Patent ID: 6279108
Filing Date: 2001-08-21
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A programmable microcontroller in a disk drive system for controlling an initiation of a plurality of processes during each sector period where said disk drive system performs a plurality of processes for controlling an operation of said disk drive system and includes rotational media with a rotational speed upon which is recorded a plurality of data tracks, where each data track is divided into sectors and each sector contains a recorded sector mark and a transducer for recovering data from said data tracks including sector marks, where the time between an occurrence of two adjacent sector marks is defined as a sector period, said programmable microcontroller comprising:first means for detecting the occurrence of each said sector mark from the data read by said transducer;second means connected to said first means for determining and storing from last two sector marks detected by said first means the sector period for a previous sector to a present sector for use as a predicted length for the present sector; andthird means, in response to said sector mark detected by said first means for said present sector and said sector period for said previous sector determined and stored by said second means, for scheduling an initiation of each of said plurality of processes so as to maintain said initiation of each of said processes in a constant spatial relationship to said predict present sector period thereby minimizing an effect of variations in the rotational speed of said rotating media and synchronizing the initiation of said processes to said sector mark for the present sector,wherein said third means comprises:a microprocessor for generating an initiation value for the initiation of each said processes during said present sector period as a function of said stored sector period for said previous sector; anda plurality of initiation means, each said initiation means associated with one of said processes for receiving said initiation value for said one of said processes from said microprocessor and for generating an initiation signal for said process after the occurrence of said sector mark as a function of a received initiation value.