Multi-arm disk drive system having interleaved read/write operations and method of controlling same

• US 7,385,781 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Craig, Jesse E., Vento, Scott T., Stanski, Stanley B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson; Jason C
• Application Number:
  US11/278,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20080123213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 360/78.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4806 specially adapted for disk drive assemblies, e.g. assembly prior to operation, hard or flexible disk drives G11B5/488 - G11B5/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5547 "Seek" control and circuits therefor G11B5/5556 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5578 Multiple actuators addressing the same disk, e.g. to improve data rate or access rate

Abstract

A hard disk drive system that includes one or more rotating data storage platters, a drive controller and multiple actuator assemblies and corresponding respective read/write heads. The actuator assemblies are separately movable for performing separate data seeks. The controller is configured to interleave the seek and read/write operations of the multiple actuator assemblies and read/write heads with one another.

Claims

1. A disk drive system responsive to a plurality of data transfer requests requiring a plurality of corresponding respective seeks and a plurality of corresponding respective data transfers, the disk drive system comprising:

a housing;

at least one platter rotatably mounted within said housing, said at least one platter having a first data storage surface containing a plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to ones of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first actuator assembly supporting said first read/write head and configured to move said first read/write head so that said first read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

at least a second read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to ones of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a second actuator assembly supporting said second read/write head and configured to move said second read/write head independently of said first read/write head and so that said second read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations; and

a controller operatively connected to said first actuator assembly and said second actuator assembly, said controller responsive to the plurality of data transfer requests by interleaving the plurality of corresponding respective seeks between said first actuator assembly and said second actuator assembly, wherein;

said controller receives the plurality of data transfer requests in a temporally sequential order, said controller configured to control said first and second read/write heads so as to perform said plurality of corresponding respective data transfers in said temporally sequential order by sequentially alternating the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers between said first and second read/write heads;

said controller is configured to control said first and second actuator assemblies so as to perform said plurality of corresponding respective seeks in said temporally sequential order by sequentially alternating the plurality of corresponding respective seeks between said first and second actuator assemblies; and

said controller is operatively configured to stall ones of the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers as needed to maintain said temporally sequential order of the plurality of corresponding data transfers.

2. A disk drive system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one platter comprises first and second data storage surfaces and said plurality of surficial data storage locations are contained on said first and second data storage surfaces, the disk drive system further comprising a first pair of read/write heads supported by said first actuator assembly and a second pair of read/write heads supported by said second actuator assembly, each of said first and second pairs of read/write heads containing a read/write head operable with said first data storage surface and a read/write head operable with said second data storage surface.

3. A disk drive system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of platters each including a first and second data storage surface, said plurality of surficial data storage locations being contained on said first and second data storage surfaces of said plurality of platters, the disk drive system further comprising a first set of read/write heads supported by said first actuator assembly and a second set of read/write heads supported by said second actuator assembly, each of said first and second sets of read/write heads having a read write head operable with a corresponding respective one of said first and second storage surfaces of said plurality of platters.

4. A disk drive system according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second actuator assemblies comprises a pivoting armature.

5. A disk drive system responsive to a plurality of temporally sequential data transfer requests requiring a plurality of corresponding respective seeks and a plurality of corresponding respective data transfers, the disk drive system comprising:

a housing;

at least one platter rotatably mounted within said housing, said at least one platter having a first data storage surface containing a plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to ones of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first actuator assembly supporting said first read/write head and configured to move said first read/write head so that said first read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

at least a second read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to one of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a second actuator assembly supporting said second read/write head and configured to move said second read/write head independently of said first read/write head and so that said second read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations; and

a controller operatively connected to said first actuator assembly and said second actuator assembly, said controller responsive to the plurality of temporally sequential data transfer requests by performing said plurality of corresponding respective seeks in the temporally sequential order by alternating the plurality of corresponding respective seeks between said first actuator assembly and second actuator assembly, wherein;

said controller is further responsive to the plurality of temporally sequential data transfer requests by performing said plurality of corresponding respective seeks in the temporally sequential order by sequentially alternating the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers between said first and second read/write heads; and

said controller is operatively configured to stall ones of the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers as needed to maintain said temporally sequential order of the plurality of corresponding data transfers.

6. A disk drive system according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of platters each including a first and second data storage surface, said plurality of surficial data storage locations being contained on said first and second data storage surfaces of said plurality of platters, the disk drive system further comprising a first set of read/write heads supported by said first actuator assembly and a second set of read/write heads supported by said second actuator assembly, each of said first and second sets of read/write heads having a read/write head operable with a corresponding respective one of said first and second storage surfaces of said plurality of platters.