Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Yuichiro Sano

Junguo Xu

Toshiya Shiramatsu

Masaru Furukawa

Jianhua Li

Kenichi Kuramoto

Yuichi Aoki

Yuka Morimoto

A hard disk drive electronic component processes a signal from a piezoelectric actuator to identify where on a disk the slider encounters a disk defect. The signal received from the piezoelectric actuator may be based on the mechanical propagation, through the suspension to the piezoelectric actuator, of an effect of slider contact with the protrusion. Further, an actuator may be commanded to systematically move the head slider across the writeable portion of the disk to map all the protrusions on the writeable portion of the disk.

High-speed recording disk defect detection

An embedded contact sensor (ECS) element for fly-height control and touchdown detection. An embedded contact sensor (ECS) element with a resistance that changes with a temperature change, which senses a clearance change between a head slider and a disk of a disk drive. A resistance measurement section, within said head IC, that determines a value of direct current resistance (DCR) of said ECS element, wherein said value of DCR changes with a temperature change, wherein said temperature change is caused by an air bearing cooling and frictional induced heating at a head disk interface. A resistance slope to fly-height conversion section that dynamically determines a target fly-height value for said head slider over said disk based on changes in said value of DCR.

Fly-height control and touchdown detection

Growing community of inventors

Ebina, Japan

Yuichiro Sano