Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for reducing thermal interference in MR heads in disk drives

US6359743B1 · kind B1 · utility

9Cited by
4References
39Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 20, 1998
Grant dateMar 19, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 20, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B2005/0016
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus (and method) is provided that reduces thermal interference in the read signal of a disk drive. A variable or programmable resistance is used to change the transfer function of a filter in the read channel of the disk drive to filter the read signal. The filter has a first transfer function (first cut-off frequency) related to the programmed resistance during normal operation of the disk drive (i.e. when thermal interference is not detected). When thermal interference is detected in the read signal, the resistance is programmed to another value resulting in the filter having a second transfer function (second cut-off frequency). The resistance element is variable or programmable to different values resulting in different programmable transfer functions (or one of a multitude of cut-off frequencies) for the filter. In the preferred embodiment, detection of thermal interference increases the cut-off frequency of the filter thereby filtering, or reducing the effects of, the thermal interference in the read signal.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.