Disc drive failure diagnostic system and method

• US 20040260984A1
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ki-ju
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/48
• 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

Abstract

A system and method, which correctly and easily diagnose all types of failures generated in a disc drive, the system includes an interface, a system controller, a failure type diagnosis unit, and an output unit. The interface transmits an operation state information request signal to the disc drive and receives operation state information from the disc drive. The system controller transmits the operation state information request signal to the interface and generates a failure information file using the operation state information when the operation state information is received from the interface. The failure type diagnosis unit analyzes the failure information file generated by the system controller to diagnose the type of failure of the disc drive. The output unit outputs the result of the diagnosis of the type of failure under the control of the system controller.

Claims

1. A failure diagnostic system for a disc drive, comprising:

an interface transmitting an operation state information request signal to the disc drive and receiving operation state information from the disc drive;

a system controller transmitting the operation state information request signal through the interface to the disc drive and generating a failure information file using the received operation state information through the interface;

a failure type diagnosis analyzer analyzing the generated failure information file generated by the system controller to diagnose a type of failure in the disc drive; and

an output unit outputting a result of the diagnosis of the type of failure according to the system controller.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation state information has a format coded by types of operations of the disc drive.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operation state information is generated according to an operation of firmware of the disc drive.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer analyzes the generated failure information file with reference to previously stored failure type diagnosis information.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer compares a previously stored failure type diagnosis information with the generated failure information file and when codes that are not identical to each other are detected, judges that a failure is generated in an operation of the disc drive corresponding to the detected non-identical codes.

6. A disc drive failure diagnostic system connected to a server which diagnoses a disc drive failure through a network, the system comprising:

a first interface transmitting an operation state information request signal to a disc drive and receiving operation state information from the disc drive;

a system controller transmitting the operation state information request signal through the first interface to the disc drive, generating a failure information file using the received operation state information received through the first interface, controlling the generated failure information file to be transmitted to the server, and outputting a failure type diagnosis result received from the server;

a second interface transmitting the generated failure information file to the server according to the system controller through the network and transmitting the failure type diagnosis result to the system controller when the failure type diagnosis result is received from the server through the network; and

an output unit outputting the received failure type diagnosis result according to the system controller.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein, when failure measure information is received from the server together with the failure type diagnosis result, the system controller transmits a signal for driving the disc drive to the disc drive via the first interface based on the failure measure information.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein, when the failure measure information includes information requesting a firmware update for the disc drive, the system controller transmits the information requesting the firmware update for the disc drive to the disc drive via the first interface.

9. A disc drive failure diagnostic system connected to a host through a network, where the host operates a disc drive, the system comprising:

a failure diagnosis and measure analyzer analyzing a failure information file transmitted from the host through the network based on previously stored failure type diagnosis information, to diagnose a type of failure of the disc drive and generating corresponding failure measure information; and

a server transmitting the failure information file to the failure diagnosis and measure analyzer when the failure information file is received from the host through the network and, when a failure type diagnosis result and/or the failure measure information is received from the failure diagnosis and measure analyzer, provides the received failure type diagnosis result and/or the generated failure measure information to the host.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the failure diagnosis and measure analyzer comprises:

a first storage unit storing the failure type diagnosis information with respect to at least one disc drive model;

a data receiving unit receiving the failure information file from the server;

a failure type diagnosis unit analyzing the received failure information file based on the failure type diagnosis information stored in the first storage unit, when the failure information file is received and when the disc drive model is the at least one disc drive model, to diagnose the type of failure generated in the disc drive;

a second storage unit storing a plurality of measure information corresponding to a type of failure that can be generated in the disc drive and, when one of the plurality of measure information corresponds to the diagnosis result of the failure type diagnosis unit, outputting the corresponding measure information as the failure measure information; and

a data transmission unit transmitting the failure measure information output from the second storage unit and/or the failure type diagnosis result output from the failure type diagnosis unit to the server.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the failure measure information includes information for updating firmware of the disc drive.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the failure information file is generated using information on a current operation state of the disc drive.

13. A failure diagnostic method of a disc drive which is operated by a host, comprising:

transmitting an operation state information request signal from the host to the disc drive;

generating a failure information file using operation state information by the host when the operation state information is received from the disc drive; and

analyzing the failure information file based on previously stored failure type diagnosis information by the host to diagnose a type of failure of the disc drive.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising outputting the failure type diagnosis result such that a host user can recognize the result.

15. A method of diagnosing a disc drive failure using a host, the disc drive operated by the host, and a server connected with the host through a network, the method comprising:

transmitting an operation state information request signal from the host to the disc drive;

generating a failure information file using operation state information when the operation state information is received from the disc drive according to the operation state information request signal;

transmitting the generated failure information file to the server; and

operating the disc drive based on a failure diagnosis result and/or failure measure information, when a failure diagnosis result and/or failure measure information with respect to the failure information file is received from the server.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein, when the failure measure information includes firmware for the disc drive and information for updating the firmware, the disc drive updates the firmware of the disc drive.

17. A method of diagnosing a disc drive failure using a host, the disc drive being operated by the host, a server being connected with the host through a network, and a failure diagnosis and measure analyzer is connected to the server, the method comprising:

transmitting a failure information file, with respect to operation state information of the disc drive, to the failure diagnosis and measure analyzer when the failure information file is received from the host; and

transmitting a failure type diagnosis result and/or failure measure information corresponding to the transmitted failure information file to the host when the failure type diagnosis result and/or failure measure information is received from the failure diagnosis and measure analyzer.

18. A diagnostic system for an apparatus, comprising:

an interface transmitting an operation state signal to the disc drive and receiving operation state information from the apparatus;

a system controller receiving the operation state information from the interface and generating a failure information file;

a failure type diagnosis analyzer analyzing the failure information file generated by the system controller to diagnose a type of failure in the apparatus and outputting a result of the type of failure in the apparatus, wherein the type of failure in the apparatus is diagnosed by comparing the failure information file with the failure state file.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is a disc drive, and the operation state information has a format coded by types of operations of the disc drive.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is a disc drive, and operation state information is generated according to operation of firmware for the disc drive.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer compares a previously stored failure type diagnosis information with the received failure information file and when codes in the received and stored failure type diagnosis information that are not identical to each other are detected, judges that a failure is generated in an operation of the disc drive corresponding to the non-identical detected codes.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer is in a host including the system controller.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer is connected to the system controller across a network.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the result is output in an output unit.

25. A method of diagnosing disc failure, comprising:

outputting an operation state request signal and receiving operation state information according to the request;

generating a failure state file using the received operation state information;

analyzing the generated failure state file with stored failure type diagnosis information to diagnose a type of disc failure; and

informing a host of the diagnosis of the type of disc failure.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the analysis compares the failure type diagnosis information with the failure state file and when codes that are not identical to each other are detected, judges that a failure is generated in an operation of a disc drive corresponding to the detected codes.