Sector architecture for fixed block disk drive

Claim 2

A zoned recording fixed-block architecture embedded servo disk drive comprising: a rotatable data recording disk having a plurality of generally concentric data tracks divided into a plurality of radially-spaced zones and a number N of generally equally angularly spaced servo sectors extending generally radially across the zones, at least one of the tracks also having a number M of data sectors but no identification (ID) regions containing information that uniquely identifies the data sectors, the track being divided into a number of identical track segments and a partial segment, the partial segment including a stub having a length less than a data sector, each of the identical track segments including n' servo sectors and m' data sectors, the m' data sectors being split into data sections by the servo sectors, wherein if m/n is the smallest reduced integer fraction of M/N then as a result of the stub m'+n' is less than m+n; a recording head that reads information in the servo sectors and writes and reads user data in the data sectors; a servo sector counter, responsive to information read by the head from the servo sectors, for counting servo sectors as the disk rotates past the head; memory storage for storing track format information representing the location of the data sectors relative to the servo sectors in the segments; and sector logic circuitry coupled to the servo sector counter and the memory storage for locating, from the track format information and without use of ID regions, a data sector where user data is to be read or written.

Claim 3

The disk drive as recited in claim 1 further comprising a servo-modulo counter coupled to the sector logic circuitry for generating, from known values of m' and n', a value representative of the servo sector number within the track segment, the servo-modulo counter being resettable after n' servo sectors.

Claim 4

The disk drive as recited in claim 2 wherein the memory storage stores format information for the track segment, the format information representing the location of the m' data sectors relative to the n' servo sectors within the segment, and wherein the memory storage is addressable by the track segment servo sector number generated by the servo-modulo counter; whereby the presence of a stub in the track allows a data sector to be located from stored format information for only a segment of the track.

Claim 5

The disk drive as recited in claim 1 wherein the memory storage stores the lengths of the first and last data sections in the track segment.

Claim 6

The disk drive as recited in claim 1 wherein the memory storage stores the number of complete data sectors in the track segment.

Claim 7

The disk drive as recited in claim 1 wherein the track includes an index mark identifying a fixed location on the track representing the beginning of the track, and wherein the servo sector counter is responsive to the index mark.

Claim 8

A zoned recording fixed-block architecture embedded servo disk drive comprising: a rotatable data recording disk having a plurality of generally concentric data tracks divided into a plurality of radially-spaced zones and a number N of generally equally angularly spaced servo sectors extending generally radially across the zones, at least two of the tracks in one of the zones having N servo sectors, a number M of data sectors and no identification (ID) regions containing information that uniquely identifies the data sectors, the M data sectors in a first of the tracks being generally radially aligned with the M data sectors in the second track, each of said two tracks being divided into a number of identical track segments, each of the segments having n servo sectors and m data sectors wherein m/n is a reduced integer fraction of M/N, the m data sectors in each segment being split into data sections by the n servo sectors in each segment; a recording head that reads information in the servo sectors and writes and reads user data in the data sectors in the two tracks of the zone; a servo sector counter, responsive to information read by the head from the servo sectors, for counting servo sectors in a track as the disk rotates past the head; memory storage for storing track segment format information representing the location of the data sectors relative to the servo sectors within the segment, and for storing a skew value representing the offset of data sector numbers of the data sectors in the second track from the generally radially aligned data sectors in the first track of the zone; and sector logic circuitry coupled to the servo sector counter and the memory storage for locating, from the track segment format information and without use of ID regions, a data sector in a first track where user data is to be read or written, and for locating, from the track segment format information and the skew value and without use of ID regions, a data sector in the second track where user data is to be read or written after the recording head has been moved from the first track to the second track; whereby the delay in reading or writing to the located data sector in the second track is minimized by use of the skew value.

Claim 9

A zoned recording fixed-block architecture embedded servo disk drive comprising: a rotatable data recording disk having a plurality of generally concentric data tracks divided into a plurality of radially-spaced zones and a number N of generally equally angularly spaced servo sectors extending generally radially across the zones, at least two of the tracks in one of the zones having N servo sectors, a number M of data sectors and no identification (ID) regions containing information that uniquely identifies the data sectors, the M data sectors in a first of the tracks being generally radially aligned with the M data sectors in the second track, each of said two tracks being divided into a number of identical track segments, each of the segments having n servo sectors and m data sectors wherein m/n is a reduced integer fraction of M/N, the m data sectors in each segment being split into data sections by the n servo sectors in each segment; a recording head that reads information in the servo sectors and writes and reads user data in the data sectors in the two tracks of the zone; a servo sector counter, responsive to information read by the head from the servo sectors, for counting servo sectors in a track as the disk rotates past the head; memory storage for storing track segment format information representing the location of the data sectors relative to the servo sectors within the segment, and for storing a skew value representing the offset of data sector numbers of the data sectors in the second track from the generally radially aligned data sectors in the first track of the zone; and sector logic circuitry coupled to the servo sector counter and the memory storage for locating, from the track segment format information and without use of ID regions, a data sector in a first track where user data is to be read or written, and for locating, from the track segment format information and the skew value and without use of ID regions, a data sector in the second track where user data is to be read or written after the recording head has been moved from the first track to the second track; whereby the delay in reading or writing to the located data sector in the second track is minimized by use of the skew value.

Claim 10

The disk drive as recited in claim 7 further comprising a servo-modulo counter coupled to the sector logic circuitry for generating, from known values of m and n, a value representative of the servo sector number within the track segment, the servo-modulo counter being resettable every n servo sectors.

Claim 11

The disk drive as recited in claim 6 wherein the memory storage is addressable by the track segment servo sector number generated by the servo-modulo counter.

Claim 12

The disk drive as recited in claim 7 wherein the memory storage stores the lengths of the first and last data sections in the track segment.

Claim 13

The disk drive as recited in claim 7 wherein the memory storage stores the number of complete data sectors in the track segment.

Claim 14

The disk drive as recited in claim 7 wherein each of the tracks includes an index mark identifying a fixed location on the track representing the beginning of the track, and wherein the servo sector counter is responsive to the index mark.