Drive temperature self-adjustment for temperature-sensitive measurements

• US 20050068025A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Escobar, Jorge F., Khurshudov, Andrei
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/212
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2005/001 Controlling recording characteristics of record carriers or transducing characteristics of transducers by means not being part of their structure
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/043 using rotating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/144 by detection, control, regulation of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence

Abstract

A method and program product supporting adjusting a temperature of a hard disk drive (HDD) during testing. An HDD test program is performed within a pre-determined optimal test temperature range. The HDD is kept within this pre-determined test temperature range by switching HDD operation modes back and forth between a higher heat generating Rapid Seek Mode and a lower heat generating IDLE mode. The HDD is thus kept within the optimal test temperature range without the use of external heating and/or cooling devices.

Claims

1. A method for controlling temperature in a hard disk drive during testing, the hard disk drive having two modes of operation, the method comprising:

setting a desired temperature range for a hard disk drive that is being tested;

upon determining that a temperature inside the hard disk drive is below the desired temperature range, changing a mode of operation of the hard disk drive from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation, wherein the first mode of operation generates less heat than the second mode of operation; and

upon determining that the temperature inside the hard disk drive is above the desired temperature range, changing the mode of operation of the hard disk drive from the second mode of operation to the first mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second modes of operation are seek modes, and wherein the first seek mode that is slower than the second seek mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation is an IDLE seek mode and the second mode of operation is a rapid seek mode.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower disk rotation speed than the second mode of operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower clock speed than a second mode of operation for a processor within the hard disk drive.

6. A method for maintaining a steady-state internal temperature inside a housing for a hard disk drive during testing operations of the hard disk drive, the hard disk drive having two modes of operation, the method comprising:

setting a desired temperature range for a hard disk drive that is being tested;

upon determining that a temperature inside the hard disk drive is below the desired temperature range, changing a mode of operation of the hard disk drive from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation, wherein the first mode of operation generates less heat than the second mode of operation; and

upon determining that the temperature inside the hard disk drive is above the desired temperature range, changing the mode of operation of the hard disk drive from the second mode of operation to the first mode of operation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second modes of operation are seek modes, and wherein the first seek mode is slower than the second seek mode.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first mode of operation is an IDLE seek mode and the second mode of operation is a rapid seek mode.

9. A method of claim 6, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower disk rotation speed than the second mode of operation.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower clock speed than a second mode of operation for a processor within the hard disk drive.

11. A method for rapidly warming up a hard disk drive before testing the hard disk drive having a first and second mode of operation, the method comprising:

setting a desired temperature range for a hard disk drive that is to be tested; and

upon determining that a temperature inside the hard disk drive is below the desired temperature range, setting a mode of operation of the hard disk drive to a first mode of operation, wherein the first mode of operation generates more heat than a second mode of operation, until the desired temperature range is reached.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second modes of operation are seek modes, and wherein the first seek mode is faster than the second seek mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first mode of operation is a rapid seek mode and the second mode of operation is an IDLE seek mode.

14. A method of claim 11, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower disk rotation speed than the second mode of operation.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower clock speed than a second mode of operation for a processor within the hard disk drive.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first and second modes of operation are seek modes, and wherein the first seek mode that is slower than the second seek mode.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first mode of operation is an IDLE seek mode and the second mode of operation is a rapid seek mode.

19. A computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower disk rotation speed than the second mode of operation.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first mode of operation has a slower clock speed than a second mode of operation for a processor within the hard disk drive.

16. A computer program product, residing on a computer usable medium, for controlling temperature in a hard disk drive during testing, the computer program product comprising:

program code for setting a desired temperature range for a hard disk drive that is being tested;

program code for, upon determining that a temperature inside the hard disk drive is below the desired temperature range, changing a mode of operation of the hard disk drive from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation, wherein the first mode of operation generates less heat than the second mode of operation; and

program code for, upon determining that the temperature inside the hard disk drive is above the desired temperature range, changing the mode of operation of the hard disk drive from the second mode of operation to the first mode of operation.