JP2009301595A - Disk drive and its recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten waiting time for readout in a storage medium having storage regions arranged in concentric circles. <P>SOLUTION: In reading out data from the storage medium having storage regions arranged in concentric circles, the waiting time for readout from the storage medium having the storage regions arranged in concentric circles is shortened by assigning a physical address of the storage medium using a semiconductor between the last physical address of a circle and the first physical address of the next circle immediately after changeover thereto and conducting readout from the storage medium using the semiconductor during the waiting time for readout. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a disk device including a disk-shaped recording medium and a semiconductor recording medium.

  An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) has been used as a storage device for storing an OS (Operating System), application programs, user-created text data, and the like as a peripheral device of a PC (Personal Computer). However, recently, it has come to be used in various consumer digital devices such as HDD recorders, STBs (Set Top Boxes), and camcorders as means for storing stream data such as video and audio.

  A disk device using a disk-type recording medium such as an HDD or an optical disk includes a disk on which a sector for recording data is arranged and a head for reading and writing the sector. Such a disk device is configured to perform reading / writing by rotating a disk to move the head onto a sector to be read / written at the time of data reading / writing.

  For this reason, the disk device generally performs physical operations such as disk rotation and head movement, which are called seek latency, after instructing the reading process to the HDD or optical disk until the actual reading is started. Time to wait for completion is required.

  As an alternative to the disk device, a storage device using a large-capacity nonvolatile memory is also on the market. The non-volatile memory has a lower maximum reading speed (MB / s) than the HDD, but does not have a seek waiting time existing in the HDD, so that the time until the start of reading can be shortened.

  As a conventional technique for shortening the HDD seek waiting time as described above, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this prior art, the head of a file that has a relatively high seek latency is stored in a nonvolatile memory, and the rest is stored in a disk device. As a result, when reading from the beginning of the file, a nonvolatile memory having a short time until the start of reading can be used, and the seek waiting time of the HDD can be shortened.

Hereinafter, the prior art will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing configurations of a disk device and a host device in the prior art. In this figure, reference numeral 1140 is a disk device, reference numeral 102 is a disk unit, reference numeral 103 is a non-volatile memory unit composed of a semiconductor, reference numeral 104 is an external I / F unit, reference numeral 1402 is a conventional control unit, and reference numeral 114 is a host device. Reference numeral 115 denotes a disk device I / F, reference numeral 116 denotes a decoding unit I / F, reference numeral 117 denotes a video output I / F, and reference numeral 118 denotes a TV.
The host device 114 is a device that issues data write / read commands to the disk device 1401, a disk device I / F 115 that exchanges data including read / write commands with the disk device, a video decoder, A decoding unit I / F 116 and a video output I / F 117 for outputting video data to the TV 118 are provided. The disk device 1401 is connected to the host device 114, and writes and reads data according to instructions from the host device 114. From the disk unit 102, the nonvolatile memory unit 103, the external I / F unit 104, and the conventional control unit 1402 It is configured. The disk unit 102 performs disk rotation control, HD R / W control, etc. on a disk-shaped medium (disk) having a plurality of concentric tracks, and reads / writes data by using a head. This is a device that can be performed, and is connected to the conventional control unit 1402. The non-volatile memory unit 103 is a recording device characterized by being capable of holding written information even when not energized and having excellent response until the start of reading than the disk unit 102, and is connected to the conventional control unit 1402. ing. Here, virtual address areas are allocated to the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103, respectively, and writing / reading of both can be controlled by an address for reading / writing from the host device 114.
The external I / F unit 104 is an I / F for connecting to the host device 114, and is connected to the disk device I / F 115 and the conventional control unit 1402. The conventional control unit 1402 is a device that controls the connected storage device, and is connected to the disk unit 102, the nonvolatile memory unit 103, and the external I / F unit 104.
When the host device 114 issues a read / write command to the disk device 1401, the read / write command is transmitted to the disk device 1401 using the disk device I / F 115. At this time, the conventional control unit 1402 receives a command from the host device 114 and performs read / write operations on the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103. In addition, the virtual address space used for the read / write command is a combination of the physical address space of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and the physical address space of the disk unit 102, and is sent to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and the disk unit 102. Is arbitrarily performed by the host device 114.
For example, when writing a video data file, the host device 114 stores the head portion of each file in the nonvolatile memory unit 103. At this time, the data size stored in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 is a size in which the reproduction time when the data of the head part is reproduced at 1 × speed is at least equal to or longer than the read start waiting time of the disk unit 102. At this time, the remaining data is written to the disk unit 102. When reading, the top of the data is read from the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and the remaining data is read from the disk unit 102. As a result, the disk device 1401 according to the prior art shown in FIG. 14 does not cause a read delay when reading data at the beginning of the file.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-302276

  The above-described prior art reduces the seek waiting time for a limited amount of data stored as the head of data.

  By the way, the data on the disk is arranged concentrically on a disk-shaped storage medium, and one round of this concentric circle is called a track. When sequentially reading a large amount of data, it is necessary to read across this track, which is called a track switch. When this track switch occurs, a seek waiting time of several ms occurs.

  The prior art does not consider reducing the seek waiting time related to the track switch, and a read stop time occurs when the track switch is generated.

  In the prior art, the host device 114 arbitrarily controls reading and writing with respect to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and the disk unit 102. However, since there is information that can only be possessed by the disk device, such as the data arrangement for each track and the presence of defective sectors on the disk, it is difficult to arrange the data so that it can be read from the nonvolatile memory unit 103 at the time of track switching. Met.

  The object of the present invention with respect to the problems of the prior art described above is to read data without interruption even when a track switch occurs.

  In a disk device provided with a non-volatile memory, a disk device that can read the seek (track switch) time for the head portion of the track is configured. In other words, by implementing a disk device having the following configurations (1) to (4), when reading data that spans multiple tracks, the data is read from the nonvolatile memory during the track switch waiting time. This prevents a decrease in the reading performance of the disk device.

  (1) For an address space including both a disk device and a nonvolatile memory, a nonvolatile memory is allocated immediately before the head portion of the track.

  (2) In response to a read command from the host, the time when the track switch is generated is read from the nonvolatile memory, and the other time is read from the disk device.

  (3) Let the capacity of the non-volatile memory in a certain track be (the disk reading performance of the corresponding track * track switch waiting time).

  (4) Upon receiving a command from the host, the disk device performs the operations (1) to (3) using information such as sector arrangement information on a track managed by the disk device itself and information on defective sectors.

  According to the present invention, in a disk device using a recording medium that requires a track switch waiting time, the track switch waiting time can be reduced or eliminated, and the reading / writing speed of the disk device can be improved.

  Further, according to the present invention, data can be output without interruption by reading data from the nonvolatile memory during the track switch. For example, when video data is read, the data can be stably supplied to the video decoder by outputting the data at a stable rate.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a disk device 101 and a host device 114 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The disc device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is different from that described as the prior art in FIG.

  The disk device 101 includes a volatile memory unit 106 that records a data structure. The volatile memory unit 106 includes a data read / write queue 109 serving as a queue for storing read / write commands for the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103, and a queue generation command storage area 108.

  The control unit 105 includes a virtual / physical sector conversion table 107 for converting a read / write command issued by the host device 114 into a read / write command to the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103. . The virtual / physical sector conversion table 107 is stored in the read-only memory or the nonvolatile memory unit 103 on the control unit 105, and has the same number of fields as the number of tracks that the disk unit 102 has.

  Here, for Example 1, the nonvolatile memory writing area temporary storage 110, the seek determination table 111, the seek destination conversion table 112, the AV I / F 113, the decoding unit I / F 116, the video output I / F 117, and the TV 118 are do not use.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the queue generation instruction storage area 108. This is an area in the volatile memory unit 106 that stores read / write commands from the host device 114. “Read / write start physical sector number” 201 is the read start sector number for the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103, and “read / write size” 202 describes the read / write size in units of sectors. The For example, row 203 indicates that the read / write start sector number is 1 and the read / write size is 1300 sectors.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the virtual / physical sector conversion table 107. This is a table in the control unit 105 that manages the addresses of the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103. This table has information on a virtual sector start address 301, a physical sector start address 302, and a data storage destination 303, and reads / write commands from the host device 114 are read / written to the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103, respectively. Used to convert to a write command. In this table, “virtual sector start address” 301 is a virtual address of the entire disk device 101, “physical sector start address” 302 is a physical address directly corresponding to the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103, and “data storage destination” A part 303 stores data.

  When the disk device 101 receives a command from the host device 114, the command is converted as follows using the virtual / physical sector conversion table 107 of the control unit 105.

  For example, the row 304 indicates that the virtual sector start address 1 corresponds to the physical sector start address 1 of the nonvolatile memory unit 103. A row 305 indicates that the virtual sector start address 101 corresponds to the physical sector start address 1 of the disk unit 102. A row 306 indicates that the virtual sector start address 1001 corresponds to the physical sector start address 101 of the nonvolatile memory unit 103. A row 307 indicates that the virtual sector start address 1101 corresponds to the physical sector start address 901 of the disk unit 102.

  At this time, the boundary between the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103 is aligned with the track boundary in the disk unit 102. That is, an area of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 is allocated immediately before the track head portion where the track switch occurs. At this time, the area of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 in a certain track is defined as (disc reading performance of the corresponding track × track switch waiting time).

  FIG. 4 shows the data read / write queue 109. This is a queue in the volatile memory 106 that manages read / write commands for the disk unit 102 and the nonvolatile memory unit 103. This queue has read / write start physical sector number 401, read / write size 402, and data read / write destination 403 information, and read / write commands to disk unit 102 and nonvolatile memory unit 103, respectively. Used to manage “Read / write start physical sector number” 401 is the physical sector number converted in the virtual / physical sector conversion table, “Read / write size” 402 is the size to read / write, “Data read / write destination” "403" describes a portion where data is stored.

  For example, when writing from virtual sector 1 to 1030, in this queue, first, 100 sectors are written from 1 sector of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 as shown in line 404, and then the disk is written as shown in line 405. A queue is held such that 1 sector to 900 sectors are written in the unit 102, and finally 30 sectors are written from 101 sectors in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 as shown in the row 406.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a read / write process. This is because when a read / write command is issued from the host device 114, the control unit 105 generates a data read / write queue 109 using the virtual / physical sector conversion table 107, and the disk unit 102 and the non-volatile memory according to this queue. 4 shows a process of performing a read / write operation on the volatile memory unit 103.

  Step 501 is processing in which the control unit 105 copies the read / write command to the queue generation command storage area 108.

  Step 502 is a process in which the control unit 105 checks whether the read / write range includes both the non-volatile memory unit 103 area and the disk unit 102 area. That is, the virtual / physical sector conversion table between the read / write start physical sector number 201 indicated by the queue generation instruction storage area 108 and (read / write start physical sector number 201 + read / write size 202). The determination is made based on whether or not the value indicated by the virtual sector start address 301 of 107 includes two or more rows. If the read / write range includes both the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area and the disk device 101 area, the process proceeds to step 503. Alternatively, if the read / write range does not include both the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area and the disk device 101 area, the process proceeds to step 506.

  Step 503 is a process in which the control unit 105 takes one instruction to the disk unit 102 or the nonvolatile memory unit 103 from the head of the instruction indicated by the queue generation instruction storage area 108 and adds it to the data read / write queue 109. is there. That is, in step 503, read / write commands up to the virtual sector start address 301-1 having the smallest value up to the read / write range held by the queue generation command storage area 108 are transferred to the data read / write queue 109. Add to. At this time, the address value is incremented one by one from the start address of the queue generation instruction storage area 108, and the minimum virtual sector start address 301 within the read / write range held by the queue generation instruction storage area 108 When the same value is reached, the size and start address added so far are added to the data read / write queue 109.

  Step 504 is a process of subtracting the size of the instruction added to the queue from the read / write size of the queue generation instruction storage area 108 by the control unit 105. That is, the read / write size of the queue generation instruction storage area 108 is changed to (read / write size−size of the read / write instruction added to the data read / write queue 109).

  Step 505 is a process in which the control unit 105 changes the read / write start physical sector number 201 of the queue generation instruction storage area 108 to the next address of the instruction added to the queue. That is, the read / write start physical sector number 201 in the queue generation instruction storage area 108 is changed to the sector number next to the read / write start physical sector number 401 written at the end of the data read / write queue 109. . When step 505 ends, step 502 is performed again. That is, by repeatedly performing steps 503, 504, and 505, the read / write command from the host device 114 is sequentially interpreted, and the read / write range includes both the nonvolatile memory area and the disk area. A read / write command for only one of the disk unit 102 or the nonvolatile memory unit 103 can be generated from the read / write queue.

  In step 502, when the read / write instruction held in the instruction memory area 108 for queue generation includes one of the disk part 102 area and the non-volatile memory part 103 area, or the write size is 0 Executed. When one of the disk unit 102 area and the non-volatile memory unit 103 area is included, the control unit 105 receives a read / write command for either the disk unit 102 or the non-volatile memory unit 103 from the queue generation instruction storage area 108. Add to read / write queue 109. When the write size is 0, addition to the data read / write queue 109 is not performed.

  Step 507 is a process in which the control unit 105 checks whether a read / write queue for the non-volatile memory unit 103 exists, that is, whether the read / write queue for the non-volatile memory unit 103 is a read / write queue for the disk unit. It is. If there is a read / write queue for the nonvolatile memory unit 103, the process proceeds to step 508, and if not, the process proceeds to step 509 because the read / write queue is for the disk unit.

  Step 508 is a process of reading / writing to the non-volatile memory unit 103 area while seeking to the write start address of the disk unit 102. Here, the seek is to move a magnetic head (not shown) having a recording / reproducing element for recording / reproducing to / from a magnetic disk (not shown) onto the track. To move on a track (track switch). That is, the control unit 105 reads / writes the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area, and at that time, the disk unit 102 is continuous with the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area to be read / written in the virtual sector address 301. Seek to the next physical sector start address 302 is performed.

  Step 509 is a process in which the control unit 105 controls the magnetic head to read / write data to / from the disk unit 102 when the only commands in the read / write queue are commands to the disk unit 102. is there.

  The data read / write queue 109 generation processing using the virtual / physical sector conversion table 107 and the queue generation instruction storage area 108 in steps 501 to 506 described above, and the data read / By performing read / write processing using the write queue 109, it is possible to read / write the seek (track switch) time for the head portion of the track. That is, the continuous data can be written to the track of the disk unit 102, and the continuous data can be written to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 at the time of moving the seek to the adjacent track to be written next among the tracks. The writing speed can be improved. If the above writing is performed, continuous data is stored separately in the disk unit 102 and the non-volatile memory unit 103. Therefore, at the time of reading, the continuous data is read from the track of the disk unit 102, Of these, the continuous data can be read to the non-volatile memory portion during the time of moving the seek to the adjacent track to be read next, the reading speed can be improved, and the intended effect of the present invention is achieved. can get. For example, in an HDD with 5200 rpm and a track switch time of 1 ms, if a non-volatile memory is used for 8% of the HDD capacity, even if a track switch occurs, data can be read without interruption.

  Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. In FIG. 1, a disk device 101 according to the second embodiment differs from the device described as Example 1 in the following parts. That is, in the disk device 101 shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 105 has a function of controlling a seek operation for the next track in response to a read / write command from the host device 114. The volatile memory unit 106 includes a seek determination table 111 that records whether or not the write command from the host device 114 is continuous. In addition, the volatile memory unit 106 records whether or not the write command from the host device 114 to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 is continuous when the control unit 105 writes to the nonvolatile memory unit 103. A nonvolatile memory writing area temporary storage 110 is provided. The continuous write / read command here means that the write / read command is a command for writing / reading to / from the disk unit 102 after writing / reading to / from the non-volatile memory unit. It is that.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the seek determination table 111. This is a table for determining whether or not to perform a seek operation on the next track (adjacent track) by referring to the past writing situation when reading data from the disk device 101. In the seek determination table 111, “track number” 601 is the track number of the disk unit 102. "Consecutive data start sector" 602 is a value that expresses where the continuous data including the last sector starts in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 allocated to each track of the disk unit 102 by an offset from the first sector number of each track Is described. “Continuity with next track” 603 describes whether or not a value is written in the last sector in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 assigned to each track of the disk unit 102.

  For example, as shown in the row 604, when the continuous data start sector 602 is 0 for the track number 601 of 1 and the continuity 603 with the next track is true, the track of the disk unit 102 In the area of the non-volatile memory unit 103 corresponding to the part with the number 1, continuous data is written from the first sector to the last sector, and the disk allocated immediately after the non-volatile memory unit 103 area This indicates that continuous data is also written in the area of the unit 102.

  Also, as shown in line 605, when the continuous data start sector 602 is -1 and the continuity 603 with the next track is false for the track number 601 of 2, the corresponding track is the initial Indicates that it is in a state. That is, in the area of the non-volatile memory unit 103 corresponding to the part of the disk unit 102 having the track number 2, the area of the disk unit 102 allocated immediately after the non-volatile memory unit 103 area in which no data is written Indicates that there is no continuity to.

  Also, as shown in the row 606, when the track number 601 is 3, the continuous data start sector 602 is 20, and the continuity 603 with the next track is false, the track of the disk unit 102 In the area of the non-volatile memory unit 103 corresponding to the part with the number 3, continuous data is written from the 20th sector, but the area where the continuous data is written is interrupted in the non-volatile memory unit 103 area. This indicates that there is no continuity to the area of the disk unit 102 allocated immediately after the non-volatile memory unit 103 area.

  Also, as shown in line 607, if the continuous data start sector 602 is 10 and the continuity 603 with the next track is true for the track number 601 of 4, the track of the disk unit 102 In the area of the non-volatile memory unit 103 corresponding to the part having the number 4, continuous data is written from the 10th sector, and the data to the area of the disk unit 102 allocated immediately after the non-volatile memory unit 103 area is written. Indicates that there is continuity.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110. This is used for managing a writing area for the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and determining whether or not continuous data writing is performed in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area. In the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110, the “write start physical sector number” 701 is the sector number that is the starting point for continuous writing to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area. "702" describes the size of continuous writing in units of sectors.

  For example, as shown in row 703, when the write start physical sector number 701 is 1001 and the write size 702 is 200, 200 sectors are continuously written from the physical sector 1001 in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area. .

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a nonvolatile memory write process. This represents a process in which the control unit 105 performs a write process to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and updates the value of the seek determination table 111 using the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110. In the writing process in the second embodiment, step 508 (writing to the nonvolatile memory unit 103) described in FIG. 5 is replaced with the process described below.

  Step 801 is processing in which the control unit 105 performs writing in accordance with a write command to the nonvolatile memory unit 103.

  Step 802 is processing in which the control unit 105 checks whether the address is continuous with the immediately preceding write command. That is, the write start physical sector number of the write command executed in step 801 is equal to the value of (write start physical sector number 710 + write size 702) held in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110. If this is the case, it is considered that the address is continuous with the immediately preceding write command, and the process proceeds to step 803. If the address is not continuous with the immediately preceding write command, the process proceeds to step 804.

  Step 803 is a process in which the control unit 105 adds the write size of the immediately preceding instruction executed in step 801 to the write size of the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110 and saves it.

  In step 804, when the control unit 105 does not continuously write to the nonvolatile memory unit 103, the nonvolatile memory writing is performed to initialize the writing state to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 until the previous time. This is a process of writing the current instruction in the area temporary storage 110.

  Step 805 is a process for examining whether or not the control unit 105 includes the last sector of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area allocated to one track of the disk unit 102. If the last sector of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area is included, the process proceeds to step 806. If the last sector of the non-volatile memory unit 103 area is not included, the process ends.

  Step 806 is a process in which the control unit 105 rewrites the continuous data start sector 602 in the seek determination table 111 to the value of the start sector in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110.

  Step 807 is a process in which the control unit 105 checks whether the write queue of the data read / write queue 109 is not empty. If the write queue of the data read / write queue 109 is not empty, the process proceeds to step 808. In the virtual address, the disk unit 102 area always exists after the area of the nonvolatile memory unit 103. Therefore, in step 808, if the data write queue 112 is not empty, it is understood that continuous writing is performed. If the data write queue 112 is not empty, the process is terminated.

  Step 808 is processing in which the control unit 105 changes the continuity 603 with the next track of the seek determination table 111 to true.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a reading process. This represents processing in which the control unit 105 performs read processing of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and the disk unit 102 with reference to the seek determination table 111.

  Step 901 is data read queue generation processing, which is the same processing as steps 501 to 506 of the data read / write queue generation processing shown in FIG.

  Step 902 is a process for extracting one item from the data read queue.

  Step 903 is a process for checking whether or not the data reading source of the data reading queue taken out at 902 is the nonvolatile memory unit 103. If the data reading source is the nonvolatile memory unit 103, the process proceeds to step 904. If the data reading source is not the nonvolatile memory unit 103, the process proceeds to step 907.

  Step 904 is a process of checking whether the instruction includes the range of the seek determination table 111 and whether the continuity 603 with the next track is true. If the command includes the range of the seek determination table 111 and the continuity 603 with the next track is true, the process proceeds to step 905. If the command does not include the range of the seek determination table 111 or the continuity with the next track is false, the process proceeds to step 903.

  Step 905 is a process of starting prefetching by seeking to the first continuous disk unit 102 area from the data to be read.

  Step 906 is a process of reading from the nonvolatile memory unit 103 with reference to the contents of the data read queue.

  Step 907 is a process of reading from the disk device 101 with reference to the contents of the data read queue.

  Step 908 is processing to check whether the data read queue is empty. If the data read queue is not empty, the process returns to step 902. If the data read queue is empty, the process is terminated.

  In the writing process to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 in steps 801 to 808 described above, the seek determination table 111 is updated using the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110, and the seek is performed in steps 901 to 908. When reading / writing is performed by performing reading using the determination table 111, when continuous data ends in the middle of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area, or when the nonvolatile memory unit 103 not included in the continuous data is stored. When the data is read, the head of the disk unit 102 can be prevented from performing a seek operation on the next track, and the seek failure that occurs by automatically seeking the head to the next track is eliminated. Can do.

  Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 10 to 13. In FIG. 1, a disk device 101 according to the third embodiment is different from the device described as Example 2 in the following parts. That is, in the disk device 101 shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 105 operates differently in response to a read / write command from the host device 114 to control a seek operation for the next track. In addition, the volatile memory unit 106 includes a seek destination conversion table 112 that records whether or not the write command from the host device 114 is continuous, and does not include the seek determination table 111.

  FIG. 10 shows the seek destination conversion table 112. As shown in FIG. This is a table that exists in the volatile memory unit 103 and determines where the head of the disk unit 102 seeks during read / write processing to the nonvolatile memory unit 103.

  “Track number” 1001 is a track number of the disk unit 102. “Continuous data end sector” 1002 is the number of sectors written in the non-volatile memory unit 103 assigned to each track of the disk unit 102 where the continuous data from the beginning of the non-volatile memory unit 103 area is interrupted It shows with. “Seek destination sector” 1003 describes whether or not a value is written in the last sector in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 assigned to each track of the disk unit 102.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a writing process. This exists in the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and is executed by the control unit 105 when a write command is received from the host device 114.

  Step 1101 is data write queue generation processing, which is the same processing as steps 501 to 506 of the data read / write queue generation processing shown in FIG.

  Step 1102 is a process for extracting one item from the data write queue.

  Step 1103 is seek destination information generation processing, and details will be described with reference to FIG.

  Step 1104 is a process for checking whether the data write destination is the nonvolatile memory unit 103. If the data write destination is the nonvolatile memory unit 103, the process proceeds to step 1105. If the data write destination is not the non-volatile memory unit 103, the process proceeds to step 1106.

  Step 1105 is a process of referring to the write queue and writing to the nonvolatile memory unit 103.

  Step 1106 is a process of referring to the write queue and writing to the disk unit 102.

  Step 1107 is a process for checking whether the data write queue is empty. If the data write queue is empty, the process returns to step 1102. Alternatively, if the data write queue is not empty, the process ends.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing seek destination change generation processing. This explains the seek information generation processing 1105 in FIG. 11 in detail.

  Step 1201 is a process for examining whether or not the first sector of the nonvolatile memory unit 103 area is included. If the first sector of the non-volatile memory unit 103 area is included, the process proceeds to step 1202. If the first sector of the non-volatile memory unit 103 area is not included, the process proceeds to step 1203.

  Step 1202 is a process of writing the current instruction fetched from the data write queue into the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110.

  Step 1203 is a process for examining whether or not a value is stored in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110. If there is a value in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110, the process proceeds to step 1204. If there is no value in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110, the process is terminated.

  Step 1204 is a process for checking whether the address is continuous with the immediately preceding write command. If the address is continuous with the immediately preceding write command, the process proceeds to step 1205. If the address is not continuous with the immediately preceding write command, the process proceeds to step 1206. For example, the write address to the nonvolatile memory unit 103 and the write command to the disk unit 102 are different from each other because the physical addresses to be written are different.

  Step 1205 is a process of adding the write size of the instruction fetched from the current data write queue to the write size of the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110.

  Step 1206 is a process of rewriting the continuous data end sector of the seek destination conversion table 112 to the value of (start sector + write size−1) in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110.

  Step 1207 is processing for rewriting the seek destination sector of the seek destination conversion table 112 to the value of the write start sector of the current instruction.

  Step 1208 is processing for initializing the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a reading process. This exists in the non-volatile memory unit 103, and is executed by the control unit 105 when a write command is received from the host device 114.

  Step 1301 is data read queue generation processing, which is the same processing as steps 501 to 506 of the data read / write queue generation processing shown in FIG.

  Step 1302 is a process for fetching one item from the data read queue.

  Step 1303 is a process for examining whether the data reading source is the nonvolatile memory unit 103. If the data reading source is the nonvolatile memory unit 103, the process proceeds to step 1304. If the data reading source is not the non-volatile memory unit 103, the process proceeds to step 1307.

  Step 1304 is a process for checking whether or not the read command includes the range of the seek destination conversion table 112. If the read command includes the range of the seek destination conversion table 112, the process proceeds to step 1305. If the read command does not include the range of the seek destination conversion table 112, the process ends.

  Step 1305 is a process of starting a seek to the sector indicated by the seek destination conversion table 112.

  Step 1306 is a process of transferring data from the nonvolatile memory unit 103 to the host device 114.

  Step 1307 is a process of reading from the disk device 101 with reference to the data read queue.

  Step 1308 is processing to check whether the data read queue is empty. If the data read queue is empty, the process returns to step 1302. Alternatively, if the data read queue is not empty, the process ends.

  In the seek destination information generation process from steps 1101 to 1107 described above, the seek destination conversion table 112 is updated using the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110, and the seek destination conversion table 112 is updated in steps 1301 to 1308. Thus, even when it is necessary to read an unspecified location on the disk unit 102 during reading of the nonvolatile memory unit 103, data can be continuously read.

  A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, the disk device 101 according to the fourth embodiment may include an AVI / F 113 in addition to the portions shown in Examples 1 to 3.

  Since the disk device 101 according to the present embodiment includes the AVI / F 113, it can be directly connected to the decoding unit I / F 116 of the host device 114. When the host device 114 issues a command to the control unit 105 in the disk device 101 via the external I / F 104, the control unit 105 outputs video data via the AV I / F 113. The host device 114 can output from the video output I / F 118 to the TV 119 using the decoded data.

  At this time, due to the effects of the present invention described in the first to third embodiments, the decoder connected to the decoding unit I / F 116 does not disturb the video even without an intermediate buffer, so that the video 118 is connected to the TV 118 via the video output I / F 117. Output can be performed.

2 is a hardware and system configuration diagram of the disk device of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the instruction storage area for queue production | generation. It is a figure which shows the structure of a virtual / physical sector conversion table. It is a figure which shows the structure of a data read / write queue. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating read / write processing according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the table for seek judgment. It is a figure which shows the structure of a non-volatile memory write-in area temporary storage. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a nonvolatile memory write process according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a reading process according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of a seek destination conversion table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a writing process according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating seek destination information generation processing according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a reading process according to the third embodiment. It is a figure showing the conventional disc apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

101 ... Disk device
102: Disc part
103 ... Non-volatile memory
104 ... External I / F section
105 ... Control unit
106… Volatile memory
107… Virtual / physical sector conversion table
108: Instruction storage area for queue generation
109: Data read queue
110… Non-volatile memory writing area temporary storage
111 ... Seek judgment table
112 ... Seek conversion table
113… AVI / F
114 ... Host device
115 ... I / F for disk unit
116 ... Decoding part I / F
117… Video output I / F
118 ... TV
201 ... Read / write start physical sector number
202 ... Read / write size
301 ... Virtual sector start address
302 ... Physical sector start address
303: Data save destination
401 ... Read / write start physical sector number
402 ... Read / write size
403 ... Data read / write destination
501 ... Processing to copy read / write instructions to the instruction storage area for queue generation
502 ... Processing for checking whether the read / write range includes both the nonvolatile memory area and the disk device area
503: Processing to extract one instruction to the disk unit or nonvolatile memory unit from the beginning of the instruction indicated by the instruction storage area for queue generation and add it to the data read / write queue
504: Processing to subtract the size of the instruction added to the queue from the read / write size of the instruction storage area for queue generation
505 ... Processing to change the read / write start physical sector number of the instruction storage area for queue generation to the address next to the instruction added to the queue
506: Processing to add instructions for the read / write size from the queue generation instruction storage area to the data read / write queue
507 ... Processing for checking whether there is a read / write queue for the non-volatile memory section
508 ... Processing to read / write while seeking to the write start address of the disk unit
509 ... Processing to read / write with reference to the queue
601 ... Track number
602: Continuous data start sector
603… Continuity with the next track
701 ... Read start physical sector number
702 ... Reading size
801 ... Processing to write to nonvolatile memory
802 ... Processing to check if the address is continuous with the previous write command
803: Processing to add the write size of the current instruction to the write size of the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage
804 ... Processing to write the current instruction to the non-volatile memory writing area temporary storage
805 ... Processing to check whether the last sector of the nonvolatile memory area is included
806: Processing for rewriting the continuous data start sector of the seek determination table to the value of the start sector of the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage 110
807 ... Processing to check whether the data write queue is not empty
808… Process to change “continuity of the next track” in the seek judgment table to true
901 ... Data read queue generation processing
902 ... Processing to retrieve one item from the data read queue
903 ... Checking whether the data reading source is a non-volatile memory
904 ... Processing for checking whether the instruction includes the range of the seek determination table and the continuity with the next track is true
905: Processing to seek to the first continuous disk area from the data to be read and start prefetching
906 ... Processing to read from nonvolatile memory
907 ... Processing to read from disk device
908 ... Processing to check whether data read queue is empty
1001 ... Track number
1002 ... Sequential data end sector
1003 ... Seek destination sector
1101 ... Data write queue generation processing
1102 ... Processing to retrieve one item from the data write queue
1103 ... Seek destination information generation processing
1104: Processing to check whether data write destination is non-volatile memory
1105: Processing to write to nonvolatile memory
1106: Processing to write to disk device
1107: Processing to check whether the data write queue is empty
1201 ... Processing to check whether the first sector of the non-volatile memory area is included
1202 ... Processing to write the current instruction to the non-volatile memory write area temporary storage
1203 ... Processing to check whether the value is in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage
1204 ... Processing to check if the address is continuous with the previous write command
1205 ... Processing to add the write size of the current instruction to the write size of the non-volatile memory write area temporary storage
1206: Processing to rewrite the continuous data end sector of the seek destination conversion table to the value of (start sector + write size-1) in the nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage
1207: Processing to rewrite the seek destination sector in the seek destination conversion table to the value of the write start sector of the current instruction
1208: Processing to initialize nonvolatile memory write area temporary storage
1301 ... Data read queue generation processing
1302: Processing to retrieve one item from the data read queue
1303 ... Processing to check whether data is read from non-volatile memory
1304: Processing to check whether read command includes range of seek destination conversion table
1305: Processing to start seeking in the sector indicated by the seek destination conversion table
1306: Processing to transfer from non-volatile memory to host
1307 ... Processing to read from disk unit
1308: Checking whether the data read queue is empty
1401 ... Conventional control unit

Claims (11)

A disk unit having a plurality of concentrically arranged tracks for storing data, and writing / reading means for writing / reading the tracks;
A non-volatile memory unit which is a semiconductor storage medium;
In a disk device comprising a control unit for controlling writing and reading to and from the disk unit and the nonvolatile memory unit,
The disk device, wherein a storage area of the nonvolatile memory unit has an address between an address of the track and an address of a track adjacent to the track. In claim 1,
The physical address of the non-volatile memory is allocated between the last physical address of one turn arranged continuously in a concentric manner in the physical space of the disk unit and the first physical address switched to the next turn. Disk device characterized by that In claim 2,
The capacity for allocating the non-volatile memory to the address between the track address and the address of the adjacent track is expressed as (read performance in the disk unit (MB / s) × read interruption time) for one track. (s)) A disk device characterized by the above. In claim 1,
When writing continuous data,
2. A disk device according to claim 1, wherein writing is performed in the order of a track of the disk unit, the nonvolatile memory unit, and a track adjacent to the track. In claim 1,
When reading continuous data,
A disk device comprising: a disk unit that performs reading in the order of a track of the disk unit, the nonvolatile memory unit, and a track adjacent to the track. In claim 4 or claim 5,
A disk device characterized in that when writing to or reading from the nonvolatile memory, a seek is performed from the track to the adjacent track. In claim 1,
In the case of writing to the non-volatile memory, storing the continuity of data in the non-volatile memory and the track of the disk unit,
Based on the continuity of the stored data, when the nonvolatile memory is read during the reading interruption time in the disk unit, the read / write means is moved to the track to control read-ahead of the disk unit. A disk device characterized by determining whether or not. A disk unit having a plurality of concentrically arranged tracks for storing data, and read / write means for reading / writing data from the tracks;
A non-volatile memory unit which is a semiconductor storage medium;
In a disk device comprising a control unit for controlling writing and reading to and from the disk unit and the nonvolatile memory unit,
When writing to the non-volatile memory, store the next write to the non-volatile memory;
A disk device characterized in that a write start location with respect to a first storage medium stored at the time of reading data is a target of prefetching.   2. The disk device according to claim 1, comprising a dedicated I / F connected to the video decoder. A disk unit having a plurality of concentrically arranged tracks for storing data, and writing / reading means for writing / reading the tracks;
A non-volatile memory unit which is a semiconductor storage medium;
In a recording method of a disk device comprising a control unit that controls writing and reading to and from the disk unit and the nonvolatile memory unit,
The control unit writes the first data of the received data to the first track, and writes the second data of the data to the second track. An instruction generation step of generating a second write instruction to instruct and a third write instruction to instruct writing of the third data of the data to the nonvolatile memory;
A first writing step in which the control unit controls the writing / reading unit to write the first data to the first track in response to the first writing command;
A third writing step in which, after the first writing step, the control unit writes the third data to the nonvolatile memory unit in response to the third writing command;
In parallel with the third writing step, a seek step for moving the writing / recording means from the first track onto the second track;
After the third writing step and the seek step, the control unit controls the writing / reading means in response to the second writing command to transfer the second data to the second track. And a second writing step for performing writing of the disk device. In claim 10,
The recording method for a disk device, wherein the first track and the second track are adjacent to each other.

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