Unisys Corporation

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Burroughs, Inc.

Nicholas M Warner

Alan T Meyer

Andrew M Rose

Kenny T Coker

David Christopher Pruett

Marcus A Carlson

Joe C Lee

Hideki Yoshihara

Wilhelm Ohlinger

Systems and methods for writing a sequence of data to a disk drive using sorted data zones are provided. One embodiment includes a disk drive comprising one or more disks having a plurality of disk surfaces, wherein each disk surface comprises a plurality of data zones, each data zone having a data transfer rate; a plurality of heads, wherein each head is configured to write data to a respective one of the disk surfaces; and a controller configured to operate the plurality of heads to sequentially write a sequence of data blocks to the plurality of disk surfaces in accordance with an order of head-zone combinations ordered from highest data transfer rate to lowest data transfer rate, each head-zone combination corresponding to one of the heads and one of the data zones of the respective disk surface.

Systems and methods for improving sequential data rate performance using sorted data zones

A disk drive is disclosed that utilizes an additional address mapping layer between logical addresses used by a host system and physical locations in the disk drive. Physical locations configured to store metadata information can be excluded from the additional address mapping layer. As a result, a reduced size translation table can be maintained by the disk drive. Improved performance, reduced costs, and improved security can thereby be attained.

Disk drive with reduced-size translation table

A multi-head disk drive is disclosed comprising a plurality of disk surfaces, and a head assembly comprising a plurality of heads, wherein each disk surface comprises a plurality of data zones, and each data zone having a data transfer rate different from the other zones of the respective disk surface. A controller is operable to sequentially write a sequence of data blocks to the plurality of disk surfaces in accordance with a list of head-zone combinations, each head-zone combination corresponding to one of the heads and one of the data zones of the respective disk surface. The head-zone combinations in the list are ordered from highest data transfer rate to lowest data transfer rate, and each disk surface comprises a pivot point defining a direction of writing data in the data zones from one of an outer diameter toward a middle diameter and an inner diameter toward the middle diameter.

Systems and methods for improving sequential data rate performance using sorted data zones for butterfly format

Systems and methods for writing a sequence of data to a disk drive using sorted data zones are provided. In one embodiment, a multi-head disk drive comprises a plurality of disk surfaces, wherein each disk surface comprises a plurality of data zones, each data zone having a data transfer rate different from the other zones of the respective disk surface. The multi-head disk drive also comprises a head assembly comprising a plurality of heads, wherein each head is configured to write data to a respective one of the disk surfaces, and a controller configured to operate the plurality of heads to sequentially write a sequence of data blocks to the plurality of disk surfaces in accordance with a list of head-zone combinations ordered from highest data rate to lowest data rate, each head-zone combination corresponding to one of the heads and a data zone of the respective disk surface.

In a disk drive control stage, data written by a microprocessor to a register (or read by a microprocessor from a register) is automatically 'imaged' in a RAM location reserved for that register.

Disk drive controller

In a disk drive servo, position slope is adjusted automatically, by referencing on the amplitude of position signals at the 'half-track point'.

Apparatus for adjustment of position slope for servo

Adjustment of position slope for disk drive servo using half-track point

Disclosed is a servo control system for a disk drive actuator using a bi-directional (Up/Down) Difference Counter along with a control circuit therefor which signals the counter each time a 'rest position' is passed, indicating whether this passage is toward, or away-from, the destination track.

Bi-directional difference counter

For a disk drive servo system using position and position-quadrature signals (P, Q), a method for automatically effecting 'Absolute Track Registration' and compensating for 'offsets' by using the peak position of one of signals (P or Q) to find 'true' position (true offset) for the other (Q or P) wherein the R/W actuator is brought to rest at a reference position and sample-offset signal generated; while the corresponding magnitude of related positioning signals are detected--this being repeated until the peak values of said positioning signals is located whereupon the corresponding position-offset is derived as 'true offset'--the actuator then being repositioned by this 'true offset' value; and repeating this for a given number of track sites across the disk.

Method for positioning head in disk drive deriving 'position' offset

A positioning system, suitable for positioning a head adjacently to data tracks on a rotating magnetic data storage disc and employing a polyphase optical position detente transducer, overcomes positioning inaccuracies associated with the relative spacing between the polyphase position indicating signals by measuring the span of all the phases in terms of demand to produce head movement applied to a D/A convertor, calculating the ideal stopping positions, and applying the inverse error demand through the convertor when positioning the head.

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Nicholas M Warner