# US 7,612,960 B2 · Method for formatting data sectors on magnetic disk, and magnetic disk drive > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,612,960 B2 - Document ID: US7612960B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/271,365 - Filed: 2005-11-09 - Published: 2006-06-01 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2004-11-29 - Assignees: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. - Inventors: Naoki Satoh; Terumi Takashi; Hitoshi Ogawa; Hiroyuki Tsuchinaga - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612960B2 ## CPC - G11B 20/1217: {on discs} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/064: {Management of blocks} - G06F 3/0676: {Magnetic disk device} - G11B 2020/1222: {ECC block, i.e. a block of error correction encoded symbols which includes all parity data needed for decoding} - G11B 2020/1232: {sector, i.e. the minimal addressable physical data unit} - G11B 2020/1277: {for managing gaps between two recordings, e.g. control data in linking areas, run-in or run-out fields, guard or buffer zones} - G11B 2020/1292: {Enhancement of the total storage capacity} - G11B 2220/2516: Hard disks - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Embodiments of the present invention efficiently format long sectors, without decreasing the performance, in a magnetic disk drive in which servo sectors are radially formed at regular intervals, and make full use of the ECC performance that is enhanced by the long sectors. In one embodiment, a data format in each zone on a magnetic disk is completed by a plurality of tracks N (N is an integer, which is 2 or more). The storage capacity per track of the outermost radius zone Z#1 is 150 kB. In this zone, long sectors each having a length of 32 kB are formatted with the number of tracks per format N#1=3. The storage capacity per track of the innermost radius zone Z#m is 80 kB. In this zone, long sectors each having a length of 32 kB are formatted with the number of tracks per format N#m=2. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for formatting data sectors on a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks, each of said plurality of tracks being divided into a plurality of zones in a radial direction, said method comprising: formatting, on a zone basis, said data sectors in units of N tracks (N is an integer, which is 2 or more); wherein formatting, on a zone basis, said data sectors in units of N tracks (N is an integer, which is 2 or more) comprises: identifying a zone that includes a track number of a data sector from which read or write is started; identifying the number of tracks N corresponding to the zone; converting the track number into a zone-specific track number in the zone; performing modulo arithmetic of the zone-specific track number by the number of tracks N of the zone; and determining a track format of the N number of tracks from the identified zone and the result of the modulo arithmetic. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method for formatting data sectors on a magnetic disk according to claim 1, wherein: said data sectors are continuously formatted in the N tracks. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method for formatting data sectors on a magnetic disk according to claim 1, wherein: said tracks are spirally and continuously formed. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method for formatting data sectors on a magnetic disk according to claim 1, wherein: said tracks are concentrically formed, and each track has physically divided data sectors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method for formatting data sectors on a magnetic disk according to claim 1, wherein: a value of N differs on a zone basis. ### Claim 6 A magnetic disk drive comprising: a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks, each of said plurality of tracks being divided into a plurality of zones in a radial direction, data sectors being formatted, on a zone basis, in units of N tracks (N is an integer, which is 2 or more); a spindle that supports the magnetic disk for rotation; and a magnetic head that is positioned at a recording track of the magnetic disk so as to write/read data to/from the data sector; wherein a controller that identifies a zone that includes a track number of a data sector from which read or write is staffed, identifies the number of tracks N corresponding to the zone, converts the track number into a zone-specific track number in the zone, performs modulo arithmetic of the zone-specific track number by the number of tracks N of the zone, and determines a track format of the N number of tracks from the identified zone and the result of the modulo arithmetic. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 6, wherein: said data sectors are continuously formatted in the N tracks. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 6, wherein: said tracks are spirally and successively formed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 6, wherein: said tracks are concentrically formed, and each track has physically divided data sectors. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 6, wherein: a value of N differs on a zone basis. ### Claim 11 A magnetic disk drive having a controller which formats data sectors on a magnetic disk, on a zone basis, in units of N tracks (N is an integer, which is 2 or more), the controller having modules configured to: identify a zone that includes a track number of a data sector from which read or write is started; identify the number of tracks N corresponding to the zone; convert the track number into a zone-specific track number in the zone; perform modulo arithmetic of the zone-specific track number by the number of tracks N of the zone; and determine a track format of the N number of tracks from the identified zone and the result of the modulo arithmetic. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 11, wherein: said data sectors are continuously formatted in the N tracks. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 11, wherein: said tracks are spirally and continuously formed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 11, wherein: said tracks are concentrically formed, and each track has physically divided data sectors. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 11, wherein: a value of N differs on a zone basis. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) A magnetic disk drive according to claim 11, wherein: a diameter of the magnetic disk is 25.4 mm or less, and the length of one data sector is 4 kB or more.