View source for 18446823. METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE simplified abstract (STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.)

=METHOD OF OPERATING HARD DISK DRIVES, CORRESPONDING CONTROL CIRCUIT, HARD DISK DRIVE AND PROCESSING DEVICE=


==Organization Name==

[[:Category:STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.|STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.]]


[[Category:STMICROELECTRONICS S.R.L.]]

==Inventor(s)==

[[:Category:Ezio Galbiati of Agrate (IT)|Ezio Galbiati of Agrate (IT)]][[Category:Ezio Galbiati of Agrate (IT)]]

==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.



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