US 8,576,509 B1Granted

Disk drive configuring dual fly height actuators during write operation

AssigneeWestern Digital Technologies, Inc.

InventorDennis W. Hogg

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Abstract

A disk drive is disclosed wherein during a write operation a write fly height actuator is configured with a pre-heat value and a read fly height actuator is configured with a read value. When the head is over a target data sector, the write fly height actuator is configured with a first write value and the read fly height actuator is configured with a second write value, and data is written to the target data sector. When the head transitions from writing data to the target data sector to reading a servo sector, the write fly height actuator is configured with the pre-heat value and the read fly height actuator is configured with a read value. After reading the servo sector, the write fly height actuator is configured with the first write value and the read fly height actuator is configured with the second write value.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks defined by servo sectors, wherein each data track comprises a plurality of data sectors;
a head actuated over the disk, the head comprising:
a write element;
a write fly height actuator;
a read element;
and
a read fly height actuator;
and
control circuitry operable to execute a write operation to a plurality of target data sectors by:
positioning the head over a target data track comprising the target data sectors;
when the head is approaching the target data sectors, configuring the write fly height actuator with a pre-heat value and configuring the read fly height actuator with a read value;
when the head is over one of the target data sectors, configuring the write fly height actuator with a first write value and configuring the read fly height actuator with a second write value, and writing data to the target data sector;
when the head transitions from writing data to the target data sector to reading a servo sector, configuring the write fly height actuator with the pre-heat value and configuring the read fly height actuator with a read value;
and
after reading the servo sector, configuring the write fly height actuator with the first write value and configuring the read fly height actuator with the second write value, and continue writing data to the target data sectors.

12 more elements

A method of operating a disk drive, the disk drive comprising a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks defined by servo sectors, wherein each data track comprises a plurality of data sectors, and a head actuated over the disk, the head comprising a write element, a write fly height actuator, a read element, and a read fly height actuator, the method comprising executing a write operation to a plurality of target data sectors by:

positioning the head over a target data track comprising the target data sectors;
when the head is approaching the target data sectors, configuring the write fly height actuator with a pre-heat value and configuring the read fly height actuator with a read value;
when the head is over one of the target data sectors, configuring the write fly height actuator with a first write value and configuring the read fly height actuator with a second write value, and writing data to the target data sector;
when the head transitions from writing data to the target data sector to reading a servo sector, configuring the write fly height actuator with the pre-heat value and configuring the read fly height actuator with a read value;
and
after reading the servo sector, configuring the write fly height actuator with the first write value and configuring the read fly height actuator with the second write value, and continue writing data to the target data sectors.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.