IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,706,112

Granted Patent B2

US 12,706,112 · App. 19/323,778 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Magnetic disk device and method

Inventors: Takahiro Kawai (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP); Tetsuo Kuribayashi (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP); Takuya Mori (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP)

Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation

G11B5/09

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12,706,112
App. No.: 19/323,778
Granted: Aug 11, 2026
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

According to one embodiment, a controller is configured to: set an increment amount for each of counters respectively corresponding to storage areas arranged in a radial direction of a magnetic disk; increment a value of a counter by the set increment amount for a storage area in the vicinity according to a write operation of writing data to the magnetic disk; execute, for each storage area, an operation of calculating a remaining number of write times, which is a number of write operations for a vicinity of one storage area that are executable until a value of a counter corresponding to the one storage area reaches a first threshold value, based on an increment amount for the one storage area; and execute a rewrite operation on each storage area in an order according to the remaining number of write times in an idle state.

Claims (87)

1 . A magnetic disk device comprising:

a magnetic disk including a first plurality of storage areas arranged in a radial direction;

a magnetic head configured to write or read data to or from the magnetic disk;

a memory configured to store a plurality of counters that is a group of counters respectively corresponding to the first plurality of storage areas; and

a controller configured to:

set an increment amount for each of the plurality of counters;

increment a value of a first counter by an increment amount related to the first counter according to a write operation of writing data to the magnetic disk, the first counter being a counter of the plurality of counters corresponding to a first storage area, the first storage area being a storage area in a vicinity of a first position that is a position where data is written by the write operation;

execute an operation of calculating a remaining number of write times, which is a number of write operations for a vicinity of one storage area that are executable until a value of a counter corresponding to the one storage area reaches a first threshold value, based on an increment amount for the one storage area, for each of a second plurality of storage areas that is some or all of the first plurality of storage areas;

execute a rewrite operation on each of the second plurality of storage areas in an order according to the remaining number of write times in an idle state, the rewrite operation being an operation of reading all data from one storage area and writing all the read data to the one storage area; and

reset, among the second plurality of storage areas, a value of a counter corresponding to a storage area on which the rewrite operation has been executed.

2 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to:

specify, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which a value of a corresponding counter has reached the first threshold value;

execute the rewrite operation on the specified storage area; and

reset a value of a counter corresponding to the specified storage area.

3 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to execute the rewrite operation on a second storage area in the idle state, and execute the rewrite operation on a third storage area after the rewrite operation on the second storage area, the remaining number of write times for the second storage area being smaller than the remaining number of write times for the third storage area.

4 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to compare the remaining number of write times with a second threshold value for each of the second plurality of storage areas in the idle state, and execute, among the second plurality of storage areas, the rewrite operation on a storage area in which the remaining number of write times is larger than the second threshold value after the rewrite operation on a storage area in which the remaining number of write times is smaller than the second threshold value.

5 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to set the increment amount for the counter corresponding to the first storage area according to a vibration of the magnetic head or a temperature during the write operation with respect to the first position.

6 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is further configured to:

calculate, for each of the first plurality of storage areas, a counter ratio that is a value obtained by dividing a value of a corresponding counter by the first threshold value;

specify, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which the counter ratio is larger than a third threshold value as one of the second plurality of storage areas; and

specify, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which the counter ratio is smaller than the third threshold value as one storage area that is not one of the second plurality of storage areas.

7 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 2 , wherein

the controller is further configured to:

calculate, for each of the first plurality of storage areas, a counter ratio that is a value obtained by dividing a value of a corresponding counter by the first threshold value;

specify, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which the counter ratio is larger than a third threshold value as one of the second plurality of storage areas; and

8 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 3 , wherein

the controller is further configured to:

calculate, for each of the first plurality of storage areas, a counter ratio that is a value obtained by dividing a value of a corresponding counter by the first threshold value;

specify, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which the counter ratio is larger than a third threshold value as one of the second plurality of storage areas; and

9 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 4 , wherein

the controller is further configured to:

calculate, for each of the first plurality of storage areas, a counter ratio that is a value obtained by dividing a value of a corresponding counter by the first threshold value;

specify, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which the counter ratio is larger than a third threshold value as one of the second plurality of storage areas; and

10 . The magnetic disk device according to claim 5 , wherein

the controller is further configured to:

calculate, for each of the first plurality of storage areas, a counter ratio that is a value obtained by dividing a value of a corresponding counter by the first threshold value;

specify, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which the counter ratio is larger than a third threshold value as one of the second plurality of storage areas; and

11 . A method of controlling a magnetic disk device including a magnetic disk including a first plurality of storage areas arranged in a radial direction, and a magnetic head configured to write or read data to or from the magnetic disk, the method comprising:

setting an increment amount for each of a plurality of counters that is a group of counters respectively corresponding to the first plurality of storage areas;

incrementing a value of a first counter by an increment amount related to the first counter according to a write operation of writing data to the magnetic disk, the first counter being a counter of the plurality of counters corresponding to a first storage area, the first storage area being a storage area in a vicinity of a first position that is a position where data is written by the write operation;

executing an operation of calculating a remaining number of write times, which is a number of write operations for a vicinity of one storage area that are executable until a value of a counter corresponding to the one storage area reaches a first threshold value, based on an increment amount for the one storage area, for each of a second plurality of storage areas that is some or all of the first plurality of storage areas;

executing a rewrite operation on each of the second plurality of storage areas in an order according to the remaining number of write times in an idle state, the rewrite operation being an operation of reading all data from one storage area and writing all the read data to the one storage area; and

resetting, among the second plurality of storage areas, a value of a counter corresponding to a storage area on which the rewrite operation has been executed.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

specifying, among the first plurality of storage areas, a storage area in which a value of a corresponding counter has reached the first threshold value;

executing the rewrite operation on the specified storage area; and

resetting a value of a counter corresponding to the specified storage area.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

in the idle state,

executing the rewrite operation on a second storage area; and

executing the rewrite operation on a third storage area after the rewrite operation on the second storage area, wherein

the remaining number of write times for the second storage area is smaller than the remaining number of write times for the third storage area.

14 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

in the idle state,

comparing the remaining number of write times with a second threshold value for each of the second plurality of storage areas; and

executing, among the second plurality of storage areas, the rewrite operation on a storage area in which the remaining number of write times is larger than the second threshold value after the rewrite operation on a storage area in which the remaining number of write times is smaller than the second threshold value.

15 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising

setting the increment amount for the counter corresponding to the first storage area according to a vibration of the magnetic head or a temperature during the write operation with respect to the first position.

16 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

calculating, for each of the first plurality of storage areas, a counter ratio that is a value obtained by dividing a value of a corresponding counter by the first threshold value;