STMicroelectronics International Assigned Patent

STMicroelectronics International N.V., Geneva, Switzerland, has been assigned a patent (12334119) developed by Boscolo Berto; Michele, Milan, Italy, for a “method of operating hard disk drives, corresponding control circuit, hard disk drive and processing device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A voice coil motor (VCM) in a hard disk drive is operated in a discontinuous mode with an alternation of on and off times. A drive current to the VCM is facilitated and countered with a variable voltage across the during the on-times and off-times. The intensity of the drive current is controlled as a function of a Back ElectroMotive Force (BEMF) of the VCM. A method includes sampling during the alternation of on-times and off-times first and second values of the voltage across the VCM. The first value is sampled at a first time in response to the end of the off-time. The second value is sampled at a second time in response to the drive current of the VCM zeroing following the supply of drive current to the VCM being countered during the off-time. The BEMF is calculated as a function of first and second values.”

The patent application was filed on 2024-05-30 (18/678645).