KR20030009038A - Dual mode disc drive and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The disk drive 106 has a data storage disk 212, a motor 216 for storing the data storage disk and a servo controller 206. The disk drive 106 includes a power source evaluator 210 that evaluates an electrical property that evaluates whether the battery power source 108 or the line power source 122 supplies power to operate the disk drive. The servo controller 206 receives the signal from the power source evaluator 210 and provides several indications of the rotational angular velocity based on the evaluation of the power source. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method 300 of operating a disk drive in which the use of line power for a power source is evaluated 304 is provided. Next, the angular velocity of the rotating disk 212 is adjusted 306 based on the evaluation of the use of line power for the power source.

Description

Dual Mode Disk Drives and Methods {DUAL MODE DISC DRIVE AND METHOD}

Disk drives are used to store information along the disk surface, generally as magnetically encoded data and as recently optically encoded data. The disc rotates at a high rotational speed so that adjacent heads or sliders rotate above the disc surface on the air cushion. The head generally includes a transducer or focusing device that reads or writes data and transmits focused light between the disk and the transducer. Suspension arms are used to access several data tracks disposed radially on a rotating disk by correspondingly placing the heads.

In a society with increased mobility, portable electronic devices using disk drive data storage units are widely used. In particular, portable computers, known as laptops, have become popular due to the demand for mobile computing capabilities. Disk drives for portable computers and other portable electrical devices have significant limitations in terms of size, weight and power consumption. Hard disk drives suitable for portable computers are disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,872,669 "Disk Drive Device with Power Conservation Capability" by Morehouse et al.

Power consumption levels are an important criterion for evaluating disk drive performance because portable electrical devices equipped with disk drives can generally only be operated for a limited time by battery power. In particular, the battery life, i.e., the length of time the battery can be used before the battery voltage drops below its minimum functional value, directly depends on the power consumption, including the power consumption of the disk drive. Power consumption of a portable disk drive can be reduced by reducing the speed of the disk during periods of inactivity.

In addition, the performance parameters of portable disk drives are selected to reduce power consumption. In particular, portable disk drives generally have lower disk rotation speeds than high performance fixed disk drives. However, because more time is required to place the read / write head in a proper position on the disk surface, a lower rotational speed slows down the operating time. In particular, the seek time to locate the particular data track depends on access to the servo information stored on the disk. Thus, low rotational speeds slow access to servo information. Also, positioning the head in the appropriate sector in the data track takes more at low rotational speeds. Thus, the use of portable disk drives reduces disk drive performance because of low rotational speeds.

Portability of the device allows the user to move the device freely between locations of use. Portable electrical devices are used remotely where line power is not available, but these devices are also used at desks or other locations where line voltage is readily available. The optional location may or may not have a line voltage. However, with the power saving design of the disk drive, the user has to withstand the reduced performance characteristics of the disk drive even when power consumption is not critical because the line voltage is used at a particular location.

The present invention is directed to these problems and provides advantages over the prior art.

The present invention relates generally to portable disk drive data storage units. In particular, the present invention relates to a disk drive data storage unit having a plurality of operating angular velocities for a disk drive motor.

1 is a schematic layout of a portable electrical device having a processor, a power supply, and a disk drive.

FIG. 2 is a schematic layout view of a power supply of the device of FIG. 1.

3 is a schematic layout view of an alternative embodiment of the power supply of the device of FIG. 1, which is part of a disk drive.

4 is a schematic layout view of another alternative embodiment of the power supply of the device of FIG. 1, which is part of a disk drive.

5 is a schematic diagram of a disk assembly of a disk drive.

6 is a flowchart schematically showing execution of a read / write operation by the disc drive.

7 is a flowchart schematically illustrating the execution of a particular embodiment of a read / write operation by a disk drive.

The present invention relates to a disk drive having at least two operating modes, for example, where the disk drive can operate at increased power consumption when line voltage is available and at low power consumption when using only battery power. will be. Having a high power consumption mode when line power is available provides improved disk drive performance when power conservation is not critical. The disk drive includes a power source evaluator to determine the appropriate mode of operation for the disk drive. The power mode selection may be made by the user and / or by automatic selection by the power source. User input may be used to select a power mode regardless of the power source.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for operating a disk drive in which selection of operation to a high or low power mode occurs by examining electrical properties. Next, the angular velocity of the rotating disk is adjusted by the selection of the power mode.

These various features and advantages characterizing the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

To obtain improved performance characteristics when power conservation is not critical, the performance of portable disk drives can be improved when line power is available. In particular, preferred portable disk drives are designed to operate in at least two power modes. One or more power modes generally operate when an external power source is available. One or more other power modes are typically used when the drive is powered by battery power. Thus, while using the line voltage, the user can have disk drive performance comparable to the disk drive corresponding to the fixed device. The power source evaluator is used to determine the characteristics of the power source so that a suitable mode of operation can be selected. In a preferred embodiment, the operator can switch to the appropriate power mode as a method for selecting a power mode or overriding the default power mode selection.

The disk drive data storage system may be based on magnetic, optical or magneto-optical data storage, for example. Suitable portable disk drive data storage systems can involve reading and / or writing data to a disk. Portable disk drives can include one or more disks, which are generally round disks, but disks can have any shape and size. Preferred embodiments include, for example, portable hard disk drives with a plurality of fixed disks. In an alternative embodiment, the disks in the portable drive unit are interchangeable with each other.

In order to read and / or write data to and from the disc, the head is placed over the appropriate portion of the disc to perform the operation. The head is used to transfer data to and / or from the disc. To achieve this function, the head includes a transducer to allow data to be converted between electrical signals and storage forms such as magnetic or optical characteristics associated with the disk, for example. Optionally, the head may comprise a transmitter, such as a lens or the like, used to convey local information of the disk surface to a remote transducer forming a corresponding electrical signal.

In order to access the desired portion of the disc, the head is mounted on a movable arm connected to the actuator. The disc generally rotates at high speeds so that the head can access certain points along the periphery of the disc at a single location on the arm. In general, the arm can be moved approximately radially along the disk surface to access the data track along the disk radius. As the disk rotates at high speed, the head slides over the disk surface on the air cushion.

Powering disk drives with batteries generally imposes significant constraints on power consumption. First, portable disk drives typically operate at lower voltages than fixed disk drives powered exclusively by line power. In particular, laptop computer disk drives typically operate at 5 volts, or voltages that are also used in digital circuits. In the preferred embodiment described in this application, the portable disk drive operates at a higher voltage when using line voltage than when using only battery power. Preferably, a voltage of 12 volts is used in the motor of the disk drive when a line voltage is available, where more than 12 volts is typically generated by ac adapters conventional for portable electrical devices and 12 volts of fixed computer disk drives. This is because the voltage is commonly used in high performance disk drives. The use of high voltages reduces the resistance of the disc motor and actuator coils.

In addition, portable disk drives generally operate at low rotational speeds to reduce power consumption and corresponding battery discharge rates. The low rotational speed slows the seek time identifying the desired data storage track when the actuator positions the head to access the data. The total access time for reading or writing data is the sum of the waiting period and the seek period. When line power is available, the disk can operate at high rotational speeds to reduce overall access time. The seek characteristics for positioning the head along the correct data track can be adjusted correspondingly based on the angular velocity of the disc and the voltage applied to the actuator motor. In the preferred embodiment, the user can select a power mode to override all default selections.

The disk drive is connected to the power supply circuit. The disk drive controller includes a power source evaluator that can specify voltage or other current characteristics coming from the power source to evaluate whether it operates in a high power mode or a low power mode. In an alternative embodiment, the power supply is connected to a power source evaluator of the disk drive, such as from a current meter to indicate whether a signal from the power supply can use line power for the disk drive. The signal of the power supply may be an analog signal or a digital signal. If line power is available, the controller, for example, instructs the motor controller to operate at high speed, instructs the actuator to perform selective seek characteristics, and processes servo sampling information from the head to account for various rotational speeds. By doing so, the disk drive operates in high power consumption mode.

A. Disk Drive Unit

In FIG. 1, device 100 includes a processor 102, a power supply 104, a disk drive 106, and a battery 108. For convenience, the packaging consisting of the processor 102, power supply 104, and disk drive 106 may not have all of their parts physically separated within the device 100. The processor 102 generally includes a memory 110, such as a RAM memory, a microprocessing chip 112, and a data bus 114. The exact configuration depends on the function of the device. In a preferred embodiment, the device is a laptop computer, but device 100 may be another portable electrical device using a disk drive data storage system.

The power supply 104 includes an adapter 122 and a power supply circuit 124 that access line voltages. The power supply 104 is connected to the battery 108. A suitable power supply circuit 124 is shown in FIG. The battery 108 is connected to the power supply circuit 124 by a battery wire 130. The adapter 122 includes a plug 132 connected to the transformer / rectifier 134 and a wire 136 for connection with the power supply circuit 124. Transformer / rectifier 134 converts the AC line power to a DC voltage and downs the line voltage generally to 19 volts (other voltages may be used as needed). The transformer / rectifier 134 may be omitted if a suitable direct current voltage source is used as an external power source, for example a cigarette lighter in a vehicle.

In this embodiment, the power supply circuit 124 has a low voltage segment 138, a battery voltage segment 139, and a high voltage segment 140. The low voltage segment 138 is for 5 volts or 3.3 volts, which is the standard voltage for operating the digital circuit. The high voltage segment 140 is generally about 19 volts, which is the standard voltage for charging the battery and operating auxiliary devices such as fixed disk drives and fans. The voltage of battery 108 is typically 12 to 14,4 volts. The high voltage segment 140 is connected to the battery wire 130 by the charging unit 142, which has a circuit that regulates the charging of the battery 108 when line power is available. The battery wire 130 is connected to the low voltage segment 138 by a DC-DC transformer 144, which may include a converter controller. The low voltage segment 138 is connected to the processor 102 by a wire 146 to power the processor 102.

The high voltage segment 140 is connected to the low voltage segment 138 by a DC-DC transformer 150. The power supply circuit 124 is connected to the disk drive 106 via the connector 151. In a typical commercial embodiment, connector 151 includes two pins for power and two pins for ground. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, wire 152 is connected to switch 154 and disk drive 106. The switch 154 selects to supply a high voltage from the high voltage segment 140 if line power is available and a low voltage from the low voltage segment 138 if the line voltage is not available. The switch 154 may be, for example, a semiconductor relay or a mechanical relay. In alternative embodiments, the switch 154 may be a manual switch set by a user. Low voltage segment 138 may also be connected to disk drive 106 by wire 156 to supply low voltage power to the processor and other low voltage components when wire 152 supplies high voltage power. The disk drive 106 may supply a low voltage from the high voltage power supplied from the wire 152 to the wire 156 when the disk drive 106 includes a DC-DC transformer and selectively has a low voltage power supply. Ground wire 164 also connects power supply 104 and disk drive 106.

In an alternative embodiment, only power from the low voltage segment is supplied to disk drive 106 using wire 156. In this embodiment, switch 154 and associated connections do not exist. Thus, the disk drive 106 operates at low voltage in both high power consumption mode and low power consumption mode.

The use of line power and corresponding high voltage power in high voltage segment 140 is evaluated at meter 158, which may be a voltmeter, ammeter, or the like. Thus, the meter 158 checks the integrity of the power in the high voltage segment 140. Test results in the form of readings from the meter 158 can be used to evaluate the use of external power and to determine the corresponding power mode of the disk drive. The display power of the meter 158 is supplied to the processor 102 by the connection 160 to monitor the power usage, and the display power is also supplied to the disk drive 106 by the connection 162 to drive the disk drive. Allow 106 to switch between a high power consumption mode when line power is available and a low power consumption mode when line power is not available. Meter 158 may set the state of the signal for use of high voltage power, including, for example, amplifiers, A-D converters, digital processors, and the like.

An alternative embodiment of the power supply 104 is shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the switch 154 is omitted. In this embodiment, the battery voltage is supplied to the disk drive 106 via wire 170 and the low voltage is supplied again through line 156. Wires 156, 164, 170 from power supply 104 are connected to connector 151 of disk drive 106. Wires 156 and 17 are connected to diodes 172 and 174 respectively. When high voltage is supplied to diode 174, diode 172 is closed and high voltage is supplied by wire 176. In one embodiment, diodes 172 and 174 include diode connected field effect transistors.

An alternative second embodiment of the power supply 104 is shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, high voltage segment 140 is connected to diode 180 and low voltage segment 138 is connected to diode 182. Diodes 180, 182 are connected to common wire 184, and common wires are connected to wires 146, 156. If a high voltage is available in segment 140, diode 180 is open and diode 182 is closed, allowing high voltage to be supplied to wires 146 and 156. If a high voltage is not available in the high voltage segment 140, the diode 180 is closed and the diode 182 is open, allowing a low voltage to be supplied to the wires 146, 156. In this embodiment, the wires 156, 164 are connected to the connector 151 of the disk drive 106. The disk drive 106 includes a DC-DC converter 186 to supply a low voltage to a suitable processor or other suitable component of the disk drive 106 when a high voltage is supplied to the wire 156.

Various alternative designs may be used for the power supply circuit 124. Power supply circuits are further disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,581,772 to Nano et al. If one or more disk drive motors are designed to operate at a high voltage when line power is available, a typical power supply circuit may apply a high voltage to the disk drive 106 by, for example, a switch 154 when line power is available. It can be modified to feed.

In FIG. 1, the disk drive 106 includes a disk assembly 200, an actuator 202, an I / O buffer 204, a servo controller 206, a disk drive processor 108, and a power source evaluator 210. Include. In FIG. 5, disk assembly 200 has one or more disks 212 on spindle 214. Spindle 14 is connected to spindle motor 216. Spindle motor or disk motor 216 is preferably designed to operate at two rotational speeds and, in a preferred embodiment, to operate at two voltages (eg, 5 volts and 12 volts). The design of the spindle motor 216 may be based on conventional motor design criteria. The operation of disk motor 216 is controlled by disk speed controller 218, which is connected to disk drive processor 108. Disc assemblies capable of operating at various rotational speeds are described in detail in US Patent 5,764,430, "Disk Drive with Optimal Spindle Speed for Environmental Conditions," by Otsen et al.

1 and 5, the actuator 202 includes an actuator motor 230, an actuator arm 2332 and one or more suspension assemblies 234. Each suspension assembly 234 includes a load beam 236 and a head 238. Head 238 is disposed adjacent the disk surface. Suspension assembly 234 can be supplied to both the top and bottom surfaces of the disc, allowing data to be stored on both sides. Similarly, when multiple disks 212 are included, one or two suspension assemblies are provided for each disk. An actuator drive is used to move the head (s) 238 laterally or rotationally in the radial direction between the disk surface (s). The heads are designed to have a suitable air bearing surface so that the slide height of the head does not change beyond the operating range in high and low power operating modes. Heads with negative pressure air bearing surfaces provide head aerodynamics that are relatively insensitive to disk angular velocity.

I / O buffer 204 is coupled to the transducer used to read and / or write data on disk 212. The nature of the transducer depends on the method used to store the data. For example, in magnetic data storage the transducer may be a magnetoresistive element mounted on the head, but in optical data storage the head may be a lens that is used to transmit light from the disk drive 106 to the transducer. Have I / O buffer 204 properly adjusts data for transmission to processor 102, for example by amplifying the signal and / or converting the analog signal to digital.

In FIG. 1, the servo controller 206 includes a servo sensor or position detector 250, an actuator servo controller 252, a disk speed controller 218, and a servo processor 254. Position detector 250 is connected to the transducer, for example at head 238, such that position detector 250 receives sampled positioning data from the transducer sampled from the disk. This position information is passed to the servo processor 254 to evaluate the position of the read / write head. Positional information, such as track address, is placed at locations along the disk such that the positional information can be used to control the actuator to desired tracks and sectors along the disk surface. The disc may include coarse position information for the track position and fine position information for the sector along the disc.

The servo controller 206 may monitor the speed of the actuator by controlling the power supply to the actuator motor 230 and measuring, for example, back EMF reflecting the speed. The servo processor 254 evaluates the remaining distance to be moved by the actuator and determines the corresponding current to supply to the actuator motor 230.

Disk drive processors generally include a microprocessor and suitable memory. The disk drive processor 108 regulates the operation of the disk drive 106. In particular, drive processor 108 receives a read / write request from processor 102 and directs servo controller 206 accordingly. The disk drive processor 108 also regulates the dual mode operation of the disk drive 106 based on the line power utilization of the power supply 104.

The power source evaluator 210 appropriately determines the high power mode or low power mode of operation of the disk drive 106. The power source evaluator 210 may include a volt meter or other sensor 256 to evaluate the characteristics of the power from the power supply 104. For example, if 12 volt power is supplied by the power supply 104, line power may be used for the power source 104 and the disk drive 106 may operate in a high power mode. Optionally, the power source evaluator 210 includes a signal processor that processes analog or digital signals received from the power source 104, where the signals directly indicate whether line power is available. The power source evaluator 210 may be integrated with the processor 108 in an alternative embodiment.

The user may also enter an instruction to select a desired power mode. This selection may be made by sending instructions to processor 108 via processor 102. Optionally, this may include setting a switch associated with the power source evaluator 210. User selection of the power mode may replace automatic power mode selection. In this manner, the user selects a power mode using a manual or electronic switch of power supply 104 or power source evaluator 210. The electronic switch can be controlled via the processor 102. Optionally, user selection of the power mode may be used to override the selection made by an automatic selection scheme that may be associated with the power source evaluator 210.

B. Controlling Disk Drive Behavior

To perform a read or write operation, processor 102 sends instructions to disk drive 106. In order to perform the operation, the disc drive moves the actuator to the correct track and positions the correct sector in the track. The total access time is equal to the seek time plus the wait time. The seek time is the time taken to move to the correct track, and the wait time is the time taken to move to the correct sector, on average for half a turn of the disc. In the high power mode, seek time and standby time can be reduced.

Thus, if the disk drive provides different modes of operation based on power usage, the disk drive adjusts the performance parameters accordingly. To make adjustments, the disk drive must evaluate the nature of the available power at a reasonable number of times. In general, this evaluation is performed as part of every read / write operation. In the following description, the disk motor speed and other operations depending on the power mode are performed under the read / write operation state, but the evaluation of the power mode may be performed separately to adjust the disk motor speed.

The procedure performed by the disk drive processor (s) is shown in the flowchart of FIG. After starting process 300 (301), the disk drive receives a read / write command (302), selects a power mode (304), adjusts the disk motor speed (if necessary) (306), and seek protocol Determine (308), activate the seek operation (310), perform a read / write operation (312) and end (314). The portable disk drive 106 can have another mode of operation, such as a sleep mode, which slows down the disk motor 216 during periods of inactivity. The following description may be simply modified to consider additional modes of operation.

In general, when the disc drive is started in the off position, even if the read / write operation does not proceed immediately, the appropriate disc motor speed is also evaluated at this time. In a preferred embodiment, the disk drive uses a ramp that unloads the head away from the disk surface when the speed of the disk goes down. Similarly, the head is loaded from the ramp onto the disk surface after the disk has rotated. The use of loading and unloading operations reduces the starting torque. In these embodiments, the motor may be configured to operate more optimally at two rotational speeds starting from the stop position.

In general, disk drive processor 108 receives a read / write command from processor 102 (302). In a preferred embodiment, the power source evaluator 210 examines the signal received from the power source 104 via the connection 162 or of the power received from the power source 104 by examining the signal input by the user. A power mode is selected based on the test (304). Evaluation of the power mode may determine whether line power is available. If line power is available, the disk drive can operate in a high power consumption mode. If line power is not available, the disk drive operates under a low power operating mode that conserves battery power. Thus, the evaluation of the power mode involves the selection of a high power mode of operation and a low power mode of operation. As described above, multiple voltages may be used in the high power mode as compared to the low power mode.

In an alternative embodiment, the power mode selection in step 304 involves checking a user-configured switch to determine the power mode for operation of the disk drive. The user set switch may be placed in the power supply 104 or the disk drive 106. The user-configured switch allows the user to operate in low power mode to save power even if line power is available, or the user can use line power and high voltage mode without line power. It can operate in a high power mode of operation if it does not require a higher voltage than that. Similarly, in a preferred embodiment, the user can reverse so that the automatic power mode selection can be changed by a user manipulation switch or through a reverse command input by processor 108 or processor 102. By some form of user control, the power source evaluator 210 will determine the selected power mode for instructing the servo controller 206 based, for example, on the position of the user control switch.

When the power mode is determined, the disk speed is adjusted 306 if the disk motor is not operating at the desired speed. The speed of the disk motor is adjusted by adjusting the power delivered to the disk motor 206, i.e. voltage and current. Disk speed controller 218 mediates control of disk motor 216. Typical portable disk drives currently operate at 4000-4900 rpm. An improved disk drive modified to implement the present invention may be configured to operate at about 4000-4900 rpm in low power mode and at about 8000-9800 rpm in high power mode.

Based on the evaluation of the power mode, the corresponding seek protocol may be determined 308. After the seek protocol is determined, the seek operation may be activated 310 by powering the actuator motor for the calculated amount of time. If the desired track is found, the position of the desired sector along the track is set and a read / write operation is performed (312). Further description of embodiments of seek operations under changes in disk drive operating parameters is disclosed in US Patent 5,764,430, "Disk Drive with Optimal Spindle Speed for Environmental Conditions," by Otsson.

A process 400 for performing a read / write operation according to a particular embodiment for the determination of the seek protocol is shown in FIG. The basic characteristic of determining the seek protocol relates to the power mode. After the process 400 has started (401), the disk drive receives the read / write instruction 402, selects the power mode (404), adjusts the disk motor speed (if necessary) (406), and actuators Evaluate the arm position (408), calculate the distance to be moved (410), derive a timing for powering the actuator motor (412), activate the seek operation (414), perform a read / write operation, (416) and ends (418).

In particular, disk drive processor 208 receives 402 a read / write instruction from processor 102. The power source evaluator 210 checks the power received from the power source 104 by examining the signal received from the power source 104 via the connection 162 or by checking the signal input by the user. A mode is selected (404).

When the power mode is determined, if the disk motor is not operating at the desired speed, the disk speed is adjusted (406). In order to determine the seek protocol, the arm position is evaluated (408), the distance to be moved by the arm to perform the read / write operation is determined (410) and the timing to power the actuator motor is calculated (412). . The timing of powering the actuator motor should take into account the acceleration and deceleration times for moving the arm.

The speed of the rotating disk and the voltage applied to the actuator motor can affect these times, allowing various protocols to be selected based on the power mode of the disk drive. In general, the servo sample rate is fixed relative to the disc in terms of evaluating a particular sector by a certain number of coefficients from an index stored on the disc surface as a position indicator. Thus, if the fast disk speed is specified to be an integer multiple of the slow disk speed (eg, twice as fast), then the same sampling rate can be used for the fast disk speed, only all other samples are used to evaluate the position. If a non-integer variation in disk speed is allowed, the control equivalence coefficient can generally be modified accordingly.

After the seek protocol is determined, the seek operation can be activated by powering the actuator motor for the calculated amount of time (414). If the desired track is found, the position of the desired sector along the track is set and a read / write operation is performed (416). In a preferred embodiment, the seek time in the high power mode is about 4 to 6.5 milliseconds and the total access time is about 7 to 10.7 milliseconds.

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a disk drive 106 comprising a data storage disk 212, a motor 216 for rotating the data storage disk, a power source evaluator 210 and a servo controller 206. . The power source evaluator 210 has a sensor 256 that evaluates electrical properties. The evaluation includes determining whether the battery power source 108 or the line voltage power source 122 is powered to operate the disk drive 106 in the power mode selected by the user. Servo controller 206 receives a signal from power source evaluator 210 indicating a selection between a high power mode and a low power mode. The servo controller 206 provides the disk motor 216 with various instructions for the rotational angular velocity based on the evaluation of the power source 104.

In some embodiments, disk drive 106 includes a number of data storage disks 212. In a preferred embodiment, disk motor 216 and / or actuator motor 230 operate at low or high voltage. Sensor 256 of power source evaluator 210 may be a volt meter, an analog circuit or a digital processor. The disk drive 106 generally includes a servo process 254 that determines the seek protocol depending on the power mode evaluated by the power source evaluator 210. Disk drive 106 generally includes an actuator 202 having a head 238 mounted to suspension assembly 236.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method 300 for operating a disk drive 106 that includes a data storage disk 212 and a disk drive motor 216, the method 300 from a power source 104. Selecting 304 the power mode by examining the electrical properties of the device. The method 300 further includes adjusting 306 the angular velocity of the disk 212 by providing a command to the disk drive motor 216 according to selecting 304 the use of line power for the power source 104. do.

Selection of the power mode may include determining whether line power is supplied to the power supply 104. Optionally, the selection of the power mode may include an evaluation of the user indication for the power mode. Examination of the electrical properties as part of the selection step 304 may include measuring a voltage, measuring an analog signal from the power source 104, or measuring a digital signal from the power source 104. The step 306 of adjusting the angular velocity of the disk 212 may include selecting a desired voltage from a plurality of voltages for supplying the disk drive motor 216 and / or a suitable current to the disk drive motor 216 to obtain a desired angular velocity. It may include providing a.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to a disk drive comprising power evaluation means and a controller. The power evaluation means evaluates a signal that determines operation in the high power mode or the low power mode. The controller is configured to adjust the angular speed of the motor based on the power mode evaluation from the power evaluation means.

While numerous features and advantages of the various embodiments of the invention have been shown in the foregoing description, along with a detailed description of the structure and function of the various embodiments of the invention, these descriptions are for illustrative purposes only, and in particular the appended claims Changes may be made in structure and arrangement within the principles of the present invention over the full range indicated by the broad meaning of the terms indicated. For example, certain elements vary depending on the particular use of the disk drive but maintain the same functionality without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Further, while the preferred embodiment described herein relates to a portable disk drive for a portable computer system, the teachings of the present invention can be used in other portable electrical devices utilizing the disk drive without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims (20)

a) data storage disk; b) a motor for rotating said data storage disk; c) a power supply evaluator having a sensor evaluating electrical properties; And d) a disc drive comprising a servo controller that receives a signal from a power source evaluator indicating a selection between a high power mode and a low power mode and provides various angular velocity indications to the disc depending on the power mode. The disk drive of claim 1, further comprising an additional data storage disk. The disk drive of claim 1, wherein the disk motor operates at a high voltage or a low voltage. The disk drive of claim 1, wherein the sensor of the power source evaluator comprises a volt meter. The disk drive of claim 1, wherein the sensor of the power source evaluator comprises an analog circuit. The disk drive of claim 1, wherein the sensor of the power source evaluator comprises a user set switch. The disk drive of claim 1, further comprising an actuator comprising a head mounted to the suspension assembly. 8. The disk drive of claim 7, wherein the head comprises a magnetoresistive transducer. 8. The disk drive of claim 7, wherein the head comprises a lens. 8. The disk drive of claim 7, wherein the actuator further comprises an actuator motor capable of operating at high or low voltage. 8. The disk drive of claim 7, further comprising a servo processor that determines a seek protocol that depends on the power mode evaluated by the power source evaluator. A method of operating a disk drive including a data storage disk and a disk drive motor, the method comprising: a) selecting operation in a low power mode or a low power mode by examining electrical properties; And b) adjusting the angular velocity of the disk by instructing the disk drive motor in accordance with the selected power mode. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the checking of the electrical property in the evaluating step (a) comprises measuring a voltage indicating whether line power is supplied to a power source. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the checking of the electrical property in the evaluation step (a) comprises measuring an analog signal from a power source, wherein the analog signal indicates whether a line voltage is supplied to the power source. How to. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the checking of the electrical property within the evaluation step (a) comprises measuring a digital signal from a power source, wherein the digital signal indicates whether a line voltage is supplied to the power source. How to. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the checking of the electrical property in the evaluation step (a) comprises determining which power mode is selected for user support. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein adjusting the angular velocity includes selecting a desired voltage for supplying the disk drive motor from a plurality of voltages. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein adjusting the angular velocity (b) comprises providing a suitable current to the disk drive motor to achieve a desired angular velocity. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step (c) of determining a seek protocol for the operation of the actuator, wherein the determination of the seek protocol is dependent on an evaluation of the use of line power for the power source. a) power evaluation means for evaluating a signal indicative of operation in a high power mode or a low power mode; And b) a controller configured to adjust the angular speed of the motor through the power output based on the power mode indication from the power evaluation means.