Patent EP0106661A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0106661A2
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Method and apparatus for disk drive alignment
Assignee: Dysan Corp
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Filing: 1983-10-12
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-10-12
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for checking performance and alignment of a disk drive designed for use with a floppy disk having a motor (16) driven linear positioning mechanism (14,21) for locating the read/write transducer (22) over the disk circular tracks. A digitally prerecorded diagnostic disk (50) has a series of precisely located special diagnostic tracks providing reference data for various alignment and response characteristics, both mechanical and electronic. A first group of tracks (track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71, 79) have sector ID blocks followed by progressively offset data blocks interspersed therein, with the range of the offset greater than the width of the track for which the disk drive is designed, which guarantees a read failure upon reading any track. These tracks are distributed radially across the surface of the disk at positions corresponding to each rotational phase position of the transducer stepper motor. A pair of indexed timing tracks (track 0, 79) having a fixed number of byte transitions permits testing of both the alignment of the index transducer and skew of the linear positioning device. A pair of special timing tracks affords reference data for head compliance measurement. A plurality of alternate offset tracks (track 44, 47, 50) located centrally of the recording band provides reference data for measuring the eccentricity of the drive spindle.
Inventors
- 👤 Bradley Donald Baker
- 👤 Richard Lawrence Kelly
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 15:08
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B5/00; G11B5/012; G11B5/016; G11B23/00; G11B23/30; G11B23/36; G11B27/00; G11B27/10; G11B27/19; G11B27/28; G11B27/32; G11B5/48; G11B5/58; G11B5/596; G11B5/59627
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
59 words
A diagnostic disk for testing the performance of a disk drive for use with a recording disk having data tracks of a predetermined track width, the diagnostic disk (50) having a progressive offset diagnostic track (e.g. track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71 or 79), characterised in that said track has an offset range which exceeds said predetermined track width.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
59 words
A diagnostic disk for testing the performance of a disk drive for use with a recording disk having data tracks of a predetermined track width, the diagnostic disk (50) having a progressive offset diagnostic track (e.g. track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71 or 79), characterised in that said track has an offset range which exceeds said predetermined track width.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
A digital diagnostic disk for use in testing alignment and performance of a disk drive having a linear position mechanism (14,21) for a transducer (22), said diagnostic disk (50) being.characterised by a first plurality of progressive offset concentric data tracks (e.g. track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71, 79) distributed thereacross at different predetermined radial positions, each progressive offset track having an offset range exceeding the track width for which said transducer (22) is designed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
74 words
A digital diagnostic disk for use in testing alignment and performance of a disk drive having a linear position mechanism (14,21) for a transducer (22), said diagnostic disk (50) being.characterised by a first plurality of progressive offset concentric data tracks (e.g. track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71, 79) distributed thereacross at different predetermined radial positions, each progressive offset track having an offset range exceeding the track width for which said transducer (22) is designed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A diagnostic disk according to claim 2, characterised in that said diagnostic disk (50) further includes a second plurality of alternate offset concentric data tracks (e.g. track 44, 47, 50) located centrally of said disk (50).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
A diagnostic disk according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said diagnostic disk (50) further includes a pair of index timing tracks (e.g. track 0, 79) located adjacent the innermost and outermost track on said disk (50),respectively.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
A diagnostic disk according to claim 4, characterised in that at least one of said progressive offset tracks is incorporated in one of said index timing tracks.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
A diagnostic disk according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that said diagnostic disk (50) further includes a pair of timing tracks (e.g. track 0, 74) located adjacent the innermost and outermost track on said disk, respectively, each said timing track having a series of fiducial marks spaced therealong at a predetermined interval corresponding to a fixed time period when said disk (50) is rotated at a predetermined speed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A diagnostic disk according to any of claims 2 to 6, in combination with a disk drive having a linear position mechanism (14,21) for a transducer (22).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
A combination according to claim 7, characterised in that said linear positioning mechanism (14, 21) is driven by a multiphase drive motor, and wherein the radial positions of said progressive offset data tracks correspond to all of the rotational phases of said drive motor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A diagnostic disk for testing the performance of a disk drive, the diagnostic disk (50) being characterised by a plurality of progressive offset diagnostic tracks (e.g. track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71, 79).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
A diagnostic disk for testing the performance of a disk drive, the diagnostic disk (50) being characterised by a plurality of progressive offset diagnostic tracks (e.g. track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71, 79).
Claim 13
Independent Claim
154 words
A method of checking the alignment and performance of a disk drive having. a motor (16) driven disk spindle (26) and a linear positioning mechanism (14, 21) for a transducer (22) and designed for use with a flexible disk (25), said method being characterised by the steps-of: (a) inserting a diagnostic disk (50) onto said spindle )26), said disk (50) having a first plurality of progressive offset concentric data tracks (track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71, 79) distributed thereacross at different predetermined radial positions, each progressive offset track having an offset range exceeding the track width for which said transducer (22) is designed; (b) rotating said diagnostic disk (50) with said spindle (26); (c) positioning said transducer (22) to a first location over one of said progressive offset concentric data tracks; (d) reading the progressive offset track; and (e) determining the relative position along the progressive offset track at which a read failure occurs'.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
154 words
A method of checking the alignment and performance of a disk drive having. a motor (16) driven disk spindle (26) and a linear positioning mechanism (14, 21) for a transducer (22) and designed for use with a flexible disk (25), said method being characterised by the steps-of: (a) inserting a diagnostic disk (50) onto said spindle )26), said disk (50) having a first plurality of progressive offset concentric data tracks (track 0, 6, 32, 41, 71, 79) distributed thereacross at different predetermined radial positions, each progressive offset track having an offset range exceeding the track width for which said transducer (22) is designed; (b) rotating said diagnostic disk (50) with said spindle (26); (c) positioning said transducer (22) to a first location over one of said progressive offset concentric data tracks; (d) reading the progressive offset track; and (e) determining the relative position along the progressive offset track at which a read failure occurs'.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
68 words
A method according to claim 10, characterised in that said step (c) of positioning said transducer (22) is performed in a first radial direction, and further including the steps of: (f) positioning said transducer (22) to the same progressive offset track from the opposite radial direction and repeating steps (d) and (e); and (g) comparing the relative position at which the read failure occurs in opposite radial directions.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
77 words
A method according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the radial positions of said progressive offset data tracks correspond to all of the rotational phases of the disk drive motor (16), and wherein said method further includes.the step of: repeatedly performing steps (d) and (e) over certain ones of said progressive offset tracks to measure the radial alignment of said disk drive for each of the rotational phase positions of the disk drive motor (16).
Claim 17
Independent Claim
129 words
A method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterised in that said diagnostic disk (50) further includes a pair of index timing tracks (track 0, 79) located adjacent the innermost and outermost track on said disk, repeatedly, and wherein said method further comprises the steps of: (h) generating an index pulse from an index transducer (18,19); (i) initiating a count in a counter in response to the generation of said index pulse; (j) counting a fixed number of pulses from one of said index timing tracks; -(k) stopping said counter after the last pulse has been read from said index timing track; and (1) comparing the time value held by said counter with a reference time value to determine the alignment of said index transducer (18,19).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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