Granted Patent B1

US 8,031,423 · App. 12/492,443 · Granted Oct 4, 2011

Abstract

Claims (45)

1. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks;

a head actuated over the disk; and

control circuitry operable to generate an actual data tracks per inch (TPI) profile for the disk by:

determining an ideal data TPI profile for the disk; and

generating the actual data TPI profile that estimates the ideal data TPI profile by combining a first segment of a first predetermined data TPI profile and a second segment of a second predetermined data TPI profile.

2. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein:

the first predetermined data TPI profile comprises first and second TPI zones;

each of the first and second TPI zones define a plurality of data tracks; and

a first data rate of the data tracks in the first TPI zone differs from a second data rate of the data tracks in the second TPI zone.

3. The disk drive as recited in claim 2 , wherein:

the second predetermined data TPI profile comprises third and fourth TPI zones;

each of the third and fourth TPI zone define a plurality of data tracks; and

a third data rate of the data tracks in the third TPI zone differs from a fourth data rate of the data tracks in the fourth TPI zone.

4. The disk drive as recited in claim 3 , wherein:

the second TPI zone and the third TPI zone define the boundary between the first segment of the first predetermined data TPI profile and the second segment of the second predetermined data TPI profile; and

the second data rate differs from the third data rate by less than ten percent.

5. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein:

the first predetermined data TPI profile comprises first and second TPI zones;

each of the first and second TPI zones define a plurality of data tracks;

each of the first and second TPI zones comprise TPI segments; and

each TPI segment comprises a constant data TPI over a radial segment of the disk.

6. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is operable to determine the ideal data TPI profile for the disk by measuring a bit error rate at a plurality of different radial locations.

7. The disk drive as recited in claim 6 , wherein the control circuitry is further operable to determine the ideal data TPI profile for the disk by estimating a geometry of the head in response to the bit error rate measurements.

8. A method of operating a disk drive, the disk drive comprising a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks, and a head actuated over the disk, the method comprising:

determining an ideal data tracks per inch (TPI) profile for the disk; and

generating an actual data TPI profile that estimates the ideal data TPI profile by combining a first segment of a first predetermined data TPI profile and a second segment of a second predetermined data TPI profile.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein:

the first predetermined data TPI profile comprises first and second TPI zones;

each of the first and second TPI zones define a plurality of data tracks; and

a first data rate of the data tracks in the first TPI zone differs from a second data rate of the data tracks in the second TPI zone.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein:

the second predetermined data TPI profile comprises third and fourth TPI zones;

each of the third and fourth TPI zone define a plurality of data tracks; and

a third data rate of the data tracks in the third TPI zone differs from a fourth data rate of the data tracks in the fourth TPI zone.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein:

the second TPI zone and the third TPI zone define the boundary between the first segment of the first predetermined data TPI profile and the second segment of the second predetermined data TPI profile; and

the second data rate differs from the third data rate by less than ten percent.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein:

the first predetermined data TPI profile comprises first and second TPI zones;

each of the first and second TPI zones define a plurality of data tracks;

each of the first and second TPI zones comprise TPI segments; and

each TPI segment comprises a constant data TPI over a radial segment of the disk.

13. The method as recited in claim 8 , further comprising determining the ideal data TPI profile for the disk by measuring a bit error rate at a plurality of different radial locations.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 , further comprising determining the ideal data TPI profile for the disk by estimating a geometry of the head in response to the bit error rate measurements.

Assignments (8)