Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control... – Mechanism control by the control signal
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-22
2004-12-28
Nguyen, Hoa T. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Control of storage or retrieval operation by a control...
Mechanism control by the control signal
C369S053220, C369S053370
Reexamination Certificate
active
06836454
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices for reading information from information recording disks or devices for writing information onto such disks: e.g., optical disk drives such as CD-ROM drives, CD-R/RW drives, DVD-ROM drives, DVD-RAM drives, DVD-R/RW drives, etc., magneto-optic disk drives such as MO drives, MD drives, etc., and magnetic disk drives such as hard disk drives or the like.
When a CD-ROM drive or the like operates for reproduction, it reads information from a disk mounted on it, while making the disk revolving at the maximum speed (maximum revolutions per second), in order to read necessary information as quickly as possible from the disk. If the disk drive remains inoperative for reading from the disk for a preset period, it sets the disk revolving at low speed. If the disk drive still remains inoperative for reading for a further longer preset period, it stops the disk. By controlling the disk revolution in this way, low power consumption and noise reduction designed for CD-ROM drives or the like are achieved. By way of example, a typical CD-ROM drive structure is represented in a block diagram shown in FIG.
1
.
A host computer (the principal unit using the CD-ROM drive)
101
commands the CD-ROM drive (the device for reproducing information from information recording disks)
102
to read information from an information recording disk
103
mounted on it. Directive information required for reading, which comprises, for example, an on-the-disk location in which object data to be retrieved is recorded and length of the object data, can be known from control information. The control information includes, for example, information recorded beginning from 0 minutes, 2 seconds, and 16 frames on the disk in the case of CD-ROMs complying with ISO 9660 and TOC information in the case of CD-DA. Even for other types of disks, the location where object data is recorded and data length can be known from the control information equivalent to the above examples.
From the host computer
101
, upon receiving the command to read information, a microprocessor
104
activates a program for information reading from the information recording disk, the program stored in a ROM
105
. A specific procedure of the program-controlled microprocessor operation is as follows. If the information recording disk
103
revolves at low speed or stops, the microprocessor
104
instructs a revolving speed control means
107
to spin the disk at the maximum speed and a reader from information recording disk
108
to read information from the information recording disk
103
. At this time, the revolving speed setting that the revolving speed control means
107
received as the instruction from the microprocessor is stored into a RAM
110
. The revolving speed control means
107
comprises a spindle motor for spinning the information recording disk
103
and a control circuit for controlling the speed of the spindle motor.
When instructed to read, the reader from information recording disk
108
which is a means for reading object data starts reading the data from the information recording disk
103
, no matter what speed at which the disk revolves. The reader from information recording disk
108
comprises an optical pickup for reproducing information from the information recording disk
103
. The optical pickup is comprised of a semiconductor laser, optical components, a focus actuator, a tracking actuator, a light-sensitive detector, and other elements. Light emitted from the semiconductor laser converges on a focal point, thus making a light spot on the signal recording surface of the information recording disk
103
. Because the quantity of light reflected from the light spot changes, depending on whether a pit exists on the disk surface, signal reproduction can be accomplished by detecting the changes in light quantity as signals.
The microprocessor
104
instructs a decoder
109
to decode the information read by the reader from information recording disk
108
into form in which the information can be transferred to the host computer
101
. The decoder
109
executes decoding the read information, using a buffer
106
. The microprocessor
104
also instructs the decoder
109
to transfer the information decoded by the decoder
109
(such as, e.g., information causing an interruption and a value contained in a register) to the host computer
101
. The decoder
109
, thus instructed, transfers the decoded information to the host computer
101
.
If the microprocessor
104
remains not receiving a command to read information from the host computer
101
for a preset period, it instructs the revolving speed control means
107
to spin the disk at low speed. If the microprocessor
104
still remains not receiving a command to read information for a further longer preset period, it instructs the revolving speed control means
107
to stop the disk. Each time the disk revolving speed changes, the revolving speed setting recorded in the RAM
110
is updated. Next time the microprocessor is commanded to read information from the host computer
101
, it instructs the revolving speed control means
107
to spin the disk at the maximum speed.
In the above-described CD-ROM drive or the like in accordance with prior art, the revolving speed control means
107
for reading information from the information recording disk
103
is instructed to spin the disk at full speed only as commanded to read information from the host processor
101
. Whenever a read command is issued from the host computer
101
, the revolving speed control means
107
is always instructed to spin the disk at the maximum speed. This results in consuming power more than required and generating unnecessary noise and vibration. Attention should be paid to address this drawback for data to be read or written from/onto a CD-ROM or any other randomly accessible disk, or for portable, mobile equipment such as notebook-size personal computers for which requirement of reduced power consumption is important.
While the foregoing description discussed the case where information is read from the information recording disk
103
, in view of the disk revolving speed, the same problem arises when information is recorded onto the disk
103
as is the case for reading information from the disk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention a device and method for transferring information with an information storage device includes operating the information storage device at one of a number of rotational speeds. Size information pertaining to the amount of data involved in the transfer is received and based on the received size information, the rotational speed of the information storage device is operated accordingly.
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Fukuda Yasushi
Sasaki Manabu
Shigematsu Kazuo
Takahashi Masahiko
Agustin Peter Vincent
Hitachi , Ltd.
Nguyen Hoa T.
LandOfFree
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