Disk cartridge inertia detection methods and apparatus
AssigneeIomega Corporation
InventorsDavid M. Ginosar, Mark S. Thayne, Yiping Ma, Clark C. Bruderer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The presence of a disk cartridge in a disk drive is detected by obtaining a measure of the load on the spindle motor of the disk drive and comparing that measure to a threshold value. The measure of load on the spindle motor may comprise (i) the time the spindle motor takes to spin-up to its full operating speed, (ii) the time the spindle motor takes to coast down to its operating speed from a first speed in excess of the operating speed, (iii) the voltage applied across the coils of the spindle motor, or (iv) the current drawn by the spindle motor.
Claims85
A method of determining whether a removable disk cartridge has been properly inserted into a disk drive, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a data storage medium within the disk cartridge, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor at a first rotational speed;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast from the first rotational speed to a second rotational speed slower than the first rotational speed;
- (c) measuring a time the motor takes to coast from the first rotational speed to the second rotational speed;
- (d) comparing the measured time and a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the measured time to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of said disk drive.
In a disk drive adapted to receive a removable disk cartridge, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a data storage medium within the removable disk cartridge, a method of determining proper insertion of the removable disk cartridge into the disk drive, comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor;
- (b) allowing a rotational speed of the motor to change from a first speed to a second speed;
- (c) measuring a time interval during which the motor changes from the first speed to the second speed;
- (d) comparing the time interval to a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the time interval to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive adapted to receive a removable disk cartridge, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a medium within the removable disk cartridge, a method of determining proper insertion of the removable disk cartridge into the disk drive, comprising:
- (a) initiating rotation of the motor;
- (b) monitoring a period of time while the motor is rotating;
- (c) determining if a removable disk has been properly inserted into the disk drive based on a comparison of the period of time and a predetermined value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the period of time to the predetermined value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining a status of insertion of a removable cartridge into the disk drive, the cartridge including a rotatable data storage medium, the disk drive including a motor for rotating the medium, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast and measuring a load on the motor while the motor is coasting;
- (c) comparing the load to a threshold value;
- and
- (d) using the comparison of the load to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining a status of insertion of a removable cartridge into the disk drive, the cartridge including a rotatable data storage medium, the disk drive including a motor for rotating the medium, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast;
- (c) measuring a load on the motor;
- (d) comparing the load to a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the load to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining a status of insertion of a removable cartridge into the disk drive, the cartridge including a rotatable data storage medium, the disk drive including a motor for rotating the medium, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor to a first speed;
- (b) allowing the motor to decelerate;
- (c) obtaining a representation of the motor's deceleration;
- (d) comparing the representation to a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the representation to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining a status of insertion of a removable cartridge into the disk drive, the cartridge including a rotatable data storage medium, the disk drive including a motor for rotating the medium, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor to a first speed;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast so that the motor decelerates;
- (c) obtaining a representation of the motor's deceleration;
- (d) comparing the representation to a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the representation to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining a status of insertion of a removable cartridge into the disk drive, the cartridge including a rotatable data storage medium, the disk drive including a motor for rotating the medium, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor to a first speed;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast and measuring a time interval during which the motor coasts from the first speed to a second speed slower than the first speed;
- (c) comparing the time interval to a threshold value;
- and
- (d) using the comparison of the time interval to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
A method of determining whether to release read/write heads in a disk drive, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a data storage medium within a disk cartridge, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor at a first rotational speed;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast from the first rotational speed to a second rotational speed slower than the first rotational speed;
- (c) measuring a time the motor takes to coast from the first rotational speed to the second rotational speed;
- (d) comparing the measured time and a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the measured time to the threshold value to determine if the read/write heads should be released.
In a disk drive adapted to receive a removable disk cartridge, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a data storage medium within the removable disk cartridge, a method of determining proper insertion of the removable disk cartridge into the disk drive, comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor;
- (b) allowing a rotational speed of the motor to change from a first speed to a second speed;
- (c) measuring a time interval during which the motor changes from the first speed to the second speed;
- (d) comparing the time interval to a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the time interval to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive adapted to receive a removable disk cartridge, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a medium within the removable disk cartridge, said disk drive including a switch and wherein insertion of a cartridge into the disk drive activates said switch, a method of determining proper insertion of the removable disk cartridge into the disk drive, comprising:
- (a) initiating rotation of the motor;
- (b) monitoring a period of time while the motor is rotating;
- (c) determining if read/write heads of the disk drive should be released based on a comparison of the period of time and a predetermined value;
- and
- (d) initiating steps (a) through (c) after the switch is activated.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining whether to release read/write heads of the disk drive, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a medium within a disk cartridge, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast and measuring a load on the motor while the motor is coasting;
- (c) comparing the load to a threshold value;
- and
- (d) using the comparison of the load to the threshold value to determine if the read/write heads should be released.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining whether to release read/write heads of the disk drive, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a medium within a disk cartridge inserted within the disk drive, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor;
- (b) allowing the motor to coast;
- (c) measuring a load on the motor;
- (d) comparing the load to a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the load to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk drive.
In a disk drive for receiving removable cartridges, a method of determining whether to release read/write heads of the disk drive, the disk drive including a motor for rotating a medium within a disk cartridge when inserted into the disk drive, the method comprising:
- (a) rotating the motor to a first speed;
- (b) allowing the motor to decelerate;
- (c) obtaining a representation of the motor's deceleration;
- (d) comparing the representation to a threshold value;
- and
- (e) using the comparison of the representation to the threshold value to determine whether to release a read/write head of the disk.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.