kakihara, Hideo Asano
  • Patent number: 6473254
    Abstract: A plurality of patterns are formed so that each is deviated slightly from another in each sector in the track width direction. Then, the pattern is followed up, thereby obtaining both a full-track profile and a micro-track profile. A variation of a position signal is detected from this profile, thereby creating a table for correcting the non-linearity error of the position signal. Consequently, the distribution of the write/read-back property is measured, thereby enabling the track density to be improved. Furthermore, a variation of the position signal caused by a property variation of the head read-back element is detected and corrected, thereby enabling a high reliability and a high track density to be realized for the object magnetic recording disk apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takehiko Hamaguchi, Futoshi Tomiyama, Hideki Zaitsu, Hisashi Takano
  • Patent number: 6469853
    Abstract: A magnetic disk including a plurality of servo sectors and data sectors along a circumference thereof includes full-format servo sectors which are successively arranged in a radial direction of the disk and which include track information and short-format servo sectors which are arranged between the full-format servo sectors not to be successive in a radial direction of the disk and which include position error signals. The short-format servo sectors do not split the data sectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoki Satoh
  • Patent number: 6469849
    Abstract: A method of generating a position error estimate generates a phase field signal and a position error field signal. A set of operations is performed on the phase field signal and the same set of operations is performed on the position error field signal. The result obtained by performing the set of operations on the position error field signal is divided by the results obtained by performing the set of operations on the phase field signal. The result of the division is the position error estimate. In addition, a demodulation circuit is provided that utilizes field ratioing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Timothy F. Ellis, Alexei H. Sacks
  • Patent number: 6469852
    Abstract: The A burst and B burst for tracking are recorded with the width of track pitch, the address signal is recorded as the same signal with the interval equal to two track pitches (2×Tp) and B1 bit is also recorded with deviation of one track pitch from the address signal with the interval equal to two track pitches (2×Tp). Therefore, the servo pattern of one track can be written as much as one track pitch and thereby the recording time can be shortened. Moreover, accurate track address can be calculated by the correcting process using the B1 bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayoshi Nakagawa