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A hard disk drive system that includes one or more rotating data storage platters, a drive controller and multiple actuator assemblies and corresponding respective read/write heads. The actuator assemblies are separately movable for performing separate data seeks. The controller is configured to interleave the seek and read/write operations of the multiple actuator assemblies and read/write heads with one another.

Inventors: Jesse E. Craig, Stanley B. Stanski, Scott T. Vento
Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
Primary Examiner: Jason C Olson
Attorney: Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC
Current U.S. Classification: 360/78.12; 360/77.01

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Citations

Cited PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US4270154May 24, 1979May 26, 1981Head selection technique
US5177652Apr 4, 1990Jan 5, 1993Hitachi, Ltd.Dual-actuator transducer position control apparatus for seeking and following track on rotary disk
US5293282Nov 9, 1990Mar 8, 1994Conner Peripherals, Inc.Multiple actuator disk drive
US5343347Sep 14, 1992Aug 30, 1994Magnetic disk storage module with multiple sets of actuator arms for simultaneous read/write operations at different circumferential locations within the disk stack
US5355486Jan 21, 1993Oct 11, 1994Conner Peripherals, Inc.System for allocating tasks between two actuators servicing the same magnetic disk media in a single disk drive
US6005743May 5, 1998Dec 21, 1999International Business Machines CorporationDisk drive with multiple actuators on a single axis and disk surfaces of differing track pitch
US6005747Dec 1, 1997Dec 21, 1999High capacity disk drive with two stator windings
US6847504Apr 30, 2002Jan 25, 2005Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Split VCM actuator
US6883062Feb 3, 2002Apr 19, 2005Aleksandar SusnjarHigh-speed disk drive system
US7102842Jun 8, 2004Sep 5, 2006Disk data storage apparatus and method using multiple head actuators

Referenced by

Citing PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US7760463Dec 19, 2006Jul 20, 2010Teradata US, Inc.Multiple disks in a single disk package

Claims

1. A disk drive system responsive to a plurality of data transfer requests requiring a plurality of corresponding respective seeks and a plurality of corresponding respective data transfers, the disk drive system comprising:

a housing;

at least one platter rotatably mounted within said housing, said at least one platter having a first data storage surface containing a plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to ones of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first actuator assembly supporting said first read/write head and configured to move said first read/write head so that said first read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations;
at least a second read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to ones of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;
a second actuator assembly supporting said second read/write head and configured to move said second read/write head independently of said first read/write head and so that said second read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations; and
a controller operatively connected to said first actuator assembly and said second actuator assembly, said controller responsive to the plurality of data transfer requests by interleaving the plurality of corresponding respective seeks between said first actuator assembly and said second actuator assembly, wherein:
said controller receives the plurality of data transfer requests in a temporally sequential order, said controller configured to control said first and second read/write heads so as to perform said plurality of corresponding respective data transfers in said temporally sequential order by sequentially alternating the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers between said first and second read/write heads;
said controller is configured to control said first and second actuator assemblies so as to perform said plurality of corresponding respective seeks in said temporally sequential order by sequentially alternating the plurality of corresponding respective seeks between said first and second actuator assemblies; and
said controller is operatively configured to stall ones of the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers as needed to maintain said temporally sequential order of the plurality of corresponding data transfers.

2. A disk drive system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one platter comprises first and second data storage surfaces and said plurality of surficial data storage locations are contained on said first and second data storage surfaces, the disk drive system further comprising a first pair of read/write heads supported by said first actuator assembly and a second pair of read/write heads supported by said second actuator assembly, each of said first and second pairs of read/write heads containing a read/write head operable with said first data storage surface and a read/write head operable with said second data storage surface.

3. A disk drive system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of platters each including a first and second data storage surface, said plurality of surficial data storage locations being contained on said first and second data storage surfaces of said plurality of platters, the disk drive system further comprising a first set of read/write heads supported by said first actuator assembly and a second set of read/write heads supported by said second actuator assembly, each of said first and second sets of read/write heads having a read write head operable with a corresponding respective one of said first and second storage surfaces of said plurality of platters.

4. A disk drive system according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second actuator assemblies comprises a pivoting armature.

5. A disk drive system responsive to a plurality of temporally sequential data transfer requests requiring a plurality of corresponding respective seeks and a plurality of corresponding respective data transfers, the disk drive system comprising:

a housing;

at least one platter rotatably mounted within said housing, said at least one platter having a first data storage surface containing a plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to ones of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;

a first actuator assembly supporting said first read/write head and configured to move said first read/write head so that said first read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations;
at least a second read/write head movably mounted within said housing and configured to read and write data to one of said plurality of surficial data storage locations;
a second actuator assembly supporting said second read/write head and configured to move said second read/write head independently of said first read/write head and so that said second read/write head is able to access said plurality of surficial data storage locations; and
a controller operatively connected to said first actuator assembly and said second actuator assembly, said controller responsive to the plurality of temporally sequential data transfer requests by performing said plurality of corresponding respective seeks in the temporally sequential order by alternating the plurality of corresponding respective seeks between said first actuator assembly and second actuator assembly, wherein:
said controller is further responsive to the plurality of temporally sequential data transfer requests by performing said plurality of corresponding respective seeks in the temporally sequential order by sequentially alternating the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers between said first and second read/write heads; and
said controller is operatively configured to stall ones of the plurality of corresponding respective data transfers as needed to maintain said temporally sequential order of the plurality of corresponding data transfers.

6. A disk drive system according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of platters each including a first and second data storage surface, said plurality of surficial data storage locations being contained on said first and second data storage surfaces of said plurality of platters, the disk drive system further comprising a first set of read/write heads supported by said first actuator assembly and a second set of read/write heads supported by said second actuator assembly, each of said first and second sets of read/write heads having a read/write head operable with a corresponding respective one of said first and second storage surfaces of said plurality of platters.

Drawings