US 7,679,851 B1 · Methods and structure for improved disk head switching to avoid zipper zones

Abstract

Methods and structure for switching heads on a multiple recording surface disk drive that uses bi-directional radial writing toward a zipper zone at a middle diameter. When switching from a first head to a second head, features and aspects hereof assure that the second head will not be positioned in the zipper zone of the corresponding second surface and hence will not lose track following servo synchronization and control. In one aspect, added buffer or guard tracks having valid servo information but no data are added on either side of the zipper zone to assure that under the worst-case misalignment of surfaces the second head will not be positioned in its corresponding zipper zone when switching from the first head.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A disk drive having multiple recording surfaces and a corresponding plurality of read/write heads each associated with a corresponding recording surface wherein the plurality of read/write heads are radially movable in unison between an inner diameter radial position and an outer diameter radial position, the disk drive comprising:

a disk controller including:
control logic operable to format each of the plurality of recording surfaces such that a zipper zone having at least one track with unreadable servo track location information is created on each recording surface and a guard band range of tracks is disposed adjacent each side of the zipper zone, and wherein each of the guard band range of tracks have valid track servo information but are unused for storing of user data.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods and structure for improved disk head switching to avoid zipper zones

Life of this patent

Methods and structure for improved disk head switching to avoid zipper zones

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7