Disk drive having a write condition detector for suspending write operations while a transducer flying height deviates from its operating flying height
US6249393A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 16, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 19, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 16, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B2220/20
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A disk drive with a write condition detector generates a write condition signal from a reference signal to warn of a high fly write or a low fly write. The reference signal is generated by the disk drive read/write head by reading a reference segment. The write condition detector processes fly-height varying components from the reference signal. The write condition detector generates a write condition signal, responsive to the fly-height varying components and the threshold, that indicates that the writing of data in a user data segment during the write operation is unsafe when the head deviates from its operating flying-height. The threshold is computed using zone coefficients determined during an intelligent burn in of the disk drive, and is based on a nominal fly height. The write condition signal is processed by a microprocessor that instructs a disk controller to deactivate a write gate controlling the write operation. The disk drive then implements verification, diagnostics and recovery steps to complete the write operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.