Method for pre-heating hard disk drive of computer device

• US 8,095,332 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hsieh, Yi-Chung
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hwang, Timothy H
• Application Number:
  US12/232,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20100061011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 702/33, 702/99, 702/127, 702/130, 702132-136, 361/88, 361/92, 361/93.8, 361/103, 361/158, 361/162, 361/165, 361/679.31, 361/679.33, 361/712
• US Class Current: 702/132
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/144 by detection, control, regulation of the temperature

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for pre-heating a hard disk drive of a computer device, wherein a temperature sensor and a heater are arranged at preset locations outside the computer device. The temperature sensor detects an external temperature of the hard disk drive, which is compared with an activation temperature threshold stored in a data memory unit of the computer device. The activation temperature threshold is calibrated by a preset compensation value stored in the data memory unit. When the external temperature of the hard disk drive subtracting the preset compensation value is less than the activation temperature threshold of the hard disk drive, the activation of the hard disk drive is prohibited and the heater carries out heating on the hard disk drive until the activation temperature threshold of the hard disk drive is reached; thereafter, the hard disk drive is activated again. Thus, the hard disk drive is protected from damage caused by excessively low internal temperature of the hard disk drive at the time when the hard disk drive is activated.

Claims

1. A method for pre-heating a hard disk drive of a computer device, wherein the computer device comprises a power supply device, a microprocessor, the hard disk drive, and a data memory unit, the hard disk drive including an internal temperature sensor, an external temperature sensor being arranged at a first preset location on the hard disk drive to detect a hard-disk external temperature of the hard disk drive, a heater being arranged at a second preset location on the hard disk drive, the data memory unit storing at least one hard-disk activation temperature threshold and a preset compensation value, the hard-disk activation temperature threshold being a lowest safety temperature that the power supply device is allowed to supply power to the hard disk drive, the preset compensation value being defined as a preset difference between the hard-disk external temperature and a hard-disk internal temperature, the method comprising the following steps:

(a) starting up the computer device and activating the external temperature sensor;

(b) detecting the hard-disk external temperature of the hard disk drive by the external temperature sensor;

(c) determining relative level of the hard-disk external temperature and the hard-disk activation temperature threshold by using the microprocessor;

(d) supplying power to the heater from the power supply device to heat the hard disk drive and prohibiting activation of the hard disk drive when a result of the hard-disk external temperature subtracting the preset compensation value is less than the hard-disk activation temperature threshold; and

(e) supplying power to the hard disk drive heater from the power supply device and activating the hard disk drive and the internal temperature sensor thereof when a result of the hard-disk external temperature subtracting the preset compensation value is equal to the hard-disk activation temperature threshold.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data memory unit comprises a separate memory connected to the microprocessor.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data memory unit comprises a memory built in a basic input and output system of the computer device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, after step (a), a step of retrieving the hard-disk activation temperature threshold and the preset compensation value from the data memory unit by the microprocessor.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising, after step (e), a step of:

(f) executing a process of correcting the hard-disk activation temperature threshold to obtain a calibrated preset compensation value, comprising the following sub-steps;

(i) the external temperature sensor detecting the hard-disk external temperature of the hard disk drive;

(ii) a basic input/output system of the computer device obtaining a hard-disk internal temperature of the hard disk drive from the internal temperature sensor;

(iii) subtracting the hard-disk internal temperature from the hard-disk external temperature to obtain a calibrated preset compensation value; and

(iv) updating the value of value as the preset compensation value in the data memory unit with the calibrated preset compensation value for use the next time the computer device is started up.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the preset compensation value is obtained through the following steps:

(I) placing a test hard disk drive in a test computer device in a preset temperature environment having a temperature less than the hard-disk activation temperature threshold, wherein no power is initially supplied to the hard disk drive;

(II) using the heater to heat said test hard disk drive;

(III) using an external temperature sensor of the test computer device to obtain a hard-disk external temperature of said test hard disk drive;

(IV) supplying power to said test hard disk drive and an internal temperature sensor thereof when the external temperature sensor detects that the hard-disk external temperature of said test hard disk drive is equal to the hard-disk activation temperature threshold;

(V) using a basic input/output system of the computer device to obtain a hard-disk internal temperature of said test hard disk drive from the internal temperature sensor thereof;

(VI) subtracting the hard-disk internal temperature from the hard-disk external temperature to obtain a preset compensation value of said test hard disk drive; and

(VII) repeating the above steps for a plurality for additional test hard drives and averaging the preset compensation values obtained therefrom.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the test hard disk drive to be tested of step (I) is randomly selected among a plurality of the hard disk drives.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hard-disk internal temperature obtained in step (V) is a lowest one selected from a number of hard-disk internal temperatures of said one hard disk drive obtained by the basic input/output system of the computer device from a plurality of internal temperature sensors.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first preset location is external to the hard disk drive.