Mobile device and disk drive having a seek current profile responsive to an environment signal

• US 6,657,811 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Codilian, Raffi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): TZENG, FRED
• Application Number:
  US09/866,204
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 360/78.06, 360/69, 360/97.02, 360/73.03, 360/75, 360/78.01, 360/78.04, 360/73.01, 360/73.08
• US Class Current: 360/78.06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5526 Control therefor; circuits, track configurations or relative disposition of servo-information transducers and servo-information tracks for control thereof G11B5/556 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5565 system adaptation for compensation of variations of physical parameters, e.g. temperature

Abstract

A servo system in a disk drive in a mobile device is responsive to an environment signal from the mobile device to generate a first current profile to a head actuator when the mobile device is docked and to generate a second current profile to the head actuator when the mobile device is mobile. The second current profile requires less power than the first current profile, thus reducing current drain on a battery in the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of performing a seek operation in a disk drive connectable to a mobile device that operates in a mobile environment using battery power and that operates in a docked environment using an external source of power, the disk drive having a spindle motor that rotates a storage media at an operating angular velocity, the disk drive operating with a servo system that includes a head actuator drive circuit that applies a current to a head actuator to cause the head actuator to move a head to a track of the storage media and to maintain a position of the head over a selected track of the storage media, the mobile device providing a command to the disk drive to cause the servo system to perform the seek operation to the selected track, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an environment signal from the mobile device that indicates whether the mobile device is operating in the docked environment or the mobile environment;

rotating the storage media at a same nominal operating angular velocity in the mobile environment and in the docked environment; and

responding to the environment signal and to the command from the host processor to perform one of;

applying a first set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply a first current profile to the head actuator to cause the head actuator to move the head to the selected track with a first velocity profile when the environment signal indicates that the mobile device is in the docked environment; and

applying a second set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply a second current profile to cause the head actuator to move the head to the selected track with a second velocity profile when the environment signal indicates that the mobile device is in the mobile environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining the number of tracks to be traversed from a current track to a desired track.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of implementing the second current profile occurs only if the number of tracks to be traversed is greater than 200.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first current profile causes the first velocity profile to have a first maximum velocity, wherein the second current profile causes the second velocity profile to have a second maximum velocity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second maximum velocity is less than the first maximum velocity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second maximum velocity is approximately one-fourth the first maximum velocity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a reference voltage applied to the head actuator drive circuit is the same for the docked environment and for the mobile environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying the first set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply the first current profile includes the step of selecting a first acceleration current magnitude and a first acceleration current duration, and wherein the step of applying the second set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply the second current profile includes the step of selecting a second acceleration current magnitude and a second acceleration current duration, wherein the second acceleration current magnitude is less than the first acceleration current magnitude.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying the first set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply the first current profile includes the step of selecting a first acceleration current magnitude and a first acceleration current duration, and wherein the step of applying the second set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply the second current profile includes the step of selecting a second acceleration current magnitude and a second acceleration current duration, wherein the second acceleration current duration is less than the first acceleration current duration.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second acceleration current magnitude is less than the first acceleration current magnitude.

11. A mobile device comprising a disk drive and a servo system, the disk drive having a spindle motor that rotates a storage media at an operating angular velocity, wherein the mobile device operates in a mobile environment using battery power and operates in a docked environment using an external source of power, the servo system having a head actuator drive circuit that applies a current to a head actuator to cause the head actuator to move a head to a selected track of the storage media, the mobile device comprising:

an input terminal that receives an environment signal that indicates whether the mobile device is operating in the docked environment or in the mobile environment;

a spindle motor controller that rotates the storage media at a same nominal operating angular velocity in the mobile environment and in the docked environment; and

a servo controller responsive to the environment signal and to a command from the mobile device to;

apply a first set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply a first current profile to the head actuator to cause the head actuator to move the head to the selected track with a first velocity profile when the environment signal indicates that the mobile device is in the docked environment; and

apply a second set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply a second current profile to the head actuator to cause the head actuator to move the head to the selected track with a second velocity profile when the environment signal indicates that the mobile device is in the mobile environment.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein, when the mobile device is in the mobile environment, the servo controller selects the second current profile only when the number of tracks to be traversed from a current track to a desired track is at least as large as a predetermined number.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the predetermined number is 200.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the first current profile causes the first velocity profile to have a first maximum velocity, wherein the second current profile causes the second velocity profile to have a second maximum velocity.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the second maximum velocity is less than the first maximum velocity.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the second maximum velocity is approximately one-fourth the first maximum velocity.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein a reference voltage applied to the head actuator drive circuit is the same for the docked environment and for the mobile environment.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the servo controller causes the head actuator drive circuit to apply the first current profile by outputting a first acceleration current magnitude for a first acceleration current duration, and wherein the servo controller causes the head actuator drive circuit to apply the second current profile by outputting a second acceleration current magnitude for a second acceleration current duration, wherein the second acceleration current magnitude is less than the first acceleration current magnitude.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the servo controller causes the head actuator drive circuit to apply the first current profile by outputting a first acceleration current magnitude for a first acceleration current duration, and wherein the servo controller causes the head actuator drive circuit to apply the second current profile by outputting a second acceleration current magnitude for a second acceleration current duration, wherein the second acceleration current duration is less than the first acceleration current duration.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the second acceleration current magnitude is less than the first acceleration current magnitude.

21. A mobile device comprising a disk drive and a servo system, wherein the mobile device operates in a mobile environment using battery power and operates in a docked environment using an external source of power, the disk drive including a spindle motor for rotating a storage media at an operating angular velocity, the servo system controlling the movement of a head actuator in the disk drive, the servo system having a head actuator drive circuit that applies a current to a head actuator to cause the head actuator to move a head to a selected track of the storage media, the mobile device comprising:

means for receiving an environment signal that indicates whether the mobile device is operating in the docked environment or the mobile environment;

means for rotating the storage media at a same nominal operating angular velocity in the mobile environment and in the docked environment; and

means for responding to the environment signal and to the command from the mobile device to perform one of;

applying a first set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply a first current profile to the head actuator to cause the head actuator to move the head to the selected track with a first velocity profile when the environment signal indicates that the mobile device is in the docked environment; and

applying a second set of digital values to the head actuator drive circuit to apply a second current profile to cause the head actuator to move the head to the selected track with a second velocity profile when the environment signal indicates that the mobile device is in the mobile environment.