Quad burst servo demodulator with adjustable slew rate for hard disk drives

• US 5,901,002 A
• Filed: 08/27/1997
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bonaccio, Anthony R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Psitos, Aristotelis M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faber, Alan
• Application Number:
  US08/921,727
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 360/46, 360/77.08, 360/61, 360/67, 327/59
• US Class Current: 360/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/04 Measuring peak values or amplitude or envelope of ac or of pulses
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/10 Track finding or aligning by moving the head ; Provisions for maintaining alignment of the head relative to the track during transducing operation, i.e. track following characterised by the track access method G11B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/59611 Detection or processing of peak/envelop signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/59688 Servo signal format patterns or signal processing thereof, e.g. dual, tri, quad, burst signal patterns

Abstract

A quad burst servo demodulator with adjustable slew rate for hard disk drives. The quad burst servo demodulator includes a peak voltage detecting system for detecting the peak voltages of an input signal, a plurality of storage capacitors for holding voltages proportional to the peak voltages observed by the peak voltage detecting system, and a programmable current source for charging (via an adjustable slew rate) the storage capacitors to voltages proportional to the detected peak voltages of the input signal.

Claims

1. A circuit in a controller comprising:

detecting means for detecting a peak voltage of an input signal occurring at a predetermined time interval and for comparing said peak voltage with a comparison voltage;

capacitive means for holding an output voltage proportional to said detected peak voltage;

a sample preconditioner coupled to the detecting means and the capacitive means, the sample preconditioner increasing the voltage of said output voltage to said comparison voltage; and

a current source with an adjustable value, coupled to said detecting means and said capacitive means, for setting and producing a charging current, said charging current being switched on when said peak voltage is less than said comparison voltage, said charging current directly charging said capacitive means to said proportional voltage of said input signal.

2. The circuit in a controller of claim 1, wherein said charging current is constant.

3. The circuit in a controller of claim 1, wherein the sample preconditioner increases said output voltage by inverting said output voltage and adding said output voltage to a reference voltage.

4. A method for recovering peak voltages of quad burst servo waveforms, comprising the steps of:

detecting a peak voltage of an input signal occurring at a predetermined time interval;

providing a capacitive arrangement for storing an output voltage proportional to said detected peak voltage of said input signal;

providing a sample preconditioner coupled to the input signal and the capacitive arrangement, said sample preconditioner increasing said output voltage to a comparison voltage;

comparing said peak voltage to said comparison voltage; and

coupling an adjustable current source to said capacitive arrangement, said current source setting and producing a charging current, said charging current being switched on when said peak voltage is below said comparison voltage of said input signal, said charging current directly charging said capacitive arrangement to said proportional voltage.

5. The method for recovering peak voltages of quad burst servo waveforms of claim 4, wherein the sample preconditioner increases said output voltage by inverting said output voltage and adding said output voltage to a reference voltage.

6. A method for recovering peak voltages of quad burst servo waveforms comprising the steps of:

detecting a peak voltage of an input signal occurring at a predetermined time interval;

providing a capacitive arrangement for storing an output voltage proportional to said detected peak voltage of said input signal, wherein said capacitive arrangement includes a plurality of discrete capacitors;

coupling an adjustable current source to said capacitive arrangement, said current source setting and producing a charging current, said charging current being switched on when said output voltage is less than said peak voltage of said input signal,

selectively applying the charging current produced by said current source to one of said capacitors; and

selectively utilizing the voltage on one of said capacitors as a feedback signal for determining the accuracy of the detection during said detecting step.