MAGNETIC DISK DEVICE USING METALLIC FILM DISK AS DATA RECORDING MEDIUM

Abstract: The magnetic disk device of the present invention is configured so that a stopper (6) for controlling the movement of a carriage arm (4) is adapted to give rise to play in controlling the carriage arm (4) when the stopper (6) is in the closed state. When disk rotating means (2) is to be actuated, therefore, this magnetic disk device permits a disk (1) and a magnetic head (3) in the state of fast mutual adhesion to be separated from each other by causing the carriage arm (4) to swing with the stopper (6) kept in the closed state and consequently enables the disk (1) to rotate without fail.

Description: This invention relates to a magnetic disk device which uses as a data recording medium thereof a metallic film disk having a smooth layer of magnetic material formed as by sputtering or plating. In all the data recording media used in the conventional magnetic devices, the coating disk having a magnetic powder applied on a surface has assumed the leadership. In recent years, the growing inclination of magnetic disk devices toward increase of recording density has been encouraging adoption of the magnetic film disk material formed by sputtering or plating. The magnetic film disk has an average roughness in the range of 0.01 to 0.002 µm as expressed by the Ra value. Compared with the coating disk whose Ra value falls in the range of 0.07 to 0.04 µm, therefore, the material film enjoys surface smoothness of a magnetic one place up. Incidentally, when a floating head possessing an extremely smooth slider surface lands on the disk of the foregoing description and remains long in the state of contact therewith, they may adhere fast to each other by virtue of the so-called van der Waals forces. In the magnetic disk devices of the ordinary grade, the disk drive motors for rotating the disks (hereinafter referred to as "DDM") are given the smallest possible torques partly by reason of production cost. These magnetic disk devices, therefore, have the disadvantage that their disks can cease rotation. It is known from EP-A-0110006 to provide a magnetic disk device as defined in the pre-characterising portion of claim 1 below. It is also known from US Patent No. 4 562 500 to provide a medium for latching a magnetic disc memory head/arm assembly in a parking zone; in its latched condition the head/arm assembly is spring-biased against an inner limit stop. The assembly is movable within a restricted arc defined by the inner limit stop and by an outer limit stop. An object of this invention is to provide a magnetic disk device which warrants safe rotation of the disk thereof even when the slider surface of the magnetic head and the disk thereof develop the phenomenon of fast mutual adhesion. The invention provides a device as defined in claim 1 below. Thus the carriage arm is able to swing with the locking means, e.g. a stopper, kept in the closed state when the disk is rotating. Even when the disk and the magnetic head happen to come into fast mutual adhesion, therefore, they can be separated from each other and the disk can be easily set rotating. Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of a typical device embodying the present invention, Fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation produced by the typical device, Fig. 3 is a timing chart illustrating the operation of the typical device with reference to relevant electric currents, Fig. 4 is a timing chart illustrating the operation of another typical device embodying the present invention with reference to relevant electric current, Fig. 5 is a timing chart illustrating the operation of yet another typical device embodying the present invention with reference to the relevant electric currents, and Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of an essential part of a further typical device embodying the present invention. The present embodiment represents application of the invention to a swing arm type magnetic disk device. In the diagram, 1 stands for a disk having an extremely smooth layer of magnetic material formed on a surface by the process of spattering or plating, 2 for a DDM serving to impart rotation to the disk 1, 3 for a magnetic head adapted to effect writing and reading of data while being slightly floated up by the current of air generated during the rotation of the disk 1, 4 for a carriage arm adapted to support the magnetic head 3 and further move this magnetic head 3 substantially in the direction of radius of the disk 1, and 5 for a voice coil motor (hereinafter referred to as "VCM") serving to change the position of the carriage arm 4. Further, 6 stands for a hook-shaped stopper adapted to assume a closed state (the state resulting from the movement in the direction of the arrow A) and fix the carriage arm 4 so that the magnetic head 3 will be positioned in the contact-start-stop zone C₁ on the inner circumferential side of the disk 1, 7 for a projecting part formed on the carriage arm 4 side as opposed to the stopper 6, and 8 for a pin raised from the rear side of the projecting part 7 and adapted to control the change of position of the carriage arm 4 in the direction of the inner circumference of the disk 1. Then, 9 stands for a solenoid for permitting change of position of the stopper 6 between the closed state (the state resulting from the movement in the direction of the arrow A) and the opened state (the state resulting from the movement in the direction of the arrow B) and 10 for a control circuit serving to control the DDM 2, VCM 5, and solenoid 9. In the present embodiment of this invention, a gap M of a side of about 0.5 mm is formed between the leading end of the stopper 6 and the leading end of the projecting part 7 so that the carriage arm 4 may be allowed to move slightly between the stopper 6 and the pin 8 even when the stopper 6 is kept in the closed state. Owing to this arrangement, the magnetic head 3 is allowed to change position on the disk 1 to the zone C₂ slightly on the outer circumferential side from the zone C₁ even when the stopper 6 is in the closed state thereof. Fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation produced by the device of the present embodiment. Now, the operation of this device will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. After the device is connected to the main power source, the control circuit 10 permits flow of DC electric current to the VCM 5 for a duration of about 100 ms simultaneously with the start of the DDM 2 (Step A). Subsequently, it permits flow of DC electric current in the reverse direction to the VCM 5 for a duration of about 100 ms (Step B). The control circuit 10, with these steps of operation as one cycle, causes the carriage arm 4 to swing several times and then discontinues the flow of DC electric current to the VCM 5. Since these step enable the magnetic head 3 and the disk 1 to be separated from each other even when have been in the state of fast mutual adhesion, the DDM 2 is enabled to start. Thus, the DDM 2 is set rotating normally (Step C). Then, the control circuit 10 permits flow of electric current to the solenoid 9 and causes the stopper 6 to assume the open state (Step D). Subsequently, it permits flow of a prescribed magnitude of electric current to the VCM 5 in the normal routine of and causes it to start a seek operation (Step S). Fig. 3 is timing chart illustrating all the aforementioned steps of operation with reference to the relevant electric currents. In the chart, (a) stands for the main power source, (b) for the electric current caused to flow to the VCM 5, (c) for the electric current caused to flow to the DDM 2, (d) for the revolution number of the disk 1, and (4) for the electric current caused to flow to the solenoid 9. As noted form this chart, the device of the present invention causes the carriage arm 4 to swing by alternately feeding DC electric currents flowing in opposite direction to VCM 5 simultaneously with the start of the DDM 2 after the connection of the device to the main power source. At this step, therefore, the disk 1 and the magnetic head 3 can be separated from each other even when they have been in the state of fast mutual adhesion and the disk 1 is enabled to rotate without fall. In the present embodiment, the electric current is permitted to flow to the VCM 5 at the same time that the flow of electric current is made to the DDM 2. Alternatively, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the electric current is first permitted to flow only to the VCM 5 and, after the magnetic head 3 and the disk 1 in the state of fast mutual adhesion have been separated from each other, the flow of the electric current to the DDM 2 may be made. Further in the device of this embodiment, the carriage arm 4 is caused to swing no matter whether the disk 1 and the magnetic head 3 have developed the phenomenon of fast mutual adhesion or not. Otherwise, as illustrated in Fig.5, the device may be configurated so that the presence or absence of the phenomenon of fast mutual adhesion between the disk 1 and the magnetic head 3 will be discriminated (as by detection of a rotation error of the DDM 2, for example) and the carriage arm 4 will be caused to swing only when the fast mutual adhesion exists between the disk 1 and the magnetic head 3. Otherwise, the device may be configurated so that the number of swings the carriage arm 4 is caused to produce will vary with the number of retries. Generally, when the number of disks 1 falls in the range of 6 to 8, the largest coefficient µ of static friction per surface at which rotation is permitted is about 0.9. In the conventional magnetic disk device, therefore, the DDM 2 fails to rotate when the degree of mutual adhesion between the disk 1 and the magnetic head 3 exceeds this magnitude of static friction. The torque of the VCM 5 generally is large enough to cause change of the position of the carriage arm so long as the aforementioned largest coefficient of static friction µ per surface does not exceed 2 . This invention, therefore, is capable of amply coping with even the otherwise helpless situation involving unduly strong mutual adhesion between the disk 1 and the magnetic head 3. Thus, the disk 1 is always allowed to start safe rotation. The device of the embodiment described above is configurated so that the VCM 5 is utilized for changing the position of the carriage arm 4. This invention is not required to limit to this particular arrangement. For example, the present invention can be equally applied to the magnetic disk device of the class which relies on a stepping motor or a DC motor to device the carriage arm 4. Further, in the device of the present embodiment, the carriage arm 4 is designed in the swing arm pattern so as to effect change of the position by rotation. Alternatively, this invention can be equally applied to the so-called linear type magentic disk device such that the carriage arm 4 will effect change of the position linearly. The device of the foregoing embodiment is further configuration so that the movement of the magnetic head 3 will be controlled by the hook-shaped stopper 6 and the projecting part 7 of the carriage arm 4. This invention is not required to be limited to this particular arrangement. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 6, a gap M for play of the magnetic head 3 may be interposed between a bar-shaped stopper 6′ and a depressed part 4a of the carriage arm 4 so that the movement of the magnetic head 3 will be controlled by the stopper 6′ and the depressed part 4a. As described above, the magnetic disk device of the present invention, in starting the disk, causes the carriage arm to swing with the stopper kept in the closed state. Even when the disk and the magnetic head happen to develop the phenomenon of fast mutual adhesion, therefore, the device readily separates them and permits the disk to be rotated without fail.

Claims: A magnetic disk device including a disk (1) which has a recording surface, the recording surface having a smooth layer of magnetic material thereon, the magnetic disk device comprising: disk rotating means (2) for rotating the disk (1), a magnetic head (3) having a smooth slider surface adapted to contact the recording surface when the disk (1) is stationary, a carriage arm (4) for supporting the magnetic head (3), carriage arm moving means (5) for moving the carriage arm (4), and control means (10) for controlling the disk rotating means (2) and the carriage arm moving means (5), characterized by: a stopper (6) enabled to have its position changed into a closed state and an opened state and, in the closed state, to limit the movement of the carriage arm (4) with a slight play, stopper opening and closing means (9) for changing the position of the stopper (6) from the opened state to the closed state and vice versa, control means (10) for controlling the disk rotating means (2), the carriage arm moving means (5), and the stopper opening and closing means (9), for detecting whether the disk (1) is rotating immediately after the disk rotating means (2) is started to drive, and for causing the carriage arm moving means (5) to swing the carriage arm (4) within the play, only immediately after detecting that the disk (1) is not rotating, and when the stopper (6) is in the closed state. The magnetic disk device according to claim 1, wherein said disk (1) is a metallic film disk. The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said carriage arm moving means (5) is a voice coil motor. The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said carriage moving means (5) is a stepping motor. The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said carriage arm means (5) is a DC Motor. The magnetic disk device according to claim 1 to 6 wherein said carriage arm (4) moves rotationally. The magnetic disk device according to claims 1 to 6, wherein said carriage arm (4) moves linearly.

Inventors: KAWATA,YOSHIHIRO, TAKIZAWA,TOSHIMITSU C/O PAT DIV
Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA COMPUTER ENGINEERING CORPORATION
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G11B21
IPC codes: G11B19, G11B21, G11B5