KR100585130B1 - Method for monitoring write status of hard disk drive - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hard disk drive driving method, and more particularly, to a recording state monitoring method of a hard disk drive for monitoring the recording state by region by separating the hard disk track into regions. The recording status monitoring method of the hard disk drive divides the hard disk track into N areas, allocates a table for storing the number of recordings performed for each area, and executes data recording when a data recording command is transmitted from the host. The number of writes of the table allocated to the area in which the data is recorded is increased by determining which of the N areas is the area where data recording is performed, and the number of writes of the table allocated to the area where the data is recorded is the threshold value. If exceeded, the data recorded in the area where data is recorded and in the adjacent track is read and rewritten. According to the present invention, the ATE phenomenon can be prevented by dividing the hard disk track into regions and monitoring the recording state for each region, thereby creating an effect of reducing memory capacity and CPU processing time.

Description

Method for monitoring write status of hard disk drive}

1 is a diagram illustrating a zone layout of a general hard disk surface.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a typical hard disk drive.

3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the recording status monitoring method of the hard disk drive according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to a hard disk drive driving method, and more particularly, to a recording state monitoring method of a hard disk drive for monitoring the recording state by region by separating the hard disk track into regions.

In general, a hard disk drive is one of the auxiliary storage devices of a computer, and contributes to computer system operation by reproducing predetermined data recorded on the disk by the magnetic head or writing new data on the disk. As such hard disk drives become increasingly high in capacity, high in density, and small in size, the BPI (Bit Per Inch), which is the density in the rotational direction of the disk, and the Tracks Per Inch (TPI), which is the density in the thickness direction, are increased. Position control methods and sophisticated mechanisms are required.

In a hard disk drive, data is stored in tracks arranged concentrically on the surface of the disk and arranged to extend circumferentially. The tracks are composed of data sectors in which data is recorded and servo sectors in which servo information is recorded.

Figure 1 shows an example of the zone layout of the general disk surface. Referring to FIG. 1, the disk 100 has a plurality of servo sectors 100-1 having the same length and a data sector 100-2 in which user data is recorded. The data zone (DZ) composed of the servo sector 100-1 and the data sector 100-2 is maintained with a parking zone in which the head is located when the power is turned off. It is located between the maintenance area MZ in which information is recorded. An inner guard band (IGB), which is a protection zone, exists outside the parking zone PZ, and an outer guard band (OGB), on the contrary, exists on the outermost surface of the disk. On the other hand, the maintenance area is composed of a plurality of maintenance cylinders, each of which is recorded with information indicating the drive status, such as information on the defect sector of the disk surface.

When data is recorded too frequently on the same track among hard disk tracks, the possibility of destroying the data of adjacent tracks is increased due to the magnet's fringe effect, which is called ATE (Adjacent track erase) phenomenon. It is called.

In order to prevent this phenomenon, there has conventionally been a method of monitoring the recording state for each track. As the TPI of current hard disk drives increases, the number of physical tracks has exceeded 80,000. If the recording status is monitored for each track, that is, to store the number of times data is recorded for each track, 160K bytes are required, assuming 2 bytes per track. Hard disk drives are very limited in the use of memory, the most important resource as an embedded system. In addition, in order to check whether the record count threshold of a particular track has been exceeded, an area of 160K bytes should be periodically checked every time, which is a burden on the CPU of the hard disk drive.

An object of the present invention is to provide a recording state monitoring method of a hard disk drive that prevents the ATE phenomenon by dividing the hard disk track into regions and monitoring the recording state for each region.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording state monitoring method of a hard disk drive, comprising: (a) dividing a hard disk track into N regions and allocating a table for storing the number of recordings performed for each region; (b) if a data write command is transmitted from the host, performing data recording in a determined area of the N areas, and increasing the number of times of writing of the table allocated to the area in which the data is recorded; and (c) if the number of recordings of the table allocated to the area in which the data is recorded exceeds the threshold, reading and rewriting the data recorded in the area where the data is recorded and in the adjacent track.

In the present invention, the adjacent tracks are characterized in that the last track and the first track of the area adjacent to the area in which the data is recorded.

In the present invention, after the step (c), the table of the area in which the data is recorded is reset, and the number of times the table is allocated to the area including the adjacent track is increased.

In the present invention, the table change value is periodically stored in the maintenance cylinder area of the hard disk.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a typical hard disk drive, a hard disk 100, spindle motor 102, head 104, actuator 106, E-block assembly 108, preamplifier 110, read / write channel circuit 112, DDC (Disk Data Controller) 114, microcontroller 116, buffer RAM 118, memory 120, servo driver 122 ), And a spindle motor driver 124.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a recording status monitoring method of a hard disk drive according to the present invention, in which a hard disk track is divided into N regions (300), and a write count table (WCT) is maintained in a maintenance cylinder. Allocating to the maintenance cylinder (MC) area and the memory (302), initializing the WCT of the entire area or loading the WCT stored in the MC area into the memory (304), which area upon receiving a data recording command from the host computer A step 306 of determining whether or not to record data in the second step; performing a write command and increasing the write count value of the area in the WTC; 308 determining whether the WCT value of the area exceeds the threshold ( 310), if the WCT value of the region exceeds the threshold, reading and rewriting data of the region and one adjacent track (312), and the WCT of the region Reset, and step 314, periodically increasing the WCT value of the adjacent region comprises a step 316 for storing the WCT to the MC of the memory area.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

In FIG. 2, the hard disks 100 are rotated by a spindle motor 102. Each of the heads 104 is located on the corresponding one of the disks 100, and the disks 100 from the E-block assembly 108 coupled with the rotary voice coil actuator 106. It is installed to correspond to each of the support arms extending to the side.

The preamplifier 110 preamplifies the signal picked up by one of the heads 104 at the time of read, and applies an analog read signal to the read / write channel circuit 112, and at the time of writing. Encoded write data applied from the read / write channel circuit 112 is recorded on the disc through the corresponding one of the heads 104.

The read / write channel circuit 112 detects and decodes a data pulse from a read signal applied from the preamplifier 110 and applies the read / write channel circuit 112 to the disk data controller (DDC) 114. The decoded signal is applied to the preamplifier 110.

The DDC 114 records data received from the host computer on the hard disk 100 through the read / write channel circuit 112 and the preamplifier 110 or reads data from the hard disk 100 on the host computer. Send to The DDC 114 also interfaces the communication between the host computer and the microcontroller 116.

The buffer RAM 118 temporarily stores data transferred between the host computer and the microcontroller 116 and the read / write channel circuit 112. The microcontroller 116 controls track searching and track following in response to read or write commands received from the host computer.

The memory 120 stores the execution program of the microcontroller 116 and various setting values. In the present invention, memory 120 stores a write count table.

The servo driver 122 generates a driving current for driving the actuator 106 in response to a signal for controlling the position of the heads 104 provided by the microcontroller 116 and applies it to the voice coil of the actuator 106. do.

The actuator 106 moves the heads 104 on the disks 100 corresponding to the direction and level of the driving current applied from the servo driver 122.

The spindle motor driver 124 rotates the disks 100 by driving the spindle motor 102 according to a control value for the rotation control of the disks 100 generated from the microcontroller 116.

In the present invention, the microcontroller 116 monitors the recording state of the hard disk drive and performs a series of processes for preventing the ATE phenomenon, which is illustrated in FIG. 3 and will be described next.

Since it is practically impossible to store the total number of recordings per track of the hard disk 100, the microcontroller 116 divides the track of the hard disk 100 into N regions (step 300). For example, assuming that all tracks of the hard disk 100 are 80000, and if 100 tracks are divided into one area, the hard disk 100 is divided into 800 areas.

When the hard disk 100 track is divided into N areas, the microcontroller 116 converts a write count table (WCT) into a maintenance cylinder (MC) area and a memory 120 of the hard disk 100. (Step 302).

Thereafter, the microcontroller 116 initializes the WCT of the entire area or loads the WCT stored in the MC area into the memory 120 (step 304).

Upon receiving a data write command from the host computer, the microcontroller 116 determines in which area of the divided N areas the data is to be recorded (step 306). For example, assuming that N is 800, the microcontroller 116 decides to write data in the 400th area.

By the data write command from the host computer, the microcontroller 116 writes data in the 400th area, and increments the write count value of that area in the WTC (step 308).

Thereafter, the microcontroller 116 determines whether the WCT value of the corresponding region exceeds the threshold (step 310). For example, assume that the threshold is 100.

When the microcontroller 116 determines that the number of times data has been recorded in the corresponding area, that is, the 400th area, that is, the WCT value exceeds the threshold value, the microcontroller 116 causes adjacent tracks due to the fringe effect of the magnet. It is judged that there is a high possibility of ATE (Adjacent track erase) phenomenon, which is a phenomenon of destroying the data.

Subsequently, the microcontroller 116 reads and rewrites data of the 400th region, which is the corresponding region, and one adjacent track (step 312). Here, the track adjacent to the 400th area becomes the last track of the 399th area and the first track of the 401th area. Therefore, the microcontroller 116 reads and rewrites the data recorded in the last track of the 399th area, the entire track of the 400th area, and the first track of the 401th area.

After data rewriting, the microcontroller 116 resets the WCT for this area, and increases the WCT of the 399th area and the 401th area, which are adjacent areas (step 314).

The process of the above step is continuously repeated, and the microcontroller 116 stores the WCT stored in the memory 120 in the MC area at a predetermined period (step 316).

In the present invention, the larger the value of N, the more memory 120 is used, and the smaller the value of N, the wider the area to be rewritten at one time.

So far I looked at the center of the preferred embodiment for the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, the ATE phenomenon can be prevented by dividing the hard disk track into regions and monitoring the recording state for each region, thereby creating an effect of reducing memory capacity and CPU processing time.

Claims (4)

(a) dividing the hard disk track into N areas and allocating a table for storing the number of recordings performed in each area; (b) if a data write command is transmitted from the host, performing data recording in a determined area of the N areas, and increasing the number of times of writing of the table allocated to the area in which the data is recorded; (c) If the number of times of writing of the table allocated to the area in which the data is recorded exceeds the threshold, after reading the data recorded in the area in which the data is recorded and in the adjacent track, the area in which the data is recorded and in the adjacent track The method of monitoring the recording status of a hard disk drive, comprising the step of rewriting to a disk. The method of claim 1, Wherein the adjacent tracks are the last track and the first track of an area adjacent to the area in which the data is recorded. The method of claim 1, wherein after step (c) And resetting the table of the area where the data is rewritten, and increasing the number of times of writing of the table allocated to the area containing the adjacent track. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the table change value is periodically stored in a maintenance cylinder area of the hard disk.

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