Disc drive failure diagnostic system and method

• US 7,921,332 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ki-Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce P
• Application Number:
  US10/859,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,497 Days
• Field of Search: 714/27, 714/42
• US Class Current: 714/27
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions

Abstract

A system and method, which correctly and easily diagnose all types of failures generated in a disc drive, the system includes an interface, a system controller, a failure type diagnosis unit, and an output unit. The interface transmits an operation state information request signal to the disc drive and receives operation state information from the disc drive. The system controller transmits the operation state information request signal to the interface and generates a failure information file using the operation state information when the operation state information is received from the interface. The failure type diagnosis unit analyzes the failure information file generated by the system controller to diagnose the type of failure of the disc drive. The output unit outputs the result of the diagnosis of the type of failure under the control of the system controller.

Claims

1. A failure diagnostic system for a disc drive, comprising:

an interface transmitting an operation state information request signal to the disc drive and receiving operation state information from the disc drive;

a system controller transmitting the operation state information request signal through the interface to the disc drive and converting the operation state information received through the interface into a failure information file using a method of converting data into a file;

a failure type diagnosis analyzer analyzing the failure information file generated by the system controller to diagnose a type of failure in the disc drive; and

an output unit outputting a result of the diagnosis of the type of failure according to the system controller,

wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer compares previously stored failure type diagnosis information including a first group of codes with the generated failure information file, which includes a second group of codes, and when the first group of codes and the second group of codes are detected as not being identical to each other, judges that a failure is generated in an operation of the disc drive corresponding to the detected non-identical codes.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation state information has a format coded by types of operations of the disc drive.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operation state information is generated according to an operation of firmware of the disc drive.

4. A disc drive failure diagnostic system connected to a server which diagnoses a disc drive failure through a network, the system comprising:

a first interface transmitting an operation state information request signal to a disc drive and receiving operation state information from the disc drive;

a system controller transmitting the operation state information request signal through the first interface to the disc drive, converting the operation state information received through the first interface into a failure information file using a method of converting data into a file, controlling the generated failure information file to be transmitted to the server, and outputting a failure type diagnosis result received from the server;

a second interface transmitting the generated failure information file to the server according to the system controller through the network and transmitting the failure type diagnosis result to the system controller when the failure type diagnosis result is received from the server through the network; and

an output unit outputting the received failure type diagnosis result according to the system controller,

wherein the failure type diagnosis result is obtained by comparing a-previously stored failure type diagnosis information including a first group of codes with the generated failure information file, which includes a second group of codes, and when the first group of codes and the second group of codes are detected as not being identical to each other, judging that a failure is generated in an operation of the disc drive corresponding to the detected non-identical codes.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein, when failure measure information is received from the server together with the failure type diagnosis result, the system controller transmits a signal for driving the disc drive to the disc drive via the first interface based on the failure measure information.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein, when the failure measure information includes information requesting a firmware update for the disc drive, the system controller transmits the information requesting the firmware update for the disc drive to the disc drive via the first interface.

7. A failure diagnostic method of a disc drive which is operated by a host, comprising:

transmitting an operation state information request signal from the host to the disc drive;

converting operation state information received from the disc drive into a failure information file including a second group of codes using a method of converting data into a file; and

analyzing the failure information file based on failure type diagnosis information previously stored by the host and including a first group of codes to diagnose a type of failure of the disc drive,

wherein the analyzing of the failure information file comprises comparing the previously stored failure type diagnosis information, including the first group of codes, with the generated failure information file, including the second group of codes, and judging that a failure is generated in an operation of the disc drive when the first group of codes and the second group of codes are detected as not being identical to each other.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising outputting the failure type diagnosis result such that a host user can recognize the result.

9. A method of diagnosing a disc drive failure using a host, the disc drive operated by the host, and a server connected with the host through a network, the method comprising:

transmitting an operation state information request signal from the host to the disc drive;

converting operation state information when the operation state information is received from the disc drive according to the operation state information request signal into a failure information file using a method of converting data into a file;

transmitting the generated failure information file to the server; and

operating the disc drive based on a failure diagnosis result and/or failure measure information, when a failure diagnosis result and/or failure measure information with respect to the failure information file is received from the server,

wherein at least one of the failure type diagnosis result and the failure measure information are obtained by comparing a-previously stored failure type diagnosis information including a first group of codes with the generated failure information file, which includes a second group of codes, and judging that a failure is generated in an operation of the disc drive when the first group of codes and the second group of codes are detected as not being identical to each other.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when the failure measure information includes firmware for the disc drive and information for updating the firmware, the disc drive updates the firmware of the disc drive.

11. A diagnostic system for an apparatus, comprising:

an interface transmitting an operation state information request signal to the disc drive and receiving operation state information from the apparatus;

a system controller receiving the operation state information from the interface and converting the received operation state information into a failure information file using a method of converting data into a file;

a failure type diagnosis analyzer analyzing the failure information file generated by the system controller to diagnose a type of failure in the apparatus and outputting a result of the type of failure in the apparatus, wherein the type of failure in the apparatus is diagnosed by comparing the failure information file with the failure state file,

wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer compares a-previously stored failure type diagnosis information including a first group of codes with the received failure information file, which includes a second group of codes, and judges that a failure is generated in an operation of the disc drive when the first group of codes and the second group of codes are detected as not being identical to each other.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is a disc drive, and the operation state information has a format coded by types of operations of the disc drive.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is a disc drive, and operation state information is generated according to operation of firmware for the disc drive.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer is in a host including the system controller.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the failure type diagnosis analyzer is connected to the system controller across a network.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the result is output in an output unit.

17. A method of diagnosing disc failure, comprising:

outputting an operation state information request signal and receiving operation state information according to the request;

converting the received operation state information into a failure information file, which includes a second group of codes, using a method of converting data into a file;

analyzing the generated failure state file including the second group of codes with stored failure type diagnosis information, which includes a first group of codes, to diagnose a type of disc failure; and

informing a host of the diagnosis of the type of disc failure,

wherein the analysis compares the failure type diagnosis information including the first group of codes with the failure state file including the second group of codes and when the first group of codes and the second group of codes are detected as not being identical to each other, judges that a failure is generated in an operation of a disc drive corresponding to the second group of codes.