U.S. patent application number 16/549131 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-29 for method for detecting the tilting of hard disk drive based on first and second control units.
The applicant listed for this patent is HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD., HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (WuHan) CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to CHING-JOU CHEN, CHENG-TA HU.
Application Number | 20200342914 16/549131 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005147447 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200342914 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHEN; CHING-JOU ; et
al. |
October 29, 2020 |
METHOD FOR DETECTING THE TILTING OF HARD DISK DRIVE BASED ON FIRST
AND SECOND CONTROL UNITS
Abstract
An electronic device includes a sensing unit, a first control
unit, and a second control unit. The sensing unit detects a
parameter of the electronic device when the electronic device is
tilted and sends a detection signal if the detected parameter
exceeds the critical parameter. The first control unit and the
second control unit receive the detection signal from the sensing
unit. If the first control unit receives the detection signal
before the second control unit, the first control unit controls the
mechanical hard disk to power off and controls a magnetic head on
the mechanical hard disk to reset from a working position to an
original position. If the second control unit receives the
detection signal before the first control unit, the second control
unit controls the magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk to
reset from the working position to the original position.
Inventors: |
CHEN; CHING-JOU; (New
Taipei, TW) ; HU; CHENG-TA; (New Taipei, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (WuHan) CO., LTD.
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD. |
Wuhan
New Taipei |
|
CN
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005147447 |
Appl. No.: |
16/549131 |
Filed: |
August 23, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 5/5582 20130101;
G11B 33/027 20130101; G11B 5/596 20130101; G11B 19/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G11B 33/02 20060101
G11B033/02; G11B 19/04 20060101 G11B019/04; G11B 5/55 20060101
G11B005/55; G11B 5/596 20060101 G11B005/596 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 23, 2019 |
CN |
201910330347.5 |
Claims
1. A mechanical hard disk protection method for protecting a hard
disk of an electronic device, the method comprising: detecting a
parameter of the electronic device after the electronic device is
tilted; comparing the detected parameter to a preset critical
parameter, and sending a detection signal to a first control unit
and a second control unit if the detected parameter exceeds the
critical parameter; comparing a time of the first control unit
receiving the detection signal to a time of the second control unit
receiving the detection signal; sending a first control signal, by
the first control unit, to control the mechanical hard disk to
power off and control a magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk
to reset from a working position to an original position, if the
time of the first control unit receiving the detection signal is
shorter than the time of the second control unit receiving the
detection signal; and sending a second control signal, by the
second control unit, to the mechanical hard disk to control the
magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk to reset from the working
position to the original position, if the time of the second
control unit receiving the detection signal is shorter than the
time of the first control unit receiving the detection signal.
2. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 1, wherein:
the parameter of the electronic device comprises at least one of an
inclination angle, an angular displacement, or an angular velocity
in X, Y, and Z directions.
3. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 1, further
comprising: sending a third control signal, by the first control
unit or the second control unit after the electronic device is
returned to a position where the electronic device is not tilted,
to control the mechanical hard disk to restart.
4. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 1, wherein:
whether the electronic device is tilted is detected by a sensing
unit of the electronic device; and the sensing unit sends the
detection signal.
5. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 4, wherein:
the sensing unit is an accelerometer; the first control unit is a
hardware control unit; and the second control unit is a chip
control.
6. A mechanical hard disk protection method for protecting a hard
disk of an electronic device, the method comprising: detecting a
parameter of the electronic device after the electronic device is
tilted; comparing the detected parameter to a preset critical
parameter, and sending a detection signal to a first control unit
and a second control unit if the detected parameter exceeds the
critical parameter; sending a first control signal, by the first
control unit when the first control unit receives the detection
signal, to control the mechanical hard disk to power off and
control a magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk to reset from a
working position to an original position; and sending an alarm
signal by the second control unit when the second control unit
receives the detection signal.
7. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 6, wherein:
the parameter of the electronic device comprises at least one of an
inclination angle, an angular displacement, or an angular velocity
in X, Y, and Z directions.
8. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 6, further
comprising: sending a third control signal, by the first control
unit or the second control unit after the electronic device is
returned to a position where the electronic device is not tilted,
to control the mechanical hard disk to restart.
9. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 6, wherein:
whether the electronic device is tilted is detected by a sensing
unit of the electronic device; and the sensing unit sends the
detection signal.
10. The mechanical hard disk protection method of claim 9, wherein:
the sensing unit is an accelerometer; the first control unit is a
hardware control unit; and the second control unit is a chip
control.
11. An electronic device comprising: a motherboard; a sensing unit
located on the motherboard and configured to detect whether the
electronic device is tilted, detect a parameter of the electronic
device when the electronic device is tilted, compare the detected
parameter to a preset critical parameter, and send a detection
signal if the detected parameter exceeds the critical parameter; a
first control unit located on the motherboard and configured to
receive the detection signal from the sensing unit; and a second
control unit located on the motherboard and configured to receive
the detection signal from the sensing unit; wherein: the first
control unit sends a first control signal to control the mechanical
hard disk to power off and control a magnetic head on the
mechanical hard disk to reset from a working position to an
original position, if a time of the first control unit receiving
the detection signal is shorter than a time of the second control
unit receiving the detection signal; and the second control unit
sends a second control signal to the mechanical hard disk to
control the magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk to reset from
the working position to the original position, if the time of the
second control unit receiving the detection signal is shorter than
the time of the first control unit receiving the detection
signal.
12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein: the first control
unit is a hardware control unit; the second control unit is a chip
control; the first control unit powers off the mechanical hard disk
by a hardware circuit; and the second control unit controls the
mechanical hard disk by a south bridge chip.
13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein: the parameter of
the electronic device comprises at least one of an inclination
angle, an angular displacement, or an angular velocity in X, Y, and
Z directions.
14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein: the first control
unit or the second control unit sends a third control signal, after
the electronic device is returned to a position where the
electronic device is not tilted, to control the mechanical hard
disk to restart.
15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein: the sensing unit is
an accelerometer.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The subject matter herein generally relates to mechanical
hard disk protection methods, and more particularly to a mechanical
hard disk protection method and an electronic device implementing
the method for protecting a hard disk of the electronic device when
the electronic device is tilted.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Generally, when an electronic device, such as a computer, is
tilted, a sensing unit of the electronic device sends a signal to a
motherboard, and the motherboard sends a signal to the hard disk
through a driver interface to control a magnetic head of the hard
disk to protect the hard disk from damage. However, the motherboard
may not receive the signal in time to prevent damage to the hard
disk.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] Implementations of the present disclosure will now be
described, by way of embodiments, with reference to the attached
figures.
[0004] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a mechanical hard
disk protection method.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device
implementing the method of FIG. 1.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a mechanical
hard disk protection method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0007] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of
illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been
repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or
analogous elements. Additionally, numerous specific details are set
forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by
those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described
herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, methods, procedures and components have not been
described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant
feature being described. The drawings are not necessarily to scale
and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better
illustrate details and features. The description is not to be
considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described
herein.
[0008] Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure
will now be presented.
[0009] The term "coupled" is defined as connected, whether directly
or indirectly through intervening components, and is not
necessarily limited to physical connections. The connection can be
such that the objects are permanently connected or releasably
connected. The term "comprising" means "including, but not
necessarily limited to"; it specifically indicates open-ended
inclusion or membership in a so-described combination, group,
series and the like.
[0010] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a mechanical hard disk
protection method for protecting a hard disk of an electronic
device. The method is provided by way of embodiment, as there are a
variety of ways to carry out the method. Each block shown in FIG. 1
represents one or more processes, methods, or subroutines carried
out in the example method. Furthermore, the illustrated order of
blocks is by example only, and the order of the blocks can be
changed. Additional blocks can be added or fewer blocks can be
utilized, without departing from this disclosure.
[0011] At block S1, a parameter of the electronic device is
detected after the electronic device is tilted.
[0012] At block S2, the detected parameter is compared to a preset
critical parameter. If the detected parameter exceeds the critical
parameter, the electronic device sends a detection signal to a
first control unit and a second control unit.
[0013] A time of the first control unit receiving the detection
signal is compared to a time of the second control unit receiving
the detection signal. If the time of the first control unit
receiving the detection signal is shorter than the time of the
second control unit receiving the detection signal, block S3 is
implemented. If the time of the second control unit receiving the
detection signal is shorter than the time of the first control unit
receiving the detection signal, block L3 is implemented.
[0014] At block S3, the first control unit sends a first control
signal to control the mechanical hard disk to power off and control
a magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk to reset from a working
position to an original position.
[0015] At block L3, the second control unit sends a second control
signal to the mechanical hard disk to control the magnetic head on
the mechanical hard disk to reset from the working position to the
original position.
[0016] Specifically, the electronic device includes a sensing unit.
In one embodiment, the sensing unit is an accelerometer. The
sensing unit senses whether the electronic device is tilted. A
basic input/output system of the electronic device sets the
critical parameter for the sensing unit through a control bus, and
the critical parameter for the sensing unit corresponds to the
parameter of the electronic device. The parameter of the electronic
device may be an inclination angle, an angular displacement, or an
angular velocity in X, Y, and Z directions, but is not limited
thereto. The sensing unit senses the parameter of the electronic
device. The critical parameter in the X, Y, and Z directions may be
separately set. One or more of the critical parameter in the X, Y,
and Z directions may be set to different values. The critical
parameter may be set by impacting the electronic device, such as by
shaking a desktop on which the electronic device is placed, to
determine the critical parameter.
[0017] In one embodiment, the first control unit is a hardware
control unit, and the second control unit is a chip control. When
the detected parameter is less than the critical parameter, the
magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk is not reset.
[0018] When the time of the first control unit receiving the
detection signal is less than the time of the second control unit
receiving the detection signal, the mechanical hard disk is powered
off by a hardware circuit, and then the magnetic head on the
mechanical hard disk is reset from a position in contact with a
disk surface to the original position to protect the magnetic head
from being damaged. When the time of the first control unit
receiving the detection signal is less than the time of the second
control unit receiving the detection signal, the second control
unit sends the second control signal to the mechanical hard disk to
control the magnetic head to be reset from the working position to
the original position. Specifically, the second control unit is a
chip control, and the mechanical hard disk is controlled by a south
bridge chip. The time of the first control unit and the second
control unit receiving the detection signal may be detected by
another sensing unit, which is not described herein.
[0019] At block S4, the electronic device is returned to a position
where the electronic device is not tilted.
[0020] At block S5, after the electronic device is returned to a
position where the electronic device is not tilted, the electronic
device sends a third control signal through the first control unit
or the second control unit to control the mechanical hard disk to
restart. Thus, the mechanical hard disk protection method can
protect the magnetic head of the mechanical hard disk from
damage.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an electronic device 100
adopting the above-described mechanical hard disk protection
method. The electronic device 100 includes a sensing unit 10, a
first control unit 20, a third control unit 30, and a motherboard
40. The sensing unit 10 is an accelerometer, the first control unit
20 is a hardware control unit, and the second control unit 30 is a
chip control. The sensing unit 10, the first control unit 20, and
the second control unit 30 are located on the motherboard 40 and
electrically coupled to the motherboard 40. The sensing unit 10,
the first control unit 20, and the second control unit 30
respectively correspond to the sensing unit, the first control
unit, and the second control unit described in the mechanical hard
disk protection method.
[0022] The sensing unit 10 detects the parameter of the electronic
device 100 by sensing a change in the X, Y, and Z directions of the
electronic device 100. The critical parameter is preset in the
sensing unit 10, so that the detected parameter of the electronic
device is compared to the critical parameter. If the detected
parameter of the electronic device 100 exceeds the critical
parameter, the sensing unit 10 sends the detection signal to the
first control unit 20 and the second control unit 30. Whether the
time of the first control unit 20 receiving the detection signal is
less than the time of the second control unit 30 receiving the
detection signal is determined. If the time of the first control
unit 20 receiving the detection signal is less than the time of the
second control unit 30 receiving the detection signal, the first
control unit 20 sends the first control signal to control the
mechanical hard disk to power off and control the magnetic head on
the mechanical hard disk to reset from the working position to the
original position. After the electronic device 100 is returned to a
position where the electronic device 100 is not tilted, the first
control unit 20 sends the third control signal to control the
mechanical hard disk to return to the working position. If the time
of the first control unit 20 receiving the detection signal is
longer than the time of the second control unit 30 receiving the
detection signal, the mechanical hard disk is controlled by the
second control unit 30.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a second embodiment of a
mechanical hard disk protection method for protecting a hard disk
of an electronic device. The method is provided by way of
embodiment, as there are a variety of ways to carry out the method.
Each block shown in FIG. 3 represents one or more processes,
methods, or subroutines carried out in the example method.
Furthermore, the illustrated order of blocks is by example only,
and the order of the blocks can be changed. Additional blocks can
be added or fewer blocks can be utilized, without departing from
this disclosure.
[0024] At block S21, the parameter of the electronic device is
detected when the electronic device is tilted.
[0025] At block S22, if the detected parameter exceeds the critical
parameter, the detection signal is sent to the first control unit
and the second control unit.
[0026] At block S23, after the first control unit receives the
detection signal, the first control unit sends a first control
signal to control the mechanical hard disk to power off and control
a magnetic head on the mechanical hard disk to reset from a working
position to an original position.
[0027] At block L23, after the second control unit receives the
detection signal, the second control unit sends an alarm signal to
notify that the electronic device is tilted.
[0028] At block S24, the electronic device is returned to a
position where the electronic device is not tilted.
[0029] At block S25, after the electronic device is returned to a
position where the electronic device is not tilted, the electronic
device sends a third control signal through the first control unit
to control the mechanical hard disk to restart. Thus, the
mechanical hard disk protection method can protect the magnetic
head of the mechanical hard disk from damage.
[0030] In summary, if the electronic device 100 is tilted and the
detected parameter exceeds the critical parameter, the sensing unit
10 sends the detection signal to both the first control unit 20 and
the second control unit 30, so that a faster one of the first
control unit 20 or the second control unit 30 receiving the
detection signal can reset the magnetic head of the hard disk by
different control means, so that the magnetic head can be reset in
time to prevent damage to the hard disk.
[0031] The embodiments shown and described above are only examples.
Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present
technology have been set forth in the foregoing description,
together with details of the structure and function of the present
disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be
made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size and
arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present
disclosure up to, and including, the full extent established by the
broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims.
* * * * *