International Business Machines Corporation

Robert Duncan Commander

John Richard Taylor

Anthony R Hearn

William John Case

Peter Alan Gardner

Brian P Fenton

John G Ramage

Voice coil actuator with resiliently mounted shorted turn

A power switching circuit for switching power repetitively to a load at a relatively low frequency employs a power switching device which is driven across an isolating transformer interface. The drive signals are high frequency pulse signals which are modulated with the low frequency switching information, the modulations being detected in the secondary circuit of the transformer. Such an arrangement affords isolated driving with fast switching edges and requires only a small transformer. Power for the detection circuit is derived by rectification of the high frequency signals induced in the transformer secondary.

Transformer coupled power switching circuit

A data storage apparatus, such as an accessing head magnetic disk file, includes at least one data disk surface and a servo disk surface. In operation, a continuous position signal having high frequency components is derived from the servo surface, which has a quadature type servo signal prerecorded thereon. A circuit means modifies the derived position signal so that a substantially linear signal representing the displacement of the servo head from the servo track is obtained. A second position signal having a low frequency component is obtained from servo sector information registered on the data disk surface and together with the first position signal forms a hybrid position signal. This hybrid signal is used to control the movement of the data heads relative to the data tracks to ensure optimum transducing operation.

Track following servosystem for data storage apparatus

Data track positioning information for data tracks on a stack of recording disks is provided by servo information pre-recorded on one surface of the stack. In addition, each data track on the remaining surfaces of the stack has servo information relative to that track pre-recorded in sectors around the track. Track following operations are controlled in a closed loop servo system using on-track position information derived from the sectored servo tracks associated with the track being followed. The bandwidth of the position error signal derived from the sectored servo information is increased by adding high frequency components obtained from the continuous servo information on the servo surface. Track access operations are controlled using track crossing information derived from the pre-recorded servo information on the servo surface.

Servo positioning system for data storage apparatus

A positioning system for data storage apparatus in which a magnetic transducer is positioned relative to data tracks on a moving record member by means of a closed loop servo system. Improved velocity control information is provided to the servo system by pre-recorded servo tracks read by a single servo head forming part of the closed loop system. Each servo track consists of a plurality of servo cells, alternate ones of which are laterally displaced by half a track width. A position reference signal is prerecorded in each cell at a point which is predetermined to permit the signal to be sensed by the single servo head independently of any other detectable signal. Accordingly, a position error signal derived from displaced cells is always 90.degree. out of phase with the position error signal derived from undisplaced cells. During a track access operation, when the servo head is moved from one track to another track, the displaced and undisplaced cells are sensed by the single servo head to provide two separate position error signals. Control circuits combine selected portions of the two position error signals to provide a composite signal of improved linearity from which the velocity of the head during the access operation can be ascertained directly and employed to perform control functions dependent on velocity.

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Eastleigh, United Kingdom

Robert Duncan Commander