Disc drive apparatus

• US 20010050823A1
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Published: 12/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Nagaki, Koichi, Kaneko, Michihiro, Watanabe, Tomo, Yamauchi, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,771,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/31
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/12 Raising and lowering; Back-spacing or forward-spacing along track; Returning to starting position otherwise than during transducing operation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/22 while the head is out of operative position
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/54 with provision for moving the head into or out of its operative position or across tracks

Abstract

A disc drive arrangement adapted to move a head to a retract position upon shutting down of a power source voltage, wherein the number of retraction actions of the head is counted and notified. With this notification, a user can assume performance deterioration of the disc drive arrangement.

Claims

1. A disc drive apparatus adapted to write and/or read information into and/or from an information recording disc, with the information recording disc being rotated by a rotary drive motor and a head drive being controlled to position a head in a radial direction of the information recording disc under supply of predetermined rated power source voltage, comprising:

a forcible restoration device for controlling the head drive to execute a forcible restoration action that forcibly moves the head to a retract position when the power source voltage drops below a predetermined threshold value;

a detection and count device for detecting execution of the forcible restoration action, counting how many times the forcible restoration action is executed, and updating a count value every time execution of the forcible restoration action is detected; and

a

a notification device for notifying an updated count value.

2. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the detection and count device detects the forcible restoration action by detecting a forcible restoration action itself which is executed by the forcible restoration device.

3. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the detection and count device detects the execution of the forcible restoration action by a voltage drop detection signal from a voltage monitoring circuit that monitors such a drop of the power source voltage to lower below the predetermined threshold value.

4. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the forcible restoration device drives the head drive with a counter electromotive force generated by the rotary drive motor to execute the forcible restoration action.

5. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein the detection and count device detects the forcible restoration action by detecting supply of a counter electromotive force of the rotary drive motor to the head drive.

6. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the power source voltage is fed from an engine-driven power source unit provided on a vehicle, and the detection and count device detects the forcible restoration action when a drop of the power source voltage below the predetermined threshold value occurs after a rise of the power source voltage over the predetermined threshold value.

7. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the notification device continuously executes a notification action under supply of the power source voltage.

8. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the notification device executes a notification action for a short period every time supply of the power source voltage is started.

9. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the notification device executes a notification action in a visually recognizable manner.

10. The disc drive apparatus according to

claim 9

, wherein the notification device executes the notification action with a color pattern that changes with an increasing number of detection.