Shock resistant, high reliability rotating magnetic storage device and method

1. An information recording method in a storage apparatus comprising a rotating recording medium for recording information, a head for performing at least a write operation onto the rotating recording medium, and an acceleration sensor for detecting a shock, the method comprising;

outputting a shock out signal if an output from the acceleration sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold;

outputting a signal for a write inhibit period in response to the input of the shock out signal, wherein the write inhibit period is selected based at least in part on a time span in which the output of the acceleration sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

prohibiting writing to the rotating recording medium while the signal is being output during the write inhibit period.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the write inhibit period is further based at least in part based on an output peak value of the acceleration sensor.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising generating a logical AND signal of a logical negation signal of the signal at a first level and a write gate signal output, the write gate signal output being at the first level when a write permission is given; and enabling a write onto the rotating recording medium when the logical AND signal is at the first level.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the write inhibit period is longer than a period that the output fron the acceleration sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the write inhibit period is selected by varying a predetermined fixed time period based at least in part on the time span in which the acceleration sensor output exceeds the threshold.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the write inhibit period is further selected by varying a predetermined fixed time period based at least in part on the peak value of the acceleration sensor output.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the acceleration sensor is selected from a group consisting of a gravitational acceleration sensor, a gyro-meter, and a semiconductor sensor.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the storage apparatus is a hard disk drive.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the storage apparatus is removable from a host system.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rotating recording medium is an optical disk.

11. An information recording method in a data storage apparatus comprising;

performing at a write operation onto a recording medium;

receiving output from an acceleration sensor the acceleration sensor output indicating that a shock has been detected;

outputting a write gate signal at a first level when a write permission is given;

outputting a latch signal at the first level for a write inhibit period upon detecting the output from the acceleration sensor regardless of whether the write gate is at the first level or at a second level, wherein the write inhibit period is selected based on the acceleration sensor output; and

enabling a write onto the recording medium when the latch signal is at a second level other than the first level and when the write gate signal is at the first level.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the write inhibit period is selected based at least in part on a time span in which the acceleration sensor output exceeds a predetermined threshold.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the write inhibit period is selected based at least in part on a peak value of the acceleration sensor output.

14. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the write inhibit period is further selected based at least in part on a waveform of the acceleration sensor output.

15. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the write inhibit period is longer than a period that the output from the acceleration sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold.

16. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the write inhibit period is selected by varying a predetermined fixed time period based at least in part on the time span in which the acceleration sensor output exceeds the threshold.

17. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the write inhibit period is further selected by varying, a predetermined fixed time period based at least in part on the peak value of the acceleration sensor output.

18. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the acceleration sensor is selected from a group consisting of a gravitational acceleration sensor, a gyro-meter, and a semiconductor sensor.

19. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the storage apparatus is a hard disk drive.

20. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the storage apparatus is removable from a host system.

21. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the recording medium is an optical disk.

22. An information recording method in a storage apparatus comprising a head for performing at least a write operation onto a recording medium and an acceleration sensor for detecting a shock, the method comprising;

receiving an output from the acceleradon sensor;

determining whether the acceleration sensor output exceeds a predetermined threshold;

if the acceleration sensor output exceeds the predetermined threshold, determining a time span in which the output of the acceleration sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold;

selecting a write inhibit period based at least in part on the time span in which the output of the acceleration sensor exceeds the predeterimned threshold; and

prohibittng writing to the recording medium during the write inhibit period.