Magnetic disk centering method and system
AssigneeGuzik Technical Enterprises
InventorsNahum Guzik, Sergey Korepanov, Alexander Varlakhanov
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Abstract
A system and method are described for aligning a data axis of one or more circular data-bearing tracks on an annular surface region of a magnetic media-bearing disk, with a spin axis of a spindle of a spinstand or a disk drive. The data axis is perpendicular to the surface region of the disk and the data tracks are concentric with respect to a data axis.
Claims34
A method for aligning a data axis of one or more circular data-bearing tracks on an annular surface region of a magnetic media-bearing disk, with a spin axis of a spindle of a disk spin assembly, wherein said data axis is perpendicular to said surface region of said disk and said tracks are concentric with respect to said data axis, wherein said disk has a circumferential edge (CE), comprising the successive steps of:
- A. supporting said disk on a disk-support surface of said spindle,
- B. spinning said disk-support surface of said spindle together with said supported disk about said spin axis,
- C. detecting data on said tracks and in response to detected data identifying:
- a. a maximum eccentricity rotational angle α of orientation of said disk corresponding to a farthest point (FP) on said annular surface region of said disk representative of the relative position of a portion of a data track which is farthest from said spin axis compared to all other portions of said data track, and
- b. a distance ε between said spin axis and said data axis at said angle α,
- D. rotating said spindle to an alignment position whereby said point FP is aligned with a translation axis extending perpendicular to and intersecting with said spin axis, and between said spin axis and a first portion of said CE along a translation axis, and
- E. at said alignment position, applying a translation force along said translation axis and toward said spin axis, to said first portion of said CE, whereby said disk is translated along said translation axis to reduce offset of said data axis with respect to said spin axis.
A system for aligning a data axis of two or more circular data-bearing tracks on an annular surface region of a magnetic media-bearing disk, with a spin axis of a spindle of a disk spin assembly, wherein said data axis is perpendicular to said surface region of said disk and said tracks are concentric with respect to said data axis, comprising:
- A. a disk spin assembly including:
- (i) a base,
- (ii) a spindle adapted for rotational motion with respect to said base about a spin axis, and having a disk-support surface for supporting a magnetic media-bearing disk, whereby said data axis is parallel to said spin axis, and whereby said tracks of a supported disk are rotatable about said spin axis,
- (iii) a magnetic head and associated head loading assembly adapted to selectively position said head over said tracks of a supported magnetic media-bearing disk, and
- (iv) a spindle controller for selectively rotating said spindle about said spin axis,
- B. a data track centering assembly including
- a first actuator having a contact element and adopted for selectively translating said contact element through at least a portion of said disk locus region in a first direction along a translation axis, said translation axis intersecting with and being perpendicular to said spin axis,
- C. a system controller operative to successively:
- (i) rotate said spindle about said spin axis,
- (ii) with said magnetic head, detect data on said tracks of said disk on said disk-support surface and identify (a) a rotational angle α of orientation of said disk when said head overlies a portion of a data track which is farthest from said spin axis compared to all other portions of said data track, and (b) a distance ε between said spin axis and said data axis at said angle α,
- (iii) rotate said spindle until said farthest portion of said track is aligned with said translation axis, and
- (iv) activate said first actuator to engage said contact element with said disk, whereby said disk is translated along said translation axis to reduce offset of said data axis with respect to said spin axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.