Multiple actuator disk drive

• US 5,293,282 A
• Filed: 11/09/1990
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Conner Peripherals Incorporated (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sander, Charles M., Bagnell, Glade N., Squires, John P., Anderson, Kurt M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US07/614,853
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 360/48, 360/77.02-77.11, 360/78.04-78.15, 360/97.01-97.03, 360/98.01, 360/98.02, 360/98.07, 360/105, 360/106, 360/61, 360/63, 360/75 , 360/902, 360/903
• US Class Current: 360/77.08
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4813 Mounting or aligning of arm assemblies, e.g. actuator arm supported by bearings, multiple arm assemblies, arm stacks or multiple heads on single arm G11B5/484 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5521 across disk tracks spiral track following G11B5/596
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 360/902 Storage density, e.g. bpi, tpi
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 360/903 Physical parameter, e.g. form factor

Abstract

A multiple actuator disk drive utilizes multiple heads, associated with respective ones of multiple actuators, to read data from and write data to all tracks on the surface of a disk. The positioning of each head by the respective actuator is controlled by embedded servo-information recorded in the data tracks. The data tracks have a density of greater than 2000 tracks per inch. Utilizing two actuators provides access times which are reduced with respect to the access times provided by disk drives having a single actuator and an increased data transfer rate.

Claims

1. A disk drive, comprising:

a housing, including

a flat base plate,

a cover engaging said base plate to form a controlled

environment therebetween, and

a shock frame, coupled to said base plate;

at least one disk having a first and second sides, each side including a plurality of tracks for storing data, wherein said housing includes seated gaskets providing a controlled environment isolated from ambient atmospheric conditions, and said at least one disk is provided in said controlled environment;

means for mounting said at least one disk in said housing and for rotating said disk;

at least four transducers for interacting with said at least one disk to read data from and record data on said tracks;

first means for supporting and positioning a first and second ones of said transducers adjacent to said first and second sides of said at least one disk;

second means for supporting and positioning a third and fourth ones of said transducers adjacent to said first and second sides of said at least one disk; and

third means for controlling said first and second means to position said transducers over selected ones of said tracks to read and write data on each side of said disk.

2. A disk drive according to claim 1, wherein:

said tracks store servo information and data; and

said third means controls said first and second means in response to said servo information.

3. A disk drive according to claim 1, wherein said housing further includes a cover plate, surrounding said at least one disk, secured to said base and said first and second means, for providing structural rigidity for the disk drive.

4. A disk drive, comprising:

a sealed housing providing a controlled environment isolated from ambient atmospheric conditions;

a disk having a planar surface, said planar surface having a plurality of concentric tracks for storing data and servo information, said concentric tracks having a density of at least 1500 tracks per inch;

means for mounting said disk in said sealed housing and for rotating said disk;

two read/write heads for interacting with said disk to read and record data;

two rotary, voice coil actuators mounted in said housing, said actuators supporting respective ones of said read/write heads adjacent to the data storage surface of said disk such that said heads have closely matched skew angles;

a cover plate, surrounding said disk and within said controlled environment, coupled to said housing and to said actuators, and including at least two openings for allowing access to said disk and to at least one of said actuators, for providing embedded servo information on said disk; and

means, responsive to the servo information, for controlling said actuators to position respective ones of said heads with respect to said disk so that each head reads data from and records data on all of the concentric tracks of the data storage surface.

5. A disk drive, comprising:

a flat base;

a cover attached to said base to create a controlled environment between said base and said cover;

a plurality of disks in a disk stack, each disk having first and second data storage surfaces, each data storage surface having a plurality of concentric tracks for storing data and servo information;

a spindle motor for rotating said disks, said spindle motor being attached to said base and to a top plate;

a plurality of transducer means for reading data and embedded servo information from and recording data on respective ones of said disks;

two actuators mounted on said base, said actuators supporting respective ones of said transducers adjacent to respective ones of the first and second data storage surfaces of each of said disks;

a cover plate, attached to said base and said actuators, surrounding said disk stack, and including at least first and second conduits, said first conduit for allowing access to said disks by an external clock head and said second conduit for allowing access to one of said actuators; and

control means, responsive to the servo information, for controlling said actuators to position said transducers with respect to said disks so that each transducer reads and records data on all of the concentric tracks of the data storage surface with which the transducer is associated.

6. A disk drive according to claim 5, wherein each said data storage surface has an inside diameter, further comprising means for parking said actuators so that each said transducer is positioned at the inside diameter of the corresponding data storage surface.

7. A multiple actuator disk drive having a horizontal data storage format, comprising:

a housing, including

a flat base plate,

a disk cover surrounding said at least one disk,

a cover engaging said base plate to form a controlled

environment therebetween, and

a shock frame coupled to said base plate;

a plurality of disks, each disk having first and second surfaces for storing a plurality of data files in a plurality of concentric data storage tracks on said first and second surfaces, said data storage tracks having embedded servo fields;

means for mounting said disks in said housing and for rotating said disks;

a plurality of transducers for interacting with said disks to read data and the servo fields from and to record data on said concentric tracks;

voice coil actuator means, mounted in said housing, for supporting at least two of the plurality of transducers adjacent to respective ones of the first and second surface of each of said disks; and

control means, responsive to the servo fields, (i) for controlling said actuator means to independently position said first and second heads associated with each surface so that the both the first and second heads associated with each surface read data from and record data on all of the concentric tracks of said surface, and (ii) for controlling the recording of data so that data files are stored on the concentric tracks on one surface until all of the concentric tracks on the one the surface are filled with data and then stored on the concentric tracks of another surface.