JP2009026459A - Load/unload operation control method and storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress occurrence of mechanical noise during load/unload with respect to a load/unload operation control method and a storage device. <P>SOLUTION: The device is constituted so that when load/unload operation in which a head provided at an arm is loaded/unloaded for a recording medium by ramp-load/unload mechanism is controlled, a drive current supplied to a drive part driving the arm is controlled so as to change gradually, in at least one case of load operation and unload operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a load and / or unload operation control method (hereinafter referred to as a load / unload operation control method) and a storage device, and more particularly, loads a recording and / or reproducing means such as a magnetic head onto a recording medium. The present invention relates to a load / unload operation control method for controlling a load operation and / or an unload operation for unloading from a recording medium, and a storage device employing such a load / unload operation control method.

  In a magnetic disk apparatus, a magnetic head is provided at the tip of an arm, and information is recorded and / or reproduced (hereinafter simply referred to as recording / reproduction) at a desired position on the magnetic disk by moving the arm. In a state where information is not recorded / reproduced, the magnetic head is unloaded from the recording surface of the magnetic disk to the parking area so that the magnetic head does not collide with the magnetic disk due to external vibration or impact, for example. By unloading the magnetic head in the parking area, it is possible to prevent damage to the magnetic head and / or the magnetic disk due to a collision. When resuming information recording / reproduction, the magnetic head in the parking area is loaded to a desired position on the recording surface of the magnetic disk.

  In order to prevent the magnetic head from colliding with the magnetic disk during loading / unloading, the arm is configured to move on the ramp portion. Specifically, during unloading, the arm climbs the first inclined portion of the ramp portion from the state where the magnetic head is on the recording surface of the magnetic disk, moves the horizontal portion of the ramp portion, and then ramps the ramp. Go down the second inclined part of the part and reach the parking area. When loading, the arm moves in the opposite direction from unloading. The arm is moved by driving means such as a voice coil motor (VCM).

  In order to prevent the magnetic head in the parking area from moving on the recording surface of the magnetic disk due to external vibration or impact, when the magnetic head is in the parking area, the arm is moved by a mechanical catch such as a magnet catch. Held in the parking area.

Conventionally, at the time of loading, the current supplied to the VCM is suddenly increased in order to reliably disconnect the arm in the parking area from the magnetic catch. In addition, the current supplied to the VCM is rapidly increased so that the arm can reliably get over the sloped portion of the ramp during loading. Furthermore, when unloading, when the arm reaches the parking area, the current supplied to the VCM is rapidly reduced.
JP 2001-43645 A JP 2000-163901 A JP-A-61-139293 JP 2000-21103 A JP 7-312048 A JP 7-334950 A

  However, in the past, since the current supplied to the VCM is rapidly changed in this way, there has been a problem that mechanical noise is generated.

  An information processing apparatus having a configuration in which a power save mode for reducing unnecessary power consumption is provided in the magnetic disk device and a load / unload operation is frequently performed to prevent a collision between the magnetic head and the magnetic disk. When used in a portable information processing apparatus using a battery as a power source, the mechanical noise is harsh to the user.

  Further, such a problem occurs not only in the magnetic disk device but also in a storage device having a so-called ramp load / unload mechanism.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a load / unload operation control method and a storage device capable of suppressing the generation of mechanical noise during loading / unloading.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a load / unload operation control method for controlling a load / unload operation for loading / unloading a head provided on an arm with a ramp load / unload mechanism to / from a recording medium. A load / unload operation control method comprising a control step of controlling a drive current supplied to a drive unit for driving the vehicle so as to change gently during at least one of a load operation and an unload operation Can be achieved.

  The above-described problems are: a load / unload mechanism that loads / unloads a head provided on the arm with respect to a recording medium by a drive unit that drives the arm by a ramp load / unload operation; It can also be achieved by a storage device characterized by comprising a control means for controlling the drive current to be gently changed during at least one of the load operation and the unload operation.

  At the time of the loading operation, at the time of releasing operation for releasing the arm held in the unloaded state, at the time of circuit calibration operation, at the time of head launching operation for ejecting the head in the direction of the recording medium, and the head on the recording medium In at least one of the speed control operations for controlling the speed when loading the desired track, the drive current can be controlled so as to change gently.

  Further, at the time of the loading operation, at the time of releasing operation for releasing the arm held in the unloaded state, at the time of circuit calibration operation, at the time of head launching operation for ejecting the head toward the recording medium, and at the time of recording the head In at least one of the speed control operations for controlling the speed when loading on a desired track on the medium, the drive current is controlled so as to change abruptly, so that a steep change and a gradual change are mixed. You can also.

  In addition, when the unload operation is completed, the drive current can be controlled to change gradually.

  The silent mode and the normal mode may be discriminated, and the drive current may be controlled to change sharply when the normal mode is discriminated.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a load / unload operation control method and a storage device capable of suppressing the generation of mechanical noise during load / unload.

  Embodiments of a load / unload operation control method according to the present invention and a storage device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a storage device according to the present invention. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the memory device taken along line XX, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the memory device. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a hard disk drive (HDD) which is a magnetic disk device, and an embodiment of a load / unload operation control method according to the present invention is adopted.

  In FIG. 1, the HDD 10 generally comprises a disk enclosure (DE) 11 and a printed circuit board assembly (PCA) 12. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that two magnetic disks 111 rotated in the direction of arrow A by a spindle motor (SPM) 112 are stored in the disk enclosure 11. An arm 114 driven by a voice coil motor (VCM) 113 is provided in the disk enclosure 11 so as to be movable in the direction of arrow B, and a magnetic head 115 is provided at the tip of the arm 114. Two arms 114 and two magnetic heads 115 are provided in accordance with the number of magnetic disks 111. Thereby, the magnetic head 115 can move in the radial direction of the magnetic disk 111 and record / reproduce information on / from a desired track. During unloading, the arm 114 is retracted to a parking area other than the recording surface of the magnetic disk 111 by a ramp mechanism 116 described later.

  In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the ramp mechanism 116 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the magnetic disk 111, but the ramp mechanism 116 may be provided on the inner peripheral portion of the magnetic disk 111. Needless to say. Further, the basic configuration of the HDD 10 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and various known configurations including a ramp load / unload mechanism can be used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the HDD 10. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the disk enclosure 11 is provided with a head IC 117 that supplies a write signal to the magnetic head 115 and a read signal from the magnetic head 115.

  On the other hand, in the PCA 12, a hard disk controller (HDC) 121, a RAM 122, a flash ROM 123, an MPU 124, a read / write channel (RWC) 125, a servo controller (SVC) 126 and a driver 127 connected to the host system 100 such as a personal computer. 128 is provided. Also, a load / unload (LUL) switch 130 is connected to the HDC 121.

  The write signal from the host system 100 is temporarily stored in the RAM 122 via the HDC 121 and then supplied to the magnetic head 115 via the RWC 125 and the head IC 117 under the control of the MPU 124 and recorded on the magnetic disk 111. A read signal reproduced from the magnetic disk 111 by the magnetic head 115 is supplied from the head IC 117 to the RWC 125, temporarily stored in the RAM 122 via the HDC 121 under the control of the MPU 124, and then supplied to the host system 100 via the HDC 121. Is done.

  The MPU 124 executes a program stored in the ROM 123 to control the SPM 112 via the SVC 126 and the driver 128 and also controls the VCM 113 via the SVC 126 and the driver 127. The VCM 113 drives the arm 114 so that the magnetic head 115 is loaded from the ramp mechanism 116 onto the recording surface of the magnetic disk 111 during loading, and the magnetic head moves from the recording surface of the magnetic disk 111 to the ramp mechanism 116 during unloading. Drive to be unloaded. In the following description, the drive current supplied to the VCM 113 serving as a drive unit is referred to as a VCM current.

  The basic circuit configuration of the HDD 10 is not limited to the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 2, and various known circuit configurations including a ramp load / unload mechanism can be used.

  As will be described later, the LUL changeover switch 130 is provided to generate a switching signal for switching the HDD 10 to a silent mode or a normal mode that suppresses the generation of mechanical noise, and is provided in the HDD 10 and connected to the HDC 121. It may be constituted by a physical switch or a software switch such as a program. When the LUL changeover switch 130 is configured by a software switch, a menu capable of selecting a silent mode or a normal mode is displayed in the host system 100, and mode information (switching signal) corresponding to the selection is sent from the host system 100 to the HDD 10 Supplied to the HDC 121.

  Next, the operation at the time of loading in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation during loading. The process shown in FIG. 3 is executed by the MPU 124 shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the position of the magnetic head 115 during loading. For convenience of explanation, the illustration of the arm 114 is omitted. The details of the ramp mechanism 116 are shown only in FIG. 9A. The ramp mechanism 116 includes a first inclined portion 116-1, a horizontal portion 116-2, a second inclined portion 116-3, and a parking area 116-4. And the end wall 116-5. In FIGS. 9A to 9F, the current position of the magnetic head 115 is indicated by ■, and the position of the magnetic head 115 before movement is indicated by □.

  In the initial state where the unloading operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 9A, the magnetic head 115 is held by a mechanical catch such as a magnet catch in the intermediate portion of the parking area 116-4. In FIG. 3, step S <b> 1 determines whether or not the release operation of supplying the VCM current for moving the arm 114 in the outer direction of the magnetic disk 111 to the VCM 113 and disconnecting it from the magnet catch is completed. If the decision result in the step S1 is YES, a step S2 decides whether or not the circuit calibration operation for supplying the VCM current for moving the arm 114 in the outer direction of the magnetic disk 111 to the VCM 113 is completed. If the decision result in the step S2 is YES, a step S3 supplies a VCM current for moving the arm 114 in the inner direction of the magnetic disk 111 to the VCM 113 to determine whether or not the launching operation of the magnetic head 115 is completed. judge. If the decision result in the step S3 is YES, a step S4 performs a speed control operation for appropriately controlling the moving speed of the arm 114 in the inner direction. This speed control operation is performed based on the back electromotive force of the VCM 113 fed back from the VCM 113 to the SVC 126 in FIG. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the magnetic head 115 has reached a desired track on the magnetic disk 111 to be loaded at the time of loading, that is, whether or not it is in an on-track state. If the decision result in the step S5 is NO, a step S6 supplies a VCM current for moving the arm 114 in the outer direction of the magnetic disk 111 to the VCM 113 so that the unload operation is completed. In step S7, similarly to the case where the switching signal for setting the normal mode is obtained from the LUL changeover switch 130, a table of rapidly changing current values stored in the ROM 123 is called, and the processing returns to step S1. . On the other hand, if the determination result of step S5 is YES, the process ends.

  If the decision result in the step S1 is NO, a table calling process in a step S11-1 and a current instruction process in a step S12-1 are performed, and the process returns to the step S1. If the decision result in the step S2 is NO, a table calling process in a step S11-2 and a current instruction process in a step S12-2 are performed, and the process returns to the step S1. If the decision result in the step S3 is NO, a table calling process in a step S11-3 and a current instruction process in a step S12-3 are performed, and the process returns to the step S1. Since the table calling process in steps S11-1 to S11-3 is substantially the same, the table calling process in step S11-1 will be described below. In addition, since the current instruction processing in steps S12-1 to S12-3 is substantially the same, the current instruction processing in step S12-1 will be described in the following description.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the first embodiment of the table call processing 11-1. In the figure, step S21 determines whether or not a switching signal for setting the normal mode is obtained from the LUL selector switch 130. If the decision result in the step S21 is YES, a step S22 calls a table of rapidly changing current values stored in the ROM 123, and the table calling process is ended. On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S21 is NO, the slowly changing current value table stored in the ROM 123 is called and the table calling process 11-1 is ended.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a second embodiment of the table call processing 11-1. In the figure, the same steps as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 5, the table call process ends when the decision result in the step S21 is YES. On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S21 is NO, a step S24 calls a low pass filter (LPF) setting stored in the ROM 123, and the table calling process 11-1 is ended.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a third embodiment of the table call processing 11-1. In the figure, the same steps as those in FIGS. 4 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 6, if the decision result in the step S21 is NO, a step S24 is performed, and after the step S23 is performed next, the table calling process 11-1 is ended.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the first embodiment of the current instruction processing 11-2. In the figure, step 31 reads out the current value from the table start read address called in the table call processing 11-1 shown in FIG. 4, and step S32 shows the VCM current supplied to the VCM 113 based on the read out current value. Instruct. Step S33 determines whether or not the reading of the current value from the table has been completed. If the determination result is NO, step S34 sets the next read address of the table, and the process returns to step S31. . On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S33 is YES, the current instruction process 11-2 is ended.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a second embodiment of the current instruction processing 11-2. In the figure, the same steps as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Step 31 reads the current value from the table start read address called in the table call processing 11-1 shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, and step S35 calculates the LPF set for the read current value. I do. Accordingly, step S32 instructs the VCM current to be supplied to the VCM 113 based on the LPF calculation result.

  Therefore, from the initial state shown in FIG. 9A, the release operation is performed as shown in FIG. 9B, and the circuit calibration operation is performed as shown in FIG. 9C. Further, the head launch operation is performed as shown in FIG. 9D, the speed control operation is performed as shown in FIG. 9E, and the load operation is completed as shown in FIG. 9F.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the VCM current during loading in the normal mode and the silent mode. That is, FIG. 10A shows the VCM current in the normal mode, and FIG. 10B shows the VCM current in the silent mode. In FIG. 10, the vertical axis indicates the VCM current, the upper direction is a polarity VCM current that moves the arm 114 in the outer direction of the magnetic disk 111, and the lower direction is a polarity VCM that moves the arm 114 in the inner direction of the magnetic disk 111. Indicates current. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis indicates time in arbitrary units. Further, in FIG. 10, the same reference numerals (A) to (F) are given to the waveform portions corresponding to the states of FIGS. 9 (A) to 9 (F). In the normal mode, the change in the VCM current is steep in the waveform portions (B) to (F) as shown in FIG. 10A, but in the silent mode, the change in the VCM current is in the waveform portions (B) to (F). ), As shown in FIG.

  That is, as can be seen from FIG. 10B, in the silent mode, during the load operation, the head 115 is moved to the magnetic disk during the release operation for releasing the arm 114 held in the unloaded state, during the circuit calibration operation. Control is performed so that the drive current of the VCM 113 gradually changes in at least one of a head launching operation that launches in the 111 direction and a speed control operation that controls the speed at which the head 115 is loaded onto a desired track on the magnetic disk 111. To do.

  Further, in the silent mode, during the loading operation, during the releasing operation for releasing the arm 114 held in the unloaded state, during the circuit calibration operation, during the head launching operation for ejecting the head 115 toward the magnetic disk 111, and the head 115 By controlling the drive current of the VCM 113 to change abruptly in at least one of the speed control operations for controlling the speed at which the disk is loaded onto the desired track on the magnetic disk 111, a steep change and a gradual change are performed. Can be mixed. Specifically, during the head launch operation, the drive current of the VCM 113 can be controlled to change sharply.

  In the silent mode, if the drive current is slowly changed in all four operations during the load operation, operation variations due to mechanical factors are likely to occur, and mechanical noise may increase. It is possible to prevent increase of mechanical noise due to such operation variation by gently changing the drive current by at least one of the operations, or by mixing a steep change and a gentle change.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the filter characteristics of the LPF. In the figure, the vertical axis indicates amplitude in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis indicates time in arbitrary units. When using the LPF to moderate the change in the VCM current, it is desirable to perform filtering while avoiding the mechanical resonance point of the HDD 10. In the figure, the filter characteristics of the LPF, that is, the passband is set so that the change in the VCM current is within the region I not including the mechanical resonance point while avoiding the mechanical resonance region II including the mechanical resonance point.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the VCM current and the mechanical noise in the normal mode. FIG. 4A shows a rapidly changing VCM current, the vertical axis shows the amplitude of the VCM current in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time in arbitrary units. (B) shows mechanical noise generated when the VCM current shown in (A) is used. The vertical axis shows the amplitude of sound (noise) in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time. Shown in units.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the VCM current and the mechanical noise in the silent mode when the upper limit of the step of the VCM current is determined. FIG. 4A shows a slowly changing VCM current, the vertical axis shows the amplitude of the VCM current in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time in arbitrary units. (B) shows mechanical noise generated when the VCM current shown in (A) is used. The vertical axis shows the amplitude of sound (noise) in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time. Shown in units.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between the VCM current and the mechanical noise in the silent mode when the VCM current is passed through the LPF. FIG. 4A shows a slowly changing VCM current, the vertical axis shows the amplitude of the VCM current in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time in arbitrary units. (B) shows mechanical noise generated when the VCM current shown in (A) is used. The vertical axis shows the amplitude of sound (noise) in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time. Shown in units.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the VCM current and the mechanical noise in the silent mode when the upper limit of the step of the VCM current is determined and the LPF is passed. FIG. 4A shows a slowly changing VCM current, the vertical axis shows the amplitude of the VCM current in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time in arbitrary units. (B) shows mechanical noise generated when the VCM current shown in (A) is used. The vertical axis shows the amplitude of sound (noise) in arbitrary units, and the horizontal axis shows time. Shown in units.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 11 to 15, in the silent mode, when the upper limit of the step of the VCM current is set and the LPF is passed, the mechanical noise can be substantially removed.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the VCM current and the mechanical noise at the time of loading in the normal mode. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the relationship between the VCM current and the mechanical noise when loading in the silent mode. 16A and 17B, (A) shows the change with respect to time of the amplitude of the VCM current in an arbitrary unit, and (B) shows the change with respect to time of the amplitude of the mechanical noise generated when the VCM current of (A) is used. In arbitrary units. As can be seen from a comparison with FIGS. 16 and 17, in the silent mode, the change in the VCM current is gradual, so that the generation of mechanical noise can be suppressed and substantially eliminated.

  Next, the operation at the time of unloading of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the operation during unloading. The process shown in FIG. 18 is executed by the MPU 124 shown in FIG. In FIG. 18, the same steps as those in FIGS. 6 and 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the position of the magnetic head 115 during unloading, and the illustration of the arm 114 is omitted for convenience of explanation. 19A shows the details of the ramp mechanism 116. As shown in FIG. 9A, the ramp mechanism 116 includes the first inclined portion 116-1, the horizontal portion 116-2, and the second portion. It comprises an inclined portion 116-3, a parking area 116-4, and a terminal wall 116-5. In FIGS. 19A to 19F, the current position of the magnetic head 115 is indicated by ■, and the position of the magnetic head 115 before movement is indicated by □.

  In the initial state, as shown in FIG. 19A, the magnetic head 115 is on an arbitrary track on the magnetic disk 111. Therefore, when performing the unloading operation, as shown in FIG. 19B, first, the magnetic head 115 performs a seek operation from an arbitrary track on the magnetic disk 111 to a specific track (cylinder), and then unloads from the specific track. Start the load operation.

  In FIG. 18, in step S <b> 41, the magnetic head 115 is caused to seek to a specific track on the magnetic disk 111 by supplying an appropriate VCM current to the VCM 113. In step S42, it is determined whether the seek operation has been completed. If the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S41. On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S42 is YES, a step S43 starts counting the speed control time, and a step S44 performs a speed control operation similar to the step S4 shown in FIG. The VCM current is controlled so as to get over the first inclined portion 116-1 of the ramp mechanism 116 and reach the parking area 116-4 via the horizontal portion 116-2. In step S45, it is determined whether or not a fixed time has elapsed from the start of counting the speed control time. If the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S44. On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S45 is YES, the process advances to a step ST1, and after executing the step ST2, the process ends.

  18 shows a case where step ST1 is the same as that of the third example of the table call processing shown in FIG. 6 for convenience of explanation, but the first or second example of the table call processing shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. It may be adopted. Step ST2 also shows a case similar to that of the second embodiment of the current instruction process shown in FIG. 8, but when the table call process shown in FIG. 4 is adopted in step ST1, the current instruction process shown in FIG. The first embodiment may be adopted.

  Accordingly, from the initial state shown in FIG. 19A, a seek operation to a specific track is performed as shown in FIG. 19B, and a speed control operation is performed as shown in FIG. 19C. Further, as shown in FIG. 19 (D), the arm 114 hits the end wall 116-5 of the parking area 116-4 and presses the arm 114 against the end wall 116-5 as shown in FIG. 19 (E). The current is supplied, and the arm 114 is held by the magnet catch as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the VCM current during unloading in the normal mode and the silent mode. That is, FIG. 20A shows the VCM current in the normal mode, and FIG. 20B shows the VCM current in the silent mode. In FIG. 20, the vertical axis indicates the VCM current, the upper direction is the polarity VCM current that moves the arm 114 in the outer direction of the magnetic disk 111, and the lower direction is the polarity VCM that moves the arm 114 in the inner direction of the magnetic disk 111. Indicates current. In FIG. 20, the horizontal axis indicates time in arbitrary units. Furthermore, in FIG. 20, the same reference numerals (A) to (F) are assigned to the waveform portions corresponding to the states of FIGS. 19 (A) to 19 (F). In the normal mode, the change in the VCM current is steep in the waveform portion (F) as shown in FIG. 20A, but in the silent mode, the change in the VCM current is shown in FIG. 20B in the waveform portion (F). Loose as shown.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the VCM current and the mechanical noise at the time of unloading in the normal mode. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the relationship between the VCM current and mechanical noise during unloading in silent mode. In FIGS. 21 and 22, (A) shows the change of the amplitude of the VCM current with respect to time, and (B) shows the change of the amplitude of mechanical noise generated when the VCM current of (A) is used with respect to time. In arbitrary units. As can be seen from comparison with FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, in the silent mode, the change in the VCM current is gentle, so that the generation of mechanical noise can be suppressed and substantially eliminated.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the occurrence of mechanical noise can be effectively suppressed during unloading as well as during loading.

  Needless to say, the control for slowing the change in the VCM current to suppress the generation of mechanical noise may be performed at least one of loading and unloading.

  In the present embodiment, the LUL changeover switch 130 can be used to switch the HDD 10 to a silent mode or a normal mode that suppresses the generation of mechanical noise. However, when the HDD 10 is designed to always operate in the silent mode, it is not necessary to provide the LUL changeover switch 130, and steps S6, S7, S21, and S22 in FIGS. 3 to 6 and 18 are omitted. Is possible. In this case, if the determination result in step S5 shown in FIG. 3 is NO, an error notification may be performed by a known method, or the process may be returned to step S1 after executing step S6.

  In addition, when the HDD 10 is configured to be switchable to the silent mode or the normal mode, the mode can be selected according to the user's application, which is convenient and is loaded due to variations in mechanical accuracy of components constituting the HDD 10. For example, even if the unload operation fails for a predetermined number of times, there is an advantage that the load / unload operation can be performed reliably by switching from the silent mode to the normal mode.

  Further, the setting for switching to the silent mode or the normal mode is not limited to the method performed by the LUL changeover switch 130, and may be automatically selected according to the operation mode of the HDD 10, for example. In other words, the silent mode is automatically selected in the operation mode in which the load / unload operation is frequently performed, and the normal mode is automatically selected in the operation mode in which the load / unload operation is not performed so frequently. good.

  In the above embodiment, the magnetic disk 111 is a hard disk, but the magnetic disk is not limited to a hard disk. The application of the present invention is not limited to a magnetic disk device, but can be applied to an optical disk device or a magneto-optical disk device as long as it is a storage device having a so-called ramp load / unload mechanism. It is not limited to magnetic disks.

In addition, this invention also includes the invention attached to the following.
(Appendix 1)
A load / unload operation control method for controlling a load / unload operation for loading / unloading a head provided on an arm to a recording medium by a ramp load / unload mechanism,
A load / unload comprising a control step of controlling a drive current supplied to a drive unit for driving the arm so as to change gently during at least one of a load operation and an unload operation. Operation control method.
(Appendix 2)
In the loading operation, the control step includes a releasing operation for releasing the arm held in an unloaded state, a circuit calibration operation, a head launching operation for ejecting the head in the recording medium direction, and the head (Appendix 1), wherein the drive current is controlled so as to change gradually in at least one of speed control operations for controlling the speed at which the recording medium is loaded onto a desired track on the recording medium. Load / unload operation control method.
(Appendix 3)
The load / unload operation control method according to (Appendix 1) or (Appendix 2), wherein the control step performs control so that the drive current gradually changes upon completion of the unload operation. .
(Appendix 4)
The load / unload according to any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 3), wherein the control step changes the drive current in steps that do not exceed a predetermined change amount. Operation control method.
(Appendix 5)
The load / unload operation control method according to any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 3), wherein in the control step, the change in the drive current is moderated using a low-pass filter.
(Appendix 6)
4. The control process according to any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 3), wherein the drive current is changed in a step that does not exceed a predetermined amount of change while using a low-pass filter. Load / unload operation control method.
(Appendix 7)
The load / unload operation control method according to any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 6), wherein the control step performs control so that the drive current changes gently only in a silent mode. .
(Appendix 8)
The method further includes a mode discrimination step for discriminating between a silent mode and a normal mode, wherein the control step controls the drive current to change sharply when the mode discrimination step discriminates the normal mode. The load / unload operation control method according to any one of 1) to (Appendix 7).
(Appendix 9)
In the loading operation, the control step includes a releasing operation for releasing the arm held in an unloaded state, a circuit calibration operation, a head launching operation for ejecting the head in the recording medium direction, and the head (Appendix 2), wherein the drive current is controlled to change abruptly in at least one of the speed control operations for controlling the speed at which the recording medium is loaded onto a desired track on the recording medium. Load / unload operation control method.
(Appendix 10)
The load / unload operation control method according to (Appendix 9), wherein the control step performs control so that the drive current changes abruptly during the head launch operation during the load operation.
(Appendix 11)
A loading / unloading mechanism for loading / unloading a head provided on the arm with respect to a recording medium by a driving unit that drives the arm by a ramp loading / unloading operation;
And a control unit configured to control a drive current supplied to the drive unit so as to change gently during at least one of a load operation and an unload operation.
(Appendix 12)
In the loading operation, the control means includes a releasing operation for releasing the arm held in an unloaded state, a circuit calibration operation, a head launching operation for ejecting the head in the recording medium direction, and the head (Appendix 11), wherein the drive current is controlled so as to change gradually in at least one of speed control operations for controlling the speed at which the recording medium is loaded onto a desired track on the recording medium. Storage device.
(Appendix 13)
The storage device according to (Appendix 11) or (Appendix 12), wherein the control means controls the drive current to change gradually when the unload operation is completed.
(Appendix 14)
The storage device according to any one of (Appendix 11) to (Appendix 13), wherein the control means changes the drive current in steps that do not exceed a predetermined change amount.
(Appendix 15)
The storage device according to any one of (Appendix 11) to (Appendix 13), wherein the control means moderates the change in the drive current using a low-pass filter.
(Appendix 16)
The control means changes the drive current by using a low-pass filter in steps that do not exceed a predetermined amount of change, (Appendix 11) to (Appendix 13), Storage device.
(Appendix 17)
The storage device according to (Appendix 15) or (Appendix 16), wherein the control means has a filter characteristic such that the change in the current falls within a region not including the mechanical resonance point of the storage device.
(Appendix 18)
The storage device according to any one of (Appendix 11) to (Appendix 17), wherein the control unit controls the drive current to change gently only in a silent mode.
(Appendix 19)
The apparatus further comprises mode discriminating means for discriminating between the silent mode and the normal mode, and the control means performs control so that the drive current changes sharply when the mode discriminating means discriminates the normal mode. The storage device according to any one of 11) to (Appendix 18).
(Appendix 20)
In the loading operation, the control means includes a releasing operation for releasing the arm held in an unloaded state, a circuit calibration operation, a head launching operation for ejecting the head in the recording medium direction, and the head (Appendix 12), wherein the drive current is controlled to change abruptly in at least one of speed control operations for controlling the speed when loading a desired track on the recording medium. Storage device.
(Appendix 21)
The storage device according to (Appendix 20), wherein the control means controls the drive current to change steeply during the head launch operation during the load operation.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the Example, this invention is not limited to the said Example, It cannot be overemphasized that various deformation | transformation and improvement are possible.

It is a figure which shows one Example of the memory | storage device which becomes this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a memory | storage device. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of loading. It is a flowchart explaining 1st Example of a table call process. It is a flowchart explaining 2nd Example of a table call process. It is a flowchart explaining the 3rd Example of table calling processing. It is a flowchart explaining 1st Example of an electric current instruction | indication process. It is a flowchart explaining 2nd Example of an electric current instruction | indication process. It is a figure explaining the position of the magnetic head at the time of loading. It is a figure which shows the VCM current at the time of load about a normal mode and a silent mode. It is a figure explaining the filter characteristic of LPF. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM current in a normal mode, and mechanical noise. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM current in a silent mode, and the mechanical noise about the case where the upper limit of the step of VCM current is defined. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM current in a silent mode, and a mechanical noise about the case where a VCM current is passed with LPF. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM current in a silent mode, and a mechanical noise about the case where the upper limit of the step of VCM current is determined, and LPF is passed. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM electric current at the time of load of normal mode, and mechanical noise. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM electric current at the time of loading of silent mode, and mechanical noise. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of unloading. It is a figure explaining the position of the magnetic head at the time of unloading. It is a figure which shows the VCM electric current at the time of unload about a normal mode and a silent mode. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM electric current at the time of unloading in normal mode, and mechanical noise. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the VCM current at the time of unloading of silent mode, and mechanical noise.

Explanation of symbols

11 DE
12 PCA
113 VCM
115 Magnetic head 116 Ramp mechanism 117 Head IC
121 HDC
122 RAM
124 MPU
125 RWC
126 SVC

Claims (4)

A load / unload operation control method for controlling a load / unload operation of an apparatus for loading / unloading a head provided on an arm to a recording medium by a ramp load / unload mechanism,
In the loading operation of loading the head onto the recording medium by the ramp loading / unloading mechanism, in the releasing operation of releasing the arm held in the unloaded state, in the circuit calibration operation, the head is At least one load operation timing at the time of a head launch operation for launching in the direction of the recording medium and a speed control operation for controlling the speed at which the head is loaded onto a desired track on the recording medium, the drive unit that drives the arm A load / unload operation control method comprising a control step of controlling a drive current to be supplied through a low-pass filter having a pass band that falls within a region not including a mechanical resonance point of the device.   2. The load / unload operation control method according to claim 1, wherein the control step changes the drive current in a step so as not to exceed a predetermined change amount. A storage device having a load / unload mechanism for loading / unloading a head provided on the arm with respect to a recording medium by a drive unit that drives the arm by a ramp load / unload operation,
In the loading operation in which the head is loaded onto the recording medium by the load / unload mechanism, in the releasing operation for releasing the arm held in the unloaded state, in the circuit calibration operation, the head is A drive current supplied to the drive unit in at least one load operation timing during a head launch operation for launching in the recording medium direction and a speed control operation for controlling the speed at which the head is loaded onto a desired track on the recording medium And a control means for controlling the storage device through a low-pass filter having a pass band that falls within a region not including the mechanical resonance point of the storage device.   The storage device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit changes the drive current in steps that do not exceed a predetermined change amount.

Images