公开(公告)号：US07023632B1

公开(公告)日：2006-04-04

申请号：US10173561

申请日：2002-06-18

申请人： Curtis Egan ,  Quinn Haddock

发明人： Curtis Egan ,  Quinn Haddock

IPC分类号： G11B27/36

CPC分类号： G11B27/36 ,  G11B5/3136

摘要： Tools are provided to identify undesired pole tip protrusion (PTP) on a write portion of a read/write head in a hard disk. Such tools may be incorporated in the hard disk. A corrective action arrangement performs a corrective action in response to the identification of an undesired pole tip protrusion. The corrective action may comprise burnishing of pole tips of a write portion of the read/write head. An asperity read signal condition monitoring circuit monitors asperity conditions from the read signal. The asperity condition may be a high fly write condition, or it may be a thermal asperity condition. A PTP determining circuit determines when a monitored condition is indicative of an undesired PTP condition. A PTP test write cycle may be caused, during which the monitoring circuit monitors either during or right after the PTP test write cycle.

摘要翻译： 提供工具以识别硬盘中读/写头的写入部分上的不期望的极尖突起（PTP）。 这样的工具可以并入硬盘中。 响应于不期望的极尖突起的识别，校正动作装置执行校正动作。 校正动作可以包括对读/写头的写入部分的极尖进行抛光。 粗糙度读信号状态监视电路从读信号监视粗糙度条件。 粗糙度条件可能是高飞写入条件，或者它可能是热凹凸条件。 PTP确定电路确定监视条件何时指示不期望的PTP条件。 可能会导致PTP测试写入周期，在此期间监控电路将在PTP测试写入周期之前或之后监视。

公开(公告)号：US07317586B1

公开(公告)日：2008-01-08

申请号：US11146909

申请日：2005-06-07

申请人： Curtis Egan ,  Christine Green

发明人： Curtis Egan ,  Christine Green

IPC分类号： G11B5/09

CPC分类号： G11B5/09

摘要： Methods and structures for a general purpose, discrete time sample, interval accumulating filter for measuring any of a plurality of parameters associated with operation of a digital read channel. The general purpose interval accumulating features and aspects hereof permit flexible configuration for measuring a variety of operational characteristics and parameters of a digital, discrete time sample, read channel. The interval accumulating filter may sense harmonic frequencies associated with mechanical and electrical noise in the read channel operation. Other features and aspects hereof permit monitoring of multiple signal frequencies of a read channel in a disk drive, error recovery of a bad sector in a disk drive, and measurement of numerous other operational aspects of a discrete time digital sample read channel.

摘要翻译： 用于通用目的的离散时间采样，间隔累积滤波器的方法和结构，用于测量与数字读取通道的操作相关联的多个参数中的任一个。 通用间隔累积的特征和方面允许灵活的配置来测量数字，离散时间样本，读通道的各种操作特性和参数。 间隔累积滤波器可以在读通道操作中感测与机械和电噪声相关的谐波频率。 本发明的其它特征和方面允许监视磁盘驱动器中读取通道的多个信号频率，磁盘驱动器中坏扇区的错误恢复以及离散时间数字样本读取通道的许多其它操作方面的测量。

公开(公告)号：US07518813B1

公开(公告)日：2009-04-14

申请号：US11140642

申请日：2005-05-27

申请人： Curtis Egan ,  David R. Finamore

发明人： Curtis Egan ,  David R. Finamore

IPC分类号： G11B5/02 ,  G11B21/02 ,  G11B5/09 ,  G11B27/36

CPC分类号： G11B5/40 ,  G11B5/6029 ,  G11B5/6076 ,  G11B19/041 ,  G11B20/10009 ,  G11B20/10027 ,  G11B20/10055 ,  G11B27/36 ,  G11B2220/2516

摘要： Methods and structures for detecting touchdown of the read/write head on its recording surface or for detecting other read signal amplitude modulations as proportional to variance of the value of the read channel variable gain amplifier (“VGA”). Variance in the VGA values caused by the standard feedback control electronics associated therewith is proportional to amplitude modulations of the sensed signal picked up by the read channel (or servo read sensor). These amplitude modulations are, in turn, reflective of flying height of the read/write head as well as generally indicative of other parameters of the read channel operation. Touchdown of the read/write head and other parameters of the disk drive operation may therefore be detected as variances in the VGA control values.

摘要翻译： 用于检测其记录表面上的读/写头的触地的方法和结构，或用于检测与读通道可变增益放大器（“VGA”）的值的变化成比例的其它读信号幅度调制的方法和结构。 由与其相关联的标准反馈控制电子设备引起的VGA值的差异与由读取通道（或伺服读取传感器）拾取的感测信号的幅度调制成比例。 这些幅度调制又反映了读/写头的飞行高度以及通常表示读通道操作的其它参数。 因此，可以将读/写磁头和磁盘驱动器操作的其他参数的触地降检测为VGA控制值的方差。

公开(公告)号：US06452735B1

公开(公告)日：2002-09-17

申请号：US09357094

申请日：1999-07-19

申请人： Curtis Egan ,  Gang Herbert Lin

发明人： Curtis Egan ,  Gang Herbert Lin

IPC分类号： G11B2736

CPC分类号： G11B27/36 ,  G11B5/3948 ,  G11B5/6029 ,  G11B5/6076 ,  G11B21/21 ,  G11B2005/001 ,  G11B2005/0013 ,  G11B2005/0016 ,  G11B2220/20

摘要： A disk drive that monitors changes in flying height is disclosed. In one embodiment, the disk drive includes a disk for storing information and an air bearing slider with a transducer that includes a write element for writing information to the disk during a write operation and a magneto-resistive (MR) read element for reading information from the disk during a read operation. The MR read element generates a readback signal during the write operation that includes a thermally induced signal caused by thermal changes in the MR read element and a magnetically induced signal caused by magnetic flux applied by the write element to the MR read element. The thermally induced signal has a relatively low frequency content and the magnetically induced signal has a relatively high frequency content. The disk drive also includes a low pass filter for receiving the readback signal and isolating the thermally induced signal from the magnetically induced signal, a threshold detector for receiving the thermally induced signal from the filter and generating a high fly write detection signal when the thermally induced signal exceeds a threshold value, and a controller for modifying the write operation in response to the high fly write detection signal.

摘要翻译： 公开了一种监视飞行高度变化的磁盘驱动器。 在一个实施例中，磁盘驱动器包括用于存储信息的盘和具有换能器的空气轴承滑块，该换能器包括用于在写入操作期间将信息写入盘的写入元件和用于读取信息的磁阻（MR）读取元件 在读操作期间磁盘。 MR读取元件在写入操作期间产生回读信号，该信号包括由MR读取元件的热变化引起的热感应信号和由写入元件对MR读取元件施加的磁通量引起的磁感应信号。 热感应信号具有相对低的频率含量，并且磁感应信号具有相对高的频率含量。 磁盘驱动器还包括用于接收回读信号并将热感应信号与磁感应信号隔离的低通滤波器，用于接收来自滤波器的热感应信号的阈值检测器，当热诱导信号产生高感应信号 信号超过阈值，以及控制器，用于响应于高速写入检测信号修改写入操作。

公开(公告)号：US06611390B1

公开(公告)日：2003-08-26

申请号：US09712622

申请日：2000-11-13

申请人： Curtis Egan

发明人： Curtis Egan

IPC分类号： G11B2736

CPC分类号： G11B5/59633 ,  G11B5/012

摘要： A method for allocating tracks into servo sector zones in a disk drive such that each zone has an equal range of channel bit densities is provided. In addition, a disk drive having servo sector zones that each have an equal range of channel bit densities is provided. According to the method and apparatus of the present invention, servo sector zones are sized such that the range of servo sector channel bit densities encompassed by each zone is constant from zone to zone. By constraining the range of channel bit densities encompassed by the servo sector zones, the equalization or conditioning of signals derived from the servo sectors can be optimized for a given number of zones. Accordingly, the method and apparatus of the present invention increases the accuracy with which servo sector data is detected while decreasing the complexity of the detector circuit.

摘要翻译： 一种用于将磁道分配到磁盘驱动器中的伺服扇区区域中的方法，使得每个区域具有相同的通道位密度范围。 此外，提供具有各自具有相同范围的通道位密度的伺服扇区区的磁盘驱动器。 根据本发明的方法和装置，伺服扇区区域的大小使得每个区域包含的伺服扇区信道位密度的范围是从区域到区域不变的。 通过约束伺服扇区区域所包含的信道位密度的范围，可以针对给定数量的区域优化从伺服扇区得到的信号的均衡或调节。 因此，本发明的方法和装置提高了在检测电路的复杂性降低的同时检测伺服扇区数据的精度。

公开(公告)号：US06353315B1

公开(公告)日：2002-03-05

申请号：US09384939

申请日：1999-08-27

申请人： Curtis Egan ,  Steve McCarthy ,  David Winters

发明人： Curtis Egan ,  Steve McCarthy ,  David Winters

IPC分类号： G01R3312

CPC分类号： G11B19/04 ,  G01R33/1207 ,  G11B5/012 ,  G11B5/82 ,  G11B27/36 ,  G11B33/10 ,  G11B2220/20

摘要： A byte wide flaw scan interface is used to identify an characterize flaws in a disk medium. In one embodiment, the associated disk drive (100) includes head electronics (120) associated with a disk drive controller (122) via an NRZ interface (127). The NRZ interface (127) is operative for transmitting flaw information for a particular disk address via 8 predefined bit lines. The bit lines have separate definitions for user data sector addresses and servo wedge addresses. By using this byte wide interface, media flaws of various types can be identified and characterized based on a single pass of the transducer head over the disk surface thereby shortening testing times.

摘要翻译： 使用字节宽的缺陷扫描界面来识别磁盘介质中的特征缺陷。 在一个实施例中，相关联的盘驱动器（100）包括经由NRZ接口（127）与盘驱动器控制器（122）相关联的头部电子装置（120）。 NRZ接口（127）可用于通过8个预定义的位线传送特定磁盘地址的缺陷信息。 位线对于用户数据扇区地址和伺服楔形地址具有单独的定义。 通过使用该字节宽的接口，可以基于传感器头在盘表面上的单次通过来识别和表征各种类型的介质缺陷，从而缩短测试时间。