Drive Sector Padding Across Multiple Modulation Coding Zones

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data storage systems with multiple modulation coding schemes face challenges in maintaining consistent sector sizes and error correction due to different encoding schemes used in various zones of a data storage medium, leading to issues with sector management and error correction.

Innovation Solution

A circuit or method that generates a first data sector based on a specific encoding scheme, determines the difference in bit numbers between encoding schemes at different locations, and appends padding bits to ensure compatibility, allowing the data sector to be stored in a location with a different encoding scheme, thereby maintaining uniform sector sizes for error correction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If different modulation coding schemes are used in different zones of a data storage medium, then the data storage system can optimize storage capacity and performance for various zones, but the sector sizes become inconsistent leading to errors in outer code parity blocks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacity and performanceVSAvoidsector size consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allowing different modulation coding schemes (different local properties) in different zones of the storage medium while maintaining uniform sector sizes through the padding mechanism. Each zone can be optimized independently for its specific characteristics while the overall system maintains consistency through the cross-zone padding approach.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces padding bits as an intermediary element that mediates between sectors from different zones with different coding schemes. These padding bits act as a buffer that allows sectors of different original sizes to be unified into a consistent format for outer code parity block formation, enabling cross-zone error correction without compromising zone-specific optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If sectors from different zones with different encoding schemes are placed in the same outer code parity block, then storage flexibility is improved, but error correction functionality is compromised due to size mismatches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage flexibilityVSAvoiderror correction functionality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by adding padding bits to sectors before they are placed in the outer code parity block. This pre-processing step ensures that all sectors entering the parity block have uniform sizes, preventing any potential errors during the error correction process while still allowing flexible mixing of sectors from different zones with different coding schemes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent achieves homogeneity within the outer code parity block by standardizing all sector sizes through padding. While the source zones may have different characteristics and coding schemes, the sectors are transformed into a homogeneous format (uniform size) before being grouped together, ensuring that the error correction mechanism can operate effectively on all sectors regardless of their origin.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

3Manufacturing precision

If padding bits are appended to sectors from zones with smaller sector sizes, then uniform sector size is achieved for error correction, but additional overhead is introduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesector size uniformityVSAvoidstorage overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by adding only the minimum necessary padding bits to achieve uniform sector sizes. Rather than over-padding or using excessive redundancy, the solution adds exactly the number of bits needed to match the largest sector size in the parity block, minimizing overhead while ensuring uniformity for proper error correction operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10574270B1Sector management in drives having multiple modulation coding

Publication Date: 2020.02.25 AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE LTD

AI summary

Systems and methods are disclosed for implementing sector management in drives having multiple modulation coding. A circuit may be configured to generate a data sector having a first number of bits based on a first modulation encoding scheme associated with a first location of a data storage medium, determine a difference between the first number of bits and a second number of bits corresponding to a second modulation encoding scheme associated with a second location of the data storage medium, append a number of padding bits to the data sector based on the difference, and store the data sector to the second location of the data storage medium. The data sector may be a sector reallocated from the first location to the second location. The data sector may also be an intermediate parity sector stored to a media cache region of the data storage device.