IP Library Granted Patent US 12,455,699
Granted Patent B2
US 12,455,699 · App. 18/590,214 · Granted Oct 28, 2025

Data storage device with variable containers for logic blocks

Inventor: Scott Burton (Westminster, CO)
Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
G06F3/064G06F3/0608G06F3/0676
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,455,699
App. No.
18/590,214
Granted
Oct 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device, comprising: one or more disks; a write mechanism configured to write data to disk surfaces of the one or more disks; and one or more processing devices, which are configured to: encode, based on a distributed sector encoding scheme, data into a plurality of logic blocks of data, wherein the logic blocks of data comprise the data to be written being interleaved across a plurality of sectors; assign at least some of the logic blocks to a plurality of containers of two or more container sizes, the container sizes comprising a relatively larger container size and a relatively smaller container size; and output a write signal to the write mechanism to write the logic blocks in accordance with the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers.

Claims (70)

1. A data storage device, comprising:

one or more disks;

a write mechanism configured to write data to disk surfaces of the one or more disks, the write mechanism comprising an actuator arm assembly that includes heads suspended over the disk surfaces; and

one or more processing devices, individually or in combination, configured to:

encode data into a plurality of logic blocks;

assign at least some of the logic blocks to a plurality of containers of two or more different container sizes, wherein the containers each comprise one or more distributed sectors; and

output a write signal to the write mechanism to write the at least some of the logic blocks in an interleaved pattern on the disk surfaces in accordance with the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers.

2. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

one or more advantages of a relatively larger container size; and

one or more advantages of a relatively smaller container size.

3. The data storage device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more advantages of the relatively larger container size, relative to the relatively smaller container size, comprise at least one of:

relatively higher averaging of variation in track misregistration (TMR);

relatively higher averaging of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR);

relatively higher diluting of impact of defects in the disk surfaces across the logic blocks;

relatively higher density of data tracks per width;

distributing distributed sectors across a relatively larger number of the logic blocks; and

distributing distributed sectors across a relatively larger number of data tracks,

and wherein the one or more advantages of the relatively smaller container size, relative to the relatively larger container size, comprises at least relatively higher correction capability.

4. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

weighting the containers toward a relatively larger container size.

5. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

weighting the containers toward a relatively smaller container size.

6. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

balancing the containers between a relatively larger container size and a relatively smaller container size.

7. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

fitting an integer number of the containers to an available track on the disk surfaces.

8. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

left-justifying, on a track, containers of relatively larger container size.

9. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

left-justifying, on a track, containers of relatively smaller container size.

10. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

balancing a distribution of containers of a relatively larger container size and of a relatively smaller container size within the plurality of containers.

11. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the containers further comprises parity data, and wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

right-justifying, on a track, the container that comprises the parity data.

12. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers further comprises:

assigning, by the one or more processing devices, individually or in combination, one or more of the logic blocks to a container span that comprises a plurality of the containers, wherein each of the containers comprised in the container span is of a same size as the others of the containers comprised in the container span.

13. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers further comprises:

assigning, by the one or more processing devices, individually or in combination, the logic blocks to two or more sub-tracks within the plurality of containers.

14. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of containers contains all of the logic blocks from the encoding the data into the plurality of logic blocks, in a one-to-one relationship between the containers and the distributed sectors in accordance with a distributed sector encoding scheme.

15. The data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the distributed sectors are mapped to physically dispersed, distributed areas on the disk surfaces.

16. A method comprising:

encoding, by one or more processing devices, individually or in combination,

assigning, by the one or more processing devices, individually or in combination, at least some of the logic blocks to a plurality of containers of two or more different container sizes, wherein the containers each comprise one or more distributed sectors; and

outputting, by the one or more processing devices, individually or in combination, a write signal to write the at least some of the logic blocks in an interleaved pattern on one or more disk surfaces of one or more disks of a data storage device in accordance with the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

one or more advantages of a relatively larger container size; and

one or more advantages of a relatively smaller container size,

wherein the one or more advantages of the relatively larger container size, relative to the relatively smaller container size, comprise at least one of:

relatively higher averaging of variation in track misregistration (TMR);

relatively higher averaging of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR);

relatively higher diluting of impact of defects in the disk surfaces across the logic blocks;

relatively higher density of data tracks per width;

distributing distributed sectors across a relatively larger number of the logic blocks; and

distributing distributed sectors across a relatively larger number of data tracks, and wherein the one or more advantages of the relatively smaller container size, relative to the relatively larger container size, comprises at least relatively higher correction capability.

18. One or more processing devices, individually or in combination, comprising:

means for encoding data into a plurality of logic blocks;

means for assigning at least some of the logic blocks to a plurality of containers of two or more different container sizes, wherein the containers each comprise one or more distributed sectors; and

means for outputting a write signal to a write mechanism configured to write data to disk surfaces of one or more disks of a data storage device, to write the at least some of the logic blocks in an interleaved pattern on the disk surfaces in accordance with the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks of data to the plurality of containers.

19. The one or more processing devices of claim 18 ,

wherein the assigning of the at least some of the logic blocks to the plurality of containers is based at least in part on criteria that comprise:

one or more advantages of the relatively larger container size; and

one or more advantages of the relatively smaller container size,

wherein the one or more advantages of the relatively larger container size, relative to the

relatively smaller container size, comprise at least one of:

relatively higher averaging of variation in track misregistration (TMR);

relatively higher averaging of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR);

relatively higher diluting of impact of defects in the disk surfaces across the logic blocks;

relatively higher density of data tracks per width;

distributing distributed sectors across a relatively larger number of the logic blocks; and

distributing distributed sectors across a relatively larger number of data tracks, and wherein the one or more advantages of the relatively smaller container size, relative to the relatively larger container size, comprise at least relatively higher correction capability.

Assignments (2)
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT (AR) Recorded May 15, 2024
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS THE AGENT
Reel/Frame 067417/0329 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 29, 2024
From: BURTON, SCOTT
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 066607/0861 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 17841460 · Jun 15, 2022
Related Publication 20240201883A1 · Jun 20, 2024
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