Noise eliminating circuit

• US 6,255,898 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2000
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ono, Akihiko, Kawai, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DINH THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/598,919
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 327/551, 327/552, 327/58, 327/62, 327/63, 327/331, 327/306, 327/308, 327/310, 360/46, 360/64
• US Class Current: 327/551
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10009 Improvement or modification of read or write signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/24 for reducing noise control of amplification in general, e.g. dependent upon noise level H03G
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2005/0016 of magnetoresistive transducers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00 Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor G11B11/00 and G11B13/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/02 Recording, reproducing, or erasing methods; Read, write or erase circuits therefor

Abstract

A noise eliminating circuit eliminates thermal asperity noise in a reproduction signal generated by a magnetic read head in a disk drive. The noise eliminating circuit includes a differential amplifier that receives the reproduction signal and a feedback signal and generates an amplified signal. A detection circuit connected to the differential amplifier detects noise in the amplified signal and generates a control signal. The control signal is activated when the noise is detected. A feedback circuit connected to the differential amplifier and the detection circuit cuts off the amplified signal with a first cutoff frequency when the control signal is not active and cuts off the amplified signal with a second cutoff frequency when the control signal is active.

Claims

1. A noise eliminating circuit for eliminating noise from an input signal, the noise eliminating circuit comprising:

a differential amplifier for receiving the input signal and a feedback signal and generating a differential amplified signal;

a detection circuit connected to the differential amplifier for detecting noise included in the differential amplified signal and generating a control signal, wherein the control signal is activated when the noise is detected; and

a feedback circuit connected to the differential amplifier and the detection circuit for for providing said feedback signal to cut off the differential amplified signal in accordance with a first cutoff frequency when the control signal is deactivated, and cutting off the differential amplified signal in accordance with a second cutoff frequency, which includes the frequency of the noise, when the control signal is activated.

2. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first cutoff frequency is lower than a low range frequency of a frequency band of the input signal.

3. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 1, wherein the detection circuit includes:

first and second peak envelope generating circuits for respectively generating first and second peak envelope signals based on a peak of the differential amplified signal; and

a control signal generating circuit for comparing the first and second peak envelope signals and generating the control signal.

4. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 3, wherein the first peak envelope signal is a positive peak envelope signal of the differential amplified signal and the second peak envelope signal is a negative peak envelope signal, which is the inverted positive peak envelope signal.

5. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 3, wherein the control signal generating circuit compares the first and second peak envelope signals to detect the occurrence of noise and activates the control signal when noise is detected.

6. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 3, wherein the detection circuit includes first and second offset circuits connected to the first peak envelope generating circuit for respectively offsetting the first peak envelope signal in accordance with first and second offset amounts to generate first and second offset peak envelope signals, and wherein the control signal generating circuit compares the first and second offset peak envelope signals with the second peak envelope signal to generate the control signal.

7. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 6, wherein the control signal generating circuit includes:

a first comparator connected to the first offset circuit and the second peak envelope generating circuit for comparing the first offset peak envelope signal and the second peak envelope signal to generate a noise detection signal;

a second comparator connected to the second offset circuit and the second peak envelope generating circuit for comparing the second offset peak envelope signal and the second peak envelope signal to generate a noise compensation signal; and

a signal operational circuit connected to the first and second comparators and the feedback circuit for generating the control signal using the noise detection signal and the noise compensation signal.

8. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 1, wherein the detection circuit generates a positive peak envelope signal and a negative peak envelope signal from the differential amplified signal and compares the positive and negative peak envelope signals to generate the control signal.

9. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 8, wherein the positive peak envelope signal is generated by excluding a first DC offset component, which is a differential potential between a median potential of the differential amplified signal and the differential amplified signal, from the differential amplified signal, and the negative peak envelope signal is generated by excluding a second DC offset component, which is the differential potential between the median potential of the differential amplified signal and the inverted differential amplified signal, from the inverted differential amplified signal.

10. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 1, wherein the feedback circuit includes a differential amplifier for receiving the differential amplified signal from the differential amplifier and restricting a frequency band of the differential amplified signal in accordance with one of the first and second cutoff frequencies based on the control signal to generate the feedback signal.

11. The noise eliminating circuit according to claim 1, wherein the feedback circuit includes a low-pass filter for receiving the differential amplified signal from the differential amplifier and restricting a frequency band of the differential amplified signal in accordance with one of the first and second cutoff frequencies based on the control signal to generate the feedback signal.

12. An amplification circuit for amplifying a reproduction signal read from a magnetic recording medium using a magneto resistive head, the amplification circuit comprising:

a differential amplifier for receiving the reproduction signal and a feedback signal and generating a differential amplified signal;

a detection circuit connected to the differential amplifier for detecting thermal asperity noise included in the differential amplified signal and generating a control signal, wherein the control signal is activated when the noise is detected; and

a feedback circuit connected to the differential amplifier and the detection circuit for for providing said feedback signal to cut off the differential amplified signal in accordance with a first cutoff frequency when the control signal is deactivated, and cutting off the differential amplified signal in accordance with a second cutoff frequency, which includes the frequency of the thermal asperity noise, when the control signal is activated.

13. A magnetic recording device comprising,

a magneto resistive head for generating a reproduction signal in accordance with polarity changes of a magnetic recording medium, and

an amplification circuit connected to the magneto resistive head for amplifying the reproduction signal, wherein the amplification circuit includes:

a differential amplifier for receiving the reproduction signal and a feedback signal and generating a differential amplified signal;

a detection circuit connected to the differential amplifier for detecting thermal asperity noise included in the differential amplified signal and generating a control signal, wherein the control signal is activated when the noise is detected; and

a feedback circuit connected to the differential amplifier and the detection circuit for for providing said feedback signal to cut off the differential amplified signal in accordance with a first cutoff frequency when the control signal is deactivated, and cutting off the differential amplified signal in accordance with a second cutoff frequency, which includes the frequency of the thermal asperity noise, when the control signal is activated.