Disk drive with adaptive positioning

A disk drive storage system utilizing adaptive head positioning comprising:

• one or more storage disks;
• at least one of said storage disks including servo control information encoded thereon:
• means including a plurality of heads for performing input and output operations on said storage disks;
• means for mounting one of said heads to read said servo control information;
• means for mounting and positioning said heads with respect to said disks;
• control circuitry coupled to said means for mounting and positioning said heads for regulating a movement of said heads with respect to said storage disks;
• a compliant suspension system supporting said storage disks and said means for mounting and positioning said heads, said compliant suspension system allowing a deflection of the disk drive storage system during the movement;
• means for measuring a radial displacement of said heads relative to a desired position, known as a position tracking error, the radial displacement and the desired position being relative to said disks, the radial displacement after a control input to said control circuitry has substantially subsided being measured to provide a correction factor;
• means for predicting position tracking errors resulting from an acceleration of said heads across said disks and a resultant deflection of the disk drive storage system as a result of said compliant suspension system, the acceleration being caused by an application of the control input to said control circuitry, said means for predicting including a continuous transfer function receiving as inputs the control input and the correction factor;
• and
• means for dynamically adapting a positioning of said heads to oppose the position tracking error and to maintain said heads substantially on a track despite the position tracking error which otherwise would have occurred;
• said means for predicting position tracking errors comprising:
• means for detecting the position tracking error using servo pulse signals;
• means for determining when a magnitude of the position tracking error exceeds a predetermined threshold;
• means for modelling the position tracking error as a dynamic response of a damped system of at least a second order, according to a transfer function with variable parameters;
• means for applying supplemental signals generated using said means for modelling to said control circuitry;
• and
• means for modifying said variable parameters to minimize a time required for said heads to settle on the track with subsequent position tracking errors remaining below the pre-determined threshold.