Eugene F Plutowski

6342984, Jan 29, 2002

Sep 29, 1998

09/162657

Hakam D. Hussein - Rochester MN
Eric G. Oettinger - Rochester MN
Eugene F. Plutowski - Rochester MN

Western Digital Technologies, INC - Lake Forest CA

G11B 1518

360 69, 360 75, 318432, 318433

A disk drive is connectable to a power supply having a fixed DC voltage. The disk drive includes a voice coil motor and a spindle motor. A DC to DC voltage converter converts the fixed DC voltage to an increased DC voltage greater than the fixed DC voltage. A voice coil motor driver has switching elements which are controllable to supply the increased DC voltage to the voice coil motor. A spindle motor driver has switching elements which are controllable to supply the increased DC voltage to the spindle motor. The increased VCM voltage allows faster access times and more efficient VCM operation. The increased spindle motor voltage allows for more efficient spindle motor operation.

6777899, Aug 17, 2004

Apr 17, 2003

10/249553

Eugene Francis Plutowski - Rochester MN

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

H02K 2300

318254, 318439, 318138, 318700

A method and circuit ( ) are presented for reducing a current spike ( ) created after a commutation of a driving current of a polyphase motor ( ). The motor ( ) has a plurality of coils ( ) that are driven by a commutated dc voltage from a power supply. The circuit ( ) includes a circuit that produces a signal (DrvENOccurred) for indicating a commutation of the dc voltage and a circuit for PWM modulating the dc voltage (CLK, ) during at least a portion of a time before a current induced in one of the coils ( ) reaches a peak value. A counter ( ) determines at least a portion of a time that begins a delayed time after the commutation, and ends when the current reaches the peak value.

6995537, Feb 7, 2006

Feb 14, 2005

11/057511

Eugene Francis Plutowski - Rochester MN, US
Kevin W. Ziemer - Plano TX, US
Alaa Y. El-Sherif - Plano TX, US

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

H02P 7/00
G11B 15/52

318590, 318254, 318560, 318561, 318599, 369 4728, 369 4738

One aspect of the present invention provides a motor control system that includes a linear control system operative, in a linear mode, to provide a plurality of control signals for driving an associated motor based on an error signal. The system also includes control logic operative, in a pulse-width modulation (PWM) mode, to provide the plurality of control signals for driving the motor, at least some of the plurality of control signals being pulse-width-modulated signals based on the error signal. An error system generates the error signal based on an indication of a sensed electrical characteristic of the motor relative to a predetermined reference signal. A feedback network is coupled across the error system. The feedback configured to have transfer function characteristics that substantially match responses in the linear mode and the PWM mode of motor control system, which facilitates transitions between the linear mode and the PWM mode.

7092197, Aug 15, 2006

Jun 30, 2004

10/881486

Alaa Y. El-Sherif - Plano TX, US
Eugene F. Plutowski - Rochester MN, US
Kevin W. Ziemer - Plano TX, US

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

G11B 21/02

360 75, 360 7702

A positioning driver () for a voice coil motor () in a disk drive system () is disclosed. Pulse-width-modulated prestage drivers () are coupled to power transistors () arranged in an “H” bridge for driving the voice coil motor (), biased with a power supply voltage (V). The pulse-width-modulated prestage drivers () drive the power transistors () according to a comparison between an error signal from an error amplifier () and a ramp clock signal (RMP) generated by a ramp clock generator (). The ramp clock generator () includes a control circuit () that modulates the high and low limits of the ramp clock signal (RMP) in response to variations in the power supply voltage (V). This modulation of the high and low limits compensates for variations in the gain of the power transistors () resulting from variations in the power supply voltage (V). The control circuit () may also modulate the slope of the ramp clock signal (RMP) according to variations in the power supply voltage (V), for example to maintain a constant frequency.

20080143282, Jun 19, 2008

Dec 19, 2006

11/642252

Eugene F. Plutowski - Rochester MN, US

H02P 7/00

318268

A control circuit for a hard drive or sensorless DC spindle motor is provided. The control circuit includes a spindle driver generating a spindle motor control output. A spindle controller coupled to the spindle driver causes the spindle driver to vary the spindle motor control output during an inductive sense operation. An inductive sense system coupled to the spindle controller controls the operation of the inductive sense system, such as to turn the inductive sense system on when the spindle driver is off.

58217150, Oct 13, 1998

Jul 26, 1996

8/687738

Eugene F. Plutowski - Rochester MN
Robert W. Warren - Rochester MN

Western Digital Corporation - Irvine CA

H02P 104

318472

A start-up controller is programmed to reduce current to a motor during a coast phase of an alignment state of the motor. The alignment state is divided into a plurality of phases based on time elapsed from the start of the alignment phase and the controller reduces the current when the elapsed time is substantially between a start and end time that define the coast phase. Because reduced current is provided to the motor during the coast phase, the total power and thus the thermal load on control components for the motor is decreased while the time the motor requires to "settle" into alignment is only slightly increased.

52870464, Feb 15, 1994

May 13, 1992

7/882197

Gary D. Carpenter - Endwell NY
Robert E. Jansen - Byron MN
Eugene F. Plutowski - Rochester MN
John J. Stephenson - Rochester MN

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

H02P 122

318293

A method of operating bridge circuit for control of an inductive load is disclosed. The bridge circuit has a pair of input terminals for connection across a power source and a pair of output terminals for connection across the inductive load. Each arm of the bridge includes a transistor switch connecting an input terminal with an output terminal. Clamp circuits are connected to each pair of input and output terminals, taking inputs therefrom and responding to a transition through a predetermined voltage differential between the terminals for driving the transistor switch connecting the output terminal to the remaining input terminal, thereby limiting the output terminal to a predetermined voltage level.

61603686, Dec 12, 2000

Jun 22, 1998

9/102601

Eugene F. Plutowski - Rochester MN

Western Digital Corporation - Irvine CA

H02P 312

318375

A disk drive includes a spindle motor having windings and a spindle motor driver including switching elements connected to the windings. Spin-down instructions are stored in a memory. A microprocessor is responsive to a spin-down command to receive and execute the spin-down instructions. The execution of the spin-down instructions causes the microprocessor to perform the following pulsed braking sequence: (1) providing a brake signal for a first selected period of time (T1); (2) providing a coast signal for a second selected time period (T2); and (3) repeating (1) and (2). The spindle motor driver is responsive to the coast signal to control the switching elements to cause the spindle motor to coast and is responsive to the brake signal to control the switching elements to brake the spindle motor. The pulsed braking sequence preferably maximizes braking time and minimizes coasting time to reduce the time it takes to spin-the down spindle motor while still preventing heat related breakdown of components in spindle motor and power FETs in the spindle motor driver.