Abstract:
A disc drive testing method is provided for testing a plurality of disc drives. The disc drive method comprising steps of: selecting a disc drive as a current testing disc drive; sending load/unload commands to the current testing disc drive to drive the current testing disc drive to perform a load/unload operation; timing a load/unload duration of the current testing disc drive; and selecting a next disc drive as the current testing disc drive if the current testing disc drive is busy performing the load/unload operations. A related disc drive testing apparatus is also disclosed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to disc drive testing systems and methods and, more particularly to a testing system and method for testing a load module of a disc drive. 
       DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
       [0002]    Discs are widely used for recording audio and/or video files due to their mass storage capabilities. Related disc drives are developed for recording information on or reproducing information from the discs. A general disc drive includes a housing for accommodating various components of the disc drive and a load module for carrying a disc to move into or out from the housing. The load module includes a disc tray for carrying the disc thereon and a driving unit for driving the disc tray to move back and forth relative to the housing. The disc tray is driven by the driving module to move out from the housing to an unload position, thereby allowing a user to place/replace a disc thereon or take a disc away therefrom. 
         [0003]    Before the disc drive is put into the market by its manufacturer, it should pass specified tests. As one of essential components of the disc drive, the load module should be tested to satisfy specific requirements. 
         [0004]    Therefore, a testing apparatus for testing the load module of the disc drive is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A disc drive testing apparatus is provided for testing a plurality of disc drives. The disc drive testing apparatus includes a selecting unit, a command-sending unit, a timing unit, and a controlling unit. The selecting unit is used for selecting one of the disc drives as a current testing disc drive. The command-sending unit is used for sending a load/unload command to the current testing disc drive to drive the current testing disc drive to perform a load/unload operation. The timing unit is used for timing a load/unload duration of the current testing disc drive. The controlling unit is used for signaling the selecting unit to select a next disc drive as the current testing disc drive if the current testing disc drive is busy the load/unload operation. 
         [0006]    A disc drive testing method is provided for testing a plurality of disc drives. The disc drive method comprising steps of: selecting a disc drive as a current testing disc drive; sending load/unload commands to the current testing disc drive to drive the current testing disc drive to perform a load/unload operation; timing a load/unload duration of the current testing disc drive; and selecting a next disc drive as the current testing disc drive if the current testing disc drive is busy performing the load/unload operation. 
         [0007]    A storage medium is provided for recording a computer-executable program. The program includes selecting codes, sending codes, timing codes, and selecting codes. The selecting codes are used for selecting a disc drive as a current testing disc drive. The sending codes are used for sending load/unload commands to the current testing disc drive to drive the current testing disc drive to perform a load/unload operation. The timing codes are used for timing a load/unload duration of the current testing disc drive. The selecting codes are used for selecting a next disc drive as the current testing disc drive if the current testing disc drive is busy performing the load/unload operation. 
         [0008]    Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Many aspects of the disc drive testing apparatus and the disc drive testing method thereof can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disc drive. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a disc drive testing apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating a testing procedure of a disc drive testing method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the preferred embodiment of the present disc drive testing apparatus and the present disc drive testing method, in detail. 
         [0013]    In order to test a load module of a disc drive, a lot of parameters are used to evaluate the load module, these parameters including a load duration parameter and an unload duration parameter. The load duration is a time period from an instance when a disc tray starting at an unload position begins moving towards a housing of the disc drive to an instance when the disc tray reaches the housing of the disc and comes to a complete stop. The unload duration is a time period from an instance when the disc tray starting at a load position begins moving towards the unload position to an instance when the disc tray reaches the unload position and comes to a complete stop. 
         [0014]    A general testing device is developed to test the load module. The testing device sends an unload command to instruct the disc drive to drive the disc tray to move out from the housing. From the instance when the disc tray begins moving out, a busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “busy”, only until the disc tray reaches the unload position and comes to a complete stop that the busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “complete”. The testing device starts recording the unload duration when the busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “busy”, and stops recording the unload duration when the busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “complete”. Similarly, when the disc tray begins moving towards the housing from the unload position, the busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “busy” and the testing device starts recording the load duration. When the disc tray reaches the load position and comes to a complete stop, the busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “complete”. 
         [0015]    When more than one disc drive needs to be tested, not tested disc drives have to wait until the testing device finishes testing a current testing disc drive before being tested. During the time period when the busy polarity of the disc drive is “busy”, the testing device has to wait until the busy polarity of the disc drive is changed to “complete”. However, testing in this manner is time-consuming. If the testing device is developed to test the not tested disc drives during the time period when the busy polarity of the disc drive is “busy”, a testing efficiency will be greatly improved. 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a disc drive testing apparatus  20  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment connects to multiple disc drives  10  to test load modules of the disc drives  10 . Each disc drive  10  includes a disc tray and a busy polarity indicating whether the disc drive is busy load/unload. If the disc drive is at any position between the load position and the unload position, the busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “busy”, otherwise, the busy polarity of the disc drive is set to “complete”. The “busy” and “complete” of the busy polarity may be respectively identified as a low level and a high level. 
         [0017]    The disc drive testing apparatus  20  includes a selecting unit  202 , a storing unit  204 , a detecting unit  206 , a command-sending unit  208 , a setting unit  210 , a timing unit  212 , a display unit  214 , and a controlling unit  216 . 
         [0018]    The selecting unit  202  is used for selecting one of the disc drives  10  to serve as a current testing disc drive according to predetermined testing orders. For ease of description, hereinafter the number of the disc drives  10  is presumed to be  3 . That is, the disc drives  10  includes a first disc drive  10   a,  a second disc drive  10   b,  and a third disc drive  10   c.  The predetermined testing order starts with  10   a,    10   b,    10   c,  and then loops back to  10   a.    
         [0019]    The storing unit  204  is used for storing information on the disc drives  10 . Such information includes test count of each disc drives  10 , states of each disc drives  10 , load durations and unload durations of each disc drives  10 . The states of each disc drives  10  includes a first state “load”, a second state “unload”, and a third state “idle”. A default state of each disc drive  10  is set to the third state “idle”. The state of the disc drive  10  is changed to the first state “unload” when the disc tray of the disc drive  10  begins moving out from the housing of the disc drive  10 . Similarly, the state of the disc drive  10  is changed to “load” when the disc tray of the disc drive  10  begins moving towards the housing of the disc drive  10 . 
         [0020]    The detecting unit  206  is used for detecting the busy polarity of the disc drive  10 , the information stored in the storing unit  204 , and sending detected results to the controlling unit  216 . The detected results include the busy polarity of the disc drive  10 , the state of the disc drive  10 , and the test count of the disc drive  10 . 
         [0021]    The command-sending unit  208  is used for sending load/unload commands to the current testing disc drive to drive the current testing disc drive to perform a load/unload operation. 
         [0022]    The setting unit  210  is used for setting the test count of each disc drive  10  and updating the test count and the states of the disc drives  10 . Before a testing procedure of the disc drives  10 , each disc drive  10  is assigned a given test count. After every unload operation and load operation, the test count of the disc drive is decremented. When a total test count of the disc drives  10  is equal to 0, the testing procedure of the disc drives  10  is terminated. 
         [0023]    The timing unit  212  is used for timing the load durations and the unload durations of the disc drives  10 . When the busy polarity of the disc drive  10  is changed to “busy”, the timing unit  212  begins timing, and when the busy polarity of the disc drive  10  is changed to “complete”, the timing unit  212  stops timing. 
         [0024]    The display unit  214  is used for displaying the load durations and the unload durations of the disc drives  10 . 
         [0025]    The controlling unit  216  is used for controlling working states of the selecting unit  202 , the command-sending unit  208 , the setting unit  210 , and the timing unit  212 . When the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive  10  is “busy”, the controlling unit  216  signals the selecting unit  202  to select a next disc drive to serve as the current testing disc drive. The controlling unit  216  signals the command-sending unit  208  to send load commands when the state of the current testing disc drive is set to the second state “unload” and the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive is “complete”. Similarly, the controlling unit  216  signals the command-sending unit  208  to send unload commands when the state of the current testing disc drive is set to the third state “idle”. The controlling unit  216  signals the setting unit  210  to update the test count of the current testing disc drive  10  when the state of the current testing disc drive  10  is set to the third state “load” and the busy polarity of the disc drive  10  is “complete”, and signals the setting unit  210  to update the states of the current testing disc drive  10  when the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive  10  is “complete”. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a testing procedure of a disc drive testing method for testing the load modules of the disc drives  10  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is illustrated. 
         [0027]    First, in step  300 , the disc drive testing apparatus  20  is connected to the disc drives  10 . 
         [0028]    Second, in step  302 , the controlling unit  216  signals the setting unit  210  to set the state of each disc drive to the third state “idle”. 
         [0029]    Third, in step  304 , the controlling unit  216  signals the setting unit  210  to set the test count of each disc drive. The test count assigned to each disc drive may be identical to or different from each other. 
         [0030]    Fourth, in step  306 , the controlling unit  216  signals the selecting unit  202  to select a disc drive (e.g. the first disc drive  10   a ) as the current testing disc drive. 
         [0031]    Fifth, in step  308 , the detecting unit  206  obtains the states of the current testing disc drive from the storing unit  204 , and based on the states obtained the controlling unit  216  determines what state the current testing disc drive is at. 
         [0032]    If in step  308 , the state of the current testing disc drive is concluded to be “idle”, another determination is made as to whether the total test count of the disc drives  10  is equal to 0 (step  310 ). If the total test count of the disc drives  10  is equal to 0, the testing procedure is terminated. 
         [0033]    If in step  310 , the total test count of the disc drives  10  is greater than 0, the testing procedure goes to step  312 , where a further determination is made as to whether the test count of the current testing disc drive is equal to 0 (step  312 ). 
         [0034]    If in step  312 , the test count of the current testing disc drive is greater than 0, the testing procedure goes to step  314 , where the command-sending unit  208  sends an unload command to the current testing disc drive. At the same time, the state of the current testing disc drive is updated to be “unload” by the setting unit  210  (step  316 ), and the timing unit  212  begins timing the unload duration of the current testing disc drive (step  318 ). Then the testing procedure proceeds to step  320 , where the selecting unit  202  selects a next disc drive (e.g. the second disc drive  10   b ) as the current testing disc drive. If in step  312 , the test count of the current testing disc drive is equal to 0, the testing procedure goes directly to step  320 . 
         [0035]    sequentially, in step  322 , the detecting unit  206  detects the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive, and based on the busy polarity the controlling unit  216  determines whether the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive is “busy”. 
         [0036]    If in step  322 , the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive is concluded to be “busy”, the testing procedure goes back to step  320 , where the selecting unit  202  selects a next disc drive (e.g. the third disc drive  10   c ) as the current testing disc drive. 
         [0037]    If in step  322 , the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive is concluded to be “complete”, the testing procedure goes back to step  308 . 
         [0038]    If in step  308 , the state of the current testing disc drive is concluded to be “unload”, the controlling unit  216  signals the timing unit  212  to stop timing the unload duration, and the unload duration recorded by the timing unit  212  is stored into the storing unit  204  (step  324 ). 
         [0039]    After step  324 , the testing procedure proceeds to step  326 , where the controlling unit  216  signals the command-sending unit  208  to send the load command to the current testing disc drive. At the same time, the state of the current testing disc drive is updated to be “load” by the setting unit  210  (step  328 ), and the timing unit  212  begins timing the load duration of the current testing disc drive (step  330 ). After that, the testing procedure proceeds to step  320 . 
         [0040]    If in step  308 , the state of the current testing disc drive is concluded to be “load”, the controlling unit  216  signals the timing unit  212  to stop timing, and the load duration recorded by the timing unit  212  is stored into the storing unit  204  (step  332 ). 
         [0041]    Then, in step  334 , the test count of the current testing disc drive is decremented by one, and the test count stored in the storing unit  204  is updated accordingly. At the same time, the status of the current testing disc drive is updated to be “idle” (step  336 ). After that, the testing procedure proceeds to step  320 . 
         [0042]    The disc drive testing apparatus  20  and the disc drive testing method uses the selecting unit  202  thereof to select a next disc drive to test if the busy polarity of the current testing disc drive is “busy”. Thus, testing efficiency is greatly improved. 
         [0043]    The embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Other arrangements and advantages may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention should be deemed not to be limited to the above detailed description, but rather by the spirit and scope of the claims that follow, and their equivalents.