Patent Application
20070139807
Not applicable
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to media event timers, disk drives and related methods.
2. Description of Related Art
As is known, many varieties of disk drives, such as magnetic disk drives are used to provide data storage for a host device, either directly, or through a network such as a storage area network (SAN) or network attached storage (NAS). Typical host devices include stand alone computer systems such as a desktop or laptop computer, enterprise storage devices such as servers, storage arrays such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) arrays, storage routers, storage switches and storage directors, and other consumer devices such as video game systems and digital video recorders. These devices provide high storage capacity in a cost effective manner.
As a magnetic hard drive is manufactured it is formatted at the factory. The formatting process lays out a plurality of concentric tracks of data on that disk that are separated by wedges of servo data distributed at equal angular displacements. The servo data includes a track number and a wedge number that are used by the disk controller to locate desired tracks and sectors of user data that are stored on the disk. Each wedge of servo data is preceded by a servo address mark that consists of a detectable pattern, such as an area with no magnetic transitions, that is used to indicate that the servo data will be coming up next. While the servo address marks are used to guide the reading of servo data, independent clock signals are used for timing of read and write operations. Because of the speed and high track density of modem disk drives, errors can occur in reading the servo address mark and, in particular, it is not uncommon that a servo address mark can be missed altogether,
A sizable market has developed for these devices and the price per unit of storage has steadily dropped. Modem host devices are provided with greater storage capacity at reduced cost, compared with devices that where manufactured a few years earlier. The need exists for efficient disk drives that can store and retrieve data with greater accuracy and at greater density.
The present invention sets forth a media event timer and methods for use therewith substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims that follow.
The present invention provides several advantages over the prior art. In an embodiment of the present invention, a media event timer correlates specific locations on the disk with specific counts from a servo address mark. Compensation is provided for missed servo address marks. A simple and more accurate system can be implemented to time the starting of selected events based on their position on the media.
Disk drive unit 100 further includes one or more read/write heads 104 that are coupled to arm 106 that is moved by actuator 108 over the surface of the disk 102 either by translation, rotation or both. A disk controller 130 is included for controlling the read and write operations to and from the drive, for controlling the speed of the servo motor and the motion of actuator 108, and for providing an interface to and from the host device. Disk controller 130, provides one or more functions or features of the present invention, as described in further detail in conjunction with the figures that follow.
Disk controller 130 further includes a processing module 132 and memory module 134. Processing module 132 can be implemented using one or more microprocessors, micro-controllers, digital signal processors, microcomputers, central processing units, field programmable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, state machines, logic circuits, analog circuits, digital circuits, and/or any devices that manipulates signal (analog and/or digital) based on operational instructions that are stored in memory module 134. When processing module 132 is implemented with two or more devices, each device can perform the same steps, processes or functions in order to provide fault tolerance or redundancy. Alternatively, the function, steps and processes performed by processing module 132 can be split between different devices to provide greater computational speed and/or efficiency.
Memory module 134 may be a single memory device or a plurality of memory devices. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory, random access memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, cache memory, and/or any device that stores digital information. Note that when the processing module 132 implements one or more of its finctions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory module 134 storing the corresponding operational instructions may be embedded within, or external to, the circuitry comprising the state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry. Further note that, the memory module 134 stores, and the processing module 132 executes, operational instructions that can correspond to one or more of the steps or a process, method and/or function illustrated herein.
Disk controller 130 includes a plurality of modules, in particular, device controllers 105, processing timing generator 110, processing module 132, memory module 134, read/write channel 140, disk formatter 125, servo formatter 120 and host interface 150 that are interconnected via buses 136 and 137. Each of these modules can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software or a combination thereof, in accordance with the broad scope of the present invention. While a particular bus architecture is shown in
In an embodiment of the present invention, one or more modules of disk controller 130 are implemented as part of a system on a chip integrated circuit. In an embodiment of the present invention, this system on a chip integrated circuit includes a digital portion that can include additional modules such as protocol converters, linear block code encoding and decoding modules, etc., and an analog portion that includes device controllers 105 and optionally additional modules, such as a power supply, etc. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the various functions and features of disk controller 130 are implemented in a plurality of integrated circuit devices that communicate and combine to perform the functionality of disk controller 130.
When the drive unit 100 is manufactured, disk formatter 125 writes a plurality of servo wedges along with a corresponding plurality of servo address marks at equal radial distance along the disk 102. The servo address marks are read by the servo formatter 120 and used by the disk formatter 125 and/or read write channel 140 for triggering the “start time” for various events as will be described in further detail in conjunction with the figures that follow.
Disk locked clock 114 provides at least one clock signal 126, such as a data frequency clock or a servo frequency clock. In particular, the clock signal 126 is locked in phase and/or frequency with the SAM detection signal 128 so as to provide a substantially constant number of clock cycles between successive servo address marks. In an embodiment of the present invention, disk locked clock 114 includes a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit that uses the phase error between a divided reference signal and the SAM detection signal 128 (when a servo address mark is detected) to adjust the phase or frequency in a closed loop control configuration.
Clock signal 126 and SAM detection signal 128 are used by media event timer 125 to produce media events signal 124, to trigger one or more media events. In an embodiment of the present invention, media events signal 124 provides the start times of one or more events such as a write event, a read event, timing event, and a servo control event that can be part of a read operation, write operation, servo control signal and other signal such as control signal used for timing or triggering the operation of the disk controller 130. These events can be part of a formatting of disk drive unit 100 during initial formatting as part of the factory setup and initialization of the drive, during subsequent formatting operations of disk drive unit 100 and during other use of disk drive 100 in normal operation. The start times of these events, since they are correlated to specific locations on the disk 102, are more precise than if generated by a constant frequency clock and automatically provide compensation for possible servo spin-speed variations.
Further details regarding an implementation of media event timer 125 is presented in conjunction with
In operation, counter module 200 is set to a reset count, such as zero, by counter reset module 202 when a servo address mark is detected. Counter module 200 is incremented by each cycle of clock signal 126 as disk 102 spins until it is reset by counter reset module 202 in response to the detection of the next servo address mark. Trigger module 206 stores one or more media event counts corresponding to the start time of one or more media events. When a media event count compares favorably to a count of the count sequence 210, such as when the count equals a media event count, the media event is triggered.
Because clock signal 126 has a substantially constant number of clock cycles between successive servo address marks, counter module 200 counts up to a substantially constant count before being reset. In particular, absent variations in servo spin-speed and assuming that each servo address mark is detected, counter module 200 would reset at the same count, an expected servo address mark count, each time. This fact is used by media event timer to detect and compensate for a missed servo address mark. In an embodiment of the present invention, detector module 204 detects that a servo address mark has been missed when the count exceeds the expected servo address mark count by a detection threshold.
By means of illustration, the clock signal 126 can include a number, such as 4000 clock cycles, between successive servo marks. Therefore the expected servo address mark count is 4000 if the reset count is zero. Variations in servo spin-speed and PLL lock in disk locked clock 114 can cause this to vary by a number of clock cycles, such as +/− one clock cycle for each period. If the count reaches a greater value, such as 4004, corresponding to a detection threshold of four counts (in general, a number greater than or equal to the expected clock cycle variation), the detector module 204 detects that the servo address mark has been missed. In response, the detector module 200 restarts counter module 200 at a restart count that, in an embodiment of the present invention includes a count offset from the reset count. In particular, the restart count is set to be the difference between the current count and the expected servo address mark count—in this case a restart count of four. If a servo address mark is missed, the timing provided by count sequence 210 is based on clock signal 126 and timed from the timing of the last available servo address mark.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the counter reset module 202 can be selectively disabled or otherwise not used to reset the counter module 200 (and optionally not included in the design). In either of these cases, the counter module 200 will rollover to the reset count when the expected servo address mark count is reached or exceeded. In these cases, the detection threshold and restart count can be programmable and set to a small value or zero. While the counter module 200 has been described being incremented by each clock cycle of clock signal 126 so as to count up, it could likewise be decremented so as to count down. The reset count has been described as zero but can be any constant value, and particularly can be a high value if counter module 200 counts down rather than counting up. Many possible variations including offset counts or comparisons, different comparison operations using: less than, not less than, greater than or not greater than operations, may likewise be implemented in trigger module 206 within the broad scope of the present invention.
In response to the detection of a servo address mark at 375, shown by the pulse in the SAM detection signal 128, counter reset module 202 resets the count sequence 210 to zero. Count sequence 210 is incremented in response to cycles of clock signal 126 until the count reaches the first media event count. Trigger module 206, generates media events signal 124 to trigger the first media event in response. Sequence count continues to increase until a second servo address mark is detected at 376. The count sequence is reset as before and the media events signal 124 is also triggered as before. However, the next servo address mark (that should have occurred at 377) is missed. Count sequence continues to increment until the count reaches 10, the expected servo address mark count plus the detection threshold. Detector module 204 restarts the counter module 200 at a restart count of two (where the count would have been if the servo address mark had been received as expected at 377) and the first media event is again triggered when the count reaches 4. In this circumstance however, the trigger control module generates trigger enable 216 to disable trigger module 206 for counts 9 and 10 because the servo address mark had not been received. When the counter module 200 is restarted, the trigger module 206 is again enabled.
In an embodiment of the present invention, wireless communication device 53 is capable of communicating via a wireless telephone network such as a cellular, personal communications service (PCS), general packet radio service (GPRS), global system for mobile communications (GSM), and integrated digital enhanced network (iDEN) or other wireless communications network capable of sending and receiving telephone calls. Further, wireless communication device 53 is capable of communicating via the Internet to access email, download content, access websites, and provide steaming audio and/or video programming. In this fashion, wireless communication device 53 can place and receive telephone calls, text messages such as emails, short message service (SMS) messages, pages and other data messages that can include attachments such as documents, audio files, video files, images and other graphics.
In an embodiment of the present invention, as previously discussed, the restart count can include a count offset from the reset count and the clock signal can be a disk locked clock signal. Further, step 408 can be disabled when the count of the sequence of counts compares unfavorably to an expected servo address mark count and can be enabled when the count of the sequence of counts compares favorably to the expected servo address mark count.
While the present invention has been described in terms of a magnetic disk, other nonmagnetic storage devices including optical disk drives including compact disks (CD) drives such as CD-R and CD-RW, digital video disk (DVD) drives such as DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc can likewise be implemented in accordance with the functions and features of the presented invention described herein.
As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the term “substantially” or “approximately”, as may be used herein, provides an industry-accepted tolerance to its corresponding term and/or relativity between items. Such an industry-accepted tolerance ranges from less than one percent to twenty percent and corresponds to, but is not limited to, component values, integrated circuit process variations, temperature variations, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. Such relativity between items ranges from a difference of a few percent to magnitude differences. As one of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate, the term “operably coupled”, as may be used herein, includes direct coupling and indirect coupling via another component, element, circuit, or module where, for indirect coupling, the intervening component, element, circuit, or module does not modify the information of a signal but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or power level. As one of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate, inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two elements in the same manner as “operably coupled”. As one of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate, the term “compares favorably”, as may be used herein, indicates that a comparison between two or more elements, items, signals, etc., provides a desired relationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal 1 has a greater magnitude than signal 2, a favorable comparison may be achieved when the magnitude of signal 1 is greater than that of signal 2 or when the magnitude of signal 2 is less than that of signal 1.
The various circuit components can be implemented using 0.35 micron or smaller CMOS technology. Provided however that other circuit technologies, both integrated or non-integrated, may be used within the broad scope of the present invention. Likewise, various embodiments described herein can also be implemented as software programs running on a computer processor. It should also be noted that the software implementations of the present invention can be stored on a tangible storage medium such as a magnetic or optical disk, read-only memory or random access memory and also be produced as an article of manufacture.
Thus, there has been described herein an apparatus and method, as well as several embodiments including a preferred embodiment, for implementing a memory and a processing system. Various embodiments of the present invention herein-described have features that distinguish the present invention from the prior art.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed invention may be modified in numerous ways and may assume many embodiments other than the preferred forms specifically set out and described above. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
