JPH0453062A - Disk driving device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a disk drive device that writes or reads data to or from a disk-shaped recording medium such as a floppy sheet housed in a floppy disk cartridge.
In particular, the present invention relates to improvements in technology for determining the lifespan of the disk-shaped recording medium.

[Prior Art] In general, this type of disk drive device includes a head for reading and writing data, a head loading mechanism that brings the head into contact with a disk-shaped recording medium, and a disk drive mechanism that rotates the disk-shaped recording medium at a predetermined speed. The head is brought into contact with the medium based on a data write or read signal, and the medium is rotated at a predetermined speed to write or read data on the medium. For this reason, disc-shaped recording media are easily damaged by friction with the head, and those that are frequently used may become unusable, leading to data loss.

Conventionally, a disk-shaped recording medium that has been used for a certain period of time has reached the end of its lifespan, and the data recorded on that medium is transferred to another relatively new disk-shaped recording medium. was trying to protect.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, since the lifespan of a disc-shaped recording medium is caused by friction with the head, there is a relationship that the lifespan of a disc-shaped recording medium is generally shorter as it is used more frequently. Despite this, in the past, regardless of the frequency of use, all media that had passed a certain period of time from the start of use were considered to have reached the end of their service life2, so media that were used infrequently were replaced before reaching the end of their service life. This may result in waste, and conversely, frequently used media may be used beyond its lifespan.

This may lead to the loss of data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disk drive device that can accurately determine the lifespan of a disk-shaped recording medium according to the frequency of use of the medium, and that can improve the efficiency of use of the medium and the security of data. be.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a head for reading and writing data, a head loading mechanism for bringing the head into contact with a disc-shaped recording medium,
It has a disk drive mechanism that rotates a disk-shaped recording medium at a predetermined speed, and a head is brought into contact with the disk-shaped recording medium based on a data write or read signal, and the disk-shaped recording medium is rotated at a predetermined speed. In a disk drive device that writes data to or reads data from a disk-shaped recording medium, the head contacts the disk-shaped recording medium, and the disk-shaped recording medium rotates (7 hours or number of rotations for each recording medium). It is equipped with an operating information accumulating means, and a life warning means that issues a warning when the cumulative time or cumulative number of revolutions obtained by the accumulating means reaches the preset lifespan of the corresponding recording medium. be.

[Function] With a disk drive device having such a configuration, data writing or reading signals cause the disk-shaped recording medium to rotate at a predetermined speed while the head is in contact with the disk-shaped recording medium, thereby writing or reading data. When reading is performed, the time or number of rotations required for writing or reading the data is calculated and accumulated for each disc-shaped recording medium by the operation information accumulating means. When the cumulative time or the cumulative number of rotations reaches the preset lifespan of the recording medium, the lifespan warning means issues a warning that the lifespan has come to an end.

Therefore, a frequently used recording medium is determined to have reached the end of its lifespan within a short period of time from the start of use, and a less frequently used recording medium is not determined to have reached the end of its lifespan even after a relatively long period of time has passed since the start of use. Since a recording medium that has been determined to have reached its end of life has been used to a state close to its limit, if it continues to be used as it is, an abnormality may occur relatively soon and data may be lost.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a disk drive device, in which a disk insertion/ejection opening 2 is formed on the front surface of a housing 1 into which a floppy disk containing a floppy sheet, which is a disk-shaped recording medium, is housed in a cartridge. . A disk unit for stably holding the floppy disk at a data writing/reading position is provided inside the disk insertion/ejection opening 2. In addition, the disk insertion/ejection port 2
A life warning LED 3 is provided adjacent to the floppy disk, which flashes to display a warning when the floppy sheet of the floppy disk has reached the end of its life. Further, this disk drive device is capable of exchanging data with the host post computer via the communication cable 4 in accordance with the R5232C communication protocol.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control circuit of the disk drive device, in which ROM 1.3 and RAM, which constitute the memory section, are connected to the CPU (central processing unit) 11, which constitutes the main body of the control section, through a pass line 12. ]4 is connected.

Here, program data and the like for the CPU II to control each section are stored in advance in the ROM 13. On the other hand, various memory areas are secured in the RAM 14 to be used when the CPU 1.1 controls each section.

In addition, the I10 boat 16 receives an output signal from the disk sensor 5 that detects a floppy disk mounted in the disk unit, and outputs a blinking signal to the life warning LED 3, and the host computer 17 receives the output signal. a communication interface 18 for the R8232C that controls data transmission and reception, a data writing circuit 20 that applies data generated by the host computer 17 to the head that reads and writes data on the floppy sheet of the floppy disk; [9] A data reading circuit 2] that controls the floppy sheet to read the data required by the host computer [7], a spindle motor that rotates the floppy sheet of the floppy disk loaded in the disk unit at a predetermined speed. 22, a head access mechanism 23 that positions the head 19 at a predetermined position, and a head load mechanism 24 that brings the head 9 into contact with or releases the floppy sheet in response to a data write or read signal. Control circuit 25 to control
, etc. are connected to the CPU II via the pass line 12.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 3, the floppy sheet of the floppy disk used in this embodiment has a data area 31 used for reading and writing data, as well as a head-loaded and rotationally driven floppy sheet. An operating time area 32 is reserved for storing the operating time (in seconds) that is the cumulative amount of time spent.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the RAM 14 has a life time memory 4 in which the operating limit time (in seconds), which is considered to be the life of the floppy sheet used in this embodiment, is empirically set.
A cumulative time counter 42 is formed to accumulate the time during which the floppy sheet is head-loaded and rotated.

The CPU 1.1 is configured to control the ROMI2 and execute the processing routine shown in FIG. 5 based on program data stored in the ROM12. That is, when it is detected that a floppy disk is installed in the disk unit based on the output signal from the disk sensor 15 taken in via the I10 boat 16, the head access mechanism 23 and the head loading mechanism 24 are controlled via the control circuit 25. Then, the head 19 is positioned at a predetermined position on the floppy sheet and brought into contact with the floppy sheet at that position. Then, the spindle motor 22 is driven for a short time to read the operating time recorded in the operating time area 32 of the floppy sheet, and the operating time data is taken into the CPUI 1 via the data reading circuit 21. Then, it is determined whether the operating time has reached the operating limit time set in the life time memory 41 in the RAM 14. If the floppy sheet stored in the floppy disk has reached the end of its life, it is determined that the floppy sheet stored in the floppy disk has reached the end of its life, and a blinking signal is output to the life display LED 3 via the 110 boat 16 to cause the LED 3 to blink. On the other hand, if the operating time of the floppy sheet has not reached the operating limit time, it is determined that the floppy sheet has reached the end of its service life, and the flashing control of the LED 3 is not performed.

Next, the host computer 17 detects that the floppy disk has been removed from the disk unit.
Access instructions from (data write or read instructions)
Wait for it to be there. When it is detected by the output signal of the disk sensor 15 that the floppy disk has been removed from the disk unit, this processing routine is ended.

At this time, if a warning that the floppy sheet is at the end of its life has been given by flashing the life display LED 3, that warning is stopped and the process ends.

On the other hand, when receiving an access instruction from the host computer 17 via the communication interface 18, the operating time read from the floppy sheet is set as the initial value of the cumulative time counter 42.

Next, the spindle motor 22 is started to rotate the floppy sheet at a predetermined speed, and the CPU],
1 Start the built-in 1 second timer.

In this way, if the access instruction from the post computer [7] is a data write instruction, the data generated by the host computer [7] is applied to the head 19 via the data write circuit 20, and the floppy sheet is rotated at a predetermined speed. write to. In addition, in the case of a data reading instruction, the head] 9 is controlled via the data reading circuit 21, data required by the host computer] 7 is read from the floppy sheet rotating at a predetermined speed, and the host computer ] Send to 7.

Here, when the one second timer times up while executing processing in response to an access instruction from the host computer 17, a timer interrupt routine shown in FIG. 6 is executed. That is, first, the cumulative time counter 42 of the RAM 14 is set to "+".
IJ is updated (operation information accumulating means) Next, it is determined whether the updated count value has reached the operating limit time set in the life time memory 41 in the RAM 14. If the floppy sheet stored in the floppy disk has reached the end of its life, it outputs a blinking signal to the life display LED 3 via the l710 boat 16. , blinks the relevant LED 3 (life warning means).In contrast to this, if the operating time of the floppy sheet has not reached the operating limit time, it is determined that the floppy sheet has reached the end of its life, and the relevant L
Blinking control of ED3 is not performed. Thereafter, the "-] seconds timer is restarted, and the process returns to the processing routine shown in FIG. 5.

In this way, the second layer host computer executes processing in response to the access instruction from the computer 7, and when an instruction to end the access is received in the process, the count value of the cumulative time counter 42 is calculated on the corresponding floppy sheet. The current operating time is applied to the head] 9 via the data writing circuit 20, and written in the operating time area 32 of the corresponding floppy sheet.

After that, the spindle motor 22 is stopped tl-.

After that, it is detected that the floppy disk has been removed from the disk unit, or the host computer 17
Wait for another access instruction (data write or read instruction) from. When it is detected by the output signal of the disk sensor 15 that the floppy disk has been removed from the disk unit, this processing routine is ended.

At this time, if a warning that the floppy sheet is at the end of its life has been given by flashing the life display LED 3, that warning is stopped and the process ends.

On the other hand, when an access instruction is received from the host computer 17 via the communication interface 18, the spindle motor 22 is started to rotate the Fronbee sheet at a predetermined speed, and a one-second timer built into the CPU 11 is started. At this time, the cumulative time up to the previous time is set in the cumulative time counter 42 as an initial value. In this way, processing in response to the re-access instruction from the host computer 17 is executed.

In this embodiment configured in this manner, when a floppy disk is inserted into the housing from the disk insertion/ejection port 2, the floppy disk is correctly inserted into the disk unit. First, the operating time information recorded on the floppy sheet of the floppy disk is read. This operating time information is the cumulative value of the time (in seconds) during which the floppy sheet was rotated by the spindle motor 22 while the head 19 was in contact with the floppy sheet. Therefore, the operating time information of an unused floppy disk is 0 seconds.

The operating time information read from the floppy sheet is RA
It is compared with operating limit time information preset in the life time memory 41 of M14. This operation limit time information is a time (in seconds) that is slightly shorter than the average time required for an abnormality to occur in a normal floppy sheet when the floppy sheet is continuously rotated with the head in contact with the floppy sheet. It is. Therefore, if the operating time of the floppy sheet exceeds the above-mentioned operating limit time, there is a risk that an abnormality will occur in the floppy sheet, resulting in data loss.

Therefore, in this example, we used 8 floppy sheets.
If the working hours have reached the operating limit, the life warning J
The LED 3 for j blinks. This allows the operator to confirm that the floppy disk inserted through the disk insertion/ejection port 2 has reached the end of its life. In this case, the warning can be stopped by removing the disk I'-J from the disk insertion/removal 1]2.

On the other hand, if the operating time of the floppy sheet has not reached the operating limit time, no warning is displayed by the life warning LED 3. Therefore, Operator 1/2 will operate the post computer to access the 170 rebi disk. In this case, in this embodiment, RAM 1. , 4 in the cumulative time counter 42.
The operating time of the Boppy sheet up to that point is set as the initial value. Then, the head 19 comes into contact with the floppy sheet in response to an access instruction from the host computer 17, and the floppy sheet is rotated at a predetermined speed by the drive of the spindle motor 22. At this time, the cumulative time counter 42 is incremented by "+1" every time seconds elapse. Therefore, the count value 1 of the cumulative time counter 42 is 70 times in the state in which the rotor 9 is in contact with the rotor 9, resulting in a cumulative time of 9 hours. (3, Go, this cumulative time and life time memory 4
It is compared with the operating limit time in 1 every time there is a count up, and when the cumulative time reaches the operating limit time (if it is a life table), the LED 3 blinks. As a result, operation 1, /
- You can check whether the disk you are currently using has reached the end of its lifespan. In this case, the operator stops the warning by canceling or completing the access and then removing the floppy disk from the disk insertion/ejection slot 2.

Furthermore, if the current access does not reach the cumulative time or the operating limit time, the access is completed without any warning display by the life warning LED 3. In this case, in response to the instruction to end the access, the count value of the cumulative time counter 42 is written into the operating time area 32 of the corresponding floppy sheet, and the operating time is updated. Therefore, when this floppy disk is used next time, the operating time up to that point will be set to the initial value of the cumulative time counter.

According to this embodiment, the time during which the floppy sheet rotates while the head 19 is in contact with the floppy sheet is accumulated for each floppy sheet of each floppy disk, and the cumulative time is set in advance. When the operating limit time has been reached, the life warning LED 3 flashes to warn that the life has come to an end, so that the lifespan can be accurately and automatically determined according to the frequency of use of the floppy sheet. become. For example, a floppy sheet that is used frequently is determined to have reached the end of its lifespan after a relatively short period of time from the start of use, while a floppy sheet that is used infrequently is not determined to have reached its end of life even after a relatively long period of use. A floppy sheet that has been determined to have reached its end of life has been used close to its limit, so if you continue to use it as it is, abnormalities may occur relatively quickly and data may be lost. Data can be protected by transferring it to the previous floppy disk.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as erroneously determining that a floppy sheet that can still be used has reached its end of life, or using a floppy sheet that has already reached its end of life, resulting in an error and the loss of necessary data. Furthermore, the operator can use the floppy sheet without worrying about its lifespan, and there is no need to manage the start of use of the floppy disk, etc., thereby reducing the burden on the operator.

In the above example, the life of the floppy sheet was determined by accumulating the rotation time of the floppy sheet while it was in contact with the head, or because the floppy sheet rotates at a constant speed (for example, 6 rotations per second) The service life may be determined by accumulating the number of revolutions of the floppy sheet while in contact and comparing it with the limit number of revolutions. In this case, the cumulative time counter may be used as is, and the cumulative time may be converted into cumulative rotation speed for determination. In addition, in the above embodiment, the life time (cumulative limit time) of each floppy sheet
The life time memory 41 of RAM 1.4 is managed collectively, but a life time area is secured on the floppy sheet in the same way as the operating time area, and the life time is also read at the same time as the operating time. It is also possible to manage each floppy sheet in this way. It goes without saying that various other modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the time during which the recording medium rotates while the head is in contact with the disk-shaped recording medium is totaled for each recording medium, and the life span is determined based on the cumulative time. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the lifespan of a disk-shaped recording medium according to the frequency of use of the recording medium, and to provide a disk drive device that can improve the usage efficiency of the recording medium and improve the security of data. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a perspective view of a disk drive device, FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the disk drive device, FIG. 3 is a memory format diagram of a floppy sheet, and FIG. Figure 4 is a RAM memory format diagram.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the main routine of the CPU, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt routine of the CPU. 2... Disk insertion/dislocation, 3... Life warning LED. 11...CPU, 17...Host computer, 19
...Head, 22...Spindle motor, 23...
- Head access mechanism, 24... Head loading mechanism, 32... Operating time area, 4]... Life time memory, 42... Cumulative time counter. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] It has a head for reading and writing data, a head loading mechanism that brings the head into contact with a disk-shaped recording medium, and a disk drive mechanism that rotates the disk-shaped recording medium at a predetermined speed. A disk drive device that writes data to or reads data from or to the disc-shaped recording medium by bringing the head into contact with the disc-shaped recording medium and rotating the disc-shaped recording medium at a predetermined speed based on a write or read signal. an operation information accumulating means for accumulating, for each recording medium, the time or number of rotations of the disk-shaped recording medium while the head is in contact with the disk-shaped recording medium; 1. A disk drive device comprising: a life warning means for issuing a warning when the cumulative number of revolutions reaches the end of the life of a corresponding recording medium set in advance.