Method and apparatus for searching in a disk drive

A circuit for positioning a head mounted on a sled in a disk drive, said sled being positioned by a sled motor, a lens mounted on said sled, said lens being positioned with respect to said sled by a tracking actuator, said lens directing a reflected light beam from a disk to a photo-sensor on said head, said circuit comprising:

• a center error signal generator to generate a center error signal that indicates a position of said head with respect to a track on a disk;
• and
• a sled motor signal generator to receive an analog tracks-to-jump signal corresponding to a specified number of tracks on said disk that said sled motor is to move, said sled motor signal generator including an analog circuit configured to produce a modified tracks-to-jump signal in response to said center error signal and said tracks-to-jump signal, and circuitry to control said sled motor with said modified tracks-to-jump signal;
• wherein said sled motor signal generator further includes:
• an input filter to filter said center error signal for input to a differential amplifier;
• and
• a feedback filter to provide a feedback signal between said differential amplifier output and said differential amplifier input.

A disk drive comprising:

• a spindle motor rotating a disk having a spiral track;
• a head having a photo-sensor and a lens, said lens directing a reflected light beam from said disk to said photo-sensor;
• a movable sled supporting said head;
• a sled motor, responsive to a sled motor signal, to position said head with respect to said spiral track;
• a center error signal generator to generate a center error signal that indicates a position of said lens with respect to said spiral track on said disk;
• a tracking actuator coupled to said lens and said sled to position said lens with respect to said sled and with respect to said spiral track in response to said center error signal;
• and
• a sled motor signal generator circuit configured to combine said center error signal with a jump signal, corresponding to a specified number of tracks on said disk that said sled is to move, so as to generate said sled motor signal to cause said sled motor to move said sled over said specified number of tracks on said disk.

A disk drive comprising:

• a spindle motor rotating a disk having a spiral track;
• a head having a photo-sensor and a lens, said lens directing a reflected light beam from said disk to said photo-sensor;
• a movable sled supporting said head;
• a sled motor, responsive to a sled motor signal, to position said head with respect to said spiral track;
• a tracking actuator coupled to said lens to position said lens with respect to said spiral track, said tracking actuator being mounted on said sled;
• a center error signal generator to generate a center error signal that indicates a position of said lens with respect to said spiral track on said disk;
• and
• a sled motor signal generator to generate said sled motor signal to cause said sled motor to move said sled over a specified number of tracks on said disk by modifying an analog gain based on a number of tracks to jump signal using said center error signal;
• wherein
• said sled motor signal generator is configured to modify said gain when said predetermined number of tracks is less than a first threshold;
• and
• said sled motor signal generator includes a differential amplifier to subtract said center error signal from said gain to generate said sled motor signal.

A method of positioning a head mounted on a sled in a disk drive, said sled being positioned by a sled motor, a lens mounted on said sled, said lens being positioned with respect to said sled by a tracking actuator, said lens directing a reflected light beam from a disk to a photo-sensor on said head, said method comprising:

• generating an analog center error signal that indicates a position of said head with respect to a track on a disk;
• controlling the tracking actuator with said center error signal so as to control positioning of said lens with respect to said sled;
• receiving an analog tracks-to-jump signal corresponding to a specified number of tracks on said disk that said sled is to move;
• combining the analog center error signal and the analog track-to-jump signal to produce a modified tracks-to-jump signal;
• and
• controlling said sled motor with said modified tracks-to-jump signal.

A disk drive comprising:

• a spindle motor rotating a disk having a spiral track;
• a head having a photo-sensor and a lens, said lens directing a reflected light beam from said disk to said photo-sensor;
• a movable sled supporting said head;
• a sled motor, responsive to a sled motor signal, to position said head with respect to said spiral track;
• a tracking actuator coupled to said lens to position said lens with respect to said spiral track, said tracking actuator being mounted on said sled;
• a center error signal generator to generate a center error signal that indicates a position of said lens with respect to said spiral track on said disk;
• and
• a sled motor signal generator to generate said sled motor signal to cause said sled motor to move said sled over a specified number of tracks on said disk by modifying an analog gain based on a number of tracks to jump signal using said center error signal;
• said sled motor signal generator including circuitry to modify said gain, when said predetermined number of tracks is less than a first threshold, by combining said gain with said center error signal so as to generate said sled motor signal.