18446823. METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE simplified abstract (STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.)
Contents
- 1 METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE
- 1.1 Organization Name
- 1.2 Inventor(s)
- 1.3 METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE - A simplified explanation of the abstract
- 1.4 Simplified Explanation
- 1.5 Potential Applications
- 1.6 Problems Solved
- 1.7 Benefits
- 1.8 Potential Commercial Applications
- 1.9 Possible Prior Art
- 1.10 Original Abstract Submitted
METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18446823 titled 'METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE
Simplified Explanation
The abstract describes a method of utilizing the back electromotive force (BEMF) of a spindle motor in a hard disk drive to drive a voice coil motor (VCM) in a discontinuous mode, allowing for efficient retraction of the heads of the hard disk drive to a park position.
- The BEMF of the spindle motor is rectified and used to drive the VCM in a discontinuous mode.
- The rectification of the BEMF is discontinued before the end of the VCM off-times, pre-charging the spindle current to cope with VCM current requests at the next VCM on-time.
- The spindle motor is brought into a brake condition during VCM off-times, short-circuiting the motor and forcing currents through its windings.
Potential Applications
This technology can be applied in hard disk drives to efficiently retract the heads to a park position, improving overall drive performance and reliability.
Problems Solved
1. Efficient retraction of heads to a park position in hard disk drives. 2. Pre-charging spindle current to cope with VCM current requests.
Benefits
1. Improved performance and reliability of hard disk drives. 2. Efficient utilization of BEMF for driving VCM in a discontinuous mode.
Potential Commercial Applications
Optimizing hard disk drive performance and reliability through efficient head retraction mechanisms.
Possible Prior Art
There may be prior art related to utilizing BEMF in hard disk drives for various purposes, but specific examples are not provided in the abstract.
Unanswered Questions
How does this technology impact the overall energy efficiency of hard disk drives?
This article does not address the potential energy savings or efficiency improvements that may result from the described method.
What are the potential challenges or limitations of implementing this technology in hard disk drives?
The article does not discuss any challenges or limitations that may arise from implementing this technology in hard disk drives.
Original Abstract Submitted
A back electromotive force (BEMF) of a spindle motor in a hard disk drive is rectified and exploited to drive a voice coil motor (VCM) in the hard disk drive to retract the heads of the hard disk drive to a park position. The VCM is driven in a discontinuous mode comprising an alternation of VCM on-times and VCM off-times. Rectifying the BEMF of the spindle motor is discontinued before the end of the VCM off-times, Toff with the spindle motor brought into a brake condition wherein the spindle motor is short-circuited and the spindle BEMF forces currents through the windings of the spindle motor. The spindle current is thus pre-charged and made ready to cope with a VCM current request at the next VCM on-time.