DISK DRIVE EMPLOYING MULTIPLE READ ELEMENTS TO INCREASE RADIAL BAND FOR TWO-DIMENSIONAL MAGNETIC RECORDING

• US 20150255099A1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: BRUNNETT, DONALD, BERTERO, GERARDO A., LI, SHAOPING
• Granted Patent: US 9,245,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4886 relative to rotating disc
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4969 Details for track selection or addressing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4976 Disposition of heads, e.g. matrix arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5539 Skew adjustment, e.g. adjustment of the position of the first sector in each track with respect to the other tracks, for improving, e.g. access performance

Abstract

A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk comprising a plurality of tracks, and a head comprising at least three read elements including a first read element, a second read element, and a third read element. When the head is within a first radial band of the disk, data recorded on the disk is detected using the first read element and the second read element. When the head is within a second radial band of the disk different from the first radial band, data recorded on the disk is detected using the first read element and the third read element. The first read element is substantially aligned down-track with the third read element when the head is over a first radial location of the disk.

Claims

3. (canceled)

9. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of tracks;

a head comprising at least two read elements; and

control circuitry configured to;

when the head is within a first radial band of the disk, detect data recorded on the disk by processing a first read signal generated by the first read element and by processing a second read signal generated by the second read element using a two-dimensional demodulation algorithm; and

when the head is within a second radial band of the disk different from the first radial band, detect data recorded on the disk by processing the first read signal using a one-dimensional demodulation algorithm.

10. The disk drive as recited in claim 9, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the control circuitry is configured to:

position the first read element at least partially over a first track to generate the first read signal; and

position the second read element at least partially over a second track to generate the second read signal.

11. The disk drive as recited in claim 9, wherein the tracks in the first radial band comprise a smaller track pitch than the tracks in the second radial band.

12. The disk drive as recited in claim 11, wherein the tracks in the first radial band comprise a variable track pitch.

13. The disk drive as recited in claim 12, wherein the track pitch increases near an outer diameter of the first radial band.

14. A method of operating a disk drive, the method comprising:

when a head is within a first radial band of a disk, detecting data recorded on the disk using a first read element and a second read element; and

when the head is within a second radial band of the disk different from the first radial band, detecting data recorded on the disk using the first read element and a third read element,

wherein when the head is over a first radial location of the disk the first read element is substantially aligned down-track with the third read element and the second read element is offset radially from the first read element and the third read element by at least half a width of the second read element.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first radial location is proximate a middle diameter of the disk.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising reading data from the disk using the first read element and the third read element when the head is within a third radial band of the disk, wherein:

the first radial band spans a plurality of middle diameter tracks;

the second radial band spans a plurality of outer diameter tracks; and

the third radial band spans a plurality of inner diameter tracks.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the method further comprises:

positioning the first read element at least partially over a first track;

positioning the second read element at least partially over a second track; and

processing a first read signal generated by the first read element and a second read signal generated by the second read element to detect data recorded in at least one of the first track and the second track.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the method further comprises processing the first read signal and the second read signal to detect data recorded in one of the first track and the second track using a two-dimensional demodulation algorithm.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein when the head is within a third radial band of the disk outside one of the first radial band and the second radial band, the method further comprises processing a read signal generated by the first read element to detect data recorded in a third track using a one-dimensional demodulation algorithm.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the method further comprises processing the first read signal and the second read signal to detect data recorded in both the first track and the second track.

16. (canceled)

22. A method of operating a disk drive, the method comprising:

when a head is within a first radial band of a disk, detecting data recorded on the disk by processing a first read signal generated by the first read element and by processing a second read signal generated by the second read element using a two-dimensional demodulation algorithm; and

when the head is within a second radial band of the disk different from the first radial band, detecting data recorded on the disk by processing the first read signal using a one-dimensional demodulation algorithm.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the method further comprises:

positioning the first read element at least partially over a first track to generate the first read signal; and

positioning the second read element at least partially over a second track to generate the second read signal.

24. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the tracks in the first radial band comprise a smaller track pitch than the tracks in the second radial band.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the tracks in the first radial band comprise a variable track pitch.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the track pitch increases near an outer diameter of the first radial band.

27. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of tracks;

a head comprising at least three read elements including a first read element, a second read element, and a third read element; and

control circuitry configured to;

select the first read element and the second read element to detect first user data recorded on the disk when the head is at a first radial location over the disk, wherein the third read element is not used to detect the first user data; and

select the second read element and the third read element to detect second user data recorded on the disk when the head is at a second radial location over the disk different from the first radial location, wherein the first read element is not used to detect the second user data.

1. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of tracks;

a head comprising at least three read elements including a first read element, a second read element, and a third read element; and

control circuitry configured to;

when the head is within a first radial band of the disk, detect data recorded on the disk using the first read element and the second read element; and

when the head is within a second radial band of the disk different from the first radial band, detect data recorded on the disk using the first read element and the third read element,

wherein when the head is over a first radial location of the disk the first read element is substantially aligned down-track with the third read element and the second read element is offset radially from the first read element and the third read element by at least half a width of the second read element.

2. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein the first radial location is proximate to a middle diameter of the disk.

4. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to read data from the disk using the first read element and the third read element when the head is within a third radial band of the disk, wherein:

the first radial band spans a plurality of middle diameter tracks;

the second radial band spans a plurality of outer diameter tracks; and

the third radial band spans a plurality of inner diameter tracks.

5. The disk drive as recited in claim 1, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the control circuitry is configured to:

position the first read element at least partially over a first track;

position the second read element at least partially over a second track; and

process a first read signal generated by the first read element and a second read signal generated by the second read element to detect data recorded in at least one of the first track and the second track.

6. The disk drive as recited in claim 5, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the control circuitry is configured to process the first read signal and the second read signal to detect data recorded in one of the first track and the second track using a two-dimensional demodulation algorithm.

7. The disk drive as recited in claim 6, wherein when the head is within a third radial band of the disk outside one of the first radial band and the second radial band, the control circuitry is configured to process a read signal generated by the first read element to detect data recorded in a third track using a one-dimensional demodulation algorithm.

8. The disk drive as recited in claim 6, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the control circuitry is configured to process the first read signal and the second read signal to detect data recorded in both the first track and the second track.

28. The disk drive as recited in claim 27, wherein:

the first radial location is within a first radial band of the disk; and

the second radial location is within a second radial band of the disk.

29. The disk drive as recited in claim 28, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the control circuitry is configured to:

position the first read element at least partially over a first track;

position the second read element at least partially over a second track; and

process a first read signal generated by the first read element and a second read signal generated by the second read element to detect the first user data recorded in at least one of the first track and the second track.

30. The disk drive as recited in claim 29, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the control circuitry is configured to process the first read signal and the second read signal to detect the first user data recorded in one of the first track and the second track using a two-dimensional demodulation algorithm.

28-1. The disk drive as recited in claim 27, wherein:

the first user data is the same as the second user data;

the first radial location corresponds to a first read operation during a first revolution of the disk; and

the second radial location corresponds to a retry read operation during a second revolution of the disk.

31. A method of operating a disk drive, the method comprising:

selecting a first read element and a second read element to detect first user data recorded on a disk when a head is at a first radial location over the disk, wherein a third read element is not used to detect the first user data; and

selecting the second read element and the third read element to detect second user data recorded on the disk when the head is at a second radial location over the disk different from the first radial location, wherein the first read element is not used to detect the second user data.

32. The method as recited in claim 31, wherein:

the first radial location is within a first radial band of the disk; and

the second radial location is within a second radial band of the disk.

33. The method as recited in claim 31, wherein:

the first user data is the same as the second user data;

the first radial location corresponds to a first read operation during a first revolution of the disk; and

the second radial location corresponds to a retry read operation during a second revolution of the disk.

34. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the method further comprises:

positioning the first read element at least partially over a first track;

positioning the second read element at least partially over a second track; and

processing a first read signal generated by the first read element and a second read signal generated by the second read element to detect the first user data recorded in at least one of the first track and the second track.

35. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein when the head is within the first radial band the method further comprises processing the first read signal and the second read signal to detect the first user data recorded in one of the first track and the second track using a two-dimensional demodulation algorithm.