Magnetic Disk Sector Spanning Across Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing size of data sectors on magnetic disks leads to extra unutilized areas at the ends of tracks, reducing storage capacity per track, as existing technologies assume data sectors are confined within a single track.
Innovation Solution
A magnetic disk apparatus and method that divides long data sectors into shorter sectors, allowing them to span across adjacent tracks, enabling efficient access and utilization of storage space by sequentially accessing short sectors within these long sectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If data sector size is increased to enhance formatting efficiency, then formatting efficiency is improved, but storage capacity per track decreases due to extra unutilized areas at track ends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a long data sector that spans across track boundaries into multiple shorter data sectors, each confined to a single track. This segmentation allows the data to be stored efficiently without leaving extra unutilized areas at track ends, thereby resolving the contradiction between formatting efficiency and storage capacity.
2Productivity
If data sector size is increased, then formatting efficiency is improved, but extra unutilized areas occur at track ends reducing effective storage
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting long data sectors into shorter sectors that fit within single track boundaries, the patent eliminates the extra unutilized areas that would otherwise occur at track ends, thus preventing loss of storage substance while maintaining formatting efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent redistributes data across multiple tracks by dividing long sectors into shorter sectors placed on different tracks. This dimensional redistribution across the track dimension eliminates wasted space at individual track ends while maintaining overall storage efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If data sectors are confined to single track, then access control is simplified, but storage utilization decreases when long sectors are forced into single track
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments long data sectors into shorter sectors that each fit within single track boundaries. This segmentation maintains the simplicity of accessing data within a single track while enabling efficient storage utilization by eliminating the need to leave extra unutilized areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A magnetic disk apparatus includes a disk and a controller. The disk includes a plurality of tracks including a first track and a second track that is different from the first track. A plurality of data sectors are located on the tracks. The data sectors include short data sectors and long data sectors, each including a plurality of short data sectors. If the controller accesses a long data sector located at an end of the first track, the controller first accesses a short data sector of the long data sector at the end of the first track, and then accesses a short data sector of the long data sector at the beginning of the second track.