Technique for generating audible signals in a disk drive employing a voice coil actuator
US5526212A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 13, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jun 11, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 13, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B5/54
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A disk drive employing a voice coil actuator to position a read/write head over a magnetic disk retracts the read/write head from the magnetic disk surface and passes an audio frequency alternating current through the voice coil to produce a corresponding movement in the read/write head support structure which generates an audible tone indicating the disk drive status. The alternating current waveform has a positive phase and a negative phase, with the read/write head moving toward the disk in response to one phase of the current and the read/write head moving away from the disk in response to the other phase. Audible tones of different frequencies are produced by varying the frequency of the alternating current waveform. In this fashion the disk drive generates a predetermined sequence of tones separated by silent pauses which identifies a particular disk drive status condition.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.