JPH0472311B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] When the power to the step motor is cut off, the position of the magnetic head may shift. Therefore, a means for automatically positioning the magnetic head at the reference position when the power is turned on is provided, and the power is turned off when waiting for an input signal, thereby reducing power consumption.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a floppy disk device, and more particularly to a motor control method that makes it possible to reduce power consumption.

Floppy disk devices using flexible storage media have the advantages of large storage capacity, small size, low cost, easy handling, and are maintenance-free, and their use is limited to conventional information processing devices. However, it is desired that the floppy disk device be expanded to include personal computers, word processors, etc. used in general households, and that a floppy disk device that consumes less power and is easier to handle.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a motor drive circuit in a conventional device.

A floppy disk device consists of a data processing section and a floppy disk drive (referred to as FDD).As shown in the figure, the FDD includes a storage medium drive section 1 for rotating a storage medium, a magnetic head drive section 2 for moving a magnetic head, and a data processing section. It includes a control section 3 that controls the driving sections using signals from the processing section.

The storage medium drive unit 1 is composed of a spindle motor (referred to as SPM) 11 and a switching circuit 12 inserted into the power supply circuit of the SPM 11. The switching circuit 12 receives a motor start signal input from the control unit 3.
Closed by Son and opened by motor stop signal Sof. That is, when writing or reading information, the switching circuit 12 is closed and the SPM 11 is rotated, and when waiting for an input signal, the switching circuit 12 is opened.
Rotation of SPM11 is stopped.

On the other hand, the magnetic head drive unit 2 includes a step motor (referred to as STM) 21 and an STM (not shown).
The STM control circuit 22 inputs signals to the control terminal 21, and the STM control circuit 22 which is not shown in the figure.
A drive power source is applied to the drive terminal 21.
When the head movement signal Shd is input from the control section 3 to the STM control circuit 22, the STM 21 rotates in accordance with the number of pulses of the head movement signal Shd to move the magnetic head.

In such a magnetic head drive unit 2, the STM 21
If the drive power applied to the drive terminal of the STM21 is cut off, the position of the magnetic head may change when the power is turned on again, and the drive power of the STM21 is always applied even when waiting for an input signal. has been done.

The head sensor 23 is a sensor for detecting the reference position of the magnetic head, and when the drive power is turned on, the head movement signal Shd is input to the STM control circuit 22 via the control section 3, and the output signal of the head sensor 23 is detected by the magnetic head. until the reference position of the head is indicated.
Initialization is performed by rotating the STM 21 and returning the magnetic head to the reference position.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Conventional devices aim to reduce power consumption by applying driving power to the SPM when writing or reading information, and cutting it off when waiting for an input signal. However, the STM drive power is always applied even when waiting for an input signal, etc.
There was a problem that the power consumed by STM was not reduced.

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. The same objects are represented by the same symbols throughout the figures.

The problem mentioned above is that the device has a medium drive unit that rotates the storage medium, a magnetic head drive unit that moves the magnetic head, and a head sensor that detects the reference position of the magnetic head. In a floppy disk device, power to a spindle motor constituting a medium drive unit is cut off by a stop signal, and a motor start signal is output from a control unit when writing or reading information, and power to the spindle motor is turned on. In response to the motor stop signal that cuts off the power to the spindle motor 11, the power to the step motor 21 constituting the magnetic head drive unit 2 is cut off, and the spindle motor 11
The step motor 21 is powered on in response to a motor start signal that powers on the step motor 21, and the magnetic head is returned to the reference position each time the step motor 21 is powered on. This problem is solved by the floppy disk device of the present invention.

[Effect]

In Fig. 1, the magnetic head drive unit 2 is provided with a function that receives the motor start signal Son, sends a signal to the STM 21 according to a preset procedure, and returns the magnetic head to the reference position. It becomes possible to cut off the drive power of the STM when waiting for a signal, etc., and the power consumed by the STM can be reduced.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure for sending a signal to the STM.

In Fig. 1, the magnetic head drive unit 2 is STM2.
1 is provided with an opening/closing circuit 24 that cuts off the drive power source of the motor 1 in response to a motor stop signal Sof and turns it on in response to a motor start signal Son. Also, STM (not shown)
The STM control circuit 25 which inputs a signal to the control terminal 21 receives the head movement signal input from the control section 3.
In addition to the function of rotating STM21 according to Shd,
A function is added to receive the motor start signal Son, send a signal to the STM 21 according to a preset procedure, rotate the STM 21, and return the magnetic head to the reference position.

The STM control circuit 25 is composed of a microcomputer, and upon receiving the motor start signal Son, returns the magnetic head to the reference position according to the procedure shown in FIG. That is, SPM1 is determined by the motor starting signal Son.
After confirming that head sensor 1 has started, head sensor 2
The current position of the magnetic head detected by 3 is confirmed, and if the current position of the magnetic head is the reference position, an initialization completion signal is immediately sent.

Also, if the current position of the magnetic head is not at the reference position, it is checked whether it is outside or inside the reference position, and if it is outside, it sends out a preset number of pulses to move the magnetic head to the reference position. move it inward. If it is inside, one pulse is sent out to move the magnetic head outside. By repeating such confirmation and pulse sending, the magnetic head can be returned to the reference position.

In this way, when the magnetic head drive section 2 receives the motor start signal Son, it operates according to the preset procedure.
By adding a function that sends a signal to the STM21 and returns the magnetic head to the reference position, it becomes possible to cut off the STM drive power when waiting for an input signal, and the power consumed by the STM is reduced. Power can be reduced.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a floppy disk device that consumes less power and is easy to handle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure for sending signals to the STM, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a motor drive circuit in a conventional device. In the figure, 1 is a storage medium drive unit, 2 is a magnetic head drive unit, 3 is a control unit, 11 is a spindle motor, 12 and 24 are open/close circuits, 21 is a step motor, 23 is a head sensor, 25 is an STM control circuit,
Son is the motor start signal, Sof is the motor stop signal,
respectively.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A media drive unit that rotates a storage medium, a magnetic head drive unit that moves a magnetic head, and a head sensor that detects a reference position of the magnetic head,
When waiting for a signal, a motor stop signal output from the control unit cuts off the power to the spindle motor that constitutes the medium drive unit, and when writing or reading information, a motor start signal is output from the control unit to stop the spindle motor. In a floppy disk device where the motor is powered on, a motor stop signal that cuts off the power to the spindle motor 11 cuts off the power to the step motor 21 constituting the magnetic head drive unit 2, and the spindle motor 11 is turned off. The step motor 21 is configured to be powered on by a motor start signal for turning on the power, and the magnetic head is returned to the reference position each time the step motor 21 is powered on. A floppy disk device that is characterized by the ability to