Recording medium controller and method thereof

• US 8,363,349 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2010
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hideaki, Nitta, Tatsuo, Hongawa, Tadashi, Shinbori, Takahiro, Haga, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US13/047,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20110292538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 360/78.04
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 25/00 Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/093 using multilayer structures, e.g. giant magnetoresistance sensors thin magnetic films H01F10/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2005/0005 Arrangements, methods or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a recording medium controller includes a recording medium, an input module, a reading module, and a writing module. The recording medium includes a write area and an escape area. The write area includes track groups. Each of the track groups is a unit for writing data and includes tracks. The input module receives a write command for data. The reading module reads data stored in the escape area and data from a first track group of the track groups. The writing module writes data received for the write command to the escape area, and writes merged data obtained by merging the data read from the escape area and the data read from the first track group to each track of a second track group of the track groups by using a shingle recording technique in which adjacent tracks are partly overlapped with each other.

Claims

1. A recording medium controller configured to use a recording technique of collectively rewriting all tracks included in a track group, which comprises a plurality of tracks and is a unit for writing data, by causing adjacent tracks to be partially overlapped with each other, comprising:

a recording medium comprising a write area having the plurality of the track groups and an escape area temporarily storing data therein;

an input module configured to receive an update command for data recorded in the write area;

a reading module configured to read data from a first track group, which includes the data to be updated by the update command, of the track groups; and

a writing module configured to write the data to be updated by the update command to the escape area after receiving the update command, and to rewrite merged data obtained by merging the data read from the escape area and the data read from the first track group to each track comprised in a second track group of the track groups by using the recording technique.

2. The recording medium controller of claim 1, wherein, if the update command is received, the writing module is configured to rewrite the merged data to the each track comprised in the second track group during an idle time excluding a time during which a process in response to a read command or a write command is performed.

3. The recording medium controller of claim 2, wherein

the input module is configured to receive an update command for data with a size storable in a sector of a track of the tracks, and

the writing module is configured to write the data with the size to be updated by the update command to the escape area.

4. The recording medium controller of claims 2, wherein

the second track group is a spare area allocated as a spare, any logical address not being assigned to the spare area until the writing module rewrites the merged data;

and

the writing module is configured to assign, after rewriting the merged data to the each track of the second track group, a logical address to the second track group, to delete a logical address of the first track group, and to set the first track group as a new spare area allocated as a spare.

5. The recording medium controller of claim 1, wherein

the input module is configured to receive an update command for data with a size storable in a sector of a track of the tracks, and

the writing module is configured to write the data with the size to be updated by the update command to the escape area.

6. The recording medium controller of claims 5, wherein

the second track group is a spare area allocated as a spare, any logical address not being assigned to the spare area until the writing module rewrites the merged data;

and

the writing module is configured to assign, after rewriting the merged data to the each track of the second track group, a logical address to the second track group, to delete a logical address of the first track group, and to set the first track group as a new spare area allocated as a spare.

7. The recording medium controller of claim 1, wherein

the second track group is a spare area allocated as a spare, any logical address not being assigned to the spare area until the writing module rewrites the merged data;

and

the writing module is configured to assign, after rewriting the merged data to the each track of the second track group, a logical address to the second track group, to delete a logical address of the first track group, and to set the first track group as a new spare area allocated as a spare.

8. A recording medium controlling method executed by a recording medium controller configured to use a recording technique of collectively rewriting all tracks included in a track group, which comprises a plurality of tracks and is a unit for writing data, by causing adjacent tracks to be partially overlapped with each other, wherein,

the recording medium controller comprises a recording medium comprising a write area having the plurality of the track groups and an escape area temporarily storing data therein, and the method comprises:

receiving an update command for data recorded in the write area;

reading data from a first track group, which includes the data to be updated by the update command, of the track groups; and

writing the data to be updated by the update command to the escape area after receiving the update command, and rewriting merged data obtained by merging the data read from the escape area and the data read from the first track group to each track comprised in a second track group of the track groups by using the recording technique.

9. The recording medium controlling method of claim 8, wherein, if the update command is received, the writing is configured to rewrite the merged data to the each track comprised in the second track group during an idle time excluding a time during which a process in response to a read command or a write command is performed.