International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Mitsuru Ogawa

Susumu Shimotono

Akiyoshi Tanaka

Tetsuya Noguchi

Shigefumi Odaohhara

Mitsuo Horiuchi

Takashi Sugawara

Hirohide Komiyama

Izuru Narita

Takayuki Katoh

Hideshi Tsukamoto

Hidenori Kinoshita

Takashi Yomo

Hidefumi Suzuki

Yasuhiro Kobayashi

Yasushi Yoshikawa

Shinobu Miyachi

A flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) is disclosed. The FPCB can be employed to connect an interface card having connectors with a two-stage configuration to a connection destination of a portable information equipment. The FPCB includes a bend line located between an upper-stage terminal group and a lower-stage terminal group. The FPCB can be bent along the bend line to allow the upper-stage terminal group and the lower-stage terminal group to be mutually superimposed over each other. In addition, the upper-stage terminal group of the FPCB is connected to the upper-stage-side connector terminal group of the interface card, and the lower-stage terminal group of the FPCB is connected to the lower-stage-side connector terminal group of the interface card.

Flexible printer circuit board

A battery pack is disclosed. The battery pack includes a battery, an impact sensor, a processor and a memory. The impact sensor is capable of generating an impact signal in response to a detection of an impact on the battery pack. The processor is capable of generating impact information based on the impact signal, and processor continues to count a number of charging times to the battery after the generation of the impact information. The memory is capable of storing the impact information and the number of charging times. The processor can refer to the memory to deliver a control command to a battery charger so that the battery can only be charged up to an allowable charge capacity smaller than a full charge capacity after an occurrence of an impact when the battery pack is attached to the battery charger. The charging to the battery stops when the number of the counted charging times reaches a predetermined number of allowable charging times that is allowed after the generation of the impact information.

Method for ensuring safe use of a battery pack after impact

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

Magnetic disk protection mechanism, computer system comprising protection mechanism, protection method for magnetic disk, and program for protection method

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

A portable information processing apparatus in provided with a magnetic disk device switchable to a state providing increased resistance to physical shock upon prediction that such a shock is likely. Under predetermined conditions, a second prediction may be issued that such a shock is no longer likely, allowing the magnetic disk device to switch to a normal state of operations. The shock-resistant state of the magnetic disk device can prevent data access and thus inhibit the progress of important process(es). Upon recognition that an important process is being delayed, the condition for issuing the second prediction may be relaxed to more quickly return the magnetic disk device to a normal operating state.

Automatic adjustment of magnetic disk protection apparatus and method according to environment

A method, apparatus and program storage device for magnetic disk drive protection is provided. A stable position data storage stores stable-state information representing a magnetic disk drive in an operating environment that satisfies a certain condition. An acceleration sensor senses changes in acceleration acting on the magnetic disk drive and a rest-state measuring unit determines whether the magnetic disk drive is in a state of rest based on information acquired by the acceleration sensor. An operating state determination unit, in response to a first determination by the rest-state measuring unit that the magnetic disk drive is in a state of rest, determines when the state of rest corresponds to the stable-state information stored in the stable position data storage, and sets a detection sensitivity to a sign that which indicates an impending shock to the magnetic disk drive based on a result of a second determination. A magnetic head operation controller controls operation of the magnetic disk drive including retraction of a magnetic head based on the detection sensitivity set by the operating state determination unit.

Method, apparatus and program storage device for magnetic disk drive protection

A magnetic disk device protection mechanism comprises a sensor that acquires information on changes in the environment of a magnetic disk device, a sensor driver, a shock manager that analyzes the information acquired by the sensor driver together with a history of the information to determine the status where the magnetic disk device is used to predict a shock, and an HDD filter driver that controls operations of the magnetic disk device including the escape of a magnetic head. The magnetic disk device can also comprise a diagnosis processing section that operates if a shock has occurred actually, to check whether or not the magnetic head could have completely escaped before the occurrence of this shock to carry out diagnosis as to whether or not a fault is occurring in the magnetic disk.

A method for docking/undocking a portable computer to/from an expansion unit is disclosed. The portable computer includes a main battery, and the expansion unit includes a second battery. In response to an eject event, the condition of the second battery is determined. If the second battery is in a discharging condition, a power supply route is switched from the second battery of the expansion unit to the main battery of the portable computer. If the second battery is in a charging condition, the charging condition is suspended. At this point, a hot undocking of the portable computer from the expansion unit can be performed.

Growing community of inventors

Hadano, Japan

Mitsuru Ogawa