Magnetic head position control system

Abstract: A magnetic head position control apparatus for driving the magnetic head (2) of a disc recording apparatus toward or away from the recording surface of a magneto-­ optical disc (5) to effect position control of the magnetic head. Changes in the distance between the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disc are detected from changes in capacitance between a capacitance detection electrode (6) mounted on the magnetic head and a surface of the magneto-­ optical disc. An oscillator circuit (8) connected to the capacitance detection electrode varies its oscillation frequency in response to changes in capacitance and detects such frequency variations and controls the position of the magnetic head for maintaining it at a constant predetermined distance from the magneto-optical disc.

Description: This invention relates generally to a magnetic head position control system and, more particularly to a system in which the magnetic head employed in recording a magneto-optical disc is driven to maintain a constant distance between the recording surface of the disc and the magnetic head. In a recording apparatus for a magneto-optical disc in general, an optical head and a magnetic head are disposed in a contact-free fashion on opposing sides of the disc. The recording apparatus operates in accordance with a magnetic field modulation system, whereby a magnetic field corresponding to the recording signal is generated by the magnetic head and applied to the magneto-optical disc, and the area of the disc that is subjected to the magnetic field is heated by a laser beam from the optical head, thereby effecting signal recording. Because of the information density requirements and the dimensions involved, the laser beam emitted from the optical head must be properly focused onto the disc. The optical head generally controls the focus by collecting focusing data produced by the laser light irradiated onto and reflected from the recording area of the disc, thereby producing a predetermined spot on the recording surface of the disc for recording. By this means, it is possible for the above described optical head to remain at a constant distance from the magneto-optical disc even when the relative position between the magneto-optical disc and the optical head is changed due to fluctuations in the thickness of the magneto-optical disc, the rotating disc deviates from its in-plane position, or the disc table adapted for rotating the disc is tilted. In the absence of some means for detecting the relative distance between the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disc, the magnetic head must be mounted at a position sufficiently spaced apart from the magneto-optical disc that the magnetic head will not contact the magneto-optical disc, even when the position of the magneto-optical disc fluctuates in one or more of the above described fashions. When the magnetic head is too far away from the magneto-optical disc, the power consumption is disadvantageously increased because the magnetic head must generate a stronger magnetic field for supplying the required recording magnetic field strength at the recording surface of the magneto-optical disc. In other words, when the separation between the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disc is excessive, unless the recording current is significantly increased an insufficient magnetic field strength will be applied to the recording surface of the magneto-optical disc, thereby increasing the error rate and/or lowering the S/N ratio. In the worst of cases, recording may be unfeasible. In order to obviate the above inconvenience, an electrode may be mounted on the magnetic head in opposition to the magneto-optical disc for detecting changes in the relative distance between the magnetic head and the disc based on changes in capacitance between the disc and the electrode. The position of the magnetic head may be controlled by the detection output of the electrode for maintaining a constant relative distance between the magnetic head and the disc and to enable the magnetic head to be positioned in the vicinity of the magneto-optical disc. Japanese patent application Hei 1-214138 proposed a floating control of a perpendicular magnetic recording system including a disc medium and a stylus, which corresponds to a magnetic head. Research Disclosure, June 1981, number 20638, "Capacitive height control for maintaining a magnetic head closely spaced from a magnetic layer", describes a control system corresponding to the pre-characterising part of claim 1, for maintaining the distance between a magnetic head and a magnetic layer at a constant distance by measuring the capacitance between the head and the magnetic layer to control the frequency of an oscillator. This frequency is then compared to a reference frequency and the difference is used to control the height of the head. JP-A-63/079,305 describes an apparatus for maintaining the height of the head of a piezoelectric actuator with respect to temperature. Variations in the temperature of the stack causes the capacitance of the piezoelectric elements to change. i Exchanging capacitance causes a change in the frequency of a circuit control by that capacitance. The change of frequency causes a change in the DC level of the signal used to drive the piezoelectric actuator thus compensating for the change in ambient temperature. However, when the changes in the relative distance between the magnetic head and the disc are measured by the changes in capacitance between the magneto-optical disc and the capacitance detection electrode mounted on the magnetic head, the accuracy of the control of the magnetic head position by the detection output is limited by the temperature characteristics of the control circuit, so that a predetermined relative distance between the magnetic head and the disc cannot be maintained with accuracy. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic head position control apparatus for use with a magneto-optical disc that can reduce or eliminate the above noted defects inherent in previously proposed systems. According to the present invention there is provided a magnetic head position control apparatus for controlling a magnetic head mounted in opposition to one side of a magneto-optical disc, comprising: a capacitance detection electrode mounted on the magnetic head and in opposition to the magneto-optical disc; first and second frequency controllable oscillators, the first of the oscillators being a voltage controlled oscillator or a current controlled oscillator, and the second of the oscillators being frequency controllable by controllable variation of the capacitance of the capacitance detection electrode and magneto-optical disc combination; a phase lock loop phase detection circuit including the first oscillator and connected to the second oscillator circuit for producing a phase detection output representing a detected phase difference between the oscillation output of the first oscillator and the oscillation output of the second oscillator circuit and performing feedback control of the oscillation phase of the oscillation output of the first oscillator; drive means connected to the phase detection output of the phase locked loop phase detection circuit for driving the magnetic head toward or away from a recording surface of the magneto-optical disc to provide the controllable variation of the capacitance of the electrode and magneto-optical disc combination, characterised in that the oscillators exhibit substantially identical variations in their output frequencies with temperature. The invention also provides a magnetic head position control apparatus for controlling a magnetic head mounted in opposition to one side of a magneto-optical disc, wherein said phase locked loop detection circuit includes: a low pass filter connected to an output of said phase difference detection circuit and having an output connected to said drive means. In accordance with the above described magnetic head position control apparatus, changes in the relative distance between the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disc are detected in the form of changes in capacitance between the capacitance detection electrode attached to the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disc. The oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit changes with changes in the capacitance. The phase locked loop type phase detection circuit detects the phase difference between the oscillation output of the voltage controlled oscillator forming a portion of the phase locked loop type phase detection circuit and the oscillation output of the oscillator circuit. It is by this oscillation output that the oscillation output of the voltage controlled oscillator is controlled in a feedback control fashion. The voltage controlled oscillator has oscillation characteristics similar to those of the oscillator circuit so that any thermal effects or non-linearities of the oscillator circuit and the voltage controlled oscillator will counterbalance each other and, therefore, cancel out. The phase locked loop type phase detection circuit produces a detection output corresponding to changes in the relative distance between the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disc, which is sent to the head driver as control signals. The head driver, in turn, drives the magnetic head in accordance with the control signals to maintain the relative distance at a constant value. The invention will be further described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the construction of a magnetic head position control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a capacitance detection electrode mounted on a magnetic head as employed in the magnetic head position control apparatus of figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the magnetic head shown in figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an oscillator circuit employed in the magnetic head position control apparatus of figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a voltage controlled oscillator employed in the magnetic head control apparatus of figure 1. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing a magnetic head position control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is an illustrative diagram useful in explaining the effects of stray capacitance on detecting the distance between the magnetic head and the magneto-optical disc. Referring to figure 1, the recording apparatus for a magneto-optical disc includes a magnetic head 2 and an optical head 3 arranged in a contact-free manner on opposing sides of a magneto-optical disc 1 rotationally driven by a spindle motor M. The magnetic head 2 applies a recording magnetic field to a recording surface 5 of the magneto-optical disc 1, which magnetic field corresponds to a current that passes through a recording coil 4 from a recording signal processing circuit (not shown). The optical head 3 irradiates onto the recording surface 5 of the magneto-optical disc 1 a laser beam that is generated from a laser diode (not shown) enclosed in the optical head 3. The information to be stored on the disc is recorded on the recording surface 5 by the recording magnetic field and the laser beam. The magnetic head 2 and the optical head 3 are attached to a slider, not shown, so as to be simultaneously driven radially across the disc 1 as indicate by a horizontal arrow X. The magnetic head 2 and the optical head 3 may also be moved in a direction towards or away from the recording surface 5 of the disc 1 as indicated by a vertical arrow Y. The optical head 3 may be controlled by a focusing servo in the direction shown by the arrow Y. The magnetic head position control apparatus of the present invention regulates the position of the magnetic head 2 by moving the magnetic head in a direction towards or away from the recording surface 5 of the disc 1 as indicated by the arrow Y. This magnetic head position control, apparatus is hereinafter explained. A capacitance detection electrode 6 is attached to the magnetic head 2 facing the magneto-optical disc 1. This detection electrode 6 is moveable in the direction of the arrow Y along with the magnetic head 2. The capacitance between the detection electrode 6 and the magneto-optical disc 1 varies as a function of the relative distance between the electrode 6 and the disc 1. Thus changes in the relative distance between the disc 1 and the head 2 may be detected by measuring the corresponding changes in the capacitance. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a concrete example of the construction of the magnetic head 2 fitted with the capacitance detection electrode 6. As shown therein, the magnetic head 2 is formed by a core 20 having a U-shaped cross-section. A magnetic yoke 21 in the form of a column is projected from the centre of an inner wall of the web of the U-shaped core 20. A recording coil 4 is wound about the peripheral wall of the magnetic yoke 21. The capacitance detection electrode 6 is formed of a square-shaped metallic plate having a central through-hole for receiving the magnetic yoke 21. The capacitance detection electrode 6 is secured to the ends of both arms of the U-shaped core 20 with the foremost part of the magnetic yoke 21 passing through the through-hole. When in use, the magnetic head 2 is mounted with the end of the magnetic yoke 21 and the capacitance detection electrode 6 facing the magneto-optical disc 1. The capacitance detection electrode 6 is connected to an oscillator circuit 7 in the manner shown in figure 1. The oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit 7 is variable as a function of the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection electrode 6 and is constructed as shown for example in figure 4. Thus, the oscillator circuit 7 shown in figure 4 is an LC oscillator circuit comprised of an amplifier 41, a coil 42 connected across the input and output terminals of the amplifier 41 and a pair of capacitors 43, 44 connected respectively between the input and output terminals of the amplifier 41 and ground. The capacitance of the capacitor 43 corresponds to the capacitance between the electrode 6 and the disc 1. Thus, the oscillation frequency of the circuit 7 changes as a function of the capacitance of the capacitor 43, that is, the capacitance between the electrode 6 and the disc 1. The oscillation output of the oscillator circuit 7 is output from the amplifier 41 by means of a buffer amplifier 45. This oscillator circuit 7 is provided in proximity to the capacitance detection electrode 6 so that the effect of any stray capacitance may be reduced. Also, by setting the Q of the oscillator circuit 7 at a high value, the circuit 7 is less susceptible to disturbances from the electro-magnetic field created by the magnetic head 3 so that the circuit 7 may perform a more stable control operation. The oscillation output from the oscillator circuit 7 is supplied to a phase locked loop (PLL) type phase detection circuit 8 which is comprised of a phase difference detection circuit 10, a voltage or current controlled oscillator 11, and a low-pass filter LPF 13 or the like. The oscillation output from the oscillator circuit 7 is supplied to the phase difference detection circuit 10 by means of a frequency divider 9, the oscillation output of the voltage controlled oscillator 11 is supplied to the phase difference detection circuit 10 by means of a frequency divider 12, and the detection output of the phase difference detection circuit 10 is fed back to the voltage controlled oscillator 11 by means of the LPF 13. The voltage controlled oscillator 11 has oscillation characteristics similar to those of the oscillator circuit 7, and may be constructed, for example, as shown in figure 5. Thus, similar to the oscillator circuit 7 shown in figure 4, the voltage controlled oscillator 11 shown in figure 5 is comprised of an amplifier 51, a coil 52 connected across the input and output terminals of the amplifier 51, a capacitor 54 connected between the output terminal of the amplifier 51 and ground, and a capacitor 53 connected between the input terminal of the amplifier 51 and a negative power source -B by means of a variable capacitance diode 55. The detection output of the phase difference detection circuit 10 is supplied via LPF 13 to the junction between the capacitor 53 and the variable capacitance diode 55, whereby the capacitance of the diode 55 is variable as a function of the detection output. Thus, the frequency of the oscillation output of the voltage controlled oscillator 11, obtained at the output of the amplifier 51 by means of a buffer amplifier 56, changes as a function of the detection output of the phase difference detection circuit 10. This oscillation output from the voltage controlled oscillator 11 is transmitted via frequency divider 12 to the phase difference detection circuit 10 for phase comparison with the oscillation output that is supplied from the oscillator circuit 7. If any phase difference is measured between these oscillation outputs, a detection output corresponding to the phase difference is output from the phase difference detection circuit 10 for feedback control of the oscillation phase of the voltage controlled oscillator 11 to decrease the phase difference. The detection output of the phase difference detection circuit 10 of the PLL type phase detection circuit 8 finally is output as the detection output by means of LPF 13. Thus an ultimate detection output is obtained from this PLL type phase detection circuit 8 as a function of changes in the relative distance d between the capacitance detection electrode 6 and the magneto-optical disc 1, that is, in the relative distance between the magnetic head 2 and the magneto-optical disc 1. This detection output is transmitted to a phase compensator 14 for phase compensation and thence to head drive means 15. The drive means 15 operates, with the detection output as a control signal, to drive the magnetic head 2, together with the capacitance detection electrode 6, in a direction towards or away from the disc 1 as shown by the arrow Y by, for example, electro-magnetic means, for maintaining a constant relative distance between the magnetic head 2 and the magneto-optical disc 1. In this manner, with the present magnetic head position control apparatus, the control signal for the head drive means 15 is produced by the PLL type phase detection circuit 8, which includes the voltage controlled oscillator 11 having oscillation characteristics similar to those of the oscillation circuit 7. Thus, any errors caused by different temperature characteristics of the various circuit elements such as the coils 42, 52, or those caused by non-linear characteristics of the voltage controlled oscillator 11 may be eliminated to realise a highly accurate control operation. In addition, use of the PLL type phase detection circuit 8 provides a high gain as compared with a control circuit in which the oscillation output of the oscillator circuit 7 is directly converted into an electrical voltage for driving the magnetic head 2 without the use of the PLL type phase detection circuit. Thus, the PLL type phase detection circuit provides for a highly accurate wide-range control operation. In accordance with the above described magnetic head position control apparatus, a positioning servo operation is performed on the magnetic head as a function of the capacitance formed between the recording surface 5 (metal evaporated surface) of the magneto-optical disc 1 and the capacitance detection electrode 6. However, there is a risk that when the size of the disc 1 or the area of the recording surface changes, the control operation may not result in an optimum magnetic gap at all times. Thus, the capacitance may be affected when the magneto-optical disc 1 is loaded on the turntable, because stray capacitance Co may form between the reflective surface, which may be aluminium foil, formed by evaporation on the recording surface of the optical disc and the turntable. Such stray capacitance Co would then cause the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit 7 to change. Since the stray capacitance Co changes markedly with the outer size of the magneto-optical disc loaded on the turntable and more so with the area of the vapourised metal surface which forms the recording surface of the magneto-optical disc, the relative distance d from which the magnetic head is positioned from the disc changes slightly with the size of the magneto-optical disc, so that the magnetic gap d cannot be initially set to an optimum value. A magneto-optical head position control apparatus according to the present invention, designed for obviating the above mentioned drawbacks, will be hereinafter explained. Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the above mentioned magnetic head position control apparatus, wherein the same parts as those of figure 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. For example, numeral 1 denotes the magneto-optical disc, numeral 2 denotes the magnetic head mounted in opposition to the disc 1, and numeral 3 denotes the optical head. The output of the capacitance detection electrode 6 is supplied to a C/V converter 26 for converting the capacitance values into corresponding signal voltages. Although the C/V converter 26 corresponds to the PLL type phase detection circuit 8, as shown in figure 1, it may also be constituted by other conversion units. Disc data detection unit 22 measures the detection data output from the optical head 3. The detection data output from the optical head relates to the outer shape or the inside diameter of the magneto-optical disc 1, that is, the area of the recording surface on which a metal foil is deposited. This data is pre-recorded on the lead-in area of the magneto-optical disc 1 in the form of bit data. A D/V converting unit 23 converts the detected data to a voltage for selecting and outputting predetermined bias voltage signals from the data of the disc data detection unit 22. The output of this D/V converting unit 23 and the output of the C/V converting unit 26 are summed together at signal summing point 24. The summed data, which includes the predetermined bias signals from the D/V converting unit 23, is transmitted to the servo circuit of the magnetic head 2. As the size  of the magneto-optical disc 1 increases as shown in figure 7, the value of the stray capacitance Co between the disc 1 and the recording apparatus also increases as a general rule, which results in the capacitance value detected at the magnetic head 2 being increased. As a result, the servo circuit of the magnetic head 2 will compensate for the increased detected capacitance by increasing the distance between the magnetic head 2 and the magneto-optical disc 1. In other words, the servo circuit will increase the magnetic gap d. When the magnetic head 2 is separated from the magneto-optical disc 1, the strength of the impressed magnetic field is lowered. In such a case, the D/V converting unit supplies to the servo circuit a bias signal, superimposed with the signal from the C/V converting unit, which will reduce the strength of the control signal to prevent the magnetic head 2 from being drawn too far away from the magneto-optical disc 1. When the magneto-optical disc 1 being employed is of a lesser diameter, the stray capacitance Co becomes smaller so that by means of the D/V converter 23 the magnetic head 2 is controlled to move in the opposite direction to that described above, that is, the servo circuit tends to narrow the magnetic gap d. It is not desirable that the magnetic head 2 be closer to the magneto-optical disc 1 than the predetermined distance d since the magnetic head 2 may contact the recording surface of the magneto-optical disc 1 on application of a sudden impact on the magneto-optical recording apparatus, possibly resulting in damage to the head 2 or to the disc 1. However, according to this embodiment of the present invention, when a small sized disc is loaded, the disc data detection unit 22 first reads data from the disc indicating that the disc is of a smaller size, and a bias signal suited to the disc size is supplied by the D/V converter 23 to the servo circuit to control the position of the magnetic head 2 to provide a magnetic gap d which will prevent the above mentioned inconvenience from occurring. In this manner, the servo circuit of this embodiment is designed to compensate for the effects of any stray capacitance Co generated by different sized magneto-optical discs 1 that are loaded in the recording apparatus. The servo circuit of the present invention will automatically regulate the value of the bias signal output from the D/V converter 23, so that the magnetic head may be controlled to provide an optimum magnetic gap at all times. The foregoing embodiment is useful when data relating to the size or the inside diameter of the disc are previously input in the lead-in area of the disc. However, the above described embodiment may be arranged similarly to the conventional multiple disc player, so that a disc size detection unit 25 for detecting the size of the magneto-optical disc by a photosensor may be provided, and a bias signal which will give the optimum magnetic gap for the particular loaded disc is selected by the detection unit 25 and transmitted to the signal summing point 24, as indicated by the broken lines in figure 6. The bias signal supplied to the servo circuit may also be input directly to the C/V converter 26, as shown by the dashed line connection in figure 6. According to this embodiment of the present invention as described above, various predetermined bias signals which correspond to various sizes of magneto-optical discs are supplied to the servo circuit that controls the magnetic head position for compensating the effects of any stray capacitance caused by the vapourised metal surface of the magneto-optical disc being employed. Thus, a servo may supply the optimum magnetic gap at all times to the magnetic head to assure highly accurate data recording. It is understood, of course, that the above is presented by way of example only and that many variations and modifications could be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: A magnetic head position control apparatus for controlling a magnetic head (2) mounted in opposition to one side of a magneto-optical disc (1), comprising: a capacitance detection electrode (6) mounted on said magnetic head (2) and in opposition to said magneto-optical disc (1); first and second frequency controllable oscillators (7, 11), the first of said oscillators being a voltage controlled oscillator or a current controlled oscillator (11), and the second of said oscillators (7) being frequency controllable by controllable variation of the capacitance (43) of the capacitance detection electrode (6) and magneto-optical disc (1) combination; a phase lock loop phase detection circuit (8) including said first oscillator (11) and connected to said second oscillator circuit (7) for producing a phase detection output representing a detected phase difference between the oscillation output of said first oscillator (11) and the oscillation output of said second oscillator circuit (7) and performing feedback control of the oscillation phase of the oscillation output of said first oscillator (11); drive means (15) connected to the phase detection output of said phase locked loop phase detection circuit (8) for driving said magnetic head (2) toward or away from a recording surface (5) of said magneto-optical disc (1) to provide said controllable variation of the capacitance of the electrode and magneto-optical disc combination, characterised in that said oscillators exhibit substantially identical variations in their output frequencies with temperature. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: bias signal generating means (22,23,25) connected to the output of an optical head (3) mounted in opposition to a second side of said magneto-optical disc (1) for generating bias signals corresponding to the area of said magneto-optical disc (1) detected by said optical head; and summing means (24) connected to said bias signal generating means (22,23,25) and to the detection output of said phase locked loop phase detection circuit for summing said bias signals with said detection output and feeding the summed signal to said drive means (15), whereby said drive means drives said magnetic head (4) in response to the output of said summing means (24). An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said bias signal generating means (22,23,25) includes detection means (22) connected to said optical head (3) for detecting data contained in signals reproduced by said optical head (3), said data corresponding to the area of said disc. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said bias signal generating means (22,23,25) includes a disc size detection unit for measuring the outside diameter of said magneto-optical disc (1) and for generating area data based on said outside diameter of said disc. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said phase locked loop detection circuit (8) includes: a low pass filter (13) connected to an output of said phase difference detection circuit and having an output connected to said drive means.

Inventors: ETO HIROSHI, OKA NOBUYUKI, YASUDA NOBUYUKI, YOKOTA TETPEI, ETO, HIROSHI, OKA, NOBUYUKI, YASUDA, NOBUYUKI, YOKOTA, TETPEI
Applicants: SONY CORP, SONY CORPORATION
Application year: 1990
Main classification: G11B5
IPC codes: G11B21, G11B11