US 6,687,081 B1Granted

Disk drive using seek profile to enhance fly height control

AssigneeMaxtor Corporation

InventorsMatthew O'Hara, Don Brunnet, Yu Sun, David M. Sigmond

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Abstract

A disk drive uses seek profile manipulation to provide enhanced transducer fly height control. The maximum seek velocity that is used during a seek operation is made dependent upon, among other things, the direction associated with the seek operation (i.e., either radially inward or radially outward with respect to the disk). In a preferred embodiment, the maximum seek velocity in a direction that normally results in a fly height loss is made less than the maximum seek velocity in the opposite direction. Thus, a minimum transducer fly height can be maintained with minimal effect on average seek time in the disk drive. In one approach, the maximum seek velocity values are stored within a lookup table within the disk drive.

A disk drive comprising:

a data storage disk having a plurality of substantially concentric data tracks on a first disk surface thereof for use in storing user data, said plurality of substantially concentric data tracks including at least a first track and a second track;
a transducer for reading data from said first disk surface of said data storage disk;
an actuator assembly for moving said transducer in a substantially radial direction with respect to said first disk surface, said actuator assembly including an actuator arm coupled to said transducer for use in supporting said transducer in a position proximate to said disk surface and a motor unit coupled to said actuator arm for imparting motion to said transducer in response to a control signal;
a seek servo system for use in generating said control signal during a seek operation to move said transducer from an initial track position to a target track position, said seek servo system including a velocity profile generator for generating a velocity profile for use during said seek operation, wherein said velocity profile generator generates a first velocity profile having a first maximum seek velocity value for a first seek operation having said first track as an initial track and said second track as a target track and a second velocity profile having a second maximum seek velocity value for a second seek operation having said second track as an initial track and said first track as a target track, wherein said first maximum seek velocity value is different from said second maximum seek velocity value;
at least one memory for use in storing said first and second maximum seek velocity values for use by said velocity profile generator in generating said first and second velocity profiles;
and,
a re-calibration unit for use in modifying said maximum seek velocity values stored within said at least one memory based on present operating conditions within the drive.

4 more elements

Abstract

Claims43