USRE35269E - Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system - Google Patents

Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
USRE35269E
USRE35269E US08/223,789 US22378994A USRE35269E US RE35269 E USRE35269 E US RE35269E US 22378994 A US22378994 A US 22378994A US RE35269 E USRE35269 E US RE35269E
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
iaddend
iadd
head
storage device
hard disk
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US08/223,789
Inventor
Liam D. Comerford
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
HGST Netherlands BV
Original Assignee
International Business Machines Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by International Business Machines Corp filed Critical International Business Machines Corp
Priority to US08/223,789 priority Critical patent/USRE35269E/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of USRE35269E publication Critical patent/USRE35269E/en
Assigned to MARIANA HDD B.V. reassignment MARIANA HDD B.V. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Assigned to HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES NETHERLANDS B.V. reassignment HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES NETHERLANDS B.V. CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MARIANA HDD B.V.
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B19/00—Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
    • G11B19/02—Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
    • G11B19/04—Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
    • G11B19/041—Detection or prevention of read or write errors
    • G11B19/043—Detection or prevention of read or write errors by detecting a free-fall condition
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B21/00—Head arrangements not specific to the method of recording or reproducing
    • G11B21/02—Driving or moving of heads
    • G11B21/12—Raising and lowering; Back-spacing or forward-spacing along track; Returning to starting position otherwise than during transducing operation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
    • G11B5/48—Disposition or mounting of heads or head supports relative to record carriers ; arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed
    • G11B5/54—Disposition or mounting of heads or head supports relative to record carriers ; arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed with provision for moving the head into or out of its operative position or across tracks
    • G11B5/55—Track change, selection or acquisition by displacement of the head
    • G11B5/5521—Track change, selection or acquisition by displacement of the head across disk tracks
    • G11B5/5582—Track change, selection or acquisition by displacement of the head across disk tracks system adaptation for working during or after external perturbation, e.g. in the presence of a mechanical oscillation caused by a shock
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F11/00—Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring
    • G06F11/004—Error avoidance
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B33/00—Constructional parts, details or accessories not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
    • G11B33/02—Cabinets; Cases; Stands; Disposition of apparatus therein or thereon
    • G11B33/08—Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B33/00—Constructional parts, details or accessories not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
    • G11B33/10—Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements

Definitions

  • the present invention generally relates to protection systems for computer hard disk drives in portable computers and, more particularly, to, a reflexive system for parking the heads of a hard disk and, optionally, stopping the spinning of the magnetic media platters in the event the computer is dropped.
  • PCs Portable personal computers
  • Portable computers are subject to forms of failure which are not a problem for desk top workstations. They can run out of power and they can be dropped. While this latter jeopardy is a threat to every component in the system, it is the hard disk drive which has the lowest threshold of failure in the event the computer is dropped. This component is so vulnerable to shock because it is dependent on the maintenance of a very small gap between the drive heads and the disk platters.
  • the size of this gap is a key factor in the quantity of data which can be stored on the disk. In general, the smaller the gap, the more the data which can be stored. Thus, small, and hence vulnerable, gap dimensions are the rule for hard disks.
  • the technology routinely used to obtain small gap height is aerodynamic.
  • the head is literally flown over the platter surface to place the heads as close to the platters as possible without allowing contact. If the head were to contact the platter, the result could be both the destrucuon of the head and the removal of magnetic material (and hence data) from the platter.
  • Disk manufacturers recognize this hazard and attempt to address it by shock mounting their drives, by publishing the G-force limits their drives can tolerate, and by providing a position in which the heads may be "parked” in which the drive can tolerate accelerations which are far greater than are tolerable when the heads are "loaded".
  • the prior an addresses two kinds of events which may destroy the data integrity or hardware integrity of a hard disk.
  • One of these event types is electrical power failure.
  • This problem is addressed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,995 to Stupeck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,469 to Hanson et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,554 to Stupeck et al.
  • the energy stored in the motion of the disk heads is tapped by using the disk spindle motor as a generator. The power derived from this source is used to retract the disk head.
  • Electromagnetic braking of the spindle is also contemplated. Provisions are made by one invention to shut down in the event of other voltage faults beside that of power failure.
  • the second event type is physical or mechanical impact.
  • an accelerometer is used to detect the magnitude and direction of a shock so that the hard disk head flying height can be adjusted. This adjustment is possible because the accelerometer is mounted on the disk driver frame while the drive itself is mounted to that frame by shock absorbers. The time delay for shock transmission supplied by the shock absorbers allows the flying height correction to be calculated prior to the shock arriving at the disk head.
  • a three axis, quick response accelerometer is mounted in the portable computer.
  • the output of the accelerometer is continuously monitored by a dedicated processor.
  • the dedicated processor passes a high priority interrupt to the central processing unit of the portable computer and proceeds to park the disk heads.
  • the interrupt handler routine simultaneously performs those actions which that computer may need to perform to deal with the loss of disk availability.
  • the interrupt routine of the central processing unit may also perform the park operation.
  • the dedicated processor or the central processing unit may cause a brake operation to be performed to slow or stop the rotation of the hard disk.
  • the park and brake operations are performed simultaneously in parallel by the dedicated processor and the central processing unit.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable computer of the type commonly having a hard disk
  • FIG. 2 is a funcnonal block diagram showing the components of the protective reflex system according to the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the logic of the computer control program for the protective reflex system of the invention.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a typical portable personal computer (PC) 10, sometimes referred to a laptop computer.
  • the configuration shown includes a system unit case 12 to which is attached a hinged liquid crystal display (LCD) 14 that folds down for attachment to a keyboard 16 for transportation.
  • LCD liquid crystal display
  • the portable PC shown in FIG. I is merely for purposes of illustration.
  • Portable PCs are configured in a variety of different ways.
  • the system unit case 12 may be integrated under and in one unit with the keyboard 16 with the LCD display hinged at the back of this integrated unit.
  • the system unit case 12 may be integrated behind the display 14 with the keyboard 16 detachable from the face of the display.
  • the display may be a gas plasma panel or other so-called "flat screen" display rather than an LCD, and while it is typical for portable PCs to have at least one floppy disk drive, such as the disk drive 18 shown in FIG. 1, the location of that disk drive may be at the front of the computer or other convenient location.
  • the time required to park a disk drive head is on the order of three times the average seek time. This is in the range of 50 to 200 milliseconds. assuming that the current track is known and that the head is parked with a seek operation. The time required to fall a distance of one foot is 250 milliseconds.
  • the present invention is a system which will protect hard disks in portable computers by sensing the IG acceleration of a fall and causing the disk heads to park in that event.
  • a three-axis accelerometer is mounted within the computer system case 12, preferably as a component part of the hard disk and mounted to the frame of the hard disk.
  • the accelerometer 22 provides output signals for each of the three axes to a dedicated processor 24 which continuously monitors the acceleration signals, computes the resultant acceleration vector and compares the scaler magnitude of the acceleration vector with a preset range of values.
  • the preset range is chosen to represent an acceleration that would suggest an impending impact.
  • the dedicated processor 24 generates a high priority interrupt to the central processor unit (CPU) 26 of the portable computer and proceeds to park the disk heads of the hard disk 28 rapidly and, optionally, to brake the hard disk's rotation.
  • CPU central processor unit
  • the interrupt handler of the CPU 26 simultaneously performs those actions which that computer and operating system may be able to perform to deal with the loss of disk availability.
  • the interrupt routine of the CPU 26 may initiate the disk park and brake operations, as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 2.
  • FIG. 3 there is shown a flow diagram of the logic of the protective reflex system just described.
  • the process starts by inputting the three acceleration inputs to the dedicated processor 24, as represented by function block 31.
  • the dedicated processor 24 computes the acceleration vector, as represented by function block 32.
  • the scaler value of the acceleration vector is compared with the preset range of values in decision block 33.
  • the dedicated processor 24 generates a high priority interrupt to the CPU 26, as represented by the function block 34.
  • operation block 35 depending on the specific implementation of the invention, either the dedicated processor 24 or the CPU 26 calls the park subroutine which causes the heads of the hard disk 28 to be parked rapidly.
  • a motor braking subroutine may be called, as indicated by operation block 36. Again, this subroutine may be called by either the CPU 26 or the dedicated processor 2A.
  • the system then awaits resumption of normal operations, as indicated by decision block 37. Further variations might include testing for a disk drive motor stopped condition followed by a power down procedure.

Abstract

A protective reflex system for a portable computer hard disk initiates protective action before the hard disk suffers the shock of an impact in the event they fall from, for example, a user's lap. A three axis accelerometer is mounted in the portable computer. The output of the accelerometer is continuously monitored by a dedicated processor. In the event of an acceleration event within a preset range of values, the dedicated processor passes a high priority interrupt to the central processing unit of the portable computer and then proceeds to park the disk heads. Alternately, the interrupt routine of the central processing unit may also cause the park operation. In addition to park operation, a brake operation may be performed by either the dedicated processor or the central processing unit.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to protection systems for computer hard disk drives in portable computers and, more particularly, to, a reflexive system for parking the heads of a hard disk and, optionally, stopping the spinning of the magnetic media platters in the event the computer is dropped.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable personal computers (PCs) have become more and more popular. Part of this popularity is due to providing portable computer with much the same power and features of desk top workstations. Among these features are hard disks which are now quite common in portable computers.
Portable computers are subject to forms of failure which are not a problem for desk top workstations. They can run out of power and they can be dropped. While this latter jeopardy is a threat to every component in the system, it is the hard disk drive which has the lowest threshold of failure in the event the computer is dropped. This component is so vulnerable to shock because it is dependent on the maintenance of a very small gap between the drive heads and the disk platters. The size of this gap is a key factor in the quantity of data which can be stored on the disk. In general, the smaller the gap, the more the data which can be stored. Thus, small, and hence vulnerable, gap dimensions are the rule for hard disks. The technology routinely used to obtain small gap height is aerodynamic. The head is literally flown over the platter surface to place the heads as close to the platters as possible without allowing contact. If the head were to contact the platter, the result could be both the destrucuon of the head and the removal of magnetic material (and hence data) from the platter.
Disk manufacturers recognize this hazard and attempt to address it by shock mounting their drives, by publishing the G-force limits their drives can tolerate, and by providing a position in which the heads may be "parked" in which the drive can tolerate accelerations which are far greater than are tolerable when the heads are "loaded".
The prior an addresses two kinds of events which may destroy the data integrity or hardware integrity of a hard disk. One of these event types is electrical power failure. This problem is addressed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,995 to Stupeck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,469 to Hanson et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,554 to Stupeck et al. In each of these patents, the energy stored in the motion of the disk heads is tapped by using the disk spindle motor as a generator. The power derived from this source is used to retract the disk head. Electromagnetic braking of the spindle is also contemplated. Provisions are made by one invention to shut down in the event of other voltage faults beside that of power failure.
The second event type is physical or mechanical impact. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,103 to White, an accelerometer is used to detect the magnitude and direction of a shock so that the hard disk head flying height can be adjusted. This adjustment is possible because the accelerometer is mounted on the disk driver frame while the drive itself is mounted to that frame by shock absorbers. The time delay for shock transmission supplied by the shock absorbers allows the flying height correction to be calculated prior to the shock arriving at the disk head.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,298 to Genheimer et al., impact detection is used to generate a write-fault signal to the computing system. This signal is used to prevent data destruction by off-track writes and to cause head retraction in the event of severe impacts. This device relies on the fact that the read and write operations on disk drives involve sectors of significant extent so that if an impact is detected, it is very likely that it will occur in the course of a sector operation rather than at its very end. The system is thus expected to have the time required to abort the read or write operation without storing or retrieving corrupted data.
The problems with each of these techniques is that remedial action is taken after the failure or impact has occurred and may be too late to prevent damage. In the case of impact, what is needed is a system which can anticipate the possibility of impact and take protective action before the impact actually occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a protective reflex system for a portable computer hard disk which initiates protective action before the hard disk suffers the shock of an impact.
It is a further object of the invenuon to provide, in a portable computer, a means by which hard disk drives in the active, un-parked state may be protected from possible destruction in the event they fall from, for example, a user's lap.
According to the present invention, a three axis, quick response accelerometer is mounted in the portable computer. The output of the accelerometer is continuously monitored by a dedicated processor. In the event of an acceleration within a preset range of values close to IG, the dedicated processor passes a high priority interrupt to the central processing unit of the portable computer and proceeds to park the disk heads. The interrupt handler routine simultaneously performs those actions which that computer may need to perform to deal with the loss of disk availability.
Alternatively, the interrupt routine of the central processing unit may also perform the park operation. In addition, the dedicated processor or the central processing unit may cause a brake operation to be performed to slow or stop the rotation of the hard disk. Preferably, the park and brake operations are performed simultaneously in parallel by the dedicated processor and the central processing unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable computer of the type commonly having a hard disk;
FIG. 2 is a funcnonal block diagram showing the components of the protective reflex system according to the invention; and
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the logic of the computer control program for the protective reflex system of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical portable personal computer (PC) 10, sometimes referred to a laptop computer. The configuration shown includes a system unit case 12 to which is attached a hinged liquid crystal display (LCD) 14 that folds down for attachment to a keyboard 16 for transportation. On the right side of the system case 12, there is a 31/2 floppy disk drive 18 and within the case is a hard disk drive (not shown).
The portable PC shown in FIG. I is merely for purposes of illustration. Portable PCs are configured in a variety of different ways. For example, the system unit case 12 may be integrated under and in one unit with the keyboard 16 with the LCD display hinged at the back of this integrated unit. Alternatively, the system unit case 12 may be integrated behind the display 14 with the keyboard 16 detachable from the face of the display. Moreover, the display may be a gas plasma panel or other so-called "flat screen" display rather than an LCD, and while it is typical for portable PCs to have at least one floppy disk drive, such as the disk drive 18 shown in FIG. 1, the location of that disk drive may be at the front of the computer or other convenient location. The point is that no matter what the outside physical configuration of the portable computer, many are now being equipped with a hard disk drive and due to the portability of the computer, the hard disk drive is in jeopardy of damage or destruction due to the shock of an impact, such as caused by the computer being dropped.
The time required to park a disk drive head is on the order of three times the average seek time. This is in the range of 50 to 200 milliseconds. assuming that the current track is known and that the head is parked with a seek operation. The time required to fall a distance of one foot is 250 milliseconds. The present invention is a system which will protect hard disks in portable computers by sensing the IG acceleration of a fall and causing the disk heads to park in that event.
According to the invention, a three-axis accelerometer is mounted within the computer system case 12, preferably as a component part of the hard disk and mounted to the frame of the hard disk. As shown in FIG. 2, the accelerometer 22 provides output signals for each of the three axes to a dedicated processor 24 which continuously monitors the acceleration signals, computes the resultant acceleration vector and compares the scaler magnitude of the acceleration vector with a preset range of values. The preset range is chosen to represent an acceleration that would suggest an impending impact. In the event that a value in the preset range for acceleration is calculated, the dedicated processor 24 generates a high priority interrupt to the central processor unit (CPU) 26 of the portable computer and proceeds to park the disk heads of the hard disk 28 rapidly and, optionally, to brake the hard disk's rotation. The interrupt handler of the CPU 26 simultaneously performs those actions which that computer and operating system may be able to perform to deal with the loss of disk availability. Alternatively, the interrupt routine of the CPU 26 may initiate the disk park and brake operations, as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 2. An advantage of having, for example, the dedicated processor 24 perform the park subroutine while the CPU 26 performs the brag subroutine is that the two subroutines can be processed simultaneously by the two processors in parallel.
Turning now to FIG. 3 there is shown a flow diagram of the logic of the protective reflex system just described. The process starts by inputting the three acceleration inputs to the dedicated processor 24, as represented by function block 31. The dedicated processor 24 computes the acceleration vector, as represented by function block 32. The scaler value of the acceleration vector is compared with the preset range of values in decision block 33. When the value of the calculated acceleration falls within the range continuously for a period suggesting a fall is in progress, the dedicated processor 24 generates a high priority interrupt to the CPU 26, as represented by the function block 34. In operation block 35, depending on the specific implementation of the invention, either the dedicated processor 24 or the CPU 26 calls the park subroutine which causes the heads of the hard disk 28 to be parked rapidly.
At this point in the flow diagram, the main reflexive action, i.e., parking of the heads, has been accomplished. Further action can optionally be taken to enhance the protective system according to the invention. In addition to calling the park subroutine, a motor braking subroutine may be called, as indicated by operation block 36. Again, this subroutine may be called by either the CPU 26 or the dedicated processor 2A. The system then awaits resumption of normal operations, as indicated by decision block 37. Further variations might include testing for a disk drive motor stopped condition followed by a power down procedure.
While the inention has been described in terms of a single preferred embodiment with optional features, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be pracueed with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (12)

I claim:
1. A protective reflex system for a portable computer hard disk which initiates protective action before the hard disk suffers .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.shock of an impact, said hard disk .[.having.]. .Iadd.including .Iaddend.at least .[.a.]. one head flying above at least one .[.motor driven.]. .Iadd.motor-drive .Iaddend.rotating disk and said portable computer .[.having.]. .Iadd.including .Iaddend.a central processing unit, said protective reflex system comprising:
a three axis accelerometer mounted in the portable computer and generating signals proportional to accelerations along three axes; and
a dedicated processor for continuously monitoring said accelerometer signals and computing an acceleration vector, said dedicated processor further comparing a .[.scaler.]. .Iadd.scalar .Iaddend.value of said acceleration vector to a preset range of values .[.close to 1G.]. corresponding to a free fall condition and passing a high priority interrupt to the central processing unit of the portable computer when said .[.scaler.]. .Iadd.scalar .Iaddend.value falls within said preset range;
one of said dedicated processor .[.or.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.said central processing unit calling a routine to park said at least one head of the hard disk .[.rapidly.]. before the hard disk suffers .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.shock of an impact.
2. The protective reflex system recited in claim 1 wherein one of said dedicated processor .[.or.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.said central processing unit further calls a routine to brake .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.rotation of said hard disk.
3. The protective reflex system recited in claim 2 wherein said dedicated processor calls the routine to park said at least one head of the hard disk .[.rapidly.]. while said central processing unit calls the routine to brake the rotation of said hard disk, said routines .Iadd.to park and to brake .Iaddend.being processed simultaneously in parallel by said dedicated processor and said central processing unit.
4. The protective reflex system recited in claim 1 wherein said hard disk further .[.has.]. .Iadd.includes .Iaddend.a frame and said accelerometer is mounted on said frame.
5. The protective reflex system recited in claim 1 wherein said dedicated processor calls the routine to park said at least one head of the hard disk .[.rapidly.]..
6. A .[.reflexive.]. method for protecting a portable computer hard disk by initiating protective action before the hard disk suffers .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.shock of an impact, said hard disk .[.having.]. .Iadd.including .Iaddend.at least .[.a.]. one head flying above at least one .[.motor driven.]. .Iadd.motor-driven .Iaddend.rotating disk.Iadd., a three-axis accelerometer and a dedicated processor .Iaddend.and said portable computer .[.having.]. .Iadd.including .Iaddend.a central processing unit .[.and being further provided with a three-axis accelerometer and a dedicated processor.]., said reflexive method comprising the steps of:
monitoring.Iadd., .Iaddend.by said dedicated processor.Iadd., .Iaddend.signals from said accelerometer proportional to accelerations along three axes;
computing.Iadd., .Iaddend.by said dedicated processor.Iadd., .Iaddend. an acceleration vector and comparing a .[.scaler.]. .Iadd.scalar .Iaddend.value of said acceleration vector to a preset range of values .[.close to 1G.]. corresponding to a free fall condition and passing a high priority interrupt to the central processing unit of the portable computer when said .[.scaler.]. .Iadd.scalar .Iaddend.value .[.exceeds.]. .Iadd.falls within .Iaddend.said preset range; and
parking.Iadd., .Iaddend.by said dedicated processor or said central processing unit.Iadd., .Iaddend.said at least one head of the hard disk .[.rapidly.]. before the hard disk suffers .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.shock of an impact.
7. The .[.reflexive.]. method recited in claim 6 further comprising the step of braking by one of said dedicated processor .[.or.]. .Iadd.and .Iaddend.said central processing unit .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.rotation of said hard disk.
8. The .[.reflexive.]. method recited in claim 7 wherein said step of parking said at least one head of the hard disk .[.rapidly.]. is performed by said dedicated processor while said step of braking the rotation of said hard disk is performed by said central processing unit, said steps .Iadd.of parking and braking .Iaddend.being performed simultaneously in parallel by said dedicated processor and said central processing unit.Iadd., respectively.Iaddend..
9. The .[.reflexive.]. method recited in claim 6 wherein said step of parking said at least one head of the hard disk .[.rapidly.]. is performed by said dedicated processor. .Iadd.10. A storage device comprising:
a moving storage medium;
at least one head positioned in transducing relationship with respect to said moving storage medium; and
a system for protecting the storage device, said system comprising:
an accelerometer, operatively coupled to the storage device, for generating a signal proportional to an acceleration of the storage device;
means for comparing a magnitude of said signal to a predetermined magnitude, said predetermined magnitude being associated with a shock of an impact; and
means for repositioning said at least one head responsive to said magnitude of said signal generated by said accelerometer being greater than said predetermined magnitude and prior to said storage device suffering a shock of an impact. .Iaddend. .Iadd.11. The storage device of claim 10, wherein said means for repositioning places said at least one head in a protective position. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. The storage device of claim 10, wherein said means for repositioning parks said at least one head over a portion of said moving storage medium not containing data previously written to said
moving storage medium. .Iaddend. .Iadd.13. The storage device of claim 10, wherein said means for repositioning parks said at least one head in a nontransducing position. .Iaddend. .Iadd.14. A storage device comprising:
a moving storage medium;
at least one head positioned in transducing relationship with respect to said moving storage medium; and
a system for protecting the storage device, said system comprising:
a three-axis sensing device coupled to the storage device, for generating a signal proportional to an acceleration of the storage device;
means for comparing a magnitude of said signal to a predetermined magnitude, said predetermined magnitude being associated with a shock of an impact; and
means for moving said at least one head positioned in transducing relationship with respect to said moving storage medium responsive to said magnitude of said signal being greater than said predetermined magnitude and prior to said storage device suffering a shock of an impact. .Iaddend. .Iadd.15. The storage device of claim 14, wherein said means for moving positions said at least one head to a nontransducing position. .Iaddend. .Iadd.16. The storage device of claim 14 wherein said means for moving parks said at least one head over a portion of said moving storage medium not containing data previously written to said moving storage medium. .Iaddend. .Iadd.17. A storage device comprising:
a moving storage medium;
at least one head movably positioned in transducing relationship with respect to said moving storage medium; and
a system for protecting the storage device, said system comprising:
a three-axis sensing device coupled to the storage device, for generating a signal proportional to an acceleration of the storage device;
means for comparing a magnitude of said signal to a predetermined magnitude, said predetermined magnitude being associated with a shock of an impact; and
means for stopping movement of at least one of said moving storage medium and said at least one head, responsive to said magnitude of said signal being greater than said predetermined magnitude and prior to said storage
device suffering a shock of an impact. .Iaddend. .Iadd.18. A method of protecting data stored on a hard disk drive, said hard disk drive including at least one disk having a portion of the disk storing data, at least one transducing head positioned in transducing relation with respect to said at least one disk, an accelerometer and a microprocessor, said method comprising the steps of:
comparing a signal from said accelerometer to a predetermined range of levels, said predetermined range of levels being associated with a shock of an impact; and
moving said at least one transducing head in response to said signal from said accelerometer being within said predetermined range of levels and prior to said hard disk drive suffering a shock of an impact. .Iaddend. .Iadd.19. The method of protecting data of claim 18, wherein the step of moving said at least one transducing head includes a step of parking said at least one transducing head off said at least one disk. .Iaddend. .Iadd.20. The method of protecting data of claim 18, wherein the step of moving said at least one transducing head includes a step of parking said at least one transducing head off the portion of said disk storing data.
.Iaddend. .Iadd.21. A storage device comprising:
a moving storage medium;
at least one head movably positioned in transducing relationship with respect to said moving storage medium; and
a system for protecting the storage device, said system comprising:
a three-axis accelerometer, operatively coupled to the storage, device, for generating a signal proportional to an acceleration of the storage device;
means for comparing a magnitude of said signal to a predetermined magnitude, said predetermined magnitude being associated with a shock of an impact; and
means for interrupting an operation of the storage device responsive to said magnitude of said signal being greater than said predetermined magnitude and prior to said storage device suffering a shock of an impact. .Iaddend. .Iadd.22. The storage device of claim 21, wherein said means for interrupting includes means for interrupting an operation of said at least one head. .Iaddend. .Iadd.23. The storage device of claim 22, wherein said means for interrupting includes means for interrupting a write operation of said at least one head. .Iaddend. .Iadd.24. The storage device of claim 21, wherein said means for interrupting includes means for stopping a movement of at least one of said moving storage medium and said at least one head. .Iaddend.
US08/223,789 1990-11-26 1994-04-06 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system Expired - Lifetime USRE35269E (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/223,789 USRE35269E (en) 1990-11-26 1994-04-06 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/618,192 US5227929A (en) 1990-11-26 1990-11-26 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system
US08/223,789 USRE35269E (en) 1990-11-26 1994-04-06 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US07/618,192 Reissue US5227929A (en) 1990-11-26 1990-11-26 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
USRE35269E true USRE35269E (en) 1996-06-11

Family

ID=24476702

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US07/618,192 Ceased US5227929A (en) 1990-11-26 1990-11-26 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system
US08/223,789 Expired - Lifetime USRE35269E (en) 1990-11-26 1994-04-06 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US07/618,192 Ceased US5227929A (en) 1990-11-26 1990-11-26 Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (2) US5227929A (en)
JP (1) JP2536985B2 (en)

Cited By (33)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5631427A (en) * 1996-01-16 1997-05-20 Dell Usa, L.P. Accelerometer-based shock/vibration testing apparatus and associated methods for a portable computer
US5835298A (en) * 1996-08-16 1998-11-10 Telxon Corporation Hard drive protection system and method
US6520013B1 (en) * 2000-10-02 2003-02-18 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US20040032687A1 (en) * 2002-08-13 2004-02-19 Ng Hwa Liang Head-slap detection for a data storage device
US20050193820A1 (en) * 2004-03-04 2005-09-08 Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc. Integrated sensor and motion sensing for ultrasound and other devices
GB2415825A (en) * 2004-06-30 2006-01-04 Altob Inc A Shock Protection Device And Method Of A Read And Write Medium Apparatus
US20060017692A1 (en) * 2000-10-02 2006-01-26 Wehrenberg Paul J Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer
US20060070439A1 (en) * 2004-10-02 2006-04-06 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall of electronic device
US20060072236A1 (en) * 2000-06-23 2006-04-06 Tatsuya Ito Falling sensor and the information processing device making use of it
US7042663B2 (en) 2002-10-03 2006-05-09 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Magnetic disk protection mechanism, computer system comprising protection mechanism, protection method for magnetic disk, and program for protection method
US20060100887A1 (en) * 2004-11-09 2006-05-11 Erickson David E Apparatus, system, and method for a motion based business decision
US20060116848A1 (en) * 2004-12-01 2006-06-01 Clifford Michelle A System and method for fall detection
US20060150731A1 (en) * 2004-12-23 2006-07-13 Stmicroelectronics S.R.L. Portable apparatus with an accelerometer device for free-fall detection
US20060268447A1 (en) * 2005-05-09 2006-11-30 Wenshuai Liao Accelerometer-based differential free fall detection system, apparatus, and method and disk drive protection mechanism employing same
US20070086108A1 (en) * 2005-10-19 2007-04-19 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Magnetic disk drive with head retraction control
US20070159710A1 (en) * 2006-01-06 2007-07-12 Lucas Andrew A Hard disk drive with external sensor interface, system for use thereof and method
US20070298751A1 (en) * 2006-06-21 2007-12-27 Thomas Wulff System and method for monitoring a mobile device
US20070297028A1 (en) * 2006-06-21 2007-12-27 Thomas Wulff System and device for monitoring a computing device
US20080042863A1 (en) * 2006-08-16 2008-02-21 Rosemount, Inc. Inclination measurement in process transmitters
US7350394B1 (en) * 2004-12-03 2008-04-01 Maxtor Corporation Zero-g offset identification of an accelerometer employed in a hard disk drive
US7355807B2 (en) 2006-04-28 2008-04-08 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Hard disk drive protection system and method
US7369345B1 (en) 2004-12-03 2008-05-06 Maxtor Corporation Mobile hard disk drive free fall detection and protection
US20080253015A1 (en) * 2007-04-16 2008-10-16 Harrington Nathan J System and method for detecting shakes and percussive impacts and for protecting portable electronic devices when pre-specified shake patterns and percussive impact levels are detected
US20090021858A1 (en) * 2007-07-17 2009-01-22 Guoyi Fu Hard Disk Drive Protection System Based on Adaptive Thresholding
US20090027798A1 (en) * 2007-07-27 2009-01-29 Seagate Technology Llc Impact protection for a retractable control object
US20100100623A1 (en) * 2004-04-06 2010-04-22 Thomas Wulff System and method for monitoring a mobile computing product/arrangement
US7751142B2 (en) 2006-03-22 2010-07-06 Nvidia Corporation Portable device with freefall detection or audio processing subsystem and freefall detection or audio processing method
US20100235012A1 (en) * 2009-03-13 2010-09-16 Keith Cox Automatic adjustment of thermal requirement
US7822513B2 (en) 2005-07-27 2010-10-26 Symbol Technologies, Inc. System and method for monitoring a mobile computing product/arrangement
US20100290145A1 (en) * 2009-05-18 2010-11-18 Dell Products L.P. Data loss prevention during a fall of a storage device
US20100290149A1 (en) * 2009-05-18 2010-11-18 Dell Products L.P. Data loss prevention during a fall of a storage device
USRE42738E1 (en) 1997-10-28 2011-09-27 Apple Inc. Portable computers
US8898036B2 (en) 2007-08-06 2014-11-25 Rosemount Inc. Process variable transmitter with acceleration sensor

Families Citing this family (65)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5333138A (en) * 1992-03-11 1994-07-26 Ministor Peripherals International Limited Apparatus and method for preventing data corruption in disk drives from mechanical shock during write operations
AU5330094A (en) * 1992-11-13 1994-06-08 Maxtor Corporation Write disable acceleration sensing system for a hard disk drive
US5521772A (en) * 1993-11-30 1996-05-28 International Business Machines Corporation Disk drive with accerleration rate sensing
US5982573A (en) * 1993-12-15 1999-11-09 Hewlett-Packard Company Disk drive and method for minimizing shock-induced damage
US5654840A (en) * 1994-06-30 1997-08-05 Western Digital Corporation Hard disk drive which uses the back EMF of the actuator to detect shocks
US6046877A (en) * 1995-02-16 2000-04-04 Mobile Storage Technology, Inc. Protection apparatus and method for hard disk drive unit of a portable computer
US5721457A (en) * 1995-04-28 1998-02-24 International Business Machines Corporation Shock isolation system with write inhibit
DE29514861U1 (en) * 1995-09-15 1995-11-23 Siemens Ag computer
US5764430A (en) * 1996-04-01 1998-06-09 International Business Machines Corporation Disk drive having optimized spindle speed for environment
US5777815A (en) * 1996-06-13 1998-07-07 International Business Machines Corporation Disk drive with shock detection based on thermoresistive signal from magnetoresistive head
FR2762412A1 (en) * 1997-04-22 1998-10-23 Philips Electronics Nv METHOD AND CONTROLLER FOR CONTROLLING A SERVO SYSTEM
US5923487A (en) * 1997-06-05 1999-07-13 Maxtor Corporation Integrated shock sensing device
JPH10340522A (en) * 1997-06-09 1998-12-22 Sony Corp Data recording device and camera device
JPH1116259A (en) * 1997-06-24 1999-01-22 Internatl Business Mach Corp <Ibm> Head mechanism controller and signal supply control device and disk drive device
KR100255641B1 (en) * 1997-07-31 2000-05-01 윤종용 Head flying height control method and apparatus for hard disk drive
US5995365A (en) * 1997-08-04 1999-11-30 Dell U.S.A. L.P. Computer with hard disk drive carrier
US6005736A (en) * 1997-10-21 1999-12-21 International Business Machines Corporation Method and means for active shock protection in a magnetic disk storage device using electrostatic forces
WO2001004897A1 (en) 1999-07-09 2001-01-18 Fujitsu Limited Portable information processor
US6498719B1 (en) 1999-12-10 2002-12-24 Dell Usa, L.P. Apparatus and method for reducing impact-induced shock and vibration in a portable computer
CA2330512C (en) 2000-01-12 2003-12-30 Ubukata Industries Co., Ltd. Free fall sensor
JP2001273707A (en) 2000-03-28 2001-10-05 Internatl Business Mach Corp <Ibm> Rotary storage device and information recording method
JP2001331281A (en) * 2000-05-19 2001-11-30 Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc Memory data backup device for portable electronic equipment and device for the same
US6882489B1 (en) 2000-08-15 2005-04-19 Maxtor Corporation Dynamic off-track detector
US7253982B1 (en) 2000-08-15 2007-08-07 Maxtor Corporation Dynamic shock detection in disk drive using hair trigger timer
JP5032733B2 (en) * 2000-09-18 2012-09-26 パナソニック株式会社 Audio / video information recording / reproducing apparatus and method
JP2002100180A (en) * 2000-09-22 2002-04-05 Toshiba Corp Magnetic disk unit
FR2815162B1 (en) * 2000-10-06 2003-01-17 Archos HARD DISK DRIVE DETECTION DEVICE, SYSTEM COMPRISING SUCH DEVICE AND METHOD USING SUCH A DEVICE
JP2004127364A (en) * 2002-09-30 2004-04-22 Toshiba Corp Electronic apparatus and shockproofing method
JP3961480B2 (en) * 2003-12-26 2007-08-22 インターナショナル・ビジネス・マシーンズ・コーポレーション Protection mechanism for magnetic disk device, computer system including the same, magnetic disk device control method and program
US20050212760A1 (en) * 2004-03-23 2005-09-29 Marvit David L Gesture based user interface supporting preexisting symbols
JP2005346741A (en) 2004-05-31 2005-12-15 Toshiba Corp Disk storage device and emergency head retraction control circuit applied to the device
US7190540B2 (en) * 2004-06-03 2007-03-13 Sony Corporation Portable apparatus having head retracting function and head retracting method
JP4262637B2 (en) * 2004-06-11 2009-05-13 インターナショナル・ビジネス・マシーンズ・コーポレーション Portable electronic device that can be used with its lid open, electronic device control method, and program
ITTO20040436A1 (en) 2004-06-28 2004-09-28 St Microelectronics Srl FREE FALL DETECTION DEVICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF PORTABLE APPLIANCES.
US7318170B2 (en) * 2004-07-09 2008-01-08 Spyder Navigations, Llc Protection of non-volatile memory component against data corruption due to physical shock
US7143002B2 (en) * 2005-04-15 2006-11-28 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies B.V. Method for detecting external acceleration to a hard disk drive by a spindle motor
US9025272B1 (en) * 2005-05-06 2015-05-05 Seagate Technology Llc Shock protection for electro-mechanical devices of host devices employing inertial navigation systems
JP2006337505A (en) * 2005-05-31 2006-12-14 Sony Corp Musical player and processing control method
JP2007049687A (en) * 2005-07-13 2007-02-22 Victor Co Of Japan Ltd Recording and reproducing device
US8005347B2 (en) 2005-07-13 2011-08-23 Victor Company Of Japan, Limited Recording/reproducing device capable of avoiding or reducing various malfunctions caused by dropping
CN1941131B (en) * 2005-10-02 2011-04-27 北京爱国者存储科技有限责任公司 Portable electronic device with hard disk as storage medium
US7525751B2 (en) * 2005-11-14 2009-04-28 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Hard disk drive adapted to detect free-fall and perform emergency parking of read/write head prior to impact
US7430452B2 (en) * 2006-01-17 2008-09-30 Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Apparatus, system, and method for selectivity protecting a motion sensitive component in a computerized device
DE102006009076A1 (en) * 2006-02-28 2007-08-30 Robert Bosch Gmbh Damage prevention method for device, involves recognizing free fall of device by comparing temporal change in pressure variable with pre-determined threshold value
GB2450283B (en) * 2006-04-08 2011-11-16 Angela Pietraszko Dropped object warning device
CN101060244A (en) * 2006-04-19 2007-10-24 鸿富锦精密工业（深圳）有限公司 Portable electronic device with the automatic shutoff protective functions
US7620830B2 (en) * 2006-06-30 2009-11-17 Lenovo Singapore Pte. Ltd. Halt state for protection of hard disk drives in a mobile computing environment
JP2008108291A (en) * 2006-10-23 2008-05-08 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands Bv Disk drive device and its head retreat method
US7644222B2 (en) * 2006-10-25 2010-01-05 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Low latency event communication system and method
CN101369248B (en) * 2007-08-16 2011-11-02 联想(北京)有限公司 Method, system and terminal for automatic control terminal
US7650439B2 (en) * 2007-09-10 2010-01-19 Getac Technology Corporation Falling protective device for hard disk of a portable computer
US20090070509A1 (en) 2007-09-10 2009-03-12 Chai-Chang Chlu Method of detecting and protecting falling portable computer hard disk through software monitoring driver
US7883071B2 (en) * 2008-05-21 2011-02-08 Raytheon Company Methods and apparatus for isolation system
JP2008257856A (en) * 2008-06-02 2008-10-23 Sony Corp Information recording device and information recording method, and computer program
TWI414959B (en) * 2008-08-22 2013-11-11 Asustek Comp Inc Foldable portable electronic device and system and method for protecting hard disk thereof
US20100259847A1 (en) * 2008-11-26 2010-10-14 Elitegroup Computer Systems Co., Ltd. Portable apparatus having electronic control system and control method thereof
DE102010001058A1 (en) 2010-01-20 2011-07-21 Robert Bosch GmbH, 70469 Detection element for use in hard disk in portable computer for detection of idle case, has acceleration sensor and magnetic field sensor for generating two signals, respectively, where element detects idle case based on two signals
DE102010002656A1 (en) * 2010-03-08 2011-09-08 Robert Bosch Gmbh Free-fall detection system for protecting hard drives in mobile devices
JP2011233197A (en) * 2010-04-27 2011-11-17 Sony Corp Information processing device and head retraction method
US20120109574A1 (en) * 2010-10-27 2012-05-03 Mihai-Costin Manolescu Multi-dimensional vector determining circuit in a sensor integrated circuit package
JP5244200B2 (en) * 2011-01-19 2013-07-24 レノボ・シンガポール・プライベート・リミテッド Portable terminal device having security function excellent in convenience and access control method
US9612632B2 (en) 2013-04-30 2017-04-04 Apple Inc. Wireless electronic device with component cooling structures
US9408334B2 (en) 2013-04-30 2016-08-02 Apple Inc. Electronic device with component shielding structures and input-output connectors
WO2017207865A1 (en) 2016-06-01 2017-12-07 Nokia Technologies Oy Seismic determination of location
DE102020214034A1 (en) 2020-11-09 2022-05-12 Robert Bosch Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung Method and system for detecting a free fall of a device

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4040103A (en) * 1976-02-05 1977-08-02 Sperry Rand Corporation Shock force compensating system
EP0175839A1 (en) * 1984-09-26 1986-04-02 Qew Corporation Data transducer restraint
GB2187031A (en) * 1986-01-21 1987-08-26 Raymond Engineering Magnetic disc memory unit
US4692915A (en) * 1984-06-15 1987-09-08 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Recording and reproduction apparatus having improved reliability with respect to externally applied vibration or impact
US4862298A (en) * 1988-03-11 1989-08-29 Magnetic Peripherals Inc. Shock load detection device
US4897743A (en) * 1986-09-08 1990-01-30 Fujitsu Limited Method and apparatus for releasing a magnetic head
US5235472A (en) * 1991-10-18 1993-08-10 Seagate Technology, Inc. Apparatus for sensing operating shock on a disk drive

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH02244458A (en) * 1989-03-16 1990-09-28 Nec Corp Magnetic disk device
JPH03241564A (en) * 1990-02-19 1991-10-28 Tokyo Electric Co Ltd Fixed magnetic disk device

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4040103A (en) * 1976-02-05 1977-08-02 Sperry Rand Corporation Shock force compensating system
US4692915A (en) * 1984-06-15 1987-09-08 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Recording and reproduction apparatus having improved reliability with respect to externally applied vibration or impact
US4692915B1 (en) * 1984-06-15 1988-07-19
EP0175839A1 (en) * 1984-09-26 1986-04-02 Qew Corporation Data transducer restraint
GB2187031A (en) * 1986-01-21 1987-08-26 Raymond Engineering Magnetic disc memory unit
US4897743A (en) * 1986-09-08 1990-01-30 Fujitsu Limited Method and apparatus for releasing a magnetic head
US4862298A (en) * 1988-03-11 1989-08-29 Magnetic Peripherals Inc. Shock load detection device
US5235472A (en) * 1991-10-18 1993-08-10 Seagate Technology, Inc. Apparatus for sensing operating shock on a disk drive

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
H. R. Ottesen; "Apparatus for Detecting and Correcting Excessive Vibration in a Disk File", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 30, No. 6, Nov. 1987, p. 81.
H. R. Ottesen; Apparatus for Detecting and Correcting Excessive Vibration in a Disk File , IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 30, No. 6, Nov. 1987, p. 81. *

Cited By (73)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5631427A (en) * 1996-01-16 1997-05-20 Dell Usa, L.P. Accelerometer-based shock/vibration testing apparatus and associated methods for a portable computer
US5835298A (en) * 1996-08-16 1998-11-10 Telxon Corporation Hard drive protection system and method
USRE42738E1 (en) 1997-10-28 2011-09-27 Apple Inc. Portable computers
USRE44103E1 (en) 1997-10-28 2013-03-26 Apple Inc. Portable computers
USRE44855E1 (en) 1997-10-28 2014-04-22 Apple Inc. Multi-functional cellular telephone
USRE45559E1 (en) 1997-10-28 2015-06-09 Apple Inc. Portable computers
USRE46548E1 (en) 1997-10-28 2017-09-12 Apple Inc. Portable computers
US20060072236A1 (en) * 2000-06-23 2006-04-06 Tatsuya Ito Falling sensor and the information processing device making use of it
US7301721B2 (en) 2000-06-23 2007-11-27 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd. Falling sensor and the information processing device making use of it
US7541551B2 (en) 2000-10-02 2009-06-02 Apple Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US20040252403A1 (en) * 2000-10-02 2004-12-16 Wehrenberg Paul James Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US9829999B2 (en) 2000-10-02 2017-11-28 Apple Inc. Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer
US7307228B2 (en) * 2000-10-02 2007-12-11 Apple Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US6768066B2 (en) * 2000-10-02 2004-07-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US20080156622A1 (en) * 2000-10-02 2008-07-03 Paul James Wehrenberg Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US6520013B1 (en) * 2000-10-02 2003-02-18 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US7688306B2 (en) 2000-10-02 2010-03-30 Apple Inc. Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer
US20060017692A1 (en) * 2000-10-02 2006-01-26 Wehrenberg Paul J Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer
US7351925B2 (en) * 2000-10-02 2008-04-01 Apple Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall
US9921666B2 (en) 2000-10-02 2018-03-20 Apple Inc. Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer
US9575569B2 (en) 2000-10-02 2017-02-21 Apple Inc. Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer
US8698744B2 (en) 2000-10-02 2014-04-15 Apple Inc. Methods and apparatuses for operating a portable device based on an accelerometer
US20040032687A1 (en) * 2002-08-13 2004-02-19 Ng Hwa Liang Head-slap detection for a data storage device
US7042663B2 (en) 2002-10-03 2006-05-09 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Magnetic disk protection mechanism, computer system comprising protection mechanism, protection method for magnetic disk, and program for protection method
US20050193820A1 (en) * 2004-03-04 2005-09-08 Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc. Integrated sensor and motion sensing for ultrasound and other devices
US20100100623A1 (en) * 2004-04-06 2010-04-22 Thomas Wulff System and method for monitoring a mobile computing product/arrangement
US8773260B2 (en) 2004-04-06 2014-07-08 Symbol Technologies, Inc. System and method for monitoring a mobile computing product/arrangement
US20110205376A1 (en) * 2004-04-06 2011-08-25 Symbol Technologies, Inc. System and method for monitoring a mobile computing product/arrangement
US20110221673A1 (en) * 2004-04-06 2011-09-15 Symbol Technologies, Inc. System and method for monitoring a mobile computing product/arrangement
US20110205076A1 (en) * 2004-04-06 2011-08-25 Symbol Technologies, Inc. System and method for monitoring a mobile compputing product/arrangement
FR2875313A1 (en) * 2004-06-30 2006-03-17 Altob Inc DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROTECTING A READING AND WRITING APPARATUS
GB2415825A (en) * 2004-06-30 2006-01-04 Altob Inc A Shock Protection Device And Method Of A Read And Write Medium Apparatus
US20060070439A1 (en) * 2004-10-02 2006-04-06 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall of electronic device
US7328615B2 (en) * 2004-10-02 2008-02-12 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for detecting free fall of electronic device
US20060100887A1 (en) * 2004-11-09 2006-05-11 Erickson David E Apparatus, system, and method for a motion based business decision
US7191089B2 (en) 2004-12-01 2007-03-13 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. System and method for fall detection
US20060116848A1 (en) * 2004-12-01 2006-06-01 Clifford Michelle A System and method for fall detection
US7369345B1 (en) 2004-12-03 2008-05-06 Maxtor Corporation Mobile hard disk drive free fall detection and protection
US7350394B1 (en) * 2004-12-03 2008-04-01 Maxtor Corporation Zero-g offset identification of an accelerometer employed in a hard disk drive
US7578184B2 (en) * 2004-12-23 2009-08-25 Stmicroelectronics S.R.L. Portable apparatus with an accelerometer device for free-fall detection
US20060150731A1 (en) * 2004-12-23 2006-07-13 Stmicroelectronics S.R.L. Portable apparatus with an accelerometer device for free-fall detection
US7382567B2 (en) 2005-05-09 2008-06-03 Analog Devices, Inc. Accelerometer-based differential free fall detection system, apparatus, and method and disk drive protection mechanism employing same
US20060268447A1 (en) * 2005-05-09 2006-11-30 Wenshuai Liao Accelerometer-based differential free fall detection system, apparatus, and method and disk drive protection mechanism employing same
US7822513B2 (en) 2005-07-27 2010-10-26 Symbol Technologies, Inc. System and method for monitoring a mobile computing product/arrangement
US20070086108A1 (en) * 2005-10-19 2007-04-19 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Magnetic disk drive with head retraction control
US7428119B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2008-09-23 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Magnetic disk drive with head retraction control
US20090034114A1 (en) * 2005-10-19 2009-02-05 Hitachi Global Storage Technlogies Netherlands B.V. Magnetic disk drive with head retraction control
US7706097B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2010-04-27 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V. Magnetic disk drive with head retraction control
US7733595B2 (en) * 2006-01-06 2010-06-08 Lucas Andrew A Hard disk drive with external sensor interface, system for use thereof and method
US20070159710A1 (en) * 2006-01-06 2007-07-12 Lucas Andrew A Hard disk drive with external sensor interface, system for use thereof and method
US20100238587A1 (en) * 2006-03-22 2010-09-23 Nvidia Corporation Portable device with freefall detection or audio processing subsystem and freefall detection or audio processing method
US7751142B2 (en) 2006-03-22 2010-07-06 Nvidia Corporation Portable device with freefall detection or audio processing subsystem and freefall detection or audio processing method
US8731694B2 (en) 2006-03-22 2014-05-20 Nvidia Corporation Portable device with freefall detection or audio processing subsystem and freefall detection or audio processing method
US7944642B2 (en) 2006-04-28 2011-05-17 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Hard disk drive protection system and method
US7355807B2 (en) 2006-04-28 2008-04-08 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Hard disk drive protection system and method
US8594742B2 (en) 2006-06-21 2013-11-26 Symbol Technologies, Inc. System and method for monitoring a mobile device
US20070298751A1 (en) * 2006-06-21 2007-12-27 Thomas Wulff System and method for monitoring a mobile device
US20070297028A1 (en) * 2006-06-21 2007-12-27 Thomas Wulff System and device for monitoring a computing device
US7509220B2 (en) 2006-08-16 2009-03-24 Rosemount Inc. Inclination measurement in process transmitters
US20080042863A1 (en) * 2006-08-16 2008-02-21 Rosemount, Inc. Inclination measurement in process transmitters
US20080253015A1 (en) * 2007-04-16 2008-10-16 Harrington Nathan J System and method for detecting shakes and percussive impacts and for protecting portable electronic devices when pre-specified shake patterns and percussive impact levels are detected
US7865253B2 (en) 2007-04-16 2011-01-04 International Business Machines Corporation System and method for detecting shakes and percussive impacts and for protecting portable electronic devices when pre-specified shake patterns and percussive impact levels are detected
US20090021858A1 (en) * 2007-07-17 2009-01-22 Guoyi Fu Hard Disk Drive Protection System Based on Adaptive Thresholding
US20090027798A1 (en) * 2007-07-27 2009-01-29 Seagate Technology Llc Impact protection for a retractable control object
US7872827B2 (en) 2007-07-27 2011-01-18 Seagate Technology Llc Impact protection for a retractable control object
US8898036B2 (en) 2007-08-06 2014-11-25 Rosemount Inc. Process variable transmitter with acceleration sensor
US8392340B2 (en) 2009-03-13 2013-03-05 Apple Inc. Method and apparatus for detecting conditions of a peripheral device including motion, and determining/predicting temperature(S) wherein at least one temperature is weighted based on detected conditions
US8756176B2 (en) 2009-03-13 2014-06-17 Apple Inc. Automatic adjustment of thermal requirement based on motion detection and frequency of disturbances
US20100235012A1 (en) * 2009-03-13 2010-09-16 Keith Cox Automatic adjustment of thermal requirement
US8390949B2 (en) 2009-05-18 2013-03-05 Dell Products L.P. Data loss prevention during a fall of a storage device
US20100290149A1 (en) * 2009-05-18 2010-11-18 Dell Products L.P. Data loss prevention during a fall of a storage device
US8074016B2 (en) 2009-05-18 2011-12-06 Dell Products L.P. Data loss prevention during a fall of a storage device
US20100290145A1 (en) * 2009-05-18 2010-11-18 Dell Products L.P. Data loss prevention during a fall of a storage device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US5227929A (en) 1993-07-13
JPH04268254A (en) 1992-09-24
JP2536985B2 (en) 1996-09-25

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
USRE35269E (en) Portable computer hard disk protective reflex system
US6101062A (en) Method and apparatus for unloading head from disk before a shock to a disk drive system
US6429990B2 (en) Method and apparatus for controlling write operations of a data storage system subjected to a shock event
US6046877A (en) Protection apparatus and method for hard disk drive unit of a portable computer
JPH06187718A (en) Apparatus and method for prevention of contamination of datain disk driving mechanism from mechanical shock in write operation
US20060152842A1 (en) Free-fall detection device and free-fall protection system for a portable electronic apparatus
JPH07201124A (en) Disk drive
US6178058B1 (en) Off-track write protection method and system for induced mechanical disturbance on a disk drive
KR100390684B1 (en) Disk security apparatus and method using stiction
US7143002B2 (en) Method for detecting external acceleration to a hard disk drive by a spindle motor
EP1612565A2 (en) Free-fall detection device and free-fall protection system for a portable electronic apparatus
US7872827B2 (en) Impact protection for a retractable control object
JPH08221886A (en) Data recorder
US7650439B2 (en) Falling protective device for hard disk of a portable computer
US6636374B1 (en) Intelligent speed monitoring auto retract system
JPH06203505A (en) Protective mechanism for magnetic disk device
JPH03252962A (en) Magnetic disk device
JPS61239461A (en) Magnetic disk device
WO1994011874A1 (en) Write disable acceleration sensing system for a hard disk drive
JPS5850526Y2 (en) Disk device with impact detection mechanism
JPH03241564A (en) Fixed magnetic disk device
JPH02113466A (en) Magnetic disk device
JPH0785410A (en) Apparatus and method for controlling head of magnetic disk apparatus
JPH11306748A (en) Disk array apparatus
JPH0945026A (en) Magnetic disc apparatus

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
FEPP Fee payment procedure

Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

FPAY Fee payment

Year of fee payment: 4

FEPP Fee payment procedure

Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

FPAY Fee payment

Year of fee payment: 8

AS Assignment

Owner name: MARIANA HDD B.V., NETHERLANDS

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:013663/0348

Effective date: 20021231

AS Assignment

Owner name: HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES NETHERLANDS B.

Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:MARIANA HDD B.V.;REEL/FRAME:013746/0146

Effective date: 20021231

FEPP Fee payment procedure

Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

FPAY Fee payment

Year of fee payment: 12