JP3663855B2 - Personal computer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a personal computer incorporating a hard disk drive (hereinafter abbreviated as HDD).
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, the emphasis is placed on portability, and the number of shipments of small and light notebook personal computers (hereinafter abbreviated as “notebook PCs”) has been increasing, but there is also a demand for network terminals on office desks in companies. It is enormous. This is because a desktop PC must be equipped with a display monitor, keyboard, etc., which puts pressure on the desk space. Accordingly, it is expected that there will be a strong demand for notebook PCs that can contribute to space saving in the office.
[0003]
Conventionally, notebook PCs have been mounted with 2.5-inch hard disk drives as auxiliary storage devices. The reason for this is that the HDD itself is small and lightweight, has low power consumption suitable for battery drive, and uses a disk medium that uses an ultra-compact head shape and special tempered glass substrate. It is expensive.
[0004]
Before the appearance of 2.5-inch HDDs, there was an era when portable personal computers equipped with 3.5-inch HDDs were commercialized.
[0005]
The 3.5-inch HDD is designed to perform a high-speed seek operation because the head actuator is larger than the 2.5-inch HDD and must move and position in a wider range in the disk radial direction. Therefore, there is a problem that the sound of rubbing between the ball and the outer ring during rotation of the ball bearing outer ring used for the actuator driving fulcrum (abbreviated as seek noise) is large. This appears prominently when random access is performed, and seek noise generated during HDD access may become a problem when the office is used only by a single user at low noise or in the middle of the night.
[0006]
Furthermore, most 3.5-inch HDDs use aluminum-based disk media, and when an impact is applied to the HDD, the bottom surface of the head slider hits the surface of the disk media, causing scratches on the surface. The risk of causing data loss is greater compared to 2.5-inch HDDs.
[0007]
As a measure to improve this low impact resistance performance, there is an example in which the structure for mounting the HDD is devised and a damper material or the like is used so that the impact is not directly transmitted to the HDD. The vibration generated in the head moving direction is amplified by the mounting structure for fixing the HDD so that vibration cannot be absorbed, adversely affecting the head positioning performance, and in the worst case, a side effect of causing a seek error occurs. In particular, when a user uses a notebook PC on his / her lap in a moving vehicle, the notebook PC casing itself is subjected to irregular vibrations, so vibrations generated from the built-in HDD are not detected. It becomes difficult to dissipate outside through the casing of the mold PC, and the possibility of reaching the above-mentioned failure increases.
[0008]
However, compared to products with the same storage capacity in terms of HDD prices, there is an order of magnitude difference in production volume worldwide, so the use of 3.5-inch HDDs has a greater price advantage.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In order to realize a low-priced, high-performance notebook PC, when a 3.5-inch HDD is installed in place of the 2.5-inch HDD that has been generally used in the past, the above-mentioned head actuator is driven. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce seek noise and to prevent a decrease in seek performance due to HDD self-vibration by providing a shock-resistant performance by providing a damper effect to the HDD mounting structure.
[0010]
An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of conventional seek noise reduction and seek performance degradation, and to provide a low-cost and high-performance personal computer, particularly a low-cost and high-performance notebook PC.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The noise generated by the HDD includes spindle noise, which is a bearing race sound built into the spindle motor that rotates the disk at a constant rotational speed, and an outer ring of bearings built into the actuator fulcrum that is generated during head seek operation. Roughly divided into frictional noise (seek noise) between balls.
[0012]
As for spindle noise, if the rotational speed is lowered, the noise level is also lowered. However, since the performance cannot be guaranteed unless the head is kept at a predetermined flying height, the rotational speed cannot be lowered. Therefore, the HDD originally detected that the access request was interrupted for a certain period of time and stopped the spindle motor by using the built-in timer, and was originally only capable of reducing noise with a function intended to save power.
[0013]
The seek noise generated when the other actuator is driven is smaller in the rotor arm and voice coil motor constituting the actuator of the 2.5-inch HDD generally mounted on the notebook PC than in the 3.5-inch HDD. In the 2.5-inch HDD, the seek noise level is not a problem because the structure and the current supplied to the voice coil are suppressed to reduce power consumption.
[0014]
By the way, when seeking the head, the acceleration / constant / deceleration profile (speed control curve) is usually recorded in advance in the drive control microcode in order to move from the current position to the target cylinder in the minimum required time. However, it is known that a noise (seek noise) is generated when the outer ring of the bearing of the actuator fulcrum and the ball are rubbed during acceleration and deceleration. The greater the acceleration and deceleration, the more the noise tends to contain high frequency components that induce discomfort. In addition, this type of noise makes the user even more uncomfortable when the office environment is very quiet or when a personal computer is used at home late at night.
[0015]
Therefore, the present invention has a function to change the speed control profile of the seek mode with a special command on the 3.5-inch HDD side, and uses a small microphone built in the notebook PC as a detector of ambient sound, The detection circuit determines a situation where the ambient noise level is low, generates an interrupt to the CPU, and issues the special command to the HDD to reduce seek noise.
[0016]
In the present invention, since the setting on the HDD side is changed so that the speed control profile becomes low speed, the access performance is thereby lowered. When executing application programs with high disk access frequency, this countermeasure means a problem that reduces usability. Therefore, it is possible to select whether the detection function is enabled or disabled using a switch means such as a hard switch. This problem is solved by providing a function.
[0017]
Also, to install a 3.5-inch HDD, which is inferior in impact resistance to a 2.5-inch type, on a notebook PC, it is attached so as to reduce the impact level by extending the operating time when an impact is applied. Although a structure is required, there is a problem that there is no path for escaping vibrations due to spindle rotation and actuator driving of the HDD itself, which adversely affects the head positioning performance, increases seek retry, and causes performance degradation. In particular, when a notebook PC is used in a moving car or train, the main body itself receives vibration from the outside, and the impact mitigation mounting structure adversely affects it.
[0018]
Therefore, in the present invention, a vibration sensor for detecting vibration is attached to the notebook PC, and when the vibration level of the notebook PC is determined and the vibration exceeds the specified level, an interrupt to the CPU is generated to A special command is issued to the HDD and the low-speed seek mode is set. As a result, the vibration generated by the HDD itself due to the actuator driving during acceleration and deceleration in the normal high-speed seek mode can be reduced and the problem of seek error can be solved.
[0019]
Further, the low speed seek mode is set by a special command from the CPU, and is canceled by a soft reset. When the noise level exceeds the specified value or the vibration level changes to the specified value or less, an interrupt is generated again to return to the normal high-speed seek mode.
[0020]
In addition, the control software manages which seek mode the HDD is set to, and further displays the seek mode on the display device to give the user a function of reporting the status of the HDD access performance. Monitor timely. Also, using this function, a setting selection right is provided to the user by the hard switch.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hard disk drive having a normal high-speed seek mode for the speed control function of the actuator drive mechanism, and a low-speed seek mode for reducing bearing rotation noise and self-vibration generated when the actuator is driven. (Hereinafter abbreviated as HDD) A microphone that detects the ambient sound level of the personal computer, a level determination circuit that determines the output level of the microphone, and a seek of the HDD according to the output of the determination circuit This is a personal computer provided with a control means for switching and controlling the mode, and an effect is provided that a personal computer that can be used without causing discomfort to the user even in a quiet environment can be obtained.
[0022]
The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention further includes a vibration sensor for detecting a vibration level of the personal computer, the level determination circuit determines the output level of the vibration sensor, and the control means outputs the output of the level determination circuit. Accordingly, the personal computer according to claim 1, wherein the seek mode of the HDD is switched and controlled according to the present invention , and it is possible to provide a personal computer that can be used not only in a quiet environment but also in a vehicle that receives a large vibration.
[0023]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control means comprising a CPU, control software executed by the CPU, and a level determination circuit for outputting an interrupt signal to the CPU. The configuration of the control means is simplified, and an effect that an inexpensive personal computer can be provided is obtained.
[0024]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided switch means for selecting validity / invalidity of the function of controlling the seek mode of the HDD based on the output determined by the level determination circuit for at least one of the output of the microphone and the vibration sensor. The personal computer according to claim 1, wherein the user can select an operation of noise reduction, high vibration resistance, and high speed operation.
[0025]
The invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is the personal computer according to claim 1, comprising display means for notifying the seek mode of the HDD, and the user sees the indication for notifying the seek mode of the HDD. It is possible to know the seek mode, or to select the HDD seek mode.
[0026]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the personal computer of the present invention.
[0027]
In FIG. 1, a built-in microphone 8 and an acceleration sensor 9 are connected to changeover switches 11a and 11b via amplifiers 10a and 10b, respectively. When the built-in microphone 8 is used for the original purpose of recording and recording / reproducing voice or the like, an analog signal detected by the voice processing circuit 5 connected to the A terminal of the switch 11a is transmitted and processed. The B terminal of the switch 11a is connected to the level determination circuit 1 in order to detect the ambient noise level of the personal computer.
[0028]
On the other hand, the acceleration sensor 9 is used for the purpose of detecting the vibration level applied to the personal computer, and transmits the analog signal amplified by the amplifier 10b to the level determination circuit 1 when connected to the B terminal of the switch 11b. Here, the noise detection function and the vibration detection function can be selected by the hardware switches 11a and 11b, and a feature that the user can operate as necessary is provided.
[0029]
The level determination circuit 1 receives an external noise signal from the microphone 8 at the input terminal IN. A is taken from A, and the vibration signal of the personal computer from the acceleration sensor 9 is input to IN. Type in B. The level of each signal is compared with a preset threshold value in an analog manner, and when a level lower than that in the case of a noise signal or higher than that in the case of a vibration signal is detected, the output terminal OUT A or output terminal OUT A high level is output to B. The threshold level used for the judgment is based on the ambient noise level and vibration level measured using the microphone 8 and the acceleration sensor 9 actually used, based on the seek noise of the built-in HDD 6 and the actuator vibration during seek. Therefore, it is set by careful comparison in advance.
[0030]
Output terminal OUT A and OUT The binary signal from B is connected to the input terminal of the OR gate 12. When one or both of the ambient noise level and the vibration level exceed the threshold value, it becomes an interrupt request signal 13 and is input to the interrupt processing circuit 2. Is done. After the priority determination is performed inside the interrupt processing circuit 2, the CPU 3 generates an interrupt request. When the CPU 3 accepts the interrupt request, the process proceeds to a built-in HDD seek speed control program (shown in FIG. 4) prepared in advance.
[0031]
The speed control program shown in FIG. 4 is normally stored in the main body mounting ROM together with the BIOS, and performs processing such as low speed seek mode setting command issuance S3, seek mode state management S4, and LCD screen display S5. When the power is turned on or the system is rebooted, a normal hard reset or soft reset is issued to the built-in HDD, and the low-speed seek mode is released. The seek mode setting and confirmation processing is realized by a special command sent to the internal HDD 6 via the system bus 7 and the IDE controller 4.
[0032]
Next, the internal structure of the HDD will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a general HDD.
[0033]
2, the recording medium 16 and the head 19 for recording / reproducing data, the voice coil motor unit 14 for moving the head 19 in the radial direction of the storage medium 16, the actuator unit 17 for supporting the head 19, and the like. .
[0034]
The actuator unit 17 is supported by a fulcrum unit 15 and is driven to rotate around the fulcrum unit 15 in the radial direction of the storage medium 16 by using a magnetic repulsive force generated inside the voice coil motor unit 14. Designed to. In the normal fulcrum part 15, the actuator part 17 is attached to a support rod that is vertically erected on the bottom surface of the aluminum die-cast chassis 18 using a plurality of ball bearings. That is, the ball bearing inner ring is assembled with the support rod, and the outer ring is assembled with the actuator 17.
[0035]
Now, the head 19 is provided on both the front and back surfaces of the storage medium 16 and is generally used twice as many as the number of storage media 16. All the heads are attached to the tip of the actuator 17, and as the actuator moves, each head also moves simultaneously while maintaining a relative positional relationship. Therefore, in order to seek the selected head to the target track, the physical movement amount, that is, the movement track distance, is calculated, and the speed profile most suitable for the result is selected, and the actuator side of the voice coil motor unit 14 is selected. By supplying a specified current to the fixed winding, a magnetic repulsive force is generated between the permanent magnet plate bonded vertically in the voice coil motor unit 14 and the winding, and a thrust is generated in the actuator. Reachable. This speed profile is the most important parameter regarding the HDD access performance that determines how fast and accurately the actuator 17 is positioned on the target track, and is usually in a ROM mounted on the HDD control board 20 block. Are recorded in microcode.
[0036]
FIG. 3 shows an example of this speed profile. A speed curve 21 represents a speed profile in a normal seek mode. When the moving track distance is large as described above, the speed curve 21 is divided into three speed control sections. In other words, from the track where the head is currently located, the acceleration section V11 in which the speed is increased until the speed reaches a constant speed by receiving a thrust from the voice coil motor in the direction in which the target track exists, and the constant speed for moving the head at a constant speed. Speed section V12 and a deceleration section that optimizes the speed so that the head does not need to be moved in the reverse direction through the target track by reducing the speed before the target position so that the head can be quickly positioned on the target track. V13. Accurate positioning on the target track is realized by reading the servo information recorded on each track and the header information on which the physical track number is recorded and finely adjusting the head position.
[0037]
In order to obtain a high-speed seek operation, it is necessary to cause a steep speed change in the acceleration / deceleration section. At this time, since the outer ring of the ball bearing incorporated in the actuator fulcrum 15 rotates, Friction noise (seek noise) is generated between the outer ring and the inner ring. When the actuator performs seek operations alternately in the outer and inner circumferential directions and frequently, such ball friction noise is prominently generated, which causes discomfort to the user when using a personal computer in a low noise environment. There was a problem.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 3, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned frictional noise, the low-speed seek mode according to the low-speed curve 22 defined in the present invention is activated by a special command. In FIG. 3, like the normal speed curve 21, there are an acceleration section V21, a constant speed section V22, and a deceleration section V23, but the acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration are set lower than in the normal seek mode. As a result, the time required for the head to reach the target position becomes longer, but an effect of reducing bearing friction noise due to a rapid change in speed occurs.
[0039]
Further, when the actuator is driven to rotate in a normal high-speed seek mode, the inertial force due to the weight of the actuator is large in the case of a 3.5-inch HDD, and therefore the HDD itself tends to cause self-vibration. In addition, since the 3.5-inch HDD has a lower impact resistance than that of a 2.5-inch HDD, the impact resistance of the drive unit is supplemented with a shock-absorbing material such as low-hardness rubber when mounted on a notebook PC. Such a mounting structure is required, but there arises a problem that it is easily affected by external vibration or the above-described self-vibration. In other words, if the actuator is controlled in the normal high-speed seek mode, vibration to the HDD will affect the fine positioning operation near the target position, and seek retry will increase, or in the worst case, external vibration and self-vibration will occur. There is a concern that it may cause a seek error that cannot be positioned due to synthesis.
[0040]
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in positioning accuracy by shifting to the low-speed seek mode based on the signal from the acceleration sensor 9 attached to the PC main body. That is, since the acceleration / deceleration is suppressed to be lower than that in the normal mode, the self-vibration level is also reduced, and the influence of secondary vibration caused by the shock absorbing material can be reduced.
[0041]
A personal computer capable of solving the above-described problems can be obtained by detecting both or one of the above-described noise and vibration and changing the actuator control of the built-in HDD, which is also the generation source, to the low-speed seek mode.
[0042]
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the CPU and control software has been described as the control means for controlling the operation state of the HDD. However, the hardware configuration for controlling the seek mode of the HDD by the output of the determination circuit and the CPU of the personal computer It is clear that the same effects as those of the present invention can be obtained even with a separate microprocessor configuration.
[0043]
In addition, as a switch means for selecting the validity / invalidity of the function for controlling the HDD according to the determination result of the output level of the microphone or vibration sensor, the hardware switch for turning on / off the output of the microphone or vibration sensor has been described. The same effect can be obtained even if valid / invalid is selected by the determination circuit or the control means.
[0044]
Further, although the application to a notebook PC has been described, the same effect can be obtained even when applied to a personal computer with a built-in HDD such as a desktop PC. For desktop PCs, vibration countermeasures are not important, but when using a desktop PC in a quiet indoor environment, the noise from the built-in HDD may make the user unpleasant and disturb the thinking. The present invention that can detect the noise and reduce the noise of the HDD is beneficial to the user.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when used in a quiet office or at home late at night, it does not suffer from HDD access noise, and is always irregular vibration in a moving vehicle such as a train. Thus, a notebook PC that can guarantee stable operation even in an unstable installation state can be provided.
[0046]
In addition, it is possible to commercialize a notebook PC equipped with a low-cost, large-capacity auxiliary storage device equipped with a cost-effective 3.5-inch HDD.
[0047]
Also, when using a notebook PC as a network terminal on an indoor desk where there are no adverse noise and vibration conditions, disable the noise / vibration detection function by operating the changeover switch means to improve the HDD access performance. It can be operated without deterioration and can take advantage of the space-saving merit of the notebook PC.
[0048]
In addition, when using a desktop personal computer on a desk in a quiet indoor environment, noise from the HDD may unpleasantly disturb the user and interfere with thinking. The present invention that can be used is also beneficial for desktop personal computer users.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a personal computer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an internal perspective view of a general hard disk drive. FIG. 3 is an actuator control speed profile diagram of a hard disk drive.
1 Level judgment circuit 2 Interrupt processing circuit 3 CPU
4 IDE controller 5 Audio processing circuit 6 HDD (hard disk drive)
7 Address / data bus 8 Small microphone 9 Acceleration sensor 10a, 10b Amplifier 11a, 11b Changeover switch 12 OR gate 13 Interrupt request signal 14 Voice coil motor unit 15 Actuator fulcrum unit 16 Storage medium 17 Actuator 18 Chassis 19 Recording / reproducing head 20 HDD Control board 21 High speed profile 22 Low speed profile

Claims (5)

In a personal computer having a hard disk drive (hereinafter abbreviated as HDD) equipped with a normal high-speed seek mode for the speed control function of the actuator drive mechanism and a low-speed seek mode for reducing bearing rotation noise and self-vibration generated when the actuator is driven . A personal computer comprising: a microphone that detects the ambient sound level of the personal computer; a level determination circuit that determines the output level of the microphone; and a control unit that switches and controls the seek mode of the HDD according to the output of the level determination circuit Computer. A vibration sensor for detecting a vibration level of a personal computer is further provided, the level determination circuit determines an output level of the vibration sensor, and the control means switches and controls the seek mode of the HDD according to the output of the level determination circuit. 1. A personal computer according to 1. The personal computer according to claim 1, further comprising: a CPU; a control unit configured by control software executed by the CPU; and a level determination circuit that outputs an interrupt signal to the CPU. The personal computer according to claim 1, further comprising a switch unit that selects whether to enable or disable the function of switching and controlling the seek mode of the HDD based on an output determined by a level determination circuit for at least one of the output of the microphone and the vibration sensor. The personal computer according to claim 1, further comprising display means for notifying a seek mode of the HDD.

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