Toshiba Assigned Eleven Patents

Magnetic disk
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,008,227) developed by Sudo, Daisuke, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, and and Hara, Takeyori, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk apparatus..“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk apparatus includes a magnetic head, a voice coil motor, a driving circuit, and a VCM resistance estimation unit. The magnetic head accesses a magnetic disk. The voice coil motor drives the magnetic head over the magnetic disk. The driving circuit applies a VCM current to the voice coil motor. The VCM resistance estimation unit estimates a VCM resistance in the voice coil motor based on the saturated VCM current and a velocity of the magnetic head.”

The patent application was filed on August 3, 2017 (15/667,933).

Magnetic disk using head amplifier circuit for pattern dependent write
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,002,624) developed by Amemiya, Yoshihiro, Chigasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device using head amplifier circuit for pattern dependent write.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head configured to write data to the disk, and an integrated circuit configured to acquire a detection signal indicative of a first pattern of a first frequency of write data, change a first current of a second pattern of a write current corresponding to the first pattern on the basis of the detection signal, detect a third pattern of a second frequency which is greater than the first frequency from the write data, change a second current of a fourth pattern of the write current corresponding to the third pattern, and output the write current with the changed first current and the changed second current to the head.”

The patent application was filed on August 18, 2017 (15/680,343).

Disk device with stopper for movable member
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,990,948) developed by Kuribara, Hirofumi, Kamakura Kanagawa, Japan, for a “disk device with stopper for movable member.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “According to one embodiment, a stopper of a disk device includes a fixing member to be fixed to a supporter of the disk device, and a cushioning member formed of a fluorine rubber and attached to the fixing member. The cushioning member includes a contact surface which contacts the fixing member, a first contact surface which can contact the supporter of the disk device, and a second contact surface which can contact a movable member in the disk device, the first contact surface has a first surface adhesive force based on adhesion of the fluorine rubber, and the second contact surface is subjected to a non-adhesive surface treatment and has a second surface adhesive force which is less than or equal to 1/20 the first surface adhesive force.”

The patent application was filed on March 16, 2017 (15/460,581).

Magnetic disk, controller
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,959,898) developed by Hsu, Shihpo, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, and Hara, Takeyori, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device, controller, and seeking method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks, a magnetic head used for writing data on the magnetic disk and reading data from the magnetic disk, a controller configured to control seek operations of the magnetic head, and a vibration sensor. The controller predicts a first vibration caused by a currently executed seek operation, based on a seek control signal, predicts a second vibration based on vibration detected by the sensor, and determines an adjusted start time of the currently executed seek operation so that a phase of the first vibration does not match a phase of the second vibration.”

The patent application was filed on September 3, 2017 (15/694,839).

Correcting mounting position of disk device on rack
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,959,891) developed by Ikeda, Toru, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, and Tomita, Isamu, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “method for correcting a mounting position of a disk device on a rack.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A method for correcting a mounting position of a disk device on a rack, includes performing a normal seek to position a head of the disk device above a target position on the disk, determining that the normal seek has failed, and performing an excitation seek that causes a position of a base supporting the disk to move and reposition the disk. The disk device includes a carriage arm supporting the head, a voice coil motor configured to drive the carriage arm to position the head, the base supporting the magnetic disk, the voice coil motor, and the carriage arm, and a control unit configured to control a current to the voice coil motor to be supplied with a first current profile during the normal seek and with a second current profile during the excitation seek.”

The patent application was filed on February 28, 2017 (15/445,798).

Accurate repeatable runout compensation in disk drives during seeks
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,953,672) developed by Szita, Gabor, Mountain View, CA, and Liang, Jiangang, Saratoga, CA, for a “accurate repeatable runout compensation in disk drives during seeks.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A repeatable runout, (RRO) is accurately compensated for while moving a magnetic head radially across a disk surface. An iterative learning control algorithm is employed to determine appropriate feed-forward coefficients for an RRO compensation signal for each of a plurality of radial locations across the disk surface. The feed-forward coefficients are determined by performing multiple iterations of continuously moving the magnetic head across the disk surface along a target path while measuring a position error signal that indicates the radial error between the magnetic head and the target path. With each iteration, the iterative learning control algorithm computes new feed-forward coefficients for each of the plurality of radial locations, where the new feed-forward coefficients are selected to reduce the measured position error signal when employed to move the magnetic head along the target path.”

The patent application was filed on October 21, 2016 (15/331,380).

Calibration spiral to improve guide spiral placement
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,947,356) developed by Oswald, Richard, San Jose, CA, Szita, Gabor, Mountain View, CA, and Zhang, Li, Fremont, CA, for a “calibration spiral to improve guide spiral placement.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A method of writing servo spirals for spiral-based self-servo writing includes determining control parameters for controlling movement of a write head between a first and a second disk radial location at a first velocity, writing a first spiral while controlling the movement of the write head between the first and the second disk radial location at the first velocity according to the determined control parameters, writing a second spiral while controlling movement of the write head between the first and the second disk radial location at a second velocity that is different from the first velocity, based on timing and location information from the first spiral, and writing a third spiral while controlling movement of the write head between the first and the second disk radial location at the first velocity according to the determined control parameters and based on timing and location information from the second spiral.”

The patent application was filed on March 9, 2017 (15/454,886).

Magnetic disk device and write method
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,934,805) developed by Tsukahara, Wataru, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, Kouhara, Shinichirou, Hino Tokyo, Japan, and Abe, Takao, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device and write method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device including a disk, and a controller which calculates a first corrected value based on a first eccentricity of the disk, and writes a first track based on the first corrected value, wherein when the controller interrupts the process for writing the second track so as to overlap the first track at a first position, the controller measures a second eccentricity of the disk, and compares the first eccentricity with the second eccentricity, and when the first eccentricity is different from the second eccentricity, the controller restarts the process for writing the second track from a second position away from the first position in a radial direction.”

The patent application was filed on August 31, 2017 (15/691,822).

Magnetic disk device and control
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,928,863) developed by Sato, Hiroaki, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device and control method thereof.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk, a head slider and a control circuit. The head slider includes a read element, a write element, a first heater and a second heater. The first heater is arranged nearer to the read element than the write element. The second heater is arranged nearer to the write element than to the read element. The control circuit controls a ratio of powers to be supplied to the first heater and the second heater to adjust a first spacing between the read element and the magnetic disk and a second spacing between the write element and the magnetic disk.”

The patent application was filed on March 3, 2017 (15/449,373).

Head and disk drive
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,911,444) developed by Yamane, Masami, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “head and disk drive with the same.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “According to one embodiment, a head for a disk drive includes a slider including an air-bearing surface having a pair of side edges, a pair of side surfaces, a leading-side end surface and a trailing-side end surface, and a head section provided in the slider. The slider includes a leading step in a leading-side end portion of the air-bearing surface, a deep trench provided downstream side of the leading step, and a trailing step in a trailing side end portion of the air-bearing surface and including the head section built therein, and side trenches having a depth of 100 to 300 nm formed respectively along the pair side edges of the air-bearing surface.”

The patent application was filed on March 9, 2017 (15/454,291).

Magnetic disk and write processing
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,905,263) developed by Kojima, Shuuichi, Tokyo, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device and write processing method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk including a first recording area, a head includes a write head configured to write data to the disk, and a read head configured to read data from the disk, and a controller configured to set particular areas in same circumferential positions on tracks of the first recording area, and to write, to the respective particular areas, parity data based on data read from areas other than the particular areas.”

The patent application was filed on March 31, 2016 (15/087,492).