Disk drive with variable TPI servo tracks
US6493176B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 24, 2000 |
| Grant date | Dec 10, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 24, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B5/59633
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention is directed to utilizing the capabilities of multi-stage actuators in disk drives to write servo tracks that have a variable number of tracks-per-inch (TPI) from head to head, thereby improving both the performance of the drive and manufacturing yields. An appropriate TPI for a particular head has been found to depend on a number of factors that vary from head to head. Consequently, the initial step is to determine an appropriate TPI for at least one of the heads or, more preferably, all of the heads in the drive. The determination typically involves measurements such as read and write width measurements and off-track performance tests for the relevant heads. Once an appropriate TPI format has been determined, the servo tracks are written according to the TPI formats using either a servo track writer or self servo track writing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.