US 6,507,450 B1 · Method of continuously recording servo bursts along one continuous, single helix spiral

Abstract

An efficient, time saving, cost-effective method of using a servo track writer (STW) for continuously recording servo information along one, continuous, single helix spiral path on the surface of a magnetic disk in a disk drive. The write transducer is guided along the single-helix spiral path by moving the write transducer at a constant radial velocity while the disk is rotating. The STW moves the write transducer less than a head's width per revolution such that the strokes of each spiral revolution overlaps the stroke of a prior spiral revolution. The resulting servo track centerlines are formed as spiral servo segments that are written quickly and relatively smoothly, but are separate or disjointed from one another. A disk drive incorporating such uniquely written servo information uses suitable offset information as a function of servo wedge number so that the drive may track follow any one of a plurality of circular data tracks or one long spiral data track.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A method of continuously recording servo information on a magnetic disk with a write transducer that is guided by a servo track writer, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a continuous spiral path having a radial pitch that is less than a width of the write transducer;
continuously guiding the write transducer over the magnetic disk to follow the continuous spiral path and while the write transducer is being guided along the continuous spiral path:
recording a first plurality of radially partial servo data portions on the magnetic disk during a first complete resolution of the magnetic disk;
and
recording a second plurality of radially partial servo data portions during a second complete revolution on the magnetic disk to form at least part of a plurality of radially complete servo data sectors, wherein the second plurality of radially partial servo data portions overlap the first plurality of radially partial servo data portions.

2 more elements

A method of continuously recording servo information within a servo sector on a magnetic disk with a write transducer that is guided by a servo track writer, the method comprising the steps of:

moving the write transducer over the magnetic disk along one continuous, single-helix spiral stroke having a radial pitch that is less than a width of the write transducer such that each revolution of the spiral stroke overlaps a portion of a prior revolution of the spiral stroke;
and
recording the servo information in the servo sector while the write transducer is moving along the one continuous, single-helix spiral path.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of continuously recording servo bursts along one continuous, single helix spiral

Life of this patent

Method of continuously recording servo bursts along one continuous, single helix spiral

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28