International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Other

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

David H Jen

Kris Victor Schouterden

Mike Suk

Donald Ray Gillis

Remmelt Pit

Douglas Michael Zuercher

Bernd Lamberts

Paul Marion Green

Erhard Theodor Schreck

Andrew M Homola

Vedantham Raman

Daniel James Malone, Sr

Thomas Nguyen

Jorge F Escobar

Hoan Andrew Au

Masayoshi Shimokoshi

Theofilos George Fkiaras

Jay Michael Mosbrucker

Scott McCoy

Lakshmi Ramamoorthy

Ryoheita Hattori

Indukumar Kalahasthi

Annamica Bhan

A method of controlling a storage device includes detecting a cumulative usage condition associated with the storage device, comparing the cumulative usage condition to a usage value, and adjusting the operation of the storage device based on the comparison. Another method of controlling a storage device includes detecting an operating condition associated with the storage device, comparing the operating condition to a warranty condition, and limiting the operation of the storage device to read-only operation based on the comparison.

System and method for controlling a storage device

Cleaning a recording head slider in-drive during operation is accomplished by periodically performing a series of full stroke seek operations, whereby liquid contaminants that may have migrated to the head slider are flung from the slider and liquid from the disk surface may be adsorbed onto the slider for removal by way of flinging. Consequently, head-disk spacing may be stabilized and data write operations improved. Furthermore, the series of full stroke seek operations may be performed at predetermined intervals, and for a predetermined period of time. However, the series may be interrupted by a client request, and continued thereafter, so as not to affect the operational status of the recording system.

Self-cleaning recording heads based on actuator seek profile

Systems, methods, and firmware for operating data storage devices and storage processors are provided herein. In one example, a data storage device is provided. The data storage device includes magnetic storage media configured to store data, read heads configured to read data from the magnetic storage media at associated areal densities, and a storage processor. The storage processor is configured to monitor read error rates of the read heads during operation of the data storage device to identify a degraded one of the read heads, and process at least the read error rates and an areal density of the degraded one of the read heads to modify the areal density of at least the degraded one of the read heads.

Modified areal densities for degraded storage device read heads

Approaches for adjusting the recording density of a recording medium in a circumferential direction are disclosed. A hard-disk drive includes one or more electronic components configured to divide a track, of a plurality of concentric tracks on a magnetic-recording disk, into a plurality of portions, and write data to each of the plurality of portions at a recording density that is independent of the recording density used for any of the other portions. Data may be written to a first portion of a track at a different frequency than to a second portion of the same track. The frequency at which data is written may be adjusted for different portions of the same track to allow the frequency to be reduced at certain portions shown to have relatively higher soft error rate while increasing the frequency for other portions to achieve a desired average error rate for the track.

Adjusting recording density in a circumferential direction

A data formatting system and method to improve data efficiency and integrity in a hard disk are disclosed. One embodiment provides a disk drive system having a plurality of lookup tables which store a plurality of randomizer seeds which may be dynamically encoded into the preamble field of a customer data block if the customer data is deemed marginal. Encoding the randomizer seed into the preamble field prevents adjacent data track mis-writes and mis-reads.

Method and system for dynamically allocating read and write sequence randomizer

Approaches for improving the write quality of a hard-disk drive (HDD) head experiencing temporary fly-height problem. When the hard-disk drive is idle and heads are parked on the ramp, fluid, such as a lubricant or the condensation of vapor, may collect between the surface of a platter and the head or a slider, thereby causing the head to temporarily fly higher than normal. An HDD may include electronic component(s) configured to (a) determine whether it is likely that fluid is interposed between the surface of a magnetic-recording disk and the slider or the head, and (b) temporarily adjust one or more of (i) a thermal fly height control setting of the head and (ii) a write parameter of the head to compensate for the head flying higher than normal as a result of the fluid being interposed between the surface of the disk and the slider or the head.

Write quality of HDD heads experiencing temporary fly-height problems

Data recovery information characterizes data recovery procedure (DRP) steps to be performed within a hard disk drive (HDD) in response to a miss. Particular data recovery information corresponds to a radial position of the actuator and, therefore, the position of the magnetic recording read/write head relative to the associated storage media at the location at which the miss occurred. The data recovery information is based on the physical shape of a write pole and on how the physical shape of the pole inherently affects operational data error associated with the head. Because of the foregoing characteristics of such data recovery information, a more efficient and performant data recovery procedure is performed based thereon.

Adaptive data recovery procedure based on radial positioning

A method and apparatus for predicting write failure resulting from flying height modulation and initiating re-writing of data upon occurrence of the predicted write failure is disclosed. According to the present invention, if the slider or transducer flying height modulates during the write process, such modulation is detected, and a rewrite of the same data is forced. A write reassign may be initiated when a thermal signal exceeding the predetermined threshold is detected during the rewrite and/or a read/verify may be initiated after the rewrite.

Method and apparatus for predicting write failure resulting from flying height modulation

A data storage system has a disk having a first, second and third zone. The first zone has rough texturing to prevent stiction between a slider at rest and the disk. The second zone has intermediate texturing to prevent stiction when a moving slider is in contact with the disk. The third zone has a smooth texture and is used for data recording. A control unit moves the slider between the zones as appropriate on power up and power down of the system. The system has an actuator latch having a bias device. The bias device allows the slider to be positioned between the first and second zones by selective energizing of the actuator while in the latched position.

Multiple zone data storage system and method

A method is described for storing data on a target track of a recordable medium in a storage device via a magnetic write head therein. The storage device has an operating parameter having an operational range with extreme at which the writing of data to said device is prohibited. A first threshold within said range is defined and proximate said first extreme and delimits a first operational subrange. The method including the steps of: monitoring said operating parameter; and determining whether the monitored parameter lies within said first subrange and if so, performing a first predetermined operation to compensate for deleterious effects on data storage caused thereby.

Method and system for writing data to a magnetic storage device in a relatively cold or hot environment

A method and apparatus for detecting harmful motion of a disk drive system to avoid a head crash. The motor spin current in the hard disk drive is used as a sensor to detect acceleration of the disk drive corresponding to a tipping or falling condition. In normal operation, the disk stack angular velocity (measured in revolutions per minute or RPM) is constantly monitored so that the disk drive control system can generate timing signals allowing the controller to accurately locate data addresses on the rotating disks. Disk stack RPM is accurately controlled at a constant value by a suitable feedback control loop which measures RPM and adjusts motor drive current to maintain the desired RPM. The rapidly rotating disk stack acts as a gyro system whose angular momentum resists any change in direction. In the event of a change in orientation of the disk drive such as that initiated by tipping or falling, gyroscopic forces are generated which act to increase friction of the bearings supporting the rotating disk stack resulting in a decrease in disk stack angular velocity. The change of disk stack RPM is detected by the normal feedback control loop electronics and an error signal can be generated to cause actuator park or unload action before impact of the falling disk drive occurs.

Method and apparatus for unloading head from disk before a shock to a

A contaminant reduction system is shown for a disk drive assembly having a closed interior and slider disk components located therein which would be adversely affected by condensed volatiles generated within the assembly. A Peltier element is located within the closed interior of the disk drive assembly so as to condense volatiles present within the interior at a desired condensation point within the closed interior. A getter material, such as a microporous sintered alumina, is located within the closed interior of the disk drive assembly at the condensation point for permanently trapping and maintaining condensed volatiles which are condensed by the Peltier element.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

David H Jen