Disk drive calibrating threshold and gain of touchdown sensor

• US 8,891,193 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Kermiche, Noureddine, Xiao, Xianghui, St. John, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US13/890,937
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 360/75
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/6029 Measurement using values derived from the data signal read from the disk
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/6076 Detecting head-disk contact

Abstract

A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of tracks. The head comprises a touchdown element operable to generate a touchdown signal. The touchdown signal is amplified by a gain to generate an amplified touchdown signal, and a touchdown event is detected by comparing the amplified touchdown signal to a threshold. During a calibration operation, the gain is adjusted and the threshold is adjusted until the amplified touchdown signal does not exceed the threshold. During a normal operation, the touchdown event is detected based at least partly on the adjusted gain and the adjusted threshold.

Claims

1. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of tracks;

a head actuated over the disk, the head comprising a touchdown element operable to generate a touchdown signal; and

control circuitry operable to;

amplify the touchdown signal by a gain to generate an amplified touchdown signal;

detect a touchdown event by comparing the amplified touchdown signal to a threshold;

during a calibration operation, adjust the gain and adjust the threshold until the amplified touchdown signal does not exceed the threshold; and

during a normal operation, detect the touchdown event based at least partly on the adjusted gain and the adjusted threshold.

2. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the head further comprises a fly height actuator operable to control a fly height of the head over the disk; and

during the calibration operation, the control circuitry is operable to apply a control signal to the fly height actuator to cause the head to fly at a target fly height corresponding to a write operation.

3. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein during the calibration operation the control circuitry is further operable to:

initialize the threshold to a nominal value;

initialize the gain to a maximum gain;

when the amplified touchdown signal exceeds the threshold, decrease the gain; and

when the gain reaches approximately zero, increase the threshold.

4. The disk drive as recited in claim 3, wherein when the amplified touchdown signal does not exceed the threshold and the gain equals the maximum gain, the control circuitry is further operable to decrease the threshold.

5. The disk drive as recited in claim 3, wherein when the threshold is increased to a maximum threshold and the amplified touchdown signal exceeds the threshold when the gain is approximately zero, the control circuitry is operable to disable the touchdown detection during the normal operation for at least part of the disk.

6. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further operable to:

define a number of zones on the disk, wherein each zone comprises a plurality of the tracks; and

execute the calibration operation for at least one track of each zone.

7. The disk drive as recited in claim 6, wherein the control circuitry is further operable to:

execute the calibration operation for a plurality of tracks of a first zone; and

select the gain and threshold corresponding to the highest threshold calibrated out of the plurality tracks for use during the normal operation.

8. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein control circuitry is further operable to margin the detection of the touchdown event.

9. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein during the normal operation the control circuitry is further operable to detect a defect on the disk based at least partly on the detected touchdown event.

10. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein during the normal operation the control circuitry is further operable to abort a write operation based at least partly on the detected touchdown event.

11. A method of operating a disk drive comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of tracks, the head comprising a touchdown element operable to generate a touchdown signal, the method comprising:

amplifying the touchdown signal by a gain to generate an amplified touchdown signal;

detecting a touchdown event by comparing the amplified touchdown signal to a threshold;

during a calibration operation, adjusting the gain and adjusting the threshold until the amplified touchdown signal does not exceed the threshold; and

during a normal operation, detecting the touchdown event based at least partly on the adjusted gain and the adjusted threshold.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein:

the head further comprises a fly height actuator operable to control a fly height of the head over the disk; and

during the calibration operation, the method further comprises applying a control signal to the fly height actuator to cause the head to fly at a target fly height corresponding to a write operation.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein during the calibration operation further comprising:

initializing the threshold to a nominal value;

initializing the gain to a maximum gain;

when the amplified touchdown signal exceeds the threshold, decreasing the gain; and

when the gain reaches approximately zero, increasing the threshold.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein when the amplified touchdown signal does not exceed the threshold and the gain equals the maximum gain, the method further comprises decreasing the threshold.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein when the threshold is increased to a maximum threshold and the amplified touchdown signal exceeds the threshold when the gain is approximately zero, the method further comprises disabling the touchdown detection during the normal operation for at least part of the disk.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

defining a number of zones on the disk, wherein each zone comprises a plurality of the tracks; and

executing the calibration operation for at least one track of each zone.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

executing the calibration operation for a plurality of tracks of a first zone; and

selecting the gain and threshold corresponding to the highest threshold calibrated out of the plurality tracks for use during the normal operation.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising margining the detection of the touchdown event.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein during the normal operation the method further comprises detecting a defect on the disk based at least partly on the detected touchdown event.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein during the normal operation the method further comprises aborting a write operation based at least partly on the detected touchdown event.